MMORPG: The Elementalist

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

After the Grand Tournament ended, billions and billions of players were waiting for the Currency Exchange System to launch. As soon as it went online, countless players stormed to the bank in the cities, wanting to experience the convenient system first hand.

Currency Exchange…

This system allowed the players to convert their ingame gold coins to real money via the banks. They could also convert real money into in-game gold coins, boosting their in-game financial abilities to help them purchase better equipment or items that they couldn't buy earlier.

These two services were welcomed by players with open arms.

However, the people who chose the former were apparently fewer.

As the in-game gold coins and the real world currency were tied together, there was no need to convert all their in-game gold into real-world money unless the players were badly needing cash.

In just a few hours, an obscene amount of gold coins appeared in the market. Inflation ran high in the market as the price of high tier equipment soared.

***

There was no other Trading Hall that had more business than Casanova's Trading Hall.

It was only half a day since the Currency Exchange System went online. Yet, most of the two billion equipment that Casanova had stocked up earlier were being bought one by one.

Dark Gold, Legendary Tier equipment were all swept away like a hurricane. This was unheard of before.

Over two thousand Dark Gold and Legendary equipment, with less-than-ideal stats and attributes, were also sold out in minutes.

Even the four priceless Divinity Crystals, each costing millions of gold coins, were also sold right away.

The Divinities were sold out!

This terrifying wave of shopping spree shocked Casanova and his employees. Therefore, Casanova quickly held an emergency meeting on the third floor of the Trading Hall.

"Quick!"

Casanova looked at hundreds of his employees and ordered hastily, "Contact your suppliers. Tell them to come over to our Trading Hall immediately when they have got what we need!"

"We're going to hold the Grand Auction tomorrow!"

"We should not sell off those stocks that are meant to be auctioned off. Some people had even offered prices for them. So, we can't sell them off. Now, I'm depending on all of you to handle the crisis for the rest of the day! Get our store stocked up by all means! Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Casanova's business was doing fairly well. Therefore, these employees too enjoyed better pay. The wide connections that they had been developing amongst the players in the game were all to handle a crisis like this.

After giving his men the orders, Casanova didn't allow himself to relax either. Suppressing the excitement of seeing the number of trades skyrocketing, he sent a private message to someone.

"League Master?"

"Oh, Casanova! My brother! What other good deals do you have for me today?"

After receiving the priceless Ring of Vengeance from Casanova, Qin Ruo had never forgotten this great deal since. As Casanova's private message reached him, Qin Ruo replied gaily right away. His voice sounded almost like he was singing.

Casanova replied with a bitter smile.

"Brother Qin, I'm at my wits end here. Please save me!"

"Huh?"

Surprised, Qin Ruo inquired, "Save you? Now that's new. Don't tell me you're being targeted by some thugs when you tried to exit the city gates. No one would dare to hurt you."

"Oh, don't jest. We're so busy with the Trading Hall that I've got no time to leave the city. Ah, yes! Do you still have some unwanted Dark Gold or Legendary gears with you?"

"Sure, I have a few with me. What's wrong? You're still lacking some pieces for your Grand Auction?"

"I'll be frank with you. It's quite embarrassing, really. But I'm confident with your capabilities…"

Then, Casanova quickly explained the entire dilemma he was facing right now—the soaring amount of trades they were experiencing right now and also the fact that their stocks were running dry.

Accessories.

High-grade Monster eggs.

Dark Gold Capes.

Legendary Equipment.

Mana Cores.

Embedded Stones.

Everything was sold out. It felt as though someone had planned this.

Then…

As soon as they were sold, these items started to show up in the market—and they were sold at a higher price. And yet, many players were buying from them in droves.

Buy low sell high. That was a common practice amongst the merchants.

However, these buyers had bought everything from Casanova's stock, depleting them of high-grade items—turning more and more players looking for these high-end items elsewhere. This didn't sit well with Casanova.

"So, what's your plan?" Qin Ruo asked.

His instinct was telling him that there was something else that Casanova needed from him. If he didn't have any ways to deter this, these merchants would still buy all his merchandise and sell them out at higher prices, monopolizing the high-end market.

"Hmm…"

Casanova pondered for a while before replying, "For now, I want to acquire some high-end gears from the Fallen Angels. Don't worry. I'm not going to sell them just yet. I'm now running a market survey to figure out what's the ideal price for the merchandise and when I'm done surveying, I'll then re-adjust the price of these equipment. They'll be set with a price that isn't that low but they won't be overpriced either."

"You want to stall the sales? What's the point?"

"Hehe! Sure I'm not an expert like you in fighting monsters and grinding for levels. However, I'm far better in doing business than you, brother."

"Oh, show off." Qin Ruo bantered, "If I'm better than you in doing business, then the well-known brand wouldn't be your Casanova Trading Hall, would it? Just tell me what's on your mind."

"Right right… I'll tell you…"

Casanova explained with a smile, "We, the businessmen, have only one thing in mind and that is to maximize our profit. It's not just me. Every merchant in the market is also paying keen attention at the fluctuating market price of various merchandises right now…"

"So, we must pay extra attention to the merchandises that are selling well or the huge influx of stocks. By observing these and adjusting the price of our stocks accordingly, we'd be able to maintain our profit."

"Okay." Qin Ruo frowned as he heard this. "So you're saying… the merchants who had bought all the items from the Casanova's Trading Hall are also observing the market as we speak. You're fighting a long-term battle with them?"

"Exactly! Oh boy, you're quick…" Casanova responded gleefully. "Luckily you're not a merchant. Or else, I would have run out of business."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"This rival is good. However, he has a disadvantage," Casanova continued explaining with a serious tone. "His supplies are from my Trading Hall. The other players and organizations do not have my suppliers. So, even if he was able to earn a big buck during this early phase when the Currency Exchange System has just gone online, once the prices in our Trading Hall have stabilized, it would be a checkmate."

"…"

Qin Ruo nodded.

It was true. When Casanova raised his price, this rival merchant would have no means to acquire cheap supplies. Even if he bought the items from the Trading Hall, he would not be able to make a profit by selling them—these were high tier gears so it wouldn't be possible for him to raise their prices too sharply. And if he were to keep these equipment for too long, he would risk losing his capital due to the equipment depreciating in price over time.

This was a good move!

"Now, the most important thing is to restock… as long as I can survive for the rest of the day, I can hold the Grand Auction safely tomorrow. As for the equipment you supply me with, if they aren't sold, I'll return them. If you still want to sell them, you can always leave them with me. I'm not going to charge you any fee for placing them here."

"How many equipment do you need?"

"Hmm, I'll need around twenty pieces. There are other suppliers working on it too. I understand that everyone is working on accumulating equipment to handle future battles. So I can't ask too much from you." Casanova was quite understanding.

Qin Ruo nodded.

"Alright! Give me some time. I'll send the items to you as soon as I can."

"Okay, deal! I'll wait for you right here! Thank you, brother!"

***

An hour hadn't even passed, but more stocks were showing up on Casanova's Trading Hall's merchandise!

The players quickly flocked over to check on the new merchandises. However, this time, their prices were raised up by a notch!

Seeing that the other high-end gears were being sold out right away, the players understood why they had made the decision to raise the price. However, after looking at the stats and attributes of the equipment, they still felt eager to buy them.

In an instant, discussions rattled in various Trading Halls as the buyers were hesitant in their purchases.

Although the number of trades done was seemingly less than before, Casanova's Trading Hub had now finally overcome their crisis.

At least, they wouldn't need to worry about restocking before the Grand Auction.

***

On the third floor of Casanova's Trading Hall, a gleeful voice echoed in the lobby. "Boss, this time the Fallen Angels has helped a lot. A hundred Dark Gold gears and thirty Legendary gears… how generous of them…"

"Tsk tsk, lucky for us he isn't a merchant. If he put all of these in his own Trading Hall, he would be the sole supplier of the high-end gears already."

"Yet, our Boss is indeed a pro! He was able to gather this many equipment at one go… and here I am thinking I was doing good by acquiring twenty Dark Gold and two Legendary equipment from Netherspirit's Claw."

"Alright, stop kissing my ass. How's the equipment for that Big Bruvver? Do you have them?" Casanova asked.

"Big Bruvver? You mean the guy who wanted thirty Legendary equipment—the rich snob who wanted to be the Big Boss of Angel Faction? Sure, I have them all prepared… do you want me to contact him?"

"No," Casanova replied as he closed his eyes.

"His order is a little too big. Let's wait for a little longer. Give those to someone else."