Chapter Sixteen: The Deal

After lying down on the bed that Xuehan had made for me, my entire body felt as if it had been drained of all strength, and I immediately sank into a deep sleep.

Half-awake, half-dreaming, my phone suddenly rang. I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar number calling.

“Hello, may I speak to Mr. ‘Vegetable and Jade Soup’?” came a sweet female voice from the other end.

“That’s me. What’s the matter?” I was quite annoyed at having my pleasant dream interrupted, and my tone was unmistakably cold.

There was a noticeable pause before she replied, “Sorry to disturb you so late. I’m also a player in ‘Moonlight’ and want to develop a female human warrior. I really want the sword you put up for sale in the novice village, but I don’t have enough gold coins at the moment. I’m also from Suzhou. Would you be willing to sell it to me for real money?”

My heart skipped a beat. Could this be the first real profit I’d make as a professional player?

“So, how much are you offering?” I got straight to the point, then added, “Show some sincerity. This sword will have no trouble selling.”

It was true—right now, green items, especially weapons, were highly sought after. According to a post on the forum, a white broadsword with 4-8 attack had already sold privately for 1,000 RMB. Mine was a green weapon with 7-12 attack and additional attributes—worth even more.

She seemed to hesitate, then said, “Judging by the market price, and to avoid haggling, how about 3,500 RMB? That’s already a fair offer. In a few days it won’t be worth as much.”

I replied calmly, “Give me your ID and transfer the money first—if you trust me.”

“Okay, my name is Murong Shanshan. I was born in the Wild Dog Village, but I’m not online now. Give me your bank account and I’ll transfer the money online.”

“You really trust me that much?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you! Wait a moment, I’ll get the bank account from my boss and call you back soon.”

“Alright.”

I was wide awake now. Glancing at the time, it was already 2:40 a.m. I’d slept nearly seven hours, which was enough. I quickly threw on some clothes, left my room, and knocked on Xu Lin’s door. Before long, Xinyu, looking drowsy, opened the door, surprised to see me.

“Lin Fan, have you finally come around? But now isn’t really a good time—Lin is here too…”

I rolled my eyes, exasperated, “I’m just here to see Lin. Don’t get the wrong idea!”

“What’s she got that I haven’t? Is it just because she’s older?” Xinyu pouted, her eyes sultry as she accentuated her ample chest.

Just then, Xu Lin woke up too, threw on a robe, and stepped out. “What’s the matter?”

“Of course there’s something,” I said with excitement. “Someone wants to buy my 7-12 green longsword for 3,500 RMB and needs a bank account to transfer the money.”

“What?! 3,500? Really?” Xu Lin was both shocked and delighted. She turned to Xinyu, “Xiaoyu, go wake everyone else up. It’s almost time anyway—let’s have a meeting first!”

Everyone gathered quickly. When I told them my gear had actually sold for real money, their faces lit up with surprise and anticipation.

With everyone watching, I dialed the number from earlier.

“Hello, this is Vegetable and Jade Soup. Write down my bank account: xxxxxxxxxxxx. The name is Xu Lin. As soon as I see the money, I’ll log on and trade you the item.”

“No problem—give me five minutes. I’ll transfer it now. When you see the money, let me know and we’ll log in together!”

“Ok!”

This was a new account Xu Lin had opened, so the balance was a big fat zero. Eight pairs of eyes stared intently at Xuehan’s computer monitor.

Refresh! Still zero.

Refresh again! Still zero.

Once more—okay! The zero had finally become 3,500!

Xu Lin and Xinyu clapped and cheered. Xu Lin then turned, took her wallet, and handed me twelve crisp hundred-yuan bills. “We take a third as commission for each personal transaction. This 1,200 is yours! Xiao Lin, you’re now the example for everyone else. I hope you’ll all soon be selling your own gear for cash!”

Stunned, I took the stack of money, then handed half back to Xu Lin. “Take this 600 and treat everyone to dinner tomorrow. How about we celebrate a little?”

Xu Lin nodded. “Alright, hotpot tomorrow night at the place downstairs—we’ll have a proper feast!”

Everyone laughed happily. It felt like we were one step closer to our goal.

“I hereby officially announce: by accident, I picked the wrong class—I’m a warrior now.” I suddenly remembered I hadn’t told them yet.

Everyone was dumbfounded for a moment, then expressed their admiration.

I immediately called Murong Shanshan, arranged to meet online, and everyone returned to their rooms to get into the game. We’d have a breakfast break in the morning anyway.

With a flash of white light, I appeared in the center of the village. Soon after, I received a message from Murong Shanshan: “I’m by the auction house—come over quickly.”

The auction house was right nearby, so I headed over. From a distance, I saw a crowd of players looking over the items up for bid.

“Hey, I’m over here~!” A slender, fair hand patted my shoulder, accompanied by the owner’s sweet voice.

I turned around and was completely stunned. Was this even a real person?

Soft black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her snow-white face and delicate features were impossibly sweet, and her beautiful eyes sparkled as she smiled at me. Murong Shanshan’s expression was as warm as spring water.

“Did you… did you adjust your appearance?” I blurted out in a daze.

Murong Shanshan smiled, lips pursed. “Nope, why would I? Am I not pretty enough?”

“You’re very beautiful!” I exclaimed sincerely, then turned and took my sword off the shelf, opened a trade with her, and said, “Here’s your sword!”

As soon as the deal was done, Murong Shanshan immediately equipped the exquisite longsword. With her slender figure, she looked absolutely stunning.

“That armor of yours… is it green?” I asked, a bit envious, as I looked at the elegant female battle armor gleaming on her.

Murong Shanshan smiled. “Yes, it’s green equipment, needs level seven to equip, and gives 15 defense. A few of my sisters and I took down a level-ten wild wolf leader for it!”

“Nice! You must be a pretty high level, then?” I wondered what she’d think if she knew my armor gave +22 defense.

Murong Shanshan beamed. “Mm, I’m already level eight and a half—almost level nine. Maybe the day after tomorrow I’ll be able to graduate from the novice village. But judging by you, you’re not low level either. Wait—have you already chosen a class? So you’re a warrior too!”

I grinned sheepishly. “Just lucky, I guess.”

Murong Shanshan didn’t press further. She smiled and said, “Alright, if you get any good warrior gear, let me know. Let’s keep in touch—add me as a friend?”

“Sure.” I opened the friends system and added her name.

Murong Shanshan yawned lazily. “I’ve been online for over ten hours straight. I can’t take it anymore—I need a break. Have fun, see you!”

Before I could even say goodbye, she had already logged off.

Damn, not even a courteous farewell...