"Ding: The I9 Intelligent Factory System of Nebula has issued a task." Manufacturers are requested to prepare a standard-grade interstellar core as soon as possible. Time: Twelve months, the countdown begins...
Twelve months?
Oh, my!
Does this mean that Li Zhi has to earn enough money to purchase a "standard-grade interstellar core" within a year? However, they didn't say it had to be bought with money. As long as you have the capability, it is possible to acquire a "standard-grade" interstellar core from the Interstellar Trade Union.
The task is mentioned without any reference to rewards or penalties. The task is mandatory.
"The I9 Intelligent Factory System is indeed different from the Interstellar Trade Union!" Li Zhi muttered to himself, completely certain this time.
Abandoning a five-million-ton order just like that?
Li Zhi felt somewhat unwilling to do so. After some thought, he walked to the safe, took out the miniature interstellar core, placed it on the miniature machine's door, connected the power, and stepped into the portal leading to Interstellar Trade Union No. 67.
It was still the same private trading hall of over a thousand square meters as the last time Li Zhi visited, and 'Pillar Brother' was standing there as if nothing had changed.
"Welcome back, 'weak-grade' manufacturer, to Interstellar Trade Union No. 67!" Pillar Brother's eyes lit up as he smiled and welcomed Li Zhi.
Two million dollars, another two million dollars. However, this money must be spent. If he relies on operating on Earth, how long would it take for him to earn enough to buy a 'standard-grade' interstellar core? It seems that he will have to come to No. 67 Interstellar Trade Union more often if there's nothing else to do.
"Is there any recent news?" Li Zhi nodded at Pillar Brother and asked.
"There are over a hundred inquiries about purchasing fish balls, but because you did not return to the private trading hall of Interstellar Trade Union No. 67, the messages were held back and could not be delivered to you." "If you need it, you can activate the Interstellar Trade Union's message sharing service, which costs per month," Pillar Brother reported as he followed Li Zhi.
"Over a hundred inquiries?" "That's a lot," Li Zhi exclaimed in surprise. It seems that the fish balls produced in his factory are not worthless at all.
The message-sharing service of the Interstellar Trade Union is not inexpensive at all. It costs per month. Li Zhi hadn't made up his mind yet on whether to activate it or not.
Li Zhi asked in confusion, "Since the messages cannot be delivered to me in a timely manner, why did I receive a message about an order just now?"
Pillar Brother explained, "If the message sharing service is not activated, daily inquiries will not be transmitted." "However, if an order is placed, it will be delivered directly to the manufacturer to avoid missing out on business opportunities."
"Is it free?" Li Zhi asked.
Pillar Brother smiled and said, "Yes, this service is free and included in the 'transaction fee'!"
Li Zhi thought it made sense. If the order messages are delayed, it would not only harm the manufacturer but also the Interstellar Trade Union itself. Completing an order results in the Interstellar Trade Union earning money.
"Alright, I just received a reminder message stating that someone has placed an order for fifty million tons of fish balls." For me, fifty million tons is too large a quantity to complete in a short time. I want you to contact the other party and inquire if they can modify the order. "For now, I can provide the required fish balls in small quantities," Li Zhi said. This was also the reason he came here.
Fifty million tons is a significant order, and it's worth fighting for.
"Okay, I will inquire with the other party for you," Pillar Brother replied.
After the inquiry, Li Zhi browsed various information on the online trading platform of Interstellar Trade Union No. 67 while waiting for the other party's response.
"Are standard-grade interstellar cores available for sale within the Interstellar Trade Union?" Li Zhi asked.
Pillar Brother smiled and replied, "Yes, the standard-grade interstellar core is available on the Trade Union website for 1000 interstellar coins." There is a daily limit of ten thousand items for sale!
"Still limited?" Li Zhi furrowed his brow.
"Yes, because the production of standard-grade interstellar cores is extremely challenging, and the demand within the Trade Union is very high." "Even the Trade Union has only a limited supply every day," Pillar Brother said with a smile.
"Can they be reserved?" Li Zhi paused for a moment and asked again.
Pillar Brother shook his head and said, "No, once they are listed, they belong to whoever pays first!"
Li Zhi couldn't help but roll his eyes. Not only is it a limited supply, but it is also a first-come, first-served system. Li Zhi didn't know the exact size of the Interstellar Trade Union, but as Pillar Brother mentioned, Interstellar Trade Union No. 67 alone has over 12 billion members. With only ten thousand standard-grade interstellar cores available each day, there are over 12 billion members waiting to acquire them. It's a typical case of high demand and low supply.
Li Zhi carefully browsed through the hundreds of messages one by one. There were price negotiations, inquiries about the taste, and even requests to try the fish balls. In any case, there were all kinds of messages, but nothing reliable. Would you like to try the fish balls? If they want to try, they can buy twenty pounds and taste them themselves.
A bunch of poor people!
Li Zhi admits that he is also one of the poor.
"Help me modify the information." From now on, fish balls will be sold by the ton at a rate of 1 interstellar coin per ton, with no sample tastings offered. The transaction fee will be paid by the other party. Orders of up to 500 tons can be placed directly. After a moment of contemplation, Li Zhi decided to take a risk and adjust the price once again. 500 yuan per kilogram is much more expensive than 1 interstellar coin per ton. The problem is that Li Zhi needs to earn interstellar coins to purchase the 'standard-grade' interstellar core.
If it doesn't work out, Li Zhi will return to expand the processing plant. It can only produce 9 tons of fish balls per day, so the production speed is a bit slow.
"Okay, please pay the fee as a manufacturer!" Pillar Brother said with a smile.
Modifying information and withdrawing and reissuing information are considered the same action, both of which require the payment of the information release fee.
It's not too expensive, just a few thousand dollars, so Li Zhi accepted it.
Li Zhi then searched for information about car production lines on the Interstellar Trade Union trading website. Either they were too expensive, or he couldn't afford them at the moment. They had all types, but the problem was money. Li Zhi currently didn't even have a million dollars. The money he earned from the canned food order last time was all used to support the Iceheart Automobile Factory.
When it came to the "canned food order," Li Zhi couldn't help but think of the woman named "Azure." Although he didn't know where she was from, she seemed quite wealthy, didn't she?
"Pillar Brother, can you help me contact Azure again and ask if she still needs canned fruit?" Li Zhi requested.
"No problem!" Pillar Brother immediately took action and contacted Azure about Li Zhi.
The other party quickly replied, stating that they didn't need it at the moment. One million bottles of canned fruit were enough to sell for a while. As for other products, they were also unnecessary. They would contact Li Zhi if they needed anything in the future.
After the communication ended, Li Zhi felt a bit frustrated.
He then began searching for profitable orders on the Interstellar Trade Union trading website that he could accept. After searching for a while, he didn't find anything suitable at the moment.
There was an order to purchase "corn seeds," but the quantity was too small, only one ton, and the price was quite high at 1 interstellar coin. However, the owner had to pay the transaction fee.
The transaction fee was 18%, totaling 1.8 million dollars. The cost of a ton of corn seeds would also amount to tens of thousands of dollars, totaling nearly 1.9 million dollars. Exchanging one interstellar coin for 1.9 million dollars was quite a good deal, but it was a bit of a hassle.
In the spirit of "even a small gain is still a gain," Li Zhi accepted the order. The order would be completed in a day, and when he returned, he would have Dong Xiaorou find someone to handle it. He would temporarily withdraw money from the Happy Fish Ball account, sell the interstellar coin, and then return the funds.
After waiting for half a day, Li Zhi did not receive a reply from the boss who had ordered fifty million tons of fish balls. Helpless, Li Zhi had to reject the order.
Ah, there's a time for everything, and one must not force it when it's not meant to be. This is probably Li Zhi's current mindset.
Wait a minute?
Li Zhi suddenly thought of a problem. The Interstellar Trade Union's trading information clearly states the manufacturer's level, and fifty million tons is not a small quantity. Why did the other party dare to place an order with Li Zhi, a 'low-quality' manufacturer?
A trap!
Yes, that's right, it's a trap. If Li Zhi had let the joy of the order cloud his judgment and accepted it directly, the consequence would have been that the order could not have been completed.
The penalty for breaching the order was not high; only 10 interstellar coins, equivalent to one billion dollars. However, for a "weak-grade" manufacturer, one billion dollars is already a large sum.
"Damn, there are traps everywhere." It seems that no matter what you do in the future, you have to be more cautious! Don't wait to be sold and still be clueless.
Before leaving, Li Zhi activated the 'message sharing' service of the Interstellar Trade Union. It's only a month. He couldn't bear to invest even a single dollar. How could he earn back 10 billion dollars to purchase a "standard-grade" interstellar core?
Oftentimes, a brief message could signal a business opportunity.
"Hey, Pillar Brother, do you usually hang out here?" Li Zhi turned to Pillar Brother and asked. Pillar Brother was actually an information robot and could be considered Li Zhi's assistant in the private trading hall, possessing considerable intelligence.
"Yes, is there anything I can help you with?" Pillar Brother smiled and asked Li Zhi.
"Yes, I want you to help me keep an eye on the order messages I can accept." Is that possible? Li Zhi asked.
"Yes, you can subscribe to classified query information." To receive brief and relevant purchase notifications in your vicinity, you must download the Interstellar Trade Union app on your world communicator. "The price is one million dollars per day," Pillar Brother said with a smile.
One million dollars a day?
Li Zhi almost cried. Where does he have so much money? He thought he was quite wealthy, but why does he feel like the poorest guy here? He had called the members of the Trade Union who wanted to try the fish balls poor, but in reality, he was the one!
"Is there a free service?" Li Zhi asked with a wry smile.
Pillar Brother smiled and paused slightly before saying, "Yes, but you need to promise me something, and then I can help you with real-time monitoring and screening."
"A promise?" Li Zhi looked at Pillar Brother in surprise. Isn't he just a service robot? How can he make demands?
"Yes, a promise!"
Li Zhi asked in confusion, "Tell me about it!"
"Once you have the opportunity, please assist me in leaving this place." "If you promise to do so, I can help you within my capabilities," Pillar Brother said with a smile.
"Can I help you leave this place?" Can you leave here? Li Zhi asked in astonishment.
Pillar Brother nodded, "Yes, as long as you meet the corresponding conditions, I can leave!"
"Okay!"
Li Zhi agreed. After all, he said that he would help him leave once he had the ability. Before this, Li Zhi was unable to assist Pillar Brother, but now Pillar Brother can support Li Zhi at his current stage. This deal was worth it.