Chapter 508: A Booming Business
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The regional Spirit Internet was set up so that multiple people could send voice transmissions simultaneously. It served the function of a chat group. Federation Seedlings could send voice transmissions and messages.
Presently, Federation Seedlings spread across the various islands were chatting happily in the chat group. They had left their homes and were in foreign lands. They were surrounded by strangers. Most could feel the cultivators from the Vast Expanse Dao Place looking down on and ostracizing them. That united them further.
They weren’t only forced to stand together. Despite the ancient greenish-bronze sword being a holy place for cultivation, countless dangers lurked, hidden from their sight. Within the past month, many of them had encountered danger to differing degrees. Some dangers were due to their missions, some came from the cultivators of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace.
This chat group thus became an important channel where everyone could communicate with and contact one another. They could also call for help when they meet danger. At present, they were all discussing battle credits.
Li Yi’s words surprised many people. The battle credits that she had earned were significant. She had actually gotten six hundred credits. Many found that unbelievable. The missions given by the Vast Expanse Dao Palace were incredibly challenging, and the credits they awarded, pitiful.
Many soon started asking polite questions. w.a.n.g Baole simply snorted secretly. He felt sour about it, but he continued listening in to the conversation. He wanted to know how Li Yi had done it as well.
That was indeed the effect Li Yi had intended to achieve. Slightly pleased with herself, she spoke again casually in the chat group.
“Fellow Daoists, you just have to remember this one thing… cultivation plays an important part in earning battle credits, but using one’s brain plays an even more important role. I wonder how many battle credits our fellow Daoist w.a.n.g Baole, who has the highest cultivation level amongst us all, has gotten?”
Everyone fell silent as Li Yi began to target w.a.n.g Baole. No one wanted to get involved in their conflict. Anyone who knew anything about what had happened on Mars knew the tensions between Li Yi and w.a.n.g Baole. It had begun since their fight for mayors.h.i.+p over the new city zone and continued until Li Yi made a grievous mistake and was deported from Mars. Their hostility was deeply rooted and wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon.
Furthermore, Li Yi’s rank had remained stagnant since she had left Mars. w.a.n.g Baole, on the other hand, had been promoted swiftly through the ranks. He had since risen to become a Secondary Rank Two n.o.ble. If they were in the Federation now, no matter how much Li Yi might curse w.a.n.g Baole secretly, she wouldn’t have dared to openly speak out against him. The difference between their levels of cultivation and ranks was simply too vast.
In the Vast Expanse Dao Palace, however, whatever achievements one had earned while in the Federation no longer counted. It didn’t matter how powerful w.a.n.g Baole’s cultivation was. Li Yi, through her own means, had gathered a group of people to stand with her against w.a.n.g Baole. That was why she dared to openly mock w.a.n.g Baole in the chat group.
w.a.n.g Baole glared. He had half a mind to say something in the chat group. Then, he saw the battle credits he had earned, remembered the debts he had gotten himself into, and lost interest immediately. He sighed and closed the chat group.
No, I can’t allow Li Yi, with her big b.r.e.a.s.t.s and lack of brains, to bask in satisfaction! w.a.n.g Baole sulked. He began to think. After thinking for some time, he headed for the mission stone slab again. He looked at it carefully. With the impressive memory that he had acquired from memorizing inscriptions, he memorized most of the missions on the stone slab, then began to consolidate and categorize them.
This took a lot of effort. w.a.n.g Baole was just going to wing it though. Li Yi’s words had triggered him. Two days pa.s.sed before w.a.n.g Baole, his eyes lined with red veins, rubbed his forehead and lifted his head. His breathing quickened slightly.
Most of the missions that awarded the most battle credits can only be completed by Core Formation realm cultivators. In addition, they frequently cannot be completed by a single person… one will have to form mission parties.
However, even though these missions award more battle credits, there are far less of them than missions appropriate for Foundation Establishment realm cultivators… w.a.n.g Baole narrowed his eyes. Based on his categorization, he realized that seventy percent of the missions were designed for Foundation Establishment realm cultivators. The battle credits that Foundation Establishment realm cultivators could earn after completing those missions were pitiful.
I should target Foundation Establishment realm cultivators… Since I have limited resources, I should earn battle credits via other channels… After all, there are no rules saying that one can only earn battle credits by completing missions… A strange light shone in w.a.n.g Baole’s eyes, and a plan began to surface gradually in his head. He a.s.sessed it carefully. Soon, a determined look shone in his eyes. He raised his right hand, and the Spirit Boat that had the ability to enter the Sea of Fire appeared before him instantly.
w.a.n.g Baole narrowed his eyes as he studied the Spirit Boat. He had refined this Spirit Boat with his own hands, so he knew that a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator would be able to steer and control it. This meant that he could use this boat to enter the Sea of Fire, and also allow others to borrow this boat, enter the Sea of Fire, and reach deeper levels of the sea!
Core Formation realm cultivators could already do that, which was why this Dharmic treasure wouldn’t be that useful to them. It was different for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. Foundation Establishment realm cultivators couldn’t enter the Sea of Fire. That meant that they could only complete missions on land. They had to compete against many other cultivators. When they completed their missions, the battle credits they were awarded were pathetic.
However… if they could enter the Sea of Fire, more missions would be accessible to them. Missions like searching and hunting for Inferno Rats on the seabed… could be done by Foundation Establishment realm cultivators as well. They couldn’t do so now because they couldn’t submerge into the Sea of Fire.
Up to now, only Core Formation realm cultivators could enter the Sea of Fire. That was why all missions in the Sea of Fire were monopolized by Core Formation realm cultivators. w.a.n.g Baole thought about this very hard. He felt that he should be more fair and just. He should create more Spirit Boats, then… rent them out to the Foundation Establishment realm cultivators from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace!
w.a.n.g Baole thought he shouldn’t overcharge. He’d simply ask for one battle credit for every two hours. Based on his knowledge of the Sea of Fire and his a.s.sessment of a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator’s abilities, a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator would only be able to spend a maximum of two hours underwater while controlling the Spirit Boat.
If a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator was willing to use a few Spirit Stones, he might be able to prolong the duration underwater. Regardless, based on w.a.n.g Baole’s calculations, this was a business that was only going to reap profits for him.
They’ll have to sign a contract. They’ll have to compensate me accordingly if they damage my Spirit Boat! w.a.n.g Baole grew excited at that thought. He knew that he was penniless at the moment, though. He only had one Spirit Boat. In order to earn more rental fees, the more boats he had, the better.
Seems like I have to go p.a.w.n off a few more Dharmic Armaments. w.a.n.g Baole took a deep breath. Having made up his mind, he contacted the fat cultivator from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace immediately. The latter seemed happy when he heard that w.a.n.g Baole wanted to p.a.w.n his Dharmic Armaments again. He had been using w.a.n.g Baole’s Dharmic Armament during this period and found them quite powerful. He agreed to w.a.n.g Baole’s request immediately. However, he couldn’t afford to take on so many Dharmic Armaments himself, so he contacted a few others. w.a.n.g Baole p.a.w.ned two Dharmic Armaments in exchange for a loan. The battle credits were enough to refine two more Spirit Boats.
w.a.n.g Baole’s efforts paid off. He soon refined the additional Spirit Boats. After which, he made use of his status as a Core Formation realm cultivator to leave his own message on the mission stone slab.
“Holy boat for rent to enter the sea!”
“It doesn’t matter what level of cultivation you’re at, you’ll be able to travel to the depths of the Sea of Fire with this boat. It’s not for sale. With just a few battle credits, you’ll be able to rent it for two hours. There are limited slots. Please contact me immediately if you require such services!”
After sending out the message, w.a.n.g Baole still felt that it wasn’t enough promotion. He immediately called for Zhou Biao and the other cultivators on Green Fire Island. They were currently in awe of w.a.n.g Baole. After receiving w.a.n.g Baole’s instructions, regardless of their reluctance, they still left the island with great resignation and headed for the main Vast Expanse Dao Palace island. They began promoting w.a.n.g Baole’s business and advertising about this boat of his that could enter the Sea of Fire.
Everything’s prepped. Now, we’ll just have to see what the response is like. There are twenty-four hours in a day, and I have three Spirit Boats. Since I can earn a maximum of three credits every two hours, the most I can earn in a day is thirty-six credits. That’s more than a thousand in a month. I’ll earn back my capital in three months!
It’s a pity that I don’t have enough capital. Else, I’d be earning more! w.a.n.g Baole did his calculations and was pleased with the figures. He began to wait excitedly and anxiously.
At present, he was unaware that the Vast Expanse Dao Palace rarely saw messages like his being released. That was why as soon as he announced that he had boats for rental, he caught the attention of many people…