Chapter 65

Chapter 065: I Really Didn't Want to See That!

"Whatever!"

"Anyway, this is a good thing!"

"With everyone so enthusiastically exchanging Good Fortune Coins, the speed at which I'm reclaiming Fate Points is like riding a rocket."

Yan Cang switched the interface in the mirror back to the main page, looking at the rapidly shrinking Energy Pool at the center of the Fate Star Sea.

His mood, however, was absolutely delightful.

"Although the Energy Pool is shrinking, the Fate Points on the books are genuinely being cleared out!"

"And the Good Fortune Coins only carry ten percent of the selling price in [Good Fortune], which means for every coin sold, I net a ninefold profit. This is the real big business..."

"Unlike the Fate Net's daily internet fee of 1 Fate Point, which only yields a single-fold net profit."

"Limited edition? That'll never happen in this lifetime!"

Yan Cang thought smugly, feeling that only a fool would limit the sale of such a profitable venture.

However, a quarter of an hour later.

He watched helplessly as the volume of the Energy Pool shrank smaller and smaller under the impact of Good Fortune Coin exchanges,

From a small sun-like presence, it rapidly dwindled into the shape of a red sphere,

And the rate of shrinkage continued unabated, showing no signs of slowing down.

Because that post was still spreading, being seen and shared by more and more people.

Exchange requests for Good Fortune Coins came pouring in endlessly.

Seeing this,

The smile on his face gradually faded, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and then he started to sweat.

"This isn't right... isn't this consumption rate a bit too fast?" Yan Cang felt something was off.

Then, he suddenly remembered a key issue.

His own reserves!

After refining the [Fortune-Bearing Golden Mother] at noon, the Energy Pool had already been left with very little.

Mainly, yesterday's refinement of the [Fate Wheel Mirror] had already consumed most of the Energy Pool accumulated over several days, and today was another massive expenditure.

After two rounds, the Energy Pool was basically at rock bottom.

Although there had been a steady stream of users topping up Fate Points during this time, bringing in some energy replenishment,

Compared to the massive demand for exchanges, the newly added energy was merely a drop in the bucket.

It was completely disproportionate!

"This... could it be..."

Looking at the Energy Sphere, which had already shrunk to one-fifth of its original size, he found it hard to bear, "Do I really have to limit it?"

"Don't let this happen!"

This was a super business with a net profit margin of nine times! Every minute it was off the market felt like a huge loss!

But things didn't go as he wished.

Watching the Energy Pool's shrinkage continue at the same pace, with no sign of slowing down,

And seeing that it was truly on the verge of being depleted, Yan Cang had no choice but to make a compromise.

"I can't wait any longer! I can't really let the Energy Pool be completely drained until there's not even enough energy left to maintain the basic operation of the Fate Net, can I?"

"If that happens, the joke would be huge!"

"For now, I'll temporarily suspend the sale of Good Fortune Coins and wait for the Energy Pool to recover..."

With that thought, he no longer hesitated.

He quickly operated the Fate Net's backend, using the highest authority to directly shut down the exchange function of the Withdrawal Interface.

At the same time, a global prompt was set: [Today's exchange limit has been reached; the function is temporarily unavailable.]

"Phew... Done!"

After finishing, Yan Cang watched the energy pool, which had finally stopped declining and was slowly recovering, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, he felt puzzled:

"Great, now it's really become a limited release!"

Meanwhile, in every corner of the Fate Net.

Countless users who had just seen the post, were still hesitating, or had already selected Good Fortune Coins and were about to click to exchange,

all received the same cold system prompt at the same time:

[Today's "Good Fortune Coins" are sold out; the withdrawal function is temporarily unavailable. Please follow subsequent announcements.]

"Huh? Gone?!"

"Really limited?!"

"Damn! I hesitated for just a few seconds!"

"I just saw the post, and I was too slow!"

Countless cries of frustration and disbelief rang out simultaneously in cabins and camps.

Immediately afterward, a flood of users surged back to the Fate Net Forum, their target being that "Prophecy Post."

The number of replies to that post exploded instantly.

From just over ten thousand, it skyrocketed to hundreds of thousands within a minute or two...

At this rate, breaking through a million or even tens of millions of replies was only a matter of time.

The latest comments were almost all in awe:

"Really limited! OP, you're a prophet!"

"Too crazy, you were right! Good Fortune Coins are really limited!"

"I clicked to exchange and it was already gone. OP, your mouth is blessed, isn't it?!"

"Prophet, take this knife!"

"OP is awesome! (Voice crack)"

At that moment, the poster seemed to be basking in the immense sense of achievement from the prophecy coming true, smugly replying in the post:

[Haha, I told you, Good Fortune Coins are a great deal that's worth more than the price! Good stuff always has to be snatched up; it's only natural it's limited!]

[See, was I wrong? Those who were slow, regretting it now?]

Beneath his reply, countless more comments piled up instantly:

— "Ahhh, I was just in the last batch when I exchanged, and it said sold out. Now I can't even access the withdrawal interface! So mad!"

— "Good thing I saw this post early and forwarded it to all my friends and family. Our whole family bought some! Thanks, OP! May you live a good life!"

— "OP, OP, the Fate Net prompt says [Today's Good Fortune Coins are sold out]. Does that mean we can exchange again tomorrow? Around what time tomorrow will it open?"

[Tomorrow? Tomorrow everyone will be opening chests; think about it yourself! And I think the price is set too cheap, almost like charity. Maybe the Chief will realize it's a loss-making deal and raise the price tomorrow!]

— "Huh? Raise the price? No way?"

— "Anyone can top up Fate Points with physical strength, which is basically lying down to rest for half a day to buy a share of good fortune. That's too cheap! A price hike is normal."

— "Indeed, the Chief is too honest! Maybe he just realized it was a loss and urgently stopped it."

"Damn! I regret it so much! I opened today's supply box early in the morning and didn't think it was necessary to exchange for Good Fortune Coins in advance... I feel like I missed out on a fortune!"

...

After temporarily suspending the Good Fortune Coin exchange,

Yan Cang clicked back into the post and naturally saw these latest comments.

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Yeah, yeah, I'm losing so much I can't even afford a state banquet anymore. From now on, I'll have to gnaw on black bread every day."

With that, he glanced down at the unfinished food container on the table and his still-full stomach.

"Ahem..."

"But there are so many people thanking the OP? If it weren't for this post, I wouldn't have needed to limit the supply!"

Yan Cang found this quite absurd.

As for the speculation in the post that prices would rise tomorrow, he naturally didn't take it to heart.

The net profit on Good Fortune Coins was already as high as nine times; raising the price any further would be too excessive.

The temporary halt in sales was solely to give the Energy Pool a chance to recover and replenish.

"Besides, since the OP indirectly caused the supply limit, if prices really do go up tomorrow as predicted, then maybe he should take the Chief's seat instead."

Yan Cang grumbled inwardly.

Of course, he knew this was completely impossible.

The authority and power of the Fate Net were rooted in the "Great Fate Art" and himself—no one could replace that.

With that, he exited the post that had been completely "canonized."

He then noticed that the forum's front page had gained several new posts spawned by the [Good Fortune Coins Sold Out] announcement.

Some were lamenting that they hadn't managed to exchange in time, missing out on [Good Fortune];

Others were boasting about their foresight, having converted all their Fate Points into Good Fortune Coins, even screenshotting a small pile of copper coins in their Fate Net Space to show off.

This wasn't just showing off—it was flaunting wealth!

Meanwhile, voices claiming that "the Chief is selling Good Fortune Coins at a loss, what a kind soul" were growing louder, and some even began to feel sorry for the Chief, calling for rational consumption;

But the next sentence was about letting him spend first tomorrow.

Of course, everyone ignored that, each vowing to snatch up Good Fortune Coins tomorrow without fail!

Watching these comments,

Yan Cang suddenly thought, "This accidental hunger marketing seems to be working pretty well?"

"It controls the pace of energy consumption, maintains buzz, and stirs up even greater anticipation..."

"Could this forced halt in sales actually be a good thing?"

He rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

He felt that with the value of the Good Fortune Coin System, there was no need for such flashy tactics.

Skipping past the clamor about the Good Fortune Coin rush, his attention was caught by a post title:

"Rational Analysis: Can the [Fate Coin] Guarantee a Golden Chest? Or Even... Legendary Quality?"

Yan Cang didn't even need to click in; just reading the title told him this analysis was anything but rational.

"Where on earth would a Legendary Chest come from?" he couldn't help but complain.

Still, he did agree with the first half of the speculation about guaranteeing a Golden Chest.

"The [Fate Coin], priced at 100 million Fate Points, carries a power of [Good Fortune] equivalent to the conversion of over 11 million Fate Points of energy. And when I anchor a Golden Chest normally, the energy I consume is far less than half of that."

He compared in his mind, "Although Good Fortune enhancement and anchoring the future are two different mechanisms, with such a vast amount of Good Fortune power, guaranteeing at least a Golden Chest is definitely no problem."

"Moreover, there's plenty of leeway to ensure the item obtained is among the top-tier goods even within a Golden Chest."

As for the Legendary Chest, that was purely the poster's fantasy.

However, Yan Cang lingered on this post not just to evaluate this wild idea.

Rather, this discussion about Golden Chests suddenly reminded him of Teacher Qiao Yue.

"What did Sister Qiao end up getting from her Golden Chest?" The question surfaced in his mind.

Back then, he had only helped Teacher Qiao Yue anchor the next day's Golden Chest and hadn't bothered with it further.

And since it wasn't time to open the chest yet, he later got preoccupied with various matters and almost forgot about it entirely.

Naturally, he didn't know the outcome.

"Can't believe three or four days have already flown by!"

"By now, that Golden Chest must have been opened long ago... but what exactly did she get?"

"Why didn't Sister Qiao take the initiative to tell me? That's just too annoying, isn't it?"

"Hmm... I'll just check it myself!"

He immediately issued a command to the [Fate Wheel Mirror]: "Display Qiao Yue's Attribute Panel."

The mirror's surface shimmered with light, and against the deep starry background, a star at a very central position, bright and stable, was instantly captured and magnified.

The power of [Comprehension] spread silently, absorbing information.

In an instant, a concise attribute interface unfolded clearly on the mirror's surface:

[Name: Qiao Yue]

[Age: 25]

[Status: 91% (Physically and mentally comfortable, mildly fatigued, menstrual period)]

[Essence: 1.69]

[Qi: 4.12]

[Spirit: 2.14]

[Talent: Flower Charm Demon]

[Skills: Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique (Beginner)]

[Region: Desert - Gobi Desert]

[Real-time Status: Just earned a considerable amount of Fate Points, feeling delighted, can't help but want to treat herself. Enjoying a long-awaited hot bath in her personal cabin...]

"Hiss!"

The moment he saw the attribute data, Yan Cang couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, somewhat astonished.

"All three core attributes are far above the average person! Especially the [Qi] attribute, which is actually over 4 points!"

He was shocked inwardly, "This is even more than my..."

He subconsciously glanced at his own Attribute Panel: [Qi: 4.26]

"Oh, Sister Qiao isn't higher than me, so no problem!"

"But what's going on here? Is it because of this talent, 'Flower Charm Demon'?"

"It sounds pretty unusual, doesn't it? The effect is so domineering? Directly boosting the base attributes?"

"Let me take a look!"

Just as he was about to click on the talent details to carefully examine the information on "Flower Charm Demon,"

His gaze inadvertently drifted downward and was immediately captivated by the last line of [Real-time Status].

"Just earned a batch of Fate Points... Treating myself to a long-awaited hot bath in my personal cabin to unwind?"

Those words seemed to carry a certain magic, slowing Yan Cang's thoughts by half a beat.

"Taking a bath?"

The thought had just popped into his head, but before he could even reflexively let his imagination run wild—

A sudden change occurred on the mirror's surface!

The mirror, which had been clearly displaying the Attribute Panel, rippled without warning.

The text blurred and faded rapidly...

"What's going on?" Yan Cang was taken aback by the abrupt shift.

Normally, the [Fate Wheel Mirror] only showed noticeable changes when switching functions or when he actively commanded it.

It couldn't possibly act on its own!

Could this be...

Before he could grasp what was happening,

The next second, the scene in the mirror transformed completely.

The simple Attribute Panel vanished, replaced by a hazy image.

At first, Yan Cang stared at it in confusion.

What met his eyes was rising warm steam and, within the misty vapor, a dazzling expanse of white!

Curving contours, a fleeting glimpse.

Water droplets rolled down smooth skin...

So big, so white, so—

"Wait!"

Yan Cang's pupils dilated sharply. He stared blankly for just two or three seconds.

Then, snapping to his senses, he immediately averted his eyes, observing the rule of not looking at impropriety.

And in that instant:

"Little Fate! What are you doing?"

"That's my Sister Qiao!!"

He gripped the mirror frame tightly, his gaze involuntarily tempted to drift back to the surface, as he scolded, "Who told you to switch to a live feed? Acting without permission!"

"I never wanted to see this!"

[Fate Wheel Mirror]: ?