Chapter 135: A Lack of Humanistic Care

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The surrounding crowd quickly formed a long queue. After all, the number one Mountain-Mover of the district—such a huge reputation, how could he possibly be scamming them?

Having witnessed it firsthand just now, a Flame Ring with +16 Fire Resistance was upgraded to +18 in the blink of an eye. What a sin! If Heaven had not birthed Wei the Foolish, the eternal ages would have been like a long night.

Next, Wei Cheng maintained a gentle smile as, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he completed an upgrade in less than ten seconds.

The upgraded values were unstable; it could be +16, it might be +17, or perhaps +18 if luck was on one's side. However, this had nothing to do with Wei Cheng. It was simply that the blank rings provided by the unscrupulous merchant were subpar in quality.

There were good ones and bad ones, with no absolute worst, but they were basically all defective items. If someone was lucky enough to obtain a genuine product, then after Wei Cheng's enhancement, they could achieve an upgraded value of +18, or even +19.

Yet, Wei Cheng felt no need to explain this—what a waste of time.

Was it easy for him to earn some hard-earned, blood-and-sweat money?

The mere thought of those ten Gold Dragon coins swindled away by the unscrupulous merchant made his heart turn ice cold.

If not for that, would he have bothered to set up a stall and perform tricks at the city gates?

Wei Cheng remained immersed in his pain and sorrow until the flame stones in the miner's back basket were completely exhausted and the bronze dragon coins piled inside formed a small mountain. Only then did he snap back to reality with a start.

"Everyone, my apologies. My spiritual power and Mountain-Mover inner force have both been completely depleted. That is all for today."

Looking around with 'exhausted' eyes, Wei Cheng finally noticed Bai Han, Chen Ce, Liu Sui, Tang Yuanshan, Xu Shan, and others standing not far away with looks of utter shock.

As for the newly arrived trial participants rushing over to line up, several long queues had already formed, numbering nearly a thousand people.

This was becoming troublesome.

He was earning too much money; his kindness was practically weeping.

"Boss Wei, please help us out! I've been waiting in line for so long. This is the newly released Great Wilderness Blazing Sun Wine from Cwuwu City; it has miraculous effects on restoring inner force, and it costs a hundred bronze coins per jar!"

"That's right, Boss Wei, it's still early! Look, it's not even noon yet. How about we pay double the price?"

A group of novice trial participants surrounded Wei Cheng tightly, refusing to let him leave no matter what.

What could he do?

Wei Cheng had no choice but to continue.

Naturally, he would not raise his prices; he possessed a conscience.

From then on, the influx of novice trial participants grew steadily, even causing the bizarre phenomenon of a traffic jam at the East City Gate.

Fortunately, there were currently not many indigenous people in Cangwu City, the City Lord's Mansion took a hands-off approach, and the City Patrol Camp was entirely composed of trial participants.

Most importantly, veterans like Zhou Wu, Qin Douzi, Liu Wenli, and Zhao Xiong were not around. Otherwise—well, it seemed there wasn't much they could do to him anyway?

Could these guys possibly learn his technique on the spot?

Or forcibly expel him?

If so, Wei Cheng would certainly congratulate them.

From morning till noon, from noon till dusk, and from dusk till midnight, Wei Cheng worked without a moment of rest. He even called Bai Han, Chen Ce, Liu Sui, and the others over to help collect money. By the time everyone's hands grew numb from receiving coins, the long queue in front of them had finally vanished.

"Is that it?"

Xu Shan, who had been in charge of collecting the money, still felt a sense of lingering reluctance. It was far too little, far too little.

"It's already quite a lot. There are currently a total of 14,832 trial participants in Cangwu City. Subtracting the 2,000 elite troops led away by the four major factions, those still in the city who possess Flame Rings number only around 5,000. That's because a considerable portion of people are currently grinding for rings with other attributes—everyone has their own respective destiny."

A voice suddenly rang out, belonging to a youth of seventeen or eighteen years of age.

Wei Cheng glanced at him; this kid hadn't budged since noon.

"And your point is?"

"Boss Wei, I want to join your team."

"On what grounds? Based on the statistics you just rattled off?"

Wei Cheng chuckled. Ever since his spiritual power had surged, he had lost all interest in such trivia. Once he exerted his spiritual power outwardly, what data could possibly remain hidden from him?

"Of course not. I simply want to join. I believe that following powerhouses like you, although I will encounter many dangers and perhaps die quickly, as long as I survive, I will always be able to grow rapidly."

"You have one last chance to convince me."

Wei Cheng shook his head. This youth was currently only a 60-year cycle Mountain-Mover with Level 3 spiritual power, mediocre in every aspect; otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to the C-grade difficulty.

Even if his team genuinely needed fresh blood, they had to recruit someone who wouldn't constantly hold them back.

"Alright, Boss Wei—and all of you aloof, senior trial participants—who among you actually has the time, energy, and inclination to understand what has been happening among the lower-tier trial participants over the past month? How could you possibly know what stories the indigenous people of Cangwu City hold?"

"I'm guessing you don't know, because you simply don't have the time. Pushing through maps, slaying bosses, and cultivating consume your entirety. You don't even have the leisure to experience or understand this ancient city, its present and its past. As for me, during this past period, I should be the sole person who bothered to understand it, even though it wasted the vast majority of my time—so much so that I couldn't even afford a single blank ring."

"Boss Wei, my name is Qin Yang. I believe that if you wish to preserve this ancient city, you need me. Warfare sometimes relies not only on the front lines, but also on logistics and development."

The youth spoke fluently, yet his overly practiced speed betrayed him.

"You must have recited this speech many times to sell yourself."

Wei Cheng smiled faintly. What an interesting little kid.

"Who else have you said this to?"

"I—I only approached Zhao Xiong and Qin Douzi. I also wanted to find Zhou Wu and Liu Wenli, but their subordinates were too fierce, and I was chased away the moment I got close."

Qin Yang blushed. Initially, he hadn't planned to approach Wei Cheng, feeling that this number one Mountain-Mover was even more unapproachable. It wasn't until he accidentally witnessed the act put on by Wei Cheng and Mei Renli today that he decided to give it a try.

"Well then, share one substantive point of view."

Wei Cheng spoke again, already pondering how to protect this burdensome fellow during the map-pushed exploration.

After all, for a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth to harbor such thoughts—even if poorly executed—was commendable.

"Um, just one point: the developmental environment of Cangwu City is far too forgiving for novice trial participants. That is not a good omen."

Qin Yang hesitated for a moment, and out popped such a statement.

Bai Han, Chen Ce, Yu Liang, and Mei Renli were all amused. Xu Shan continued counting money, Liu Sui's gaze flickered, and Tang Yuanshan looked contemplative.

Wei Cheng's heart skipped a beat as well. What kind of reverse thinking was this?

"Elaborate further."

"First of all, the Flame Stones produced in the Fiery Monster map were already numerous, but unexpectedly, after the conclusion of the last battle, the rocks in many areas covered by magma and flames transformed into Flame Stones."

"When looking at strategy guides previously, many people believed Flame Stones were the hearts of the Stone Monsters. However, I believe that is not the case. This is a massive, overlooked detail well worth investigating; it might very well trigger a hidden sub-quest."

"Therefore, even though the unscrupulous merchant has driven the price of Flame Stones down very low, novice trial participants are still willing to mine them. Not merely because gathering a thousand of them allows one to exchange for a Flame Ring, but because it genuinely turns a profit."

"Based on what I've observed, one only needs to spend six hours a day doing odd jobs in the city to earn ten bronze coins, plus three very lavish meals and lodging. Then, spending another four hours mining Flame Stones can yield at least fifty bronze coins."

"In practice, this means a daily income of at least sixty bronze coins. However, slaying magma minions accumulates merit points, and merit points can be exchanged for a Squad Leader's waist token. A Squad Leader receives a daily subsidy of thirty bronze coins, while a Platoon Leader receives fifty."

"So, Boss Wei, think carefully. You feel you profited today, but in reality, it is the novice trial participants who truly profited. They traded less than two days' income for you to upgrade their Flame Rings—they made a killing."

"Yet, this still isn't my main point. The crucial question is: is this adjustment of the trial mechanics reasonable? Why aren't they worried about the economic system of Cangwu City collapsing?"

"Especially since the exchange channels for Gold Dragon coins and Silver Dragon coins have been opened up, even with a ten percent heavy tax, this still implies that three months from now, many novice trial participants will have the capacity to exchange for a Gold Dragon coin."

Hearing this, even Xu Shan paused her money-counting.

Because they truly had not anticipated that mere novice trial participants could have so much pocket money stashed away.

This boded ill.

"Very well, you may join my team."

Wei Cheng spoke suddenly. For Qin Yang to possess such insight was already remarkable.

Though, in truth, he had already noticed this himself earlier that morning.

"Let's go. First, let's convert all these bronze coins into Gold Dragon coins."

With a wave of his hand, Wei Cheng led the group toward the West City, where a prosperous pawnshop designated by the City Lord's Mansion served as the official location for exchanging Gold Dragon coins.

"Boss Wei, if we're heading to the Prosperous Pawnshop, I have another piece of intelligence: the Prosperous Pawnshop never hires trial participants as attendants, and that neighboring artifact pavilion keeps its doors tightly shut all day long," Qin Yang lowered his voice, displaying the demeanor of a local insider.

"Not bad!"

Wei Cheng nodded. Qin Yang clearly had many more observations up his sleeve; it seemed he had struck gold this time.

The group traversed empty streets and the vacant plaza in front of the City Lord's Mansion.

Throughout the entire journey, they barely spotted a soul.

"Qin Yang, is Cangwu City safe at night?"

Wei Cheng suddenly posed this question.

"It should be safe. Before the four major leaders explored the Fog Monster map, they always arranged for personnel to patrol at night, especially near the city gates. However, with them absent these past few days, laxity has crept in."

"Even so, there haven't been any unexpected incidents so far, nor have any demons or ghosts sneaked into Cangwu City."

Qin Yang replied earnestly.

"Then what are your thoughts on the indigenous people here?" Wei Cheng asked casually once more.

"My thoughts? I rather feel that in their eyes, we resemble NPCs much more. Of course, it's just an analogy—they lack a certain humanistic warmth toward us."

(End of this chapter)