Chapter 48: Red-Hot
Right now, everyone’s attention was still on the game and its players, especially since the top ten had received special rewards. That was enough to keep people excited for a while.
’However, once word gets out about the Water-cooling Stones, more and more people will probably come looking for me. But by then, I’ll have already accumulated a lot of Gold Coins.’
’I’ll see if I can get thirty thousand by then. If not, I’ll just have to make up the difference with Energy Ores.’
She exited the System Mall, opened her shop, and saw that the ten Water-cooling Stones she had listed had all sold out. Her earnings were 250 Gold Coins, plus a pile of gold and jade.
’At this rate... thirty thousand minus two-fifty, then divided by fifty.’
Moira Lynch took out her phone, opened the calculator, and figured she needed to sell another 595 Water-cooling Stones to have enough.
And that was only if the buyers paid exclusively with Gold Coins.
With this in mind, Moira Lynch listed another ten Water-cooling Stones, this time requiring payment exclusively in Gold Coins.
’Looking at the ten item slots in my shop, I’d originally planned to upgrade it after selling the Water-cooling Stones,’ she thought. ’Looks like I’ll have to wait.’
Given their effects, the Water-cooling Stones weren’t really recommended for individual use, as they could easily cause frostbite. Fortunately, most individuals couldn’t afford them anyway.
If public places like malls and supermarkets could be equipped with Water-cooling Stones, it would greatly alleviate the strain on the power grid.
And then there were the hospitals. From what she’d seen on TV, they were already overflowing, with patients lining the hallways—most of them suffering from heatstroke.
The conditions of patients who had been hospitalized before the extreme heat had also started to worsen, as they couldn’t withstand the weather.
Naturally, the higher-ups had thought of the same things she had.
So, upon seeing that the "Don’t Miss It" shop had once again listed Water-cooling Stones, Redlight immediately ordered his people to buy every single one.
Ever since the "Don’t Miss It" shop sold an interstellar machine, it had been placed under close surveillance. Whatever the owner listed had to be reported immediately.
The report on the Water-cooling Stones had been delayed for some reason, but after Redlight tested their effects, he immediately escalated the matter.
Upon learning of the Water-cooling Stones’ effects, the higher-ups made an immediate decision: contact the shop owner, SoySauceDrunkard, and acquire the stones, no matter the cost.
Naturally, the task fell to Redlight, as he was the one who had previously communicated with SoySauceDrunkard.
It couldn’t be helped; Game Coins were hard to come by. The market price for a single silver coin had already soared to nearly fifty thousand.
And even then, it wasn’t guaranteed anyone would be willing to sell. After all, real-world money was becoming increasingly worthless.
Besides, it wasn’t just the military; some large corporations were also buying up Game Coins, and those people had money to burn.
Fortunately, besides Gold Coins, precious metals like gold could also be used for trade.
Just then, the person monitoring the "Don’t Miss It" shop shouted, "Chief, SoySauceDrunkard just listed more Water-cooling Stones!"
"Then hurry up and buy them! Didn’t we get the gold ready?" Redlight said, frowning.
The man shook his head emphatically. "He’s not taking gold this time. Only Gold Coins."
"What!"
Redlight quickly opened the shop. It was true. ’No gold? Is he that desperate for Gold Coins right now?’
’Or was he just testing the market before?’
But whatever the reason, they had to secure all the Water-cooling Stones.
"Gold Coins are fine too! Buy them now, before someone else snatches them up!" Redlight ordered loudly.
At the same time, he took out his phone and ordered the person on the other end to keep acquiring Game Coins. He had a hunch that if the seller really was short on Gold Coins, all future Water-cooling Stones would probably require them as payment.
After hanging up, Redlight opened the game’s messaging interface and resumed sending messages to SoySauceDrunkard.
However, his messages vanished into the void, receiving no reply.
In truth, he wasn’t the only one. No one else trying to contact Moira Lynch via private message was getting a response either.
This was because Moira Lynch was currently swamped, busy listing Water-cooling Stones.
As she watched the Water-cooling Stones get bought the instant she listed them, Moira Lynch couldn’t help but marvel. ’I really underestimated how many rich people there are in this world.’
Moira Lynch rubbed her fingers, which were on the verge of cramping, and took a deep breath. ’For the Illusion Cloak,’ she thought, ’I’ll give it everything I’ve got.’
About half an hour later, Moira Lynch noticed their buying speed had slowed significantly. ’They must be just about tapped out,’ she guessed.
Because of this, Moira Lynch finally had a moment to check her private messages.
She opened Redlight’s profile. The most recent message, sent twenty minutes ago, read, "How many Water-cooling Stones do you have? I’ll buy them all."
She replied, "Do you still have Gold Coins?"
A response came back almost instantly.
"We’re out (っ´;ω;`с)."
"Do you want gold and jade? We have plenty of that."
The message was followed by a cute sticker.
Moira Lynch checked her earnings from the past half hour.
In that half hour, she had listed over three hundred Water-cooling Stones, earning seventeen thousand Gold Coins.
She knew they must still have Gold Coins, likely holding them in reserve for an emergency.
’Looks like I’ll have to make up the rest with Energy Ores.’
She typed, "Besides Water-cooling Stones, I have other good stuff. Interested?"
"What kind of good stuff?" he replied.
He followed up with a cute dog sticker.
"Water Wood Stones," she wrote. "They help plants grow healthy and can cut their growth cycle in half."
This time, there was no immediate reply, but Moira Lynch wasn’t worried. Everything she’d said was true, without a hint of exaggeration. As long as they knew a good deal when they saw one, they wouldn’t refuse.
"Can we buy one Water Wood Stone first to test the effect?" came the reply after a moment.
"Of course," Moira replied.
She agreed readily.
’True gold fears no fire. They can test it all they want, but they still have to pay up. Not one cent less.’
Moira Lynch kindly changed the payment method from Gold Coins to gold.
Meanwhile, a young woman with short hair and a round face stood beside Redlight, saying proudly, "So, what do you think, Chief? The chatting method I taught you works much better, right? Your old style was so stiff. Not charming at all."
Redlight wasn’t used to this style of conversation, but he had to admit it was undeniably effective.
He never would have guessed that a few cute stickers could change the seller’s attitude so drastically—to the point that she even offered a new item: the Water Wood Stone.
’If the Water Wood Stones are really as good as SoySauceDrunkard claims,’ he thought, ’then there’s hope for the crops!’