Chapter 395 - 394: Falling Apart

Chapter 395: Chapter 394: Falling Apart

[Artemis]: Tomorrow, we will release all the Expansion Crystals we have on hand at once, at the current market price! The price will definitely drop a bit then, so anyone who needs Expansion Crystals can buy some more.

"She’s selling them tomorrow! Looks like Master Artemis really is looking out for us!"

"Yeah! Stop arguing! Tomorrow! Did you hear that? Tomorrow! They’ve been hoarding them for so long, and now they’re willing to release them tomorrow. Doesn’t that prove something? If they really wanted to corner the market and got exposed, they’d just hold onto them even tighter, or demand an exorbitant price!"

"Holy shit... Now that you mention it... that seems right! If Artemis and her crew really wanted to make a dirty profit, they could just play dead right now, or stall and drag things out until everyone forgets or can’t hold out any longer! But she admitted it straight up and even set a date to release the stock tomorrow!"

"And she said she’s selling at market price. She really isn’t planning to make any profit at all!"

"Could it be... Master Artemis is actually a great person?"

When Seraphina Sinclair saw this, she couldn’t help but glance at the user’s ID.

[Patrick Star]

’Yep, perfect. The name fits the person.’

"Idiots! Do you guys even have brains? Because they’ve been buying up everything in the regional channel, how high do you think the price of Expansion Crystals has gotten? Even at ’market price,’ it’s a market price that’s much, much higher than before they started buying everything up! They’re still making a profit!"

"...?"

"...I guess... that’s right?"

"Wait, what you said... Let me do the math..."

"Holy crap! If they really sell at the current market price, Artemis and her group will make a 50% net profit on every single crystal!"

"Fucking hell, I almost fell for it! Artemis, your so-called ’market price’ is the price after you yourselves drove it up, isn’t it?!"

"Fuck! A profiteer, just as I thought! She made it sound so nice, buying at a fair price and selling at a fair price, but that ’fair price’ isn’t the original fair price anymore! They bought low and are selling high. Where does that price difference come from? They’re sucking us dry!"

"@Artemis Come out and explain! Which market price are you talking about? The price before you started buying everything up, or the current high price after you monopolized the market?!"

"The price will drop a bit? How much is ’a bit’? If it’s just a tiny drop, are you treating us like beggars?!"

"Cloudmute may not be a saint, but at least they tore down this paper-thin facade! Artemis, stop playing word games! And Nathan Kane and Mountainwind, stop playing dumb! Come out and say something!"

"Right! We want a truly fair price! Sell them at the normal price from before they started buying everything up!"

"I support this! They must sell at the original price! Otherwise, it’s fraud! It’s bloodsucking!"

Most people had been swayed by Artemis’s nice-sounding words and hadn’t thought it through. After someone pointed out the truth, they immediately came to their senses.

’What is Artemis?’

’A profiteer! A bona fide, unscrupulous profiteer!!’

Once things reached this point, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t need to be a genius to guess what would happen next.

’So what if they get cursed out a bit? At least the supplies and Black Fog Coins they’ve got their hands on are real.’

Just as she expected, Artemis didn’t come out to say anything more.

Cloudmute also went silent, as if they had made up with Artemis, and didn’t mention the matter again.

The anger in the group chat didn’t dissipate with the silence of those involved. Instead, like a fire that had lost its target, it began to spread uncontrollably, engulfing everything in its path.

"Where’s Artemis? Get the hell out here! Stop playing dead!"

"And that traitor, Cloudmute! So loud at the beginning, but silent now? Did Artemis buy them off behind the scenes?!"

"@Mountainwind @Nathan Kane You two cowards hiding in your shells! Disgusting!"

"The Profiteer Alliance! Birds of a feather! Not a single one of them is any good!"

"To think I used to believe Artemis was a decent person. Ptooey! I must’ve been blind!"

"The regional channel has been ruined by these parasites!"

"Where’s Master Blacktiger? Why isn’t he coming out to uphold justice at a time like this?"

"Forget it. Master Blacktiger has probably made a fortune from contract processing. Why would he care about this small change? Or... Hmph, who knows if he’s involved in this too?"

"Everyone’s rotten to the core! This damned world!"

’Why are they attacking everyone indiscriminately now?’

’And I, Blacktiger Ford, am so innocent!’

It was worth noting that amidst the flood of insults, Chrona had put in a few good words for her.

Seraphina Sinclair patiently scrolled down. After the barrage of insults, there were comments from people who had been woken up by the announcement of her dragon-slaying. Sprinkled among them were awkward attempts to walk back their earlier accusations that she had "been involved too."

Seraphina savored the sight of these people changing their tunes for a while before closing the group chat to check the private messages a few of them had sent her.

[Chrona]: Master, you’re definitely not working with them, right? Artemis came to me about it back then, but I didn’t join because I didn’t think it would work.

[Chrona]: For one thing, the server merge is probably happening soon, and they’ll be stuck with all that stock. And for another, these things are constantly dropping from Supply Boxes. No matter how many supplies Artemis and her group have, it’s a finite number. But the drops from Supply Boxes are endless. They can’t possibly hold onto every single Expansion Crystal!

[Chrona]: Besides, Master, look at this group in the elite chat. I’ll be honest with you, Master, this is definitely a losing business. If you really did partner with them, you should get your initial investment back as soon as possible.

Reading these three messages, Seraphina Sinclair felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Don’t worry, I’m not involved.

Chrona’s concern for her was genuine, but Mountainwind and the others’ was not.

After reading the private messages from all three, Seraphina Sinclair finally confirmed one thing.

The hoarding alliance Artemis had created was indeed on the verge of collapse.

Chrona’s reasoning had some merit, but Artemis had a unique eye for opportunity, and her timing for selling was excellent. Recently, many people on the regional channel had been complaining about hearing strange noises at night. Seraphina Sinclair speculated that these strange noises were likely related to the Wood-Borer Ironjaw incident that had already broken out in the elite group.

Tomorrow, Artemis would post this news in the regional channel, and the other members of her team would then take the opportunity to start selling their Expansion Crystals.

If things had gone according to that plan, Artemis would have truly reaped both fame and fortune.

Thinking of this, Seraphina Sinclair finally understood the real reason why Cloudmute and the others had a falling out with Artemis.

It was simple: Artemis was set to gain the majority of the profits and all the credit, and the other three naturally felt it was unfair.

As for Cloudmute... it was nothing more than an uneven distribution of spoils, combined with a disagreement with Artemis. They felt that dragging it out any longer would lead to a loss, so their resentment boiled over, leading them to expose everything in the group chat.

Mountainwind and Nathan Kane, on the other hand, had quickly teamed up. They were opportunists, and coming to her was their attempt to find a new backer.

From the moment Cloudmute made that exposé in the group chat, the alliance was already dead.

Seraphina Sinclair closed the private chat windows with Mountainwind and Nathan Kane. The two weren’t being honest. Even now, their words were evasive. They wanted Seraphina to act on their behalf, but they weren’t willing to offer anything in return.

’What?’

’Did they expect me, Blacktiger Ford, to be some kind-hearted do-gooder who loves fighting other people’s battles?’