Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Ruins Market Opens

The only headache was the over six hundred tons of copper, a quantity that required several trips to transport completely, and figuring out how to sell it without leaving a trace was also a problem.

If sold normally, it might be fine if no one paid attention, but if it were ever investigated later, it would become a huge red flag.

A student who had just awakened two days ago returns from his first exploration in the Alien Star Domain with over six hundred tons of copper?

It’s worth noting that a Spectral Shuttle’s maximum capacity is only about one hundred tons.

Therefore, in order to avoid a situation that might expose the Zhu Tian Ruins Market, Song Chi had to come up with a plan.

It was still the Dongjiang Torch Shop, not far from Dongjiang Community, on the top floor of the shopping mall.

“Mithril 10 tons, electrum 34 tons, cold iron 11 tons, Mercury Crystals 15 tons, copper 45 tons, converting at 70 percent of market price, totals 177.8 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin, let’s call it 178 strands,” said the shop assistant with a polite smile.

Song Chi argued his case assertively.

“Beautiful lady, a 70 percent rate is truly too low, other stores mostly buy at 80 percent…”

The assistant’s smile remained, but she did not respond further, her meaning clear: if you are not happy with our price, then go wherever offers you 80 percent.

In other words, there was no room for negotiation.

Seeing this, Song Chi decided to seek a compromise.

“How about this, you accept 80 percent, and I will spend all of this Floating Land Origin in your store, how’s that?”

In response to this proposal, the Eagle Machinery Store eventually agreed, and Song Chi, as agreed, spent all 203 strands of Floating Land Origin on goods from the store.

1000 Tungsten Gold Combat Shields

1000 Tungsten Gold Lances

One Starry Sea Universal Translator

100 vials of Basic Gene Optimization Liquid

The above were the items that Song Chi had additional on the Cang Qiong upon leaving the Eagle Machinery Store, for which he paid an additional 17 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin.

…

In the southern outskirts of Jiangyuan City, there was a very famous forest park known as Dongshan Forest Park. During holidays, it was thronged with people coming for hikes, and what many did not know was that behind this forest park, in an unseen area, lay the biggest black market of Jiangyuan City.

Of course, in the minds of those true upper echelons of Jiangyuan, the existence of this black market was an open secret. Jiangyuan City needed such a place, not only Jiangyuan City but also the larger White Tower Floating Land, and even the entire domain of the Torch Civilization needed black markets on their Life Floating Lands.

It’s like the shadow of a city, the brighter the place, the larger the black market behind it.

Song Chi knew about this place because he had visited it once with his father, Song Chao, a few years ago.

That experience taught Song Chi about this hidden side of Jiangyuan City, and he had been there a few times alone since then, so he was quite experienced this time.

He disguised himself, set his Spectral Shuttle’s name to be invisible to others, and sold the over five hundred tons of copper in several trips to different shops in various areas of the black market.

“`

A series of operations went by fluidly, without the slightest bit of obscurity.

The prices in the black market were ruthlessly high, with the purchase price being only 65% of the market value, but there was no helping it, as Jiangyuan was still a greenhorn who had just become a Torch Ship Captain, without his own distribution channels. If he wanted to keep a low profile, he had to swallow this loss.

Over 550 tons of purple copper, priced at 110 strands of Zero Rank Floating Land Origin in the market, were worth only 71 strands in Song Chi’s hands, nearly half gone.

Clenching his teeth, Song Chi returned to the Torch Market, where he exchanged all 90 strands of Floating Land Origin he held into Zero Rank and First Rank Life Cores, while swearing in his heart to recover the loss in the Ruins Market.

After securing the 700 Zero Rank and 20 First Rank Life Cores, a total of 720, the preparations before opening the Ruins Market were essentially complete; Song Chi did not linger outside any longer.

Once home, he briefly informed his parents that he was mentally overdrawn and might need deep sleep for a day or two. With their approval, he quickly retreated to his bedroom.

He didn’t rush to enter the Zhu Tian Ruins Market to initiate his first trade there; instead, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Spiritual exhaustion after breaking limits was no trivial matter; he was extremely fatigued. If it weren’t for his need to get everything settled, he probably wouldn’t have held out this long.

Twenty hours later, Song Chi awoke from his deep sleep. Although not fully recovered, he felt much better than he had the day before.

…

In the Zhu Tian Ruins Market, after half an hour of bustling activity, Song Chi had all the goods he purchased the day before neatly arranged in ten shops. Assured that everything was properly set up, he stepped towards the “Ultra Long-Distance Space Gate Random Deployment Platform” at the innermost part of the market.

Trailing closely behind him in two rows were ten Fire Peony Soldier Figurines, radiating red glimmers. After a full day had passed, the Fire Peony Soldier Figurine Tree components had completed their buffering.

In front of the Ultra Long-Distance Space Gate Random Deployment Platform, Song Chi gently tapped it once, preparing to activate the platform when a prompt sounded.

[Detected that it’s your first time opening the market in ten thousand years. You may select a specific deployment area for one spatial gate.]

Upon hearing this prompt, an idea struck Song Chi.

The words “Mechanical Race Civilization Stronghold” rapidly surged from his heart, quickly occupying his entire mind.

If it had been before he obtained the First Rank Floating Land Origin Core Fusion Body, he might not have been too moved by this.

But things were different now; the First Rank Floating Land Origin Core Fusion Body he held was, to members of the Mechanical Race, equivalent to a miraculous energy supply artifact and naturally beyond valuation.

Opening his communication bracelet, he accessed the already downloaded compendium of Alien Star Domain civilizations and creatures, which did not require a network to view. Song Chi found several mechanical civilizations recorded there, chose one of the coordinates, and activated the Ultra Long-Distance Space Gate Random Deployment Platform in front of him.

Humm humm humm!

With the platform trembling intensely, ten beams of light emerged from it.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The ten beams of light shot out one after the other, piercing through the Ruins Market’s semicircular defense shield and disappearing into the silent void space as streaks of light.

Seconds later, at the entrance area of the Zhu Tian Ruins Market, ten vortex-shaped spatial entrances quietly appeared. Song Chi immediately stationed the ten Fire Peony Soldier Figurines near the spatial gates and also placed the “Starry Sea Universal Translator” at the entrance of the market.

After all, it was highly likely that the entrants would belong to completely different species, and if they were of a very low level, not even having mastered the Starry Sea common language, the Starry Sea Universal Translator would be key to ensuring barrier-free communication for them.

After completing these preparations, Song Chi finally used his ability as the Ruins Market Master to materialize a light screen at the entrance of the market that inscribed the various trading rules of the Zhu Tian Ruins Market.

This light screen, manifested by the laws of the Zhu Tian Ruins Market’s secret realm space, allowed any creature that saw it to immediately comprehend the various rules listed within.