"Why?"
"Boss Lee Fala, spill the beans!"
"Please share with us, we'd be forever in your debt!"
At that moment, all eyes were on Lee Fala, eager for his explanation.
Given Chen Guo's remarkable strength and wealth, who wouldn't be curious?
With the air of a detective cracking a case, Lee Fala began:
"I did some digging in Beginner Village and found out that just yesterday, Boss Guangcheng had snapped up a golden treasure chest fragment. And now, he's back at it, scooping up more of those fragments."
"He's also previously unlocked an orange treasure chest and earned the Destiny Koi title."
"His current spree of buying up treasure chest fragments clearly points to one thing: he's aiming to assemble either a golden or an orange treasure chest."
"The only logical conclusion is that his impressive combat power and stockpile of thrombin pills all stem from his treasure chest hauls."
"The yield from both the golden and orange chests must be far more substantial than we imagined. And yet, here you are, trading away golden chest fragments for a mere ten thrombin pills. Isn't that foolish?"
Lee Fala's argument was sound and persuasive.
Had they not known better, even Chen Guo might have been swayed.
"It's got to be the chests that gave him such formidable combat strength. And those chests must be how he got his hands on so many thrombin pills. Selling our treasure chest fragments to him? That's just plain silly!"
"We can't keep selling him golden treasure chest fragments; it's a terrible deal!"
"Absolutely, it's a terrible deal!"
Lee Fala had convinced the crowd. They were now convinced that Chen Guo's power and wealth were all thanks to his luck with the treasure chests.
Most of them only possessed fragments of the golden treasure chest, but realizing the high value of these fragments, selling them now would be like flogging fine china for the price of broken pottery—a colossal loss.
Consequently, many began to hold back their golden treasure chest fragments from Chen Guo.
The influx of fragments to Chen Guo trickled down to a halt.
Those who had parted with their golden treasure chest fragments were filled with regret and pleaded with Chen Guo to return them.
Chen Guo had a one-word response for that: "Scram!" With that, he blocked him.
Indeed, trial challengers could block each other, preventing any further communication through the system's functions.
Chen Guo was no novice. Though lacking extensive social experience, he could tell Lee Fala was stirring the pot.
Many of those siding with Lee Fala were probably plants he'd paid to support him.
But Chen Guo wasn't concerned. He had amassed over a thousand golden treasure chest fragments, equivalent to three thousand golden treasure chests.
With three thousand golden treasure chests and ten orange ones as a foundation, Chen Guo was making a killing. He wasn't one to be greedy.
So, he addressed the crowd, "If you all agree with Lee Fala and don't wish to sell me your golden treasure chest fragments, that's fine by me. Golden treasure chests are just the icing on the cake for me. Great if I have them, no big deal if I don't."
"You all seem to value golden treasure chests highly, so now I'm in the market for monster corpses. Once you defeat a monster, its corpse is practically worthless, but I have my ways of recycling what you'd consider trash."
"I'll offer a thrombin pill in exchange for a monster's corpse. If you're interested in trading, let's make a deal. If not, no hard feelings!"
Unable to secure more golden treasure chest fragments, Chen Guo shifted his focus to purchasing monster corpses.
Previously deemed useless, monster corpses had become valuable commodities to Chen Guo, who possessed the skill to refine them into a bounty of spirit stones.
"What's the use of a monster's corpse?"
"Seems pretty useless..."
"A thrombin pill for a monster's corpse sounds like a great deal! To us, monster corpses are just garbage. Swapping garbage for thrombin pills can't be a bad trade, right?"
The crowd murmured among themselves, skeptical yet tempted. Lee Fala's influence had led them to overvalue the monster corpses, yet they couldn't pinpoint any actual worth.
"The monster's corpse must be incredibly valuable. Don't sell it to him, or you'll end up regretting it!" Lee Fala called out loudly.
"Exactly, don't sell to this guy. He's sure to make a killing off it!"
"Hold onto the monster's corpse. You never know when it might come in handy!"
"He's offering a single thrombin pill for a monster's corpse, which clearly indicates it's worth at least twenty thrombin pills! I've been in business; trust me, I understand these things."
Lee Fala was the ringleader, setting the tempo, and his cohorts joined in the clamor, swaying the opinions of many.
Consequently, few people decided to sell their monster corpses to Chen Guo.
Chen Guo was at a loss for words. Lee Fala seemed determined to oppose him, and it was a pity they weren't from the same Beginner Village, or else he would have definitely sent Lee Fala to meet the Buddha.
"Lee Fala, enough with the rabble-rousing. The monster's corpse isn't worth that much. I won't deny there's a profit to be made, but to you, it's nothing more than junk... I've set up an automatic trade. If you want to sell the monster's corpse, go ahead; if not, so be it," Chen Guo declared.
With that, Chen Guo tossed in 50,000 thrombin pills and initiated the automatic trading system.
Though there was a fee for automatic trading, for a tycoon like Chen Guo, it was a mere trifle.
Once the automatic trade was active, anyone could sell the items Chen Guo was seeking at his stall, and the transactions would be processed automatically.
Chen Guo was now looking to acquire three specific items: golden treasure chest fragments, orange treasure chest fragments, and monster corpses.
Ignoring the ongoing hubbub in the Sector Announcements, Chen Guo went back to his monster-slaying and leveling grind.
The trial challenger had already made his way into Doonatel, and his level was no longer particularly remarkable within the entire Sector.
The boost in fighting capacity from leveling up was significant, and since the buying venture had hit a snag, he decided to focus on leveling up for the time being.
Suddenly—
"Trial challenger Lee Fala has sent you a private chat request."
"Accept" "Decline"
After a moment's consideration, Chen Guo chose to accept. He was curious to see what Lee Fala, the constant thorn in his side, was up to.
"Boss Guangcheng, it's an honor to finally speak with you. Haha, I've been an admirer of yours for quite some time!" Lee Fala greeted him with warmth, seemingly forgetting that he was the very person who had been causing Chen Guo trouble just moments before.
Chen Guo had no patience for pleasantries with Lee Fala and cut to the chase, "Spit it out, if you've got something to say. Cut the crap! What's your angle? Let's hear it!"
"Boss Guangcheng truly is a man who doesn't beat around the bush. You've witnessed the clout of our Tiger Claw Gang, haven't you? When we set the tone, you face significant obstacles in your acquisitions. That's the might of the Tiger Claw Gang for you!" Lee Fala boasted with a smug grin.