This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 534: Each with Their Own Merits of Madness

Chapter 534: Chapter 534: Each with Their Own Merits of Madness

"Dear listeners, this is your dearest Mr. Hauser! It finally snowed today, praise the first snowfall of the year, don’t you think it resembles a dancing girl? Although it’s a warm winter this year, don’t forget to wear an extra layer of clothing while enjoying the snow. I sincerely wish all our listeners good health."

"In addition, for the sake of everyone’s health and to stay away from diabetes and obesity, Vijia Commerce’s Delicious Food Processing Factory has enriched its product line and has launched a new, healthier, more nutritious, and tastier nutritional paste, which you will soon see on the shelves—"

The sleazy, nasally voice weaved through the sparse crowds, echoing through the streets, blowing from the bustling districts toward the shabby, cluttered alleys.

Spielberg closed the patched-up wooden window to keep out the draft carrying that voice, then took a swig of air to warm his frozen hands and drew out a letter that had been heated by his body.

These days, he wandered near the Alliance embassy every day.

Though he hadn’t held out much hope, to his surprise, Survivor’s Daily had actually sent him a letter!

Pulling out a clean sheet of paper from a neat envelope, a chip followed, clinking as it hit the table, startling Spielberg.

Especially when he saw the 100 value on it, his eyes nearly popped out.

One hundred chips!

He would work his guts out on the assembly line for a month for just 120 chips!

And this month he was given an IOU!

The Alliance’s newspaper was so generous!

Carefully hiding the chip in the drawer of the wooden table, Spielberg swallowed excitedly and couldn’t wait to unfold the pristine letter.

The handwriting on the letter was neat, completely different from his own crooked scribbles.

Skipping over the main content, Spielberg glanced quickly at the name at the end of the letter and discovered that the person who wrote the letter was actually the editor-in-chief of Survivor’s Daily!

In an instant, his face flushed with color, and his breathing quickened.

"Dear Mr. Spielberg, we have read your manuscript, and we tried to retrieve the unfinished original manuscript. We unanimously believe it is a very exciting story. It stopped at just the right place, and you picked it up just right, which even the original author had not anticipated... He didn’t even know how to continue, but you thought it up for him."

"Considering the length issue, we plan to imitate your method, adding some supplements to Survivor’s Daily and publishing Pol’s story in the Worker Report, while only a small excerpt will be selected for the main publication as a promotion. I believe it’s an excellent idea that allows people to see more about what they care about and what’s happening. However, as our readers have not seen the previous parts, we plan to serialize the first thirty Chapters over thirty issues, and then publish a collection along with the continuation you wrote."

"We are sorry to hear that the former author of Pol’s story has gone to Luo Xia Province; he supports your continuation but does not want to recall the past of Giant Stone City. Fortunately, Miss Dolly, who has worked as a reporter for the Survivor’s Daily in Giant Stone City, is willing to double as the editor for this book, and you can communicate with her for subsequent manuscripts."

"The 100 chips attached in the letter are a part of the prepayment for your manuscript. Typically, we should pay you based on sales and readers’ feedback after publication, but we all believe it would be better to make an advance payment so that you don’t have to write stories on old newspapers, and our collaboration will be more efficient."

"... By the way, our Manager is very appreciative of your work, he expressed enthusiastically that if you have time to visit Dawn City, do come and visit him; he can arrange for you to try on the power armor, to help you think about how to defeat it forcefully if that aids your writing."

Spielberg’s face reddened.

Great Antler God above, he had never thought of defeating the Alliance’s power armor, let alone harboring ill intentions towards the Manager!

After all, it was originally a story about Giant Stone City; the Alliance wasn’t even mentioned, just vaguely referenced about survivors in the "North Suburb."

But...

That generous invitation made his eyes unexpectedly warm, and his eyes reddened again.

He knew himself well; he was undoubtedly an unremarkable little man. Even Kent, who worked on the same assembly line, had no qualms about spitting in his face.

Yet, that man—who even Melvin the bank manager had to seriously contend with—had read his writing thoroughly and even invited him over...

He was a coward, afraid of death and pain, who would never leave Giant Stone City or dare to face the Wasteland.

But, for that man...

He would even be willing to die for him!

Hastily taking an old newspaper, Spielberg tore off the blank edge, grabbed the pen that frequently ran out of ink, and earnestly wrote.

"The title is a misunderstanding! It’s all because the fellows at the Workers’ Association were curious about how the Awakeners could defeat the power armor, so I simply made it the headline. In my envisioned final battle, it will be worn by an evil Thousands of leaders... It was never meant to offend anyone!"

"Thank you, and that esteemed person, for your kindness and good intentions, but I still need to read the continuation of Pol’s story to the fellows at the Workers’ Association. However, once this winter is over, I will definitely save up some travel money and make a trip to your place..."

Writing to this point, Spielberg paused, hesitated for a few seconds, and then added a line at the end.

"... Also, could you please send a copy of your Worker Report with your reply? You can deduct the cost from my next manuscript fee. The fellows at the Workers’ Association also want to reminisce about the old stories, and our collection of old newspapers is missing several issues. Recently, other factory workers have joined us, and I’d like to read some of the ongoing events of the Wasteland to them."

He carefully folded the note and tucked it into the safest pocket of his clothing, then pushed his chair back and quickly ran out the door.

But not long after, he ran back inside as if he had forgotten something. He picked up the letter from the table and stuffed it into his pocket.

He planned to read this response letter to his colleagues at the Workers’ Association.

Someone out there in the Wasteland still cared about them!

With that thought, Spielberg felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Perhaps this winter won’t be too cold...

...

As Mr. Spielberg hurried off from the drafty, broken house, heading towards the Alliance embassy, a merchant from the Alliance, on the contrary, made his way to his usual place of business.

More precisely, he went to the place next to the Delicious Food Processing Factory—the Incredibly Powerful Steel Mill.

This steel mill had some fame in Giant Stone City, but the owner’s name was quite common, Fred. To make himself look less plain, he always wore a very tall top hat, with gold-rimmed monocles on his nose, even though he hardly read books and was not nearsighted at all.

Usually, he was unwilling to stand at the entrance of his own factory. The dirty stuff that came out of the chimney would get his leather shoes dirty. His office was on a street a bit closer to the Inner City, where the streets were neater and the people’s conversations were more proper.

However, today was an exception.

A distinguished guest from the Alliance had taken an interest in his dust-covered machines.

It wasn’t just about getting some dust on his shoes—if he could sell those devices, worth tens of millions in chips, he wouldn’t mind even licking the guest’s shoes.

"Haha, welcome! Friend from the Alliance." Fred’s face was filled with smiles as he looked at the guest appearing at the entrance.

Mr. Sun Shiqi stepped forward, took his hand, and shook it vigorously, smiling.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you!"

The Alliance was recently planning to construct a batch of apartment buildings using reinforced concrete prefabricated slabs, said to be able to rapidly erect a group of buildings just like stacking blocks.

Previously, Dawn City had produced a batch of iron sheet houses, but those movable buildings were only suitable for the summer. In the cold winter, they might as well serve as refrigerators.

He wasn’t interested in what the Alliance would use those buildings for, but he was quite interested in the lucrative construction fees.

Especially the Alliance’s series of financial plans, which allowed him to see a vast market Prospect.

Thus, he planned to increase the output of his steel mill. Just so happened, he heard that a boss in Giant Stone City was selling off equipment, so he came over to have a look.

Fred enthusiastically patted his arm and made a gesture of invitation, as if receiving an old friend he hadn’t seen for years.

"...I feel the same, it’s a pleasure to meet you! Haha, to tell the truth, I most enjoy making friends with people from the Alliance, doing business with you is always pleasant... However, it’s quite dusty here, let’s go inside to talk."

Mr. Sun Shiqi nodded with a smile.

"It’s no bother, just show me around the factory first... I’d like to take a look at your equipment, which will help me make a fair offer."

"No problem at all!" Fred nodded cheerfully and led him to the largest and only still operating workshop of the steel mill.

Along the way, Mr. Sun Shiqi quietly observed.

This steel mill, named Incredibly Powerful, was indeed large in scale, and its architecture was very impressive, creating a stark contrast with the dirty and disorderly residential area next door.

The tall chimney almost pierced through the top of the barrier walls, blowing vast plumes of haze beyond the Giant Wall, slowly merging with the writhing gray-green spore clouds inside the second ring road. The spacious workshop was like a giant’s house, using a wide and thick hand to block the chaotic view from above, with towering furnaces and hot molten iron securing Mr. Sun Shiqi’s gaze.

He felt like a mouse, inexperienced in the ways of the world, who had accidentally stumbled into a giant’s kitchen.

To him, the skilled workers, the machines like works of divine craftsmanship, and even the casually discarded tools like wrenches and files in wooden boxes coated with patina were all treasures beyond price.

Are those noble lords pigs?

They can bear to let those who least deserve to go hungry, starve.

However, thinking of how he would soon become master of this place, or at least the master of some of its equipment, Mr. Sun Shiqi’s breathing became more rapid.

Praise the noble lords!

The fruits of innumerable generations of survivors’ sweat and wisdom were now on sale for just 50 million chips!

And the price was still negotiable!

Of course, he couldn’t come up with 50 million chips, but as long as he used his factory in the Alliance as collateral and had a written trade contract, the Alliance Bank could lend him the acquisition funds... and the irony was that this money was actually loaned to the Alliance by the nobles of Giant Stone City at an interest rate of less than 5%.

Without letting that greedy gleam show on his face, Mr. Sun Shiqi just nodded simply.

"Not bad... only it’s a bit too hot here, let’s go outside."

Fred said politely.

"No problem! Honestly, if you hadn’t wanted to see it, I wouldn’t have brought you here... this place really isn’t meant for us."

With that, he continued to walk the owner out while engaging in upbeat conversation about his steel mill’s operations, painting a picture of a broad industry future that even he didn’t believe in.

It was at this moment that Mr. Sun Shiqi learned that the Incredibly Powerful Steel Mill was actually one of the suppliers for Huge Rock Military Industry!

Before the expedition of the Alliance began, the main business of this steel mill was supplying steel ballistic plates for exoskeletons and structural components for large-scale equipment to Huge Rock Military Industry.

After the war machine of the Alliance was activated, his top customer became construction companies of the Alliance, making a fortune exporting rebar.

Logically, with the Alliance approving a series of infrastructure plans, his business should have become even more prosperous, but the situation was the complete opposite.

The infrastructure plans of the Alliance were devised to aid the steel industry’s transition from military to civilian use, and the new infrastructure scheme clearly stated in the bidding that, given minor cost differences, businesses using local materials would be given priority.

Actually, even without this rule, the Incredibly Powerful Steel Mill would have found it difficult to get involved.

And the reason lies in the word ’cost’!

Due to escalating inflation, they had lost their cost advantage!

The Alliance Bank was very cunning; they stubbornly refused to adjust the clearly outdated exchange rate, insisting on 2 silver coins in exchange for "a chip actually worth only 0.5~0.2 silver coins".

They certainly had the right to decide how much to sell their own chips for, but this exchange rate was clearly cheating fools, and it is well known that taking advantage of fools is unethical.

To put it plainly, because the cost of industrial goods priced in chips was lower before, the reverse rate wasn’t so obvious, so most of the things that the Alliance couldn’t produce were imported from Giant Stone City.

But now, due to the rising prices of raw materials priced in chips, the prices of industrial goods in Giant Stone City had to inflate as well, and thus the profit from imports was gradually diluted.

If the things produced in Giant Stone City were some kind of key component that the Alliance couldn’t produce, then the Alliance would undoubtedly be digging its own grave.

But the regrettable fact was, at least threaded steel used to fix concrete was not one of those things.

Previously, the Alliance’s steel production capacity was all used for tank armor and tracks, but now that the war was over, those people were freed up.

...This account naturally had to be recalculated.

Taking Sun Shiqi outside, Fred respectfully took out a cigarette and lit it for him, then looked toward the bustling factory area and said,

"The economy here has recovered somewhat recently, life has been getting more and more prosperous."

Sun Shiqi casually continued his sentence,

"How can you tell?"

"Busyness is the best indicator," Fred continued with a smile, "As long as those lazybones get busy, life will improve."

"Busy yet poor is actually not a good sign," Sun Shiqi squinted his eyes, looking at the poor souls shrouded in smoke, he rarely uttered a sincere warning, "It seems they don’t have much oil left in them."

"Precisely because they have no oil, they’ll work even harder," standing shoulder to shoulder with the Alliance boss, smoking away, Fred said with a smile, "And you can’t always focus on those poor fools, you only feel the prosperity of this Settlement when you walk the streets at night."

"Like the street by the Night Queen Bar?"

"Not just there," Fred made a circle in the air with his cigarette, "The entire area surrounding the Inner City... My friend, you surely can’t be wandering around the industrial area late at night, can you? All you’ll find here are poor fools picking up cigarette butts, and madmen drunk on inferior liquor."

Even with his bodyguards, he didn’t dare venture into the alleyways—who knows what filth might be lurking there.

Sun Shiqi looked at him strangely.

"But if everything is about to recover, why the rush to sell?"

Fred coughed, hehe smiling,

"It’s not easy to run a factory here, it used to be profitable, but now... aren’t there easier and better ways?"

"Like what?"

"Be it Bonds or S Coins, there are too many good investment opportunities, and they won’t dirty your shoes," Fred said with a smile, "There are even more opportunities to get rich here than people!"

There was something he didn’t tell his client.

The reason he was lightening his assets wasn’t just because of better investment channels, but also a host of other reasons including rising raw material prices.

He didn’t have a complete view of the Alliance situation, but the fact that iron ore and copper ore priced in chips were becoming more expensive was plainly evident. Instead of processing them into finished goods, it would be better to stockpile them in the warehouse and sell them to other fools setting up factories next month.

However, there were too many smart eggs now, and not enough fools to go around, with more and more people discovering they could exploit this "BUG".

Recently, he even heard that Wei Jia, the guy dealing in food trade, had stocked up a warehouse full of copper ore... What was he planning?

Fred had an uneasy feeling, even though he couldn’t see exactly what the problem was, he suddenly realized that he couldn’t find any losers in the Great Casino of Giant Stone City.

That was the scariest thing.

So he decided to settle for safety on the spot.

He quit playing!

As Fred was having these thoughts, Sun Shiqi’s mind was also a mix of emotions.

It was not his first time in this place, when he used to do business in Red River Town, the miscellaneous goods market in Giant Stone City was his most frequent haunt.

To say it was in decline would be an understatement.

In the Wasteland, most survivor settlements have only two or three hundred households, this is the result of a surplus of high-tech products from before the war.

A stable population of five hundred thousand in the Wasteland is self-evident.

Especially since Giant Stone City doesn’t have a single piece of farmland, nor a single mine, all raw materials are acquired entirely through trade.

Their industrialization rate and industrial profits are actually quite staggering.

It’s just that without competitors, there’s a lack of motivation for industrial upgrades, leading to some bizarre situations here.

For example, a certain nutrient paste processing factory uses the most advanced filters equipped with high polymer ultrafiltration membranes, but the assembly line during the assembly phase relies on manpower.

Sun Shiqi couldn’t understand what these people were thinking, but it was probably the same reason they couldn’t understand him—why choose the seemingly dumbest option when there are cheaper methods available.

However, he was now beginning to understand a little about that Manager who had once scared him.

Some costs are invisible.

This was like a war without the smoke of guns.

If the Alliance took a wrong step at a crucial moment, perhaps he would be the one with a sycophantic smile, underselling his production materials.

He knew.

Essentially, he and Mr. Fred were the same type of people. After all, when the Alliance shorted the copper mine, he did not hesitate to abandon Red River Town.

"...Fifty million chips is a reasonable price, and if you are satisfied, we can sign the contract in the next two days. I will be responsible for arranging personnel to transport the goods."

Although waiting might make it cheaper, Sun Shiqi was worried that other companies in the Alliance were eyeing this quality asset just like him.

Upon hearing this, Fred immediately made a decision and clapped his hands.

"No problem! Mr. Sun is a straightforward man... However, I have recently taken an interest in a certain investment project in the City of Dawn, can part of the payment be made in silver coins?"

Sun Shiqi was taken aback by his latter words and quickly collected the smile that had just appeared, frowning as he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Hehe, just what I said," Fred pulled the generous spender to one side and lowered his voice, speaking slowly, "For instance, on the account... you give me forty million chips. This price is a bit cheap, but definitely not a sellout. And the remaining ten million chips, converted into ten million silver coins, whether you transfer it to my account in the Alliance or give me cash, either works!"

The moment Sun Shiqi heard these words, he snapped back to his senses and looked at Fred with surprise.

Nice move.

Was he planning to swindle his own shareholders?!

As a law-abiding citizen of the Alliance, he certainly had no interest in complaining on behalf of the shareholders of Giant Stone City, but the proposal to exchange ten million chips for ten million silver coins did make him furrow his brows.

"Ten million chips are not worth ten million silver coins, I can’t accept this offer."

Far from being anxious, Fred’s heart leaped with joy.

The only unacceptable part was the offer.

Which means, there’s room for negotiation!

He immediately put on a flattering smile and said earnestly.

"It’s alright, we can talk... what’s an acceptable amount for you?"

Sun Shiqi held up a finger.

"One million."

"One million?!" Fred’s eyes bulged, and he almost couldn’t control the volume of his voice, "No way! That’s too little! The official exchange rate is 1:2, I’m giving you a deal at 1:1, which is generous enough!"

Seeing the man’s poor acting skills, Sun Shiqi coughed lightly.

"Don’t play dumb, that thing... do you believe it yourself?"

Fred’s face reddened, and he gritted his teeth, gesturing with five fingers.

"Five... five million, no! Three million! How about two million silver coins? I can’t go any lower! Even in the Black Market, the best rate is 1:5!"

That was actually the truth.

Looking at the remaining two fingers and the bitter expression on his face, Sun Shiqi eventually couldn’t resist the temptation and slowly nodded.

"Fine."

After all, he didn’t want his company’s liabilities to be too high, and borrowing money from the Alliance Bank wasn’t without its costs.

It’s just that these two million silver coins couldn’t go through the official accounts; they had to be taken from his own savings, and he couldn’t borrow from the bank, which did make Sun Shiqi feel somewhat pained.

The purchasing power of silver coins was much stronger than that of chips!

Seeing the Alliance executive nodding, Fred finally showed a satisfied smile and immediately hooked his arm around Sun Shiqi’s shoulder.

"Thank you for your understanding! In the future, we might have plenty of opportunities for cooperation... Let’s have dinner together tonight, I hear the Alliance’s nightlife is just beer and fireworks."

"We actually don’t set off fireworks every day, and it’s not just beer," Sun Shiqi subconsciously retorted.

He had considered himself a part of the Alliance for quite a while and naturally didn’t allow others to casually malign them.

"I know, but you guys definitely don’t have that," Fred chuckled, giving him a knowing look that every man understands, "At the Night Queen Bar, most folks can only stand below the stage and watch, but with chips, you can invite the dancers into a private box to perform just for you. I happen to have a Black Card here that can get you into the VIP boxes where the usual rich can’t enter, and the fun inside is beyond what you can imagine."

Sun Shiqi instantly got his drift, a bashful smile spreading across his face.

"Is it really just a performance?"

Seeing the client’s interested expression, Fred laughed heartily.

"Of course! And the shows are plenty! You’re a boss from the Alliance, the girls there will definitely like you! If you tip with silver coins, they’ll adore you!"

Sun Shiqi quipped.

"I thought they’d call me a country bumpkin."

Fred waved his hand dismissively.

"That’s ancient history. Here, there’s nothing you can’t think of, nothing you can’t buy."

Sun Shiqi had wanted to say no.

But his legs didn’t listen to him.

He admitted, he was vulgar, unlike those Residents of the refuge, which is why he could probably never become one of them—no wonder that reserved girl had never opened her heart to him.

If only the Alliance could be a bit freer.

It would be best if it were as free as Giant Stone City, where you could do whatever you wanted, as long as you had the chips.

But Shelter No. 404 would surely not agree, their Manager would never approve.

After all, that person had once said firmly—currency of the Alliance can buy all commodities, but no currency shall be allowed to trade honor and dignity.

However...

That’s not too bad either.

Even the most playful wouldn’t want to bring bad things home. The Wasteland is vast, finding a hole to take a dump in is too easy.

Watching Fred’s ingratiating smile, the corners of Sun Shiqi’s mouth couldn’t help but curve up into a sly grin.

Since the noble lord had invited him so warmly.

He might as well enjoy the bountiful flesh of this whale before it sinks to the ocean floor...

...

It wasn’t just the Incredibly Powerful Steel Mill that was having a "sale," as the first batch of bonds issued by the Alliance alone amounted to three billion in scale, quickly followed by opening up sales channels through the Giant Stone City Bank.

The froth milked out by financial instruments was like a collapsing torrent, surging furiously towards the factory owners of Giant Stone City.

This was a "tide" more terrifying than a tide.

Prime means of production received inferior labels, and the once sough-after became the dog shit everyone steered clear of—because something more enticing was laid before everyone, though the bitter aftertaste of sweetness was not so easily perceived.

In this fest named after prosperity, some were bawling their heads off, others were laughing madly... like Sid, undoubtedly the latter.

He could be considered the biggest winner of the Game, cashing out early with chips, naturally, he was the one with the broadest smile.

It’s just that his beaming face gradually collapsed when he saw the bond prices keep rising on the secondary market.

Staring at the palm-size trading device, Sid bit his thumbnail cap and suddenly cursed.

"Damn... gave that dog Wei Jia too sweet a deal!"

Seeing her husband looking displeased, Bonnie sat beside him, peering at him worriedly.

"What’s wrong, dear... Something happened?"

"Nothing, dear," giving his wife a tender smile, Sid’s face regained its usual elegance, "Just a small matter... The bonds I sold to Wei Jia went up a bit, by my calculations, he should give me another twenty million."

Although Bonnie didn’t have a clear concept of money, she still couldn’t help but chide him.

"You... should let that Wei Jia make some profit, how else would he work hard to make money for our family? Don’t you go asking him for that twenty million, it’s unseemly to reach out for money."

"You’re right, dear... I was being greedy." Sid rolled his eyes and then thought better of it, his wife had a point.

He had almost forgotten the family’s old saying.

Greedy hyenas choke on bones, a win-win deal lasts long. After the master finishes eating the meat, the dogs need to be thrown a bone too.

Wei Jia, being an old dog, deserved to make something too.

Yet, staring at those fluctuating lines, Sid still couldn’t resist the itch to buy back a bit... After all, anyone with eyes could see that, the line, despite its ups and downs, was trending upwards overall.

As long as the interest rate was not equal to the redemption rate, there was an arbitrage opportunity.

Bonnie went to get dolled up; she had plans to visit the boutique beauty salon in the Inner City for a skin treatment that afternoon with her sisters. Sid, uninterested in such things, was fixated on the palm-sized display.

The more he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt, yet he was curious to see how high the bonds would go.

Just then, his youngest son, Kumarit, came back from outside. Upon seeing the trading device in his hand, he let out a sneer.

"That’s boring."

Sid gave the brat a glance.

"You little rascal, you know jack squat!"

Kumarit sat down next to his old man with a smirk, eager to show off the little knowledge he had.

"I heard about bonds from my buddy Kishu. They’re nothing special. A ten-year bond with a face value of 100, even if it soared to the heavens, would only be worth 140 chips, right? It can’t possibly be more expensive than the sum of ten years of interest and principal, can it?"

Without considering the transaction premium generated by tax avoidance values, this statement was indeed without fault.

Sid looked at his son in surprise.

"Hey... you know quite a lot, huh? Did that Kishu tell you this?"

So the highest it could go was 140.

The mystery was solved, and he instantly lost interest in the trading device he held.

Kumarit tilted his nose up proudly.

"Of course! I told you, my buddy has learned something. He’s planning big things this time!"

Kishu had painted him a grand economic blueprint. Issuing S currency was just to raise funds for it. The fruition of that blueprint would pay off everything, and Giant Stone City would hence walk toward even greater prosperity.

With a chuckle and a sneer, Sid dismissed his son’s excitement.

He had heard Melvin say that he severely reprimanded his own son after Kishu came back without a word and spouted a lot of nonsense.

Ideal City was indeed a nice spot for a vacation and relaxation.

But turning Giant Stone City into something like that was something he had never considered for a second.

"A big undertaking, how big exactly?"

Kumarit said proudly.

"He plans to build another Outer City outside the current one!"

Sid burst out laughing, tears nearly squeezing out, and continued to tease, "And then what? What’s the use?"

"Then we’ll issue a new currency in the Outer City, a currency that benefits everyone! Just like in Ideal City, it’s something akin to the Cr," Kumarit boasted, "To achieve this goal, he built an algorithmic framework with the technology from Ideal City, and made trading contracts and electronic certificates. The appreciation of this currency is completely controllable; it could solve all kinds of messy copper inflation and deflation!"

Sid scoffed dismissively.

A new currency?

What a joke!

The reason chips became chips was that the entire Inner City’s authority backed them. And now a few youngsters dared to say they would issue new chips?

Were they playing house or something?

Actually, Sid didn’t care too much. Playing house was much safer than murder and arson. It was essential to give these rascal kids something to do, otherwise, leaving them idle would create chaos.

However, the next thing Kumarit said almost choked Sid with his own spit.

"... The 100,000 S currency I currently hold is already worth five million chips!"

"Cough—!"

A severe cough struck, and Sid sat up and stared at his son, "Five million? You turtle son! You better explain clearly to me, where did you get five million!"

He remembered very clearly; he only gave the boy two million last time!

There was nothing he hated more than stealing money!

Especially stealing from his own family!

Seeing the terrifying expression on his dad’s face, Kumarit shrank his neck in fright and hastily explained.

"It’s, it’s what I earned myself! Look!"

With that, he hurriedly took out his trading device and handed it to his misunderstood old dad.

Sid took the trading device and froze after a glance, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"What is this thing?"

These lines...

Why does it look so familiar?

But the jumping and diving of these fluctuations are too exaggerated. Though overall it’s increasing, it’s enough to make your heart race.

"S currency." Kumarit confessed with an honest face.

"What?"

"The credit currency I told you about," seeing his dad’s bewildered face, Kumarit swallowed and hurriedly explained, "Before, one chip could be exchanged for one S currency, but now we’ve speculated it up to a ratio of 1 to 50... 100,000 S currency, isn’t that five million?"

Sid became even more confused after hearing this.

He could understand if silver coins appreciated in value one day, but why would this S currency go up?

And one S currency could exchange for 50 chips...

Yet, the fact in front of him was undeniable.

And this rate of increase looked quite interesting.

The value of a 100-face chip might reach 140 at best, but this S currency’s rate of increase had no limit, meaning it could be pulled up indefinitely?

No wonder his son looked down on the toys he held... Compared to the rise of this S currency, the "stable as an old dog" bonds were just toys, weren’t they?

Sid stroked his chin, pondering, and inadvertently blurted out.

"Then the trade contract and the algorithm certificate... Forget it, I don’t understand you young people. Just tell me straight, how does one play this game?"

"As long as you have an account at the Giant Stone City Bank, you can buy with just a flick of your finger..." Kumarit carefully watched his dad, observing his expression, "Dad? You want to play?"

If his dad was willing to join them, they could play an even bigger game.

Kisu had tried to persuade his dad, the bank manager Melvin, but sadly, he was locked in the small dark room again.

"...I can only say this thing seems quite interesting."

Sid was embarrassed to directly admit his interest, as it was considered disgraceful in the Inner City to earn money personally. Even if he wanted to buy, he could not do it in front of his family.

However, Kumarit didn’t care about dignity. Seeing that his dad was interested, he immediately jumped up from the sofa, chuckling and saying.

"Dad! No problem! Remember I borrowed two million from you? I have borrowed and now I shall return... How about 40,000 S currency coins? You can play with it, and you can cash it out anytime, it will be credited in a second!"

Upon hearing this, Sid instantly became unhappy and slapped the back of his son’s head.

"What do you mean borrowed and returned, are these the words you say to your father?"

Looking at his son’s pitiful face, he didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm for doing real work, so he spoke again in a more soothing tone.

"Go to the butler and take... another five million chips, consider it practice."

Hearing his dad so supportive of his endeavor, Kumarit was immediately excited.

He climbed down from the sofa and looked at his dad solemnly.

"Dad! I’ll dispense with the formalities... I will not let you down! Those five million chips, I will turn them into ten million—no, a billion to bring back!"

Seeing his son’s grateful face, Sid nodded in approval.

Good.

It was definitely his own offspring.

This spirited young man had shades of his younger self.

"You’ve grown up."

He stood up, patted Kumarit’s shoulder, and said with a heavy heart.

"Go ahead and do it, your old man is always your backup."

Kumarit clenched his fists excitedly.

"Thanks, Dad!"

A man’s promise is as good as gold.

Although he knew his dad didn’t care about the small change, Kumarit still stuffed a new trading device into his hands, then in front of him, transferred 40,000 S currency coins to his account.

"The trading device and the account are matched one-to-one, storing the key inside. You must keep it safe, it’s troublesome if you lose it! Also, when selling, you have to control the amount. Don’t hang too many at once, and if you sell more than 1000, you must consult with me!" Kumarit seriously said to his dad.

Seeing his son nagging with instructions, Sid waved his hand impatiently.

"Fine, I get it, don’t bother me with such a trifle of money."

He kicked his son out the front door.

Sid stared at the transaction device for a while, but eventually couldn’t resist the itch in his heart, and called the maid, who had previously served his wife by combing her hair, over to him, tossing the transaction device into her hands.

The young and beautiful maid approached Sid tremblingly and asked tentatively,

"...Sir? Do you have any instructions?"

"Enter your bank account number," Sid commanded authoritatively.

The maid dared not hesitate, immediately complied, and following Sid’s command, entered a number of 100 into the device and pressed the ’sell’ button.

The maid looked towards Sid blankly, not understanding what had happened.

"Sir?"

Sid waited for a moment then continued patiently,

"Use the house phone to call Melvin’s secretary and check the balance on your card. Tell them I told you to check."

Although she was confused, the maid did as instructed and went to the neighboring room. Soon, a cry of surprise came from inside, followed by the clatter of the phone dropping to the floor.

Hearing this, Sid immediately stood up and walked briskly into the room, finding the maid scrambling to pick up the phone off the floor.

He could guess what had happened from the expression on her face, but he was eager to hear her say it herself; he asked, excitedly,

"How much money was added to the card?"

The maid’s lips quivered as she replied,

"...Five thousand."

Five thousand chips!

It would take forty or fifty workers a whole month to earn that amount.

She didn’t understand why the master would suddenly gift her so much money, and now she was even more uncertain about what to do.

There was a spark of excitement in Sid’s eyes.

It was actually possible to cash out!

That damn son had actually made good!

Money was the best stimulant, and though he wasn’t previously in the mood, his gaze suddenly fell on the maid before him.

A twisted kindness spread across his malevolent face.

"That’s a reward for you; just spend it, I won’t take it back."

The maid heaved a sigh of relief, squeezing out a beaming smile.

"Thank you, Sir..."

Sid nodded, pleased.

"Speaking of which, don’t you have a boyfriend? I see you often write letters to him."

A hint of tension dawned on her radiant smile.

"Yes..."

Sid casually placed his hand on her waist and, while admiring her youthful pretty face, said in a tone of idle conversation,

"That young man is quite decent, I am pretty optimistic about the future at Giant Stone City Bank, and Melvin is an old friend of mine, after all; I’ll have him look out for him... Ahaha, I’ve gone off-topic. But, speaking of which, you’re not getting any younger; it’s about time to think about getting married, isn’t it? Why not use this money for it?"

He relished her reaction.

Only the newcomers would show such an expression. After a while, they became no different from the other painted women outside; no matter how pretty, it was all the same.

He wasn’t some naive kid like Kumarit; he was past the age where he didn’t distinguish between the indulgences, having need for some excitement to get a reaction.

The maid bit her lip lightly, her complexion turned slightly pale, and with the last remnants of her dignity, she pleaded,

"...This is the lady’s room."

However, what she didn’t expect was,

This matchstick didn’t scare away the hyena; instead, it set the whole woodpile ablaze.

Sid sneered viciously and slammed the door shut.

"Well isn’t that just perfect!"