Chapter 483 - 306: Trading with Master Ma and King Arthur Again, Part 2

Master Ma was currently sitting inside an orbital pod, strapped in with a secure five-point harness, ready for Guang Ling to give the landing signal at any moment.

He replied to Wizard’s message while calculating his own Credit Point deficit.

His expression soured slightly.

Unlike the other youngsters in the Mercenary Corps, this middle-aged man from the East was married, and his Credit Points had never been his to manage.

A Tier Four Martial Artist whose monthly allowance was a mere 3,000 Credit Points!

’If it really comes to it, I’ll just have to borrow some more from Baili Xueyuan. I already owe her one hundred and ten million Credit Points, so what’s a little more...’

Before Master Ma could finish muttering to himself, a loud female voice suddenly boomed from the orbital pod next to him.

Not even the sealed metal door could contain King Arthur’s fury. Her voice was laced with the faint stirrings of her Knight’s Will.

"Master Ma! What’s the meaning of this? What do you mean only a Martial Artist can help with the test? A Knight Professional’s body is no weaker than a Martial Artist’s!"

As King Arthur shouted her curses, she also quickly typed into the Mercenary Corps’ temporary chat window.

King Arthur: "I can do it too! I’ll put up eighty million Credit Points! Including the standard twenty million premium, I’ll buy it at the market price for an S-Class Potion!"

The King Arthur of today was not the same as before; she was no longer that poor Mercenary.

Relying on her Tier Four power, she had returned to the European Administrative Region and reclaimed an inheritance that was rightfully hers. Though it wasn’t much in cash, she had plenty of ways to make it work for her.

When Master Ma saw King Arthur’s message, he felt a pang of bitterness.

Wealth is a man’s courage. Even a Tier Four Martial Artist could lose face over a few coins.

’A bidding war with King Arthur?’

Unless Master Ma mortgaged his entire being to Baili Xueyuan, he stood no chance of winning.

King Arthur’s background was practically public knowledge among the members of the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps. Her assets combined were almost comparable to a smaller, newly established major corporation.

She definitely had fixed assets in the tens of billions.

What was even more terrifying was that King Arthur didn’t own a company; all of her assets could be invested directly into herself.

Unable to compete on a financial level, Master Ma could only think fast and start typing.

Master Ma: "According to Wizard, an ordinary Tier Four Extraordinary might not be able to withstand the effects of the new S-Class Potion. I’m currently at the Tier Four Third Stage. My tolerance should be quite a bit stronger than yours. @King Arthur"

In the pod next door, King Arthur saw the message and calmed down a bit.

She did indeed need an S-Class Potion. She wanted to become a Tier Four Peak Extraordinary Professional as soon as possible, but what Master Ma said made sense...

Besides, it didn’t seem like Wizard was offering this new S-Class Potion sample for a transaction. Just like before, it was for experimental data.

King Arthur retracted her overflowing Knight’s Will and silently typed out her reply.

King Arthur: "Master Ma does have a point. I was being impulsive. Wizard, Master Ma is indeed more suitable for helping you test the new Potion."

King Arthur: "But if the test results are positive, I hope to make a formal trade with you. @Wizard"

Lin Qi hadn’t rushed to reply, instead waiting for everyone to negotiate amongst themselves before preparing his message.

Seeing King Arthur’s messages, Lin Qi was a little impressed.

’As expected of King Arthur. She really is a good person. Even when an S-Class Potion is involved, she can still see things from someone else’s perspective and is willing to make concessions.’

Wizard: "@King Arthur, one set of experimental data might not be enough. Around this time tomorrow, I’ll have a second sample ready. After I get Master Ma’s initial feedback, I can give you the second Potion for testing."

Using two S-Class Potions as bait... even based on the value of regular S-Class Potions, these two were worth a full one hundred sixty million Credit Points. Moreover, they were the kind of thing you couldn’t buy even if you had the money, with any transaction being subject to strict regulation.

Lin Qi had made this decision without even discussing compensation, naturally because he was aiming for a much bigger prize.

Far away, Master Ma saw this message and reacted instantly, quickly typing his response.

Master Ma: "Wizard, I can pay sixty million Credit Points in exchange for this Potion. Since it’s an experimental version, we can consider the usual premium as payment for the data feedback. On top of that, consider it a favor I owe you."

Within the Mercenary Corps, this exchange of favors was something everyone kept track of mentally, even if no one wrote it down.

For example, Lin Qi and Capitalist now owed each other one favor each, which could be considered breaking even.

Master Ma’s offer to pay sixty million was clearly a move to prevent this favor from becoming too large a debt.

As a middle-aged man, Master Ma understood one thing very well:

The most expensive goods are the ones without a price tag.

Lin Qi’s eyes were closed, but his eyeballs darted left and right beneath their lids before he began to type.

Wizard: "There’s no need for Credit Points. The main value of an S-Class Potion lies in the effort of the S-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher who makes it, and I don’t have a shortage of those."

He was still bluffing, of course, reinforcing the Mercenary Corps members’ impression of the imaginary powerhouse backing him.

Then, Lin Qi got to the main point.

Wizard: "But there are things I do need. I’m currently looking for Tier Four Extraordinary Items, or even Tier Five Extraordinary Items. For future trades, I only wish to barter. Of course, intelligence on Extraordinary Items is also acceptable."

Wizard: "If this experiment is successful, the new S-Class Potion can enter mass production. The capacity can reach over 15 units a month."

With that, Lin Qi had dropped a bombshell.

S-Class Potions!

Mass production!

A monthly output of 15 units!

Did the entire Asian Region’s S-Class Potion production capacity even add up to that much?

It seemed not!

Otherwise, the number of Tier Four Extraordinaries wouldn’t be so small.

The eyes of Capitalist, who was exceptionally sensitive to data, immediately began to gleam.

Sitting inside the Alliance City Council Building, she muttered to herself, "Is Wizard really from the Eastern Alliance? If he is, what is his goal?"

"Such a large quantity of S-Class Potions flooding the market wouldn’t be a good thing for the stability of the Asian Administrative Region."

After thinking for a long time, Capitalist finally shook her head.

"It’s not good for the Asian Administrative Region as a whole, but for the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps, and even for me personally, this seems to be a very good thing."

"According to the algorithmic analysis of Wizard’s behavioral logic, these new S-Class Potions likely won’t flood the Asian market, but will instead be distributed internally among the Mercenary Corps members."

After reaching this conclusion, Capitalist’s expression suddenly changed, and her gaze shifted involuntarily toward the Door.

Outside the Door, Jingang stood ramrod straight, watching the conversation between the members of the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps with great interest.

He had no intention of participating.

After all, he was the poorest one in the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps.

He was completely dependent on Director Qiao’s support!

Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have enough Credit Points to maintain his Prosthetic Body!

A concrete plan formed in Capitalist’s mind. ’It seems I really have a chance to cultivate an X-Class Prosthetic Implanter... a true... Jingang.’

’With this ace up my sleeve, combined with my own power, I might just have a chance to gain a seat on the company’s board of directors.’

As Jingang stood outside the door enjoying the show, he suddenly saw a new message pop up in the temporary chat.

The moment he saw the message, Jingang turned his head in surprise and looked at the Door behind him.

Through the Door, their gazes met for a brief moment.

Capitalist: "@Wizard, I have a Tier Four Extraordinary Item, but I have no use for an S-Class Potion at the moment. I need a batch of the new L-Class and A-Class Potions, no fewer than 4 sets."