Chapter 183
Previously, Yu Xunge had been hesitant to claim the rewards from the skill crystal, troubled by the implications of the wealth leaderboard. It wouldn’t be appropriate to openly take a handful of gold coins from her bag in front of others, especially since it would be a significant amount.
Once she claimed the money, if the amount at the top of the leaderboard fluctuated in tandem, it would raise suspicions—putting it with Tu Lan wouldn’t help either. Tu Lan belonged to her; even if her money was stored there, it was still hers, and the leaderboard amount wouldn’t change.
Her original plan was to transfer all her money to a safe place before claiming the rewards in one go, and then return the money later. However, that wasn’t entirely safe; many eyes would be on the top of the leaderboard.
She was certain that the Special Affairs Bureau was suspicious that she was the one at the top of the leaderboard…
But with Tu Lan’s skill, she wouldn’t have to go through all that trouble.
This was a perfect opportunity to “clear her name.” As long as she and the anonymous leader appeared on the leaderboard at the same time, even if the Special Affairs Bureau later heard about the story of Kabi while exchanging gold coins with the goblins, they wouldn’t connect it to her.
When Yu Xunge left home, she had Tu Lan create a virtual avatar, renaming it Anonymous, and packed 81,500 gold coins into a box to hand over to that Anonymous.
The leaderboard remained unchanged, and with only 88 gold coins left, Yu Xunge canceled her anonymity on the leaderboard.
According to Tu Lan, she could always sense the status and location of this virtual character.
Yu Xunge had this little account hide in the bedroom safe with the gold coins, then sprinkled a circle of spider silk around before heading out with Tu Lan.
While stuck in traffic, Tu Lan expressed regret for not having accompanied her to Ze Lan, where she had encountered the Moon Emperor of the Moon Fox Clan.
Yu Xunge asked curiously, “Are you really interested in the Moon Emperor?”
Tu Lan replied, “Of course! The Moon Emperor! Oh, you don’t know? Although everyone in Ze Lan generally talks about the Twelve Holy Clans, and the top powers among them are quite comparable, we implicitly categorize these Twelve Clans into three tiers. The Moon Fox Clan, the Oak Owl Clan, and the Undead Clan hold a higher status and power than the other nine clans; they are considered upper-tier holy clans.”
This was the first time Yu Xunge had heard of such a classification. She hadn’t realized there were tiers; she had visited all 35 main cities, and they all seemed similar in size and prosperity, each with its own style.
It was like the three main cities of the Orcs and the Tauren. Though they embraced tribal culture and revered nature and wildness, their tents were quite luxurious, especially the tent of the city lord, which looked like a palace from afar.
Yu Xunge asked, “So, which of the other clans are considered middle or lower tier?”
Tu Lan hesitated for a moment before saying, “That’s hard to say. The Wind Scythe Clan might be a bit stronger? But Elder Long said that these rankings are always changing. The Moon Fox, Oak Owl, and Undead clans have consistently been recognized as leading, and their status is hard to shake. But why exactly, I don’t know. He said he’d tell me when I’m capable of self-defense.”
Once they sat down at the restaurant, Yu Xunge shared the information Tu Lan had told her with Zhao Shuying, only to find that the Special Affairs Bureau was hearing about this for the first time as well.
Like Yu Xunge, Zhao Shuying didn’t dismiss this casual chat as unimportant; she chose to report it immediately.
When the food arrived, they began to eat and talk.
Yu Xunge first asked, “Do you know why the control over blank crystals is so strict?”
Zhao Shuying replied, “I don’t know either. I only know it’s a regulation from B City. I’m still trying to find out more from friends there, but those I’ve asked say it’s hard to say.”
Yu Xunge wondered what concerns the people of B City had that made them keep things under wraps. Since they hadn’t made it public, she didn’t spill the beans about what Lu Qieyun had told her. Instead, she decided to test whether Zhao Shuying was deliberately withholding information and changed the subject:
“It’s not even October yet, but I’m telling you how to exchange gold for coins two months in advance. The condition is that I’ll end the cooperation on the skill crystals early, and I won’t sell the skill crystal for [You’re Happy Again] to you anymore, including the one for September. The blank crystals I owe can be deducted directly from the earnings, and I want to settle the earnings today.”
Zhao Shuying immediately responded, “Settling the earnings is completely fine; we haven’t touched them. But I need to report the earlier matter.”
After clearly stating her position, she asked, “Did someone in our bureau upset you?”
“No,” Yu Xunge reminded her, “It’s related to the control over blank crystals.”
Zhao Shuying’s expression turned serious at once. Was this matter serious enough to warrant such caution from Yu Xunge that she would cut off cooperation?
Soon, a response came from above, agreeing to Yu Xunge’s request, and the blank crystals sent to her at the beginning of September would be considered a gift, not to be deducted from her earnings.
Zhao Shuying took out the account book for Yu Xunge to review.
She had signed a contract with the Special Affairs Bureau last December, agreeing to provide them with 50 to 80 skill crystals each month. Sometimes, when Yu Xunge was too busy, she would inevitably forget to make the skill crystals on time.
In less than nine months, she had submitted a total of 595 skill crystals.
The account not only listed the sale prices but also the sale dates.
Many resources that couldn’t be divided—like dungeon usage time or short-term loans from special players—were converted into dragon-shaped coins.
The final earnings amounted to 812 dragon-shaped coins, plus 1,727 gold coins.
This profit was much more substantial than Yu Xunge had anticipated.
After signing at the bottom of the account, the earnings were immediately sent to her email.
Zhao Shuying handed her a large bag of dragon-shaped coins. “Here’s a little extra for you. Didn’t you have over a thousand before? With this, we’ll round it up to two thousand as a thank you from the Special Affairs Bureau for your willingness to fulfill the contract early. Count it.”
Yu Xunge accepted all the dragon-shaped coins and gold coins right in front of Zhao Shuying.
In an instant, Yu Xunge’s name entered the top hundred of the wealth leaderboard.
With 1,727 gold coins plus the 88 she had left, she totaled 8,515 gold coins, pushing her into the top ninety—though her amount was only slightly more than the top leader’s decimal.
At that moment, the Huaxia channel buzzed with activity.
The various leaderboards were like trending topics in this era; any slight change could spark heated discussions.
Moreover, since the wealth leaderboard’s top amount had surpassed 80,000 early this morning, the world and Huaxia channels had been abuzz with topics surrounding it.
This was something Yu Xunge was glad to see; the more people noticed her alongside the top of the leaderboard, the safer she felt. She believed the data enthusiasts wouldn’t miss this moment of change.
This not only concerned her hidden wealth but also whether the Su family would connect her to the earlier incident of the gold being stolen once the method of exchanging gold for coins became public.
Zhao Shuying had clearly noticed the leaderboard as well; her gaze lingered on a certain spot for a moment, but her expression remained unchanged. If Yu Xunge hadn’t been paying attention, she might have missed it.
She took out a prop, soundproofing the area before signaling Yu Xunge that she could speak.
Yu Xunge didn’t hesitate: “You need to turn into goblins and find the goblins in Ze Lan. They have a skill called Goldsmithing, which allows them to forge a gold coin from 120g of gold. As long as you offer a sufficient price difference, they’ll be willing to exchange gold for coins with you.
“I previously helped the Special Affairs Bureau exchange coins by finding goblins in the major cities, but more goblins live in nearby towns or villages. While they may not be as wealthy as those in the main cities, they are numerous, and your people won’t be easily discovered when exchanging in towns.”
After saying this, Yu Xunge emphasized some of the goblins’ customs, etiquette, and beliefs to Zhao Shuying.
Although goblins loved gold coins, their faith wasn’t in gold. You could insult gold or disdain wealth in front of them, but you mustn’t waste their time.
Even if you engage them in long negotiations after stating your intentions, you can’t say anything pointless; otherwise, they’ll feel you’re wasting their time.
Wasting a goblin’s time is akin to robbing them of their money—a grave offense.
If a goblin gets angry, their favorite thing to do is rush over, grab your head, and forehead-to-forehead, shout at you—“You scoundrel, look me in the eyes! Tell me! Do you know! Time! Is! Money!”
Zhao Shuying took careful notes of Yu Xunge’s words. These were experiences Yu Xunge had gained from dealing with goblins. Seeing the pained expression on Yu Xunge’s face as she spoke, Zhao Shuying couldn’t help but wonder how many blood, sweat, and tears were behind those stories.
Once both parties fulfilled their contracts, Yu Xunge asked Zhao Shuying if she had brought the exchange book, as she wanted to spend some money—mainly because the skill [Speaking as a Big Account] had a time limit, and she wasn’t comfortable leaving all her money with a virtual character.
Without hesitation, Zhao Shuying pulled out two books: one for exchanging gold coins and the other for dragon-shaped coins.
After Yu Xunge looked through the catalog, she immediately flipped to the section for [Unknown Items].
She wanted to see if the Special Affairs Bureau had found “mahjong.”
But after flipping through more than twenty pages, she didn’t see it.
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