Chapter 633.5: Losing Money? Impossible!
The surrounding adventurers who noticed this instinctively looked over, their eyes gleaming brightly.
Everyone knew Bay Territory was rich, but no one expected it to be this rich!
Laura, hearing this, blinked in disbelief.
She had traveled all over for more than a decade, excavated many ruins, experienced numerous adventures, and encountered all kinds of intelligent beings.
Yet she had never seen a place where an official not only refrained from undercutting the price of her loot but proactively declared its real value and even drastically raised the price.
It was honestly kind of magical!
Hearing this, Jifan couldn't help but be slightly stunned. Then his eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead before turning to Laura and apologizing instinctively:
"I'm really sorry. I've seen too much destructive force in the Death Desert recently. I kind of overlooked this one."
Laura looked up at the much taller Jifan and cheerfully shrugged, not minding at all, saying:
"Hey, it's nothing. Thanks to your help, I got more gold coins."
"I'm willing to sell this soul crystal to Bay Territory."
Watching the pile of gold coins fall into her bag, Laura's smile grew even more radiant as she said joyfully to Jifan:
"Thanks a lot for your help. That skewer you were eating earlier looked really good. Mind taking me to get some more?"
Jifan first nodded, then shook his head, half-laughing as he pointed to the staff member raising their hand, and said to Laura:
"Don't rush. There might be more benefits waiting for you."
Laura blinked in surprise. Her beautiful elven face showed a hint of awkwardness as she turned to the previously ignored staff member and said apologetically:
"Sorry! Did you need something from me?"
The staff member, smiling even more brightly, responded succinctly:
"Yes. After testing and identification by Bay Territory, this newly discovered magical material is likely left behind by monsters in the Death Desert."
"Would you be willing to sell information on these monsters? It should be data at the Extraordinary level."
"Each valuable clue could be bought for as much as 100,000 gold coins, along with equivalent merit points."
Each clue worth 100,000 gold coins?
Seriously?
Hearing this, Laura looked slightly skeptical. The beaming staff member almost seemed to have the word "scammer" written on their face.
Noticing her hesitation, Jifan didn't say anything for the moment.
Luckily, the nearby adventurers excitedly jumped in:
"What are you waiting for?! Say yes already!"
"Besides all the gold from Bay Territory and the rare and precious merit points, you'll also get a 1% extra cut from any earnings made using this info."
"Exactly! Just from the 100,000+ adventurers in this desert town alone, that's like getting the full profits of hundreds of adventurers..."
"Bay Territory is absolutely reliable in these things. They've never gone back on their word."
"Holy crap, it's the Death Desert, and now new monsters are popping up."
"Extraordinary-level monsters? Good thing I didn't go digging ruins lately—that'd be suicide..."
"Maybe they're not actually Extraordinary, but they're just as valuable."
"If they were Extraordinary-level, they would've caused a huge stir already. Things wouldn't still be this calm."
"..."
The adventurers discussed all sorts of things, but Laura could clearly tell that they trusted Bay Territory completely.
That struck her as odd. In most territories, even the locals didn't trust their own officials this much.
But these adventurers trusted Bay Territory so much it surprised her more than the 100,000 gold per clue offer.
Since everyone was saying the same, Laura really wanted to see whether Bay Territory was as great as everyone "boasted."
"I agree to sell the information. Do you want me to record it or...?"
Seeing Laura had agreed, Jifan, curious about her goal, said without thinking:
"Just speak it. All the info will be made available to any adventurer in Bay Territory for a minimal fee."
Laura blinked in shock.
She was surprised to find there was so much about Bay Territory she still didn't know.
"I found these soul-type monsters about 20 kilometers from this town, around 120 meters underground, inside a large ruin."
"There were a lot of them. Once they spotted me, they attacked actively."
"They don't move very fast, but they can quickly traverse loose sand."
"Their attacks are fairly simple: melee strikes and something like sonic magic."
"They show basic intelligence and awareness. They know how to hide and ambush."
"They have high immunity to physical damage, probably over 50%."
"Luckily, they're fragile against magical weapons and take lots of damage from them."
"But they have strong survival instincts. When threatened, they'll try to escape..."
"Fire spells and Holy Light magic are most effective. A Tier-4 spell can fatally threaten them..."
"These ghostly things are tough and extremely vengeful..."
The information Laura provided was incredibly detailed, showcasing an extremely dangerous high-tier soul-type monster.
The busy staff member enthusiastically took notes and, once she finished, spoke with deep appreciation:
"Thank you very much for the intel. It's extremely valuable to Bay Territory and adventurers."
"After review by our experts, your information has been verified as accurate and immensely valuable. You will receive 800,000 gold coins and 80,000 merit points."
"Also, you'll receive 1% of the profits from any soul wraith harvests made by adventurers going forward."
"This reward will last until the soul wraiths disappear or for a full 20 years."
800,000 gold coins!
Even Laura, who had seen her fair share of fortune, was a little dizzy from the windfall.
She had never expected that a spontaneous dig would yield such a massive return.
Right now, she only cared about the gold coins. What she didn't realize was that the 80,000 merit points were what truly made the adventurers jealous.
At first, merit points could be exchanged at a 1:1 ratio for gold coins.
As Bay Territory grew, the value of merit soared. The current rate was 1:5!
And merit could only be exchanged for gold coins, not the other way around!
A single Extraordinary-grade enchanted weapon only cost 15,000 merit points!
With her points, Laura could buy several such weapons and gear.
That was equivalent to half a lifetime of effort for some Extraordinary Professionals!
Excited, Laura accepted the storage bracelet with a smile. Peeking inside, her eyes were blinded by the glittering gold.
The nearby adventurers, enviously watching the overjoyed Laura, turned away and focused on the new information on the magic screen instead.
"Soul Wraith: High-tier peak magical monster. Threat level: High."
It took Laura a while to recover.
She noticed the new monster entry and asked Jifan curiously, pointing at the screen:
"Such valuable information is just made public to adventurers like this?"
Jifan nodded naturally, understanding her confusion, and said proudly:
"That's just how we do things in Bay Territory. Honest trade, no tricks."
"We share every detail about monsters like these to prevent adventurers from suffering unnecessary losses due to lack of knowledge."
Still unable to fully grasp it, Laura took the ID badge and magic wristwatch from the staff. Glancing at the crowd rushing in, she quickly said to Jifan:
"Let's go before we bother everyone."
Also curious to learn more, Jifan nodded and easily cleared a path, leading Laura out of the Adventurer Hall.
It was just about closing time, and many shops in the shaded area of the street had opened.
After confirming Laura's intentions several times, Jifan brought her to a BBQ place called Tasty Delights.
"Buying info for so much gold and giving it to adventurers for free? Isn't the territory losing a ton?"
Laura asked curiously as they entered.
Jifan smiled and shook his head, full of confidence:
"Our territory never does losing business!"
Losing money? Impossible!
As Laura excitedly recounted her adventure and unexpected rewards to Jifan—
Matthew, upon receiving the report, frowned instinctively.
"The soul wraiths are already out? The entrance to the goblin ruins has opened?"
"At this rate, that ruin must have absorbed enough soul power..."
"From here on out, it's only going to get more dangerous."
"Good thing we're already prepared."
Noticing the Lord's relaxing expression, the nearby steward Ralph flipped through the report and asked without hesitation:
"Shall we roll out this batch of Holy Light supplies and magical equipment?"
Matthew nodded calmly. Thinking of the endless soul wraiths, he said with a slow tone:
"We spent nearly 20 million gold. It's time to recoup that. Everything else is pure profit."
Ralph, despite his vast experience, only half-believed the Lord's words.
Given the Lord's personality and his goal to fully reform the Death Desert, it was obvious this would require astronomical resources.
Still, as long as the desert started producing results—
With Bay Territory's powerful production and monetization abilities, they could gradually turn losses into gains.
And eventually turn this into another pillar of Bay Territory's development!
Over the next few days,
More and more adventurers became aware of the soul wraiths through shared information.
As some adventurers were killed by them, others began to realize just how dangerous these monsters were.
The underground ruins of the Death Desert, once a treasure trove, had become dangerous again.
Just as adventurers began panicking over the sudden appearance of soul wraiths, Bay Territory, as always, quickly offered a solution.
"The newly upgraded Adventurer Kit is here!"
"It's specially equipped for the Death Desert terrain, with lots of crucial tools and gear."
"Come take a look! With the upgraded kit, you can pinpoint the location of soul wraiths."
"The star item is this upgraded magic detection rod."
"It can detect the number and location of soul wraiths within 200 meters."
"You'll feel safe digging ruins and get the drop on them during hunts."
"Yes, there's even a new water purifier so you don't have to worry about dehydration..."
"Add just 200 more gold and get our killer feature: the Holy Light Weapon Enchant Scroll!"
"With this scroll, you can deal massive damage to soul wraiths..."
"Originally 1,000 gold, now only 200 if you buy a 100-gold adventurer kit first. Huge discount!"
"Come take a look..."
"..."
The brothers Dazhuang and Dapeng were back in the Adventurer Hall again.
Their business was booming this time.
Many confident adventurers trusted Bay Territory's reputation and happily spent money on the kits and scrolls.
In just a few days, nearly 50,000 units were sold.
Revenue surpassed 15 million gold coins!
The sales were explosive for one crucial reason:
The soul wraiths!
Yes, them!
Killing them gave a 40% chance to drop large soul crystals worth over 1,500 gold each.
What was once an expense in clearing monsters and ruins—
Adventurers suddenly found that killing soul wraiths sometimes paid more than digging ruins.
Which one was the side gig again?
After hearing about the fortune to be made, many hesitant adventurers swarmed in.
The first thing they did was invest 300 gold to get started.
In just the first half of February, Bay Territory collected 25 million gold coins effortlessly.
Not only did they recover the cost of building over ten towns, but they made a tidy profit.
And it was clear—this would only grow more lucrative!
Meanwhile, while Bay Territory raked in the gold, Matthew was already preparing to explore the Death Desert's underground ruins.