Chapter 255: Chapter 169 I’m the Judge (Two more)_1

Clutching the book of artwork, Short Tail was flipping through it, utterly engrossed.

Art pieces in this world were truly scarce.

Most of the surviving artworks had suffered extensive damage, and their owners considered them treasures, not permitting even copies to be exchanged.

But now, to be able to admire the artwork in his hands up close, Short Tail felt as though he was in a dream.

The book was substantial and well-made, and holding it, one could feel its reassuring weight and the profoundness brought by the art.

Upon turning the first page, he was delighted to see figures and elegant attire playfully complementing each other, every line breathing artistry that drew him in, rendering him unable to pull away.

Desiring to package it as attractively as possible to make money, although the book contained only six paintings, the craftsmanship was exquisite, exaggeratedly so to maximize profits.

However, Short Tail was completely unaware of the two players’ ulterior motives.

He simply held the sacred object in his arms and excitedly asked, “What does this mean, giving this to me?”

“Take it to sell, the profit we can…”

“Twenty-eight percent is fine! We’ll take just twenty percent!”

Xiemen Waidao originally meant to propose a fifty-fifty split, but seeing the other party self-exploit so drastically, he felt that agreeing to their terms was a good idea.

To prevent Short Tail from taking the money and running, Xiemen Waidao specifically showed him some of the artworks stored in his warehouse, ensuring him they couldn’t be copied. So, to make money, he’d better do as he was told.

He always believed in the principle of dealing with the villains before the gentlemen. It was important to clarify these things with the NPC in advance to avoid any mishaps that would lead to unnecessary confrontation and trouble.

After signing a contract with Short Tail, the first merchant guild took the artwork and departed.

This guild would become the secret guild that communicated with the Freedom Alliance, granted the privilege of free entry into this Star Region, and tasked with transporting players’ goods to other areas.

The next time they came back, they would bring the faith they had garnered from sales, then stock up and sell again, beginning to provide a continuous stream of wealth for Liuzi and Xiemen Waidao.

Once the first sum of money was recouped, Xiemen Waidao was very satisfied.

He and Liuzi split the faith equally; the two Squirrels lay on a bed with a view of the stars, sipping champagne that had no taste but set the right mood, feeling like they had turned the game into a vacation.

Once they had enough money, they would recruit forces and offer amnesty to various space pirates, further advancing their art trafficking venture.

Besides the two, other players in the game were also using various methods to earn their first pot of gold.

Browsing “Game Inn,” Fang Cheng noticed that the “Space Navigator” subsection already had many money-making strategies summarized.

Players like Liuzi, who had skills and could monetize through equipment, were still the minority, as most players had their own ways of making money.

The previous insurance fraud trend was one such method, which involved disassembling all cargo and ship parts, leaving only a skeleton that could fly, and then crashing it.

Afterward, their ships would be restored due to insurance, but the extra parts remained, allowing them to commit insurance fraud repeatedly until an exasperated GM number two amended the insurance rules, putting an end to it.

Later on, they developed the sacrificial method, which involved offering oneself to the mechanical Sect for money.

However, due to the excessive number of sacrifices, the price continuously dropped until nobody wanted them, even for free.

There were also other methods like “Harbor Trading,” “Biting Back,” etc. For the sake of quick capital, players would go to any length, showing Fang Cheng the unfathomable depths of the players’ limits.

Fortunately, he had already sent GMs number one, two, and three ahead of time.

The prestige of these three Squirrels within their own kind had risen considerably for bringing the Heavenly Lord, and they were respected by other squirrels as the “Priests of the Great Heavenly Lord.”

With the power to wield the Star of Destruction, their words carried significant weight in the vicinity, as they could physically persuade any dissenting players or locals at any time.

Plus, Fang Cheng had given them partial Immortal Spell permissions, allowing them to modify content as needed to fix flaws.

With the help of the three Squirrels and their backing from the Squirrel Tribe, the loopholes found by players were being filled one by one, and the game’s core gameplay was becoming clearer.

Although there were still some underhanded tactics in play, Fang Cheng believed that with the Squirrels’ efforts, the game would only improve.

Staring at the ceiling, Fang Cheng began to contemplate the Dustfire of “Space Navigator.”

The golden Dustfire burned, containing some impurities, but overall, it was steadily improving.

Although the situation seemed good, there was a need to remain cautious of certain players.

Such as Xiemen Waidao, Liuzi, Tang Mo, and others of their ilk.

These players were quite capable, but they indulged in all sorts of fancy tricks, leading to their own downfall.

They were his challenges, and he needed to overcome each one of them to claim success in his pursuit of power.

After searching through the star system, Fang Cheng found that Xiemen Waidao had already joined forces with Liuzi.

Despite the vastness of the star system, the fact that these two could come together showed that kindred foes always seemed to attract each other.