Trade, Company, Archery

Wang An checked the trade messages in his private chats, first filtering for buyers who could come to Changnan to trade.

Last-Minute Naming Struggler: "Bro, yours has been used. Got any unused ones? I'll pay top dollar."

Wang An could tell from that message that he knew his stuff.

He replied, "Bro, I do have some genuinely good stuff here. It all depends on how serious you are."

The other party replied as soon as the message went out.

Last-Minute Naming Struggler: "Bro, just name your price. Money's no object."

Wang An thought for a while and decided to shop around.

He told the other buyers who wanted to trade, "I have plenty of buyers, so I'm not worried about selling. You each get one chance to make an offer. Highest bidder gets it."

Ten minutes passed, and the buyers submitted their offers one after another.

In the end, the first buyer offered the most: 3 million yuan.

Next, they had to discuss how to make the trade.

Wang An certainly wasn't going to make the trade in person.

That meant he needed to involve his Avatar. He could have the Avatar handle the trade first, and they wouldn't be able to find him anytime soon, giving him time to develop safely.

As long as he kept the amount he put on the market under control and traded in small quantities, his safety would still be assured.

Next, he arranged the trading time and procedure with Last-Minute Naming Struggler.

In the end, the two sides jointly chose a nationally renowned law firm.

First, the buyer would transfer the money into a third-party escrow account, or have a lawyer witness and hold it.

Under the third party's supervision, the seller would hand the Class Change Stone over to the buyer at a secure location.

The buyer would verify the item on the spot, and once everything checked out, the third party would give the money to the seller.

That would ensure that neither party controlled both the money and the goods at the same time.

The trade was set for two days later, in a public place, to prevent either side from double-crossing the other.

He also had something important to prepare for in the coming days: registering a company.

As his activities grew more complicated, he certainly wouldn't be able to compete with other forces on his own.

That meant he needed to register a company.

Initially, he would use his Avatar to handle exploration, while the company handled logistics.

Later on, the company would be able to run itself without him having to worry about it.

The next day, Wang An began gathering information and chose a professional agent on a specialized business services app.

He discussed his requirements for meteorite exploration, settled on an agency package costing around 5,000 yuan, and signed a contract.

Finally, he sent the agent the documents and settled on Changnan Interstellar Exploration Technology Co., Ltd. as the company name. Initially, its business scope would include:

Natural science research and experimental development, geological exploration technical services, science popularization services, organizing cultural and artistic exchange activities, conference and exhibition services, information technology consulting, and handicraft sales, to cover future business and avoid legal risks.

Finally, the agent replied, "Mr. Wang, the materials you provided are complete. We should have essentially everything taken care of within 5-10 business days."

After finishing that, Wang An went to a fairly well-known archery club in Changnan.

As soon as he entered, the young woman at the front desk came over to greet him with a smile.

"Sir, do you have a reservation? If not, we have different courses you can take a look at."

Wang An replied, "No. I need to quickly learn the essentials of archery, and I need a place where I can practice a lot."

The young woman had thought he was just a young man who had come to try something new. She hadn't expected him to be such a major customer.

Her smile grew more genuine as she answered, "In that case, you'll need private lessons. Our coaches are all archery masters with professional certifications.

"We recommend four to eight private lessons. This course is very well suited to a beginner like you who wants to build a foundation.

"Our coach will also give you one-on-one instruction, so you can ask him any questions you have."

What she had suggested met his needs, rather than being some flashy but impractical package meant to fool him, so Wang An nodded his agreement.

The young woman hadn't expected the customer to agree so readily. She continued introducing the options to Wang An: "Bows, arrows, protective gear and other equipment can be rented for free during lessons. If you want to practice long-term, you can get a membership card here."

"Here are the membership details. You can take a look."

Key benefits:

Unlimited or limited daily practice sessions.

Free rental of equipment at the corresponding membership level.

Member prices on courses, private lessons, equipment, and in-store purchases.

Free participation in members-only competitions and themed events.

A dedicated member locker.

Basic monthly card: ¥300-¥600

All-access monthly card: ¥500-¥1,000

Annual card: discounted, equivalent to approximately ¥300-¥800 per month, with total prices ranging from ¥3,600 to ¥9,600.

After reading through it, Wang An found that it basically met his requirements.

He said to the young woman at the front desk, "I'll get a basic monthly card for now!"

She immediately took out a form and said to Wang An, "All right, here's the registration form. Please fill in your information while I calculate your total.

"Oh, right, what kind of bow would you like to learn? We mainly offer recurve and compound bows here. Please put your choice on the form, and we'll make special arrangements for you."

Modern recurve bows were mainly used for Olympic competition, traditional archery, and beginner instruction.

Modern compound bows, on the other hand, had essentially surpassed recurve bows: they were easy to learn, offered rapid improvements in accuracy, required less effort to hold, and had greater power, higher arrow speeds, longer range, greater resistance to interference, extensive modern expandability, and powerful capabilities.

They were mainly used for hunting, target-shooting competitions, and outdoor recreational shooting.

These features and uses were a major safeguard for future exploration in the mountains and forests.

In the end, the private lessons and membership card cost around 4,000 yuan in total, and he could start his lessons that very day.

After paying and receiving his membership card,

A well-proportioned middle-aged man arrived before long.

He walked over and said to the receptionist, "Xiao Zhang, is this the new student?"

The young woman at the front desk replied, "Coach Chen, this is the new student who signed up for private compound bow lessons."

Coach Chen nodded to Wang An in greeting.

He then said, "Come on, I happen to have time now.

"We can start the first lesson, and I'll explain the basics of the compound bow to you."

Wang An followed Coach Chen deeper into the club.

There were facilities here such as an outdoor archery range and an indoor training hall.

They arrived at a basic training area.

Inside were basic supplies, including entry-level recurve bows, compound bows, and beginner arrowheads.

Coach Chen picked up a compound bow and began to explain, "The main mechanism of a modern compound bow is the cam system. It's the heart of the bow, and it comes in single-cam, hybrid-cam, dual-cam, and other configurations.

"It also determines the draw-force curve, arrow speed, and let-off. Beginners generally find it easier to start with a gentler cam, such as a hybrid cam."

"There's also other essential beginner gear: a release aid, arrows, an arrow rest, a sight, a peep sight, a finger tab to protect the fingers that hook the string, and an arm guard to keep the bowstring from hitting your arm. Important accessories include a quiver, a vibration damper or stabilizer, and a bow stand."

After explaining that, Coach Chen went on to explain some other specifications.

Let-off meant that, after drawing the bow fully, the cam system allowed you to hold it using only 20%-35% of the peak draw weight.

Draw length was the length when the bowstring was pulled back to the anchor point. Peak poundage was the maximum draw weight to which the bow could be adjusted.

Next came the seven major steps of "shooting control theory."

"The compound bow shooting process is actually already highly standardized."

"Basically, standard training builds muscle memory."

That was how Coach Chen put it.

"Here are the steps. Follow along with me."

Coach Chen gave him a compound bow set and picked up another for himself.

He demonstrated as he explained.

"Stand sideways to the target, feet shoulder-width apart, and relax your body. Nock the arrow and grip the bow, placing the arrow on the rest and clipping it into the D-loop. Hook the string and raise the bow, using the release aid to hook the D-loop."

"Draw and anchor. Use your back muscles to smoothly pull the bowstring to a fixed position, making sure your anchor point is exactly the same every time."

"Look through the peep sight at the sight pin and line it up with the bullseye. Keep pushing with your front hand and pulling with your back hand to engage your back muscles."

"Release. Keep applying force with your back, using the contraction of your back muscles to 'trigger' the release aid. After releasing, hold your position for one to two seconds and let the movement finish naturally."

After going through the sequence once, Wang An was already basically familiar with it.

On the second attempt, he could do it on his own, and his movements gradually became smoother.

Seeing Wang An pick it up so quickly, Coach Chen smiled too.

A student who learned as soon as he was taught was a coach's favorite: easy to teach, trouble-free, and very rewarding.

As Wang An gradually grew more proficient, Coach Chen gave him a few more pointers and warnings.

"Always start at the shortest distance, three to five meters. Draw to the same anchor point every time and feel the same tension."

"Overcome the instinct to squeeze the trigger, and let the release come naturally from the sustained effort of your back muscles. If you draw and release without an arrow, all the energy will act on the bow itself. That can easily shatter the bow and, in severe cases, even injure someone.

"That's the first iron rule of compound bows."

"Before every shot, check the arrow shaft for cracks and make sure the nock is intact."

"Use a release aid only. Release only with a release aid. Never try to release a compound bow with your fingers; it can cause very serious injuries."

After two lessons, Wang An said goodbye to Coach Chen and walked out of the archery club.

Aside from the soreness in both arms and some exhaustion, he had gained a great deal.