Chapter 67

Chapter 067: A King Descends from the Sky

Speculation and profiteering?

Watching the merchant's actions and the ensuing debate below, Yan Cang couldn't help but fall into thought.

Of course, he wasn't seriously considering any suggestion about "taking someone out for target practice."

Although the existence of the [Fate Net Space] made transactions extremely convenient, with nearly zero time cost,

it had spawned behaviors like that of the original poster—people specializing in buying low and selling high.

However, such rapid in-and-out trading essentially meant conducting two transactions.

This meant being charged a 10% transaction fee twice.

This cost was a hard expense, unavoidable.

Add to that the risk of market prices fluctuating wildly in an instant.

So, only a minority could consistently make money this way. For most, the profit was far lower than the two transaction fees, effectively making them work for him.

Moreover, as Yan Cang understood,

most ordinary users, during the idle time after topping up Fate Points and waiting for their physical strength to recover, liked to keep an eye on the Trading House, trying to snatch a bargain or do a little business.

To some extent, these people were also major customers of the Fate Net.

They enlivened the market and contributed no small amount in transaction fees.

For such spontaneously formed market behavior, Yan Cang naturally wouldn't—and couldn't be bothered to—impose any restrictions.

His not encouraging it was already considered conscientious.

After all, collecting transaction fees was quite satisfying.

But that said, this business of buying low and selling high wasn't actually that easy to pull off.

Since the transaction fee was customarily borne by the seller,

when buying, one had to accurately judge whether the item could be sold in the future for at least 10% more than the original price,

just to cover the cost.

To make a profit, one needed to be confident of selling at an even higher price.

This required fast and precise market judgment. Being too slow meant missing out on scarce goods; being too hasty or making a wrong call meant waiting to lose money.

Overall, it was still very difficult.

As for those top-tier items that were clearly a huge bargain, one could indeed snap them up directly.

But such opportunities often meant that, just as you frantically clicked into the product page, you'd see the heartbreaking [Sold Out].

After all, so many people were watching the market.

If you really wanted to make steady, big money from this, you'd probably have to resort to monopolization!

For example, using massive capital to buy up all the inventory of a key material in the entire Trading House, then listing it at a relatively high price, while instantly snatching up any competing low-priced listings, leaving others with no choice...

But such monopolization, in the face of a vast market of over a billion people, required astronomical sums of money.

Even the official organizations, which had just recovered a bit of their strength, were far from being able to do this.

And for someone like the original poster of this thread, relying on personal judgment to buy low and sell high meant facing huge risks of loss.

Yan Cang knew that this time, they were most likely going to take a loss.

If they hadn't sold it before the Good Fortune Coins Restoration Launch, it would be a guaranteed loss.

He wasn't really concerned about that, but he suddenly realized a key issue:

The wording of the Suspension Notice he had posted earlier was far too misleading!

【Today's quota sold out】 could certainly explain the reason for this sudden halt in sales, but it easily leads people to understand it as "Good Fortune Coins are a scarce item with a daily limited supply—first come, first served, grab them before they're gone."

It was probably because of that "Prophecy Post" I saw earlier,

that when I was urgently searching for a reason to stop sales, I subconsciously defaulted to this phrasing.

Given the urgency of the situation, Yan Cang didn't think it through and just used it.

Later, when he saw the chain reaction on the forum after the Good Fortune Coins were taken offline, he immediately realized something was off.

Then he decided to restore them as soon as possible.

After setting the relatively safe time of midnight, he stopped worrying about it.

After all, the misunderstanding would only last a few hours.

But seeing this speculator's post...

"This won't do!" Yan Cang felt it was necessary to correct things.

Of course, he wasn't concerned about whether those speculators made a profit or loss.

His main thought was that since relatively low prices benefited the survival and development of the entire faction,

there was no need to let prices rise again due to a misunderstanding, only to fall back later.

That would only increase market volatility and uncertainty, and might cause losses for those who genuinely needed supplies.

"What exactly should I do?" Yan Cang rested his chin on his hand, thinking quickly.

"Just posting an announcement outright won't work—it's too deliberate."

"Hmm... got it!"

He quickly came up with an idea: "It's simple—just tweak the wording of that prompt!"

"Remove the words that hint at a limited supply, and imply that it'll be back tomorrow and available long-term!"

"That way, the market will naturally understand."

At that moment, he also remembered he needed to reopen the option to 【Exchange Good Fortune Coins back to Fate Points】: "Perfect, I'll do both at once!"

"Use the restoration of the recycle function as the excuse, and change the prompt along with it—that way, it won't seem abrupt."

Thinking it through, Yan Cang immediately opened the management interface of the Fate Net backend.

He quickly got to work.

First, he reopened the Withdrawal Interface.

The Good Fortune Coin Recycle Function on it would naturally become usable again.

Then, he deleted the prompt 【Today's quota sold out】 that appeared when clicking the Exchange Good Fortune Coins button.

After a moment's thought, he rewrote it as: 【This functional test has concluded successfully. The Good Fortune Coin System will officially launch tomorrow.】

"Done!"

These few simple operations were naturally completed quickly.

As for the revised prompt, Yan Cang felt quite satisfied.

Although it was subtle and didn't perfectly convey that Good Fortune Coins weren't a limited item,

it hinted clearly enough.

Those who trusted him wouldn't take any chances, and those who didn't—well, a little loss might do them good!

Yan Cang thought with a hint of mischief.

Then, with a mental command, he applied this update to all user interfaces of the Fate Net.

At the same time, he sent out a notification that would reach every user currently connected to the Fate Net:

[The function to exchange Good Fortune Coins for Fate Points has been restored to normal. You can now exchange any unused Good Fortune Coins back to their original Fate Points via the Withdrawal Interface.]

"Exchange Good Fortune Coins back to Fate Points? The Withdrawal Interface is restored?"

Many people who were spamming the Forum or browsing the Trading House were startled by this sudden pop-up notification.

Then, countless hearts jolted.

They quickly looked at the Withdrawal entrance and found that the previously grayed-out button was indeed glowing again!

This made many people's hearts race, and all sorts of thoughts immediately sprang to mind:

"We can exchange Good Fortune Coins again?"

They promptly clicked into the Withdrawal Interface.

Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed instantly.

In the center of the interface, beneath the five golden Good Fortune Coins, the exchange button was still grayed out.

When they tried clicking it, a line of small text appeared: [This feature test has concluded successfully. The Good Fortune Coin System will officially launch tomorrow.]

As for the Recycle function beside it, it was working normally as the notification indicated.

But at that moment, no one cared.

Everyone's attention was fixed on that notification.

"The notification changed!"

"The test is over? Official launch tomorrow?"

"Does this mean Good Fortune Coins won't be sold in limited quantities? Starting tomorrow, as long as you have enough Fate Points, you can exchange as many as you want?"

This thought flashed through countless minds, with confusion, joy, and excitement intertwining in their hearts.

Soon, these questions flooded the Forum.

But before they could ferment into new hot topics,

the reaction in the Trading House had already struck like a tsunami.

Those sellers who had stopped lowering prices to wait and see, or even secretly bought back small amounts after the Good Fortune Coin sales were halted,

felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them the moment they saw this new notification.

"The Good Fortune Coin function launches tomorrow? Then there's no point hoarding supplies! Sell now!"

"Damn it! I sold low earlier, and then I was foolish enough to buy some back high... Get out now!"

"Fire sale! Everything must go! Name your price!"

Prices plummeted first!

The Trading House's item list seemed to have hit a fast-forward button. Almost every second, countless items were delisted by sellers and then relisted at even lower prices.

The speed of the drop was astonishing, as if sellers weren't selling goods but tossing hot potatoes, terrified they wouldn't be able to sell a second later.

However, this time, it was the buyers' turn to wait and see.

If the sellers weren't ruthless enough, they really couldn't sell!

The entire Fate Net Forum instantly turned into a massive wailing ground for speculative merchants:

[Heaven's Wrath Descends, Fury and Rage! The Black Swan Strikes Again!]

[Chief, I was wrong! I shouldn't have engaged in Speculation and Profiteering! Please spare me!]

[Massive Losses! I've lost everything, even my underwear!]

[Heads Up: The Chief Dislikes Speculation, Everyone Behave.]

[One Moment Heaven, the Next Hell. That's Me.]

In the comment sections of these wailing posts, almost no one expressed sympathy; instead, they were nearly all gloating:

"Haha, serves you right! That's what you get for hoarding! The Chief's punishment was beautiful!"

"The Good Fortune Coins were only suspended for a moment, and you hoarded your goods right away. Serves you right if you lose everything!"

"Trying to make a profit on the spread? Did you ask the Chief about that, huh?"

"Long live the Chief! This will bring prices back down!"

"Well done! Stabilizing prices benefits everyone!"

"Suggest we step it up!"

...

In an instant, the winds changed!

Looking at the avalanche-like collapse of prices in the Trading House and the sudden reversal of public opinion on the Forum,

Yan Cang, the mastermind behind it all, couldn't help but pause in surprise.

Even though this outcome was entirely in line with his intentions.

But the effect was just too good!

After it happened, he couldn't help but feel an indescribable, subtle emotion, as if he held everything in his grasp.

"Prices are dropping so sharply!"

"So... this is how powerful I am now?"

This power wasn't about individual combat strength or the direct destructive force of the "Great Fate Art."

Rather, it was his immense influence on a macro level over the billions of people in the Huaxia Faction as the Master of the Fate Net.

Just now, by merely modifying a single system prompt, he had instantly reversed the entire market's expectations,

triggering a violent price fluctuation across the entire trading system, sending countless people into ecstasy while plunging others into an icy abyss.

Such a method of turning one's hand to produce clouds or rain was, by any measure, worthy of being called power.

Lost in thought, he couldn't help but recall a saying: "The economy of an entire nation, the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, all rest on my shoulders!"

Yan Cang chuckled to himself, "Can I just casually throw around the phrase 'the fate of the world' now?"

Then he shook his head, casting aside that slightly cringey association.

He refocused on the present.

Continuing to browse the Forum with interest, watching the myriad reactions of the people stirred by his actions.

Soon, he spotted the earlier post titled "A Merchant's Confession: ..." again.

Curious, Yan Cang clicked back in to see what state this brave soul was in now.

He found that the latest replies under the post had been flooded with "Hahaha" and "The Chief is mighty."

Among them were also some people who had blindly followed the trend and hoarded goods earlier, now frantically asking:

[It's over, it's over. Good Fortune Coins officially launch tomorrow, and it doesn't look like they're limited edition! The big shot isn't saying anything. Should I sell quickly or not?]

— "Yeah, why hasn't the OP come out? He was analyzing so convincingly before. I followed his lead and bought some supplies, and now I'm stuck. What do I do?"

— "Prices in the Trading House have already crashed! They're lower than the lowest point. And you're still here asking what to do?"

— "That's exactly why we don't know whether to cut our losses! What if prices bounce back after we sell?"

— "Everyone, don't panic. This is just a technical adjustment. No big deal. It'll rebound soon!"

[No joke, I really think this price drop is excessive. It's already 20-30% lower than the lowest price during the Good Fortune Coin sale period, and it's still falling... This is insane!]

—"Even if Good Fortune Coins are truly unlimited, that's tomorrow's problem. Right now, the market is just panicking too much! So I reckon it'll bounce back soon, and the rebound won't be small!"

—"You reckon? What the hell do you know about reckoning! You just recklessly guess! One look and it's clear you haven't even grasped the underlying logic of this price crash—what can you possibly judge!"

—"What underlying logic? Isn't it just that the expectation of limited Good Fortune Coins has been shattered, and everyone thinks supplies will be surplus again?"

—"Ha, naive! This time, the Good Fortune Coins are secondary. The key is the Chief's attitude! From the sellout of Good Fortune Coins, to the price recovery, then the immediate change in the prompt message... Can't you see this is the Chief signaling he doesn't want prices to rise and is cracking down on speculative behavior?"

—"!!!"

...

Just like those three exclamation marks,

Yan Cang couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw this.

Originally, when he saw someone mention the underlying logic of the price drop, he was wondering what complex principle it could be.

Well, well! He turned around and saw himself!

Although that was indeed his intention, he thought he had been subtle enough, not making it too obvious, right?

For that reason, he had even deliberately used the technical adjustment of restoring the "Good Fortune Coin Recycle Function" as cover.

Yan Cang admitted that if he were in someone else's shoes, he probably wouldn't think this was the Chief making a statement—at least not right away.

But then...

Recalling the post titles he had just seen on the forum's front page, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth:

"Damn, is everyone this smart?"

Then he let out a long sigh of relief: "Good thing I don't have to play mind games with you all."

"But I'm not cracking down on anyone, don't overthink it!"

With that, Yan Cang refreshed the post.

Then he saw, amidst a flood of comments asking "What's the real reason for the price crash?" and "Is it really the Chief's intention?", the original poster appeared to reply:

[The Chief is too mysterious. So far, no one has heard of anyone having contact with them. Maybe some truly big shots have managed to get in touch and obtained deeper information, but small fry like us are clearly not on that level.

So, is the Chief's attitude about suppressing prices? And incidentally cracking down on speculation? I don't know!

But it's better to be safe than sorry! We small-time merchants don't need to worry about being remembered—we're not even qualified!

But those big teams and big merchants are afraid!

This rapid crash, in my view, was started by a bunch of big merchants, which then triggered a wave of panic selling among the masses, causing prices to fall so disastrously!]

"I see..."

Yan Cang had a sudden realization after reading this.

Although he hadn't thought of this angle before, he couldn't deny that the analysis made perfect sense.

"So that's why prices dropped so fast—there's this factor too!"

"But I really wasn't trying to crack down on anyone... Oh well, at least falling prices are a good thing."

Then, he noticed another reply from the original poster further down:

"In a situation like this, don't bother asking what to do! I can only say: run! I didn't reply earlier because I was busy dealing with my own batch of supplies. Even though I sold early, I still took a decent loss! But it's not a big deal—I'll have my chance to bounce back!"

[Attached image: Transaction record]

—"You actually sold?! Almost at half the original price! Damn! OP, you're ruthless, I respect that!"

—"OP got out early. If you listed it now, you might not even be able to sell it at that price."

—"I've seen ruthless people, and I've seen people who are ruthless to themselves, but someone who can make a decisive move against themselves at the first moment—that's rare!"

—"Truly impressive! Even though I know OP's heart is bleeding when he says 'not a big deal,' I feel like he'll become a big shot in the future. Followed!"

...

Seeing this, even Yan Cang couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.

Although he knew the person had already lost three times in a row, this kind of decisive, 'cut off the arm to save the body' resolve and execution was indeed beyond ordinary.

"What a talent! Keen instincts, swift action, and willing to admit defeat when wrong."

"Even though he lost this time, he'll definitely make big money in the future and become a true Big Merchant!" he thought to himself.

But even as he thought this, Yan Cang didn't pay much attention to the merchant's name, let alone make an effort to remember it.

After all, even if he became a Big Merchant, so what?

To him, it was nothing special.

Of course, this was just a subconscious judgment.

Yan Cang's thoughts drifted to something far more important:

"Hmm... judging by the time, it's almost dinner time?" He patted his stomach.

Even though the delicious Cantonese feast he'd had—a late meal—was only two or three hours ago,

The crispy-skinned, tender roasted goose, the fresh and smooth white-cut chicken, and other flavors seemed to linger on his lips and teeth...

But that didn't stop him from being ready for the next meal right on schedule!

Especially when he thought about tonight's menu, his mouth began to water uncontrollably.

"Tonight's main course is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!"

"A hardcore dish I ordered two days ago..."

Yan Cang's eyes lit up, full of anticipation: "How delicious must it be!"

Just then...

As if by telepathy, the Food Zone's pickup notification chimed.

[Your ordered dish has been cooked. Please pick it up and enjoy as soon as possible.]

"Is the Golden Mother's fortune really that powerful?"

"Whatever, eating comes first!"

With his heart racing in excitement, he immediately tapped the interface to complete the pickup.

"Time to eat!"