It was almost 2 AM, and the rain had stopped. The sky cleared, and the moon was visible. Tonight was a full moon, and under its light, Paul sat cross-legged on a bench.
"When will you two be back approximately?"
Paul was on the phone with Hannes, wanting to know if everything was alright and when they would return.
"Yeah, we're just picking up Jere and then heading back. So, we should be back in about 40 minutes," Hannes replied. The two were in a small town a few cities away, planning to bring two of their friends. So far, they had convinced Karsten and his family, and now they were heading to the next friend to talk to him.
"Okay, but don't stay too long. Even if it's a small town, the danger is still there!"
"Yeah, we won't. Bye," Hannes replied and hung up.
"Good, now that that's settled, let's get started."
"System, open Inventory."
The familiar window opened in front of Paul, filling him with happiness every time he saw it.
His inventory now had four filled slots. One was filled with his cultivation technique, the second with the money bags from the supermarket, the third with leftover ammunition from his first purchase, and the fourth with the universal key. The first thing Paul wanted to address was the missing points and the money problem.
[Money Bags]
[Money stolen from a supermarket, packed in bags]
[Quality: Common]
[Quantity: 6]
[Overall Amount: 5150€]
[Use (6)] [Back]
Paul didn't wait long and pressed [Use]. His screen then returned to the inventory screen.
[Ding, [Money Bags] have been successfully used!]
Paul was surprised by the sudden notification and immediately switched categories to [Status] and then [Info].
[Info]
[Name: Paul Klein
[Age: 18
[Livespan: 83
[Height: 6'3
[Level: 1
[Exp: 20/100
[Wealth: 5157.51€
[Bloodline: Human
[Realm: None
[Constellation: None
[Blessing: None]
"Good," now that Paul's savings had increased, he was ready to begin his road to unimaginable wealth.
The first thing Paul did was exchange all his money for SP.
[Exchange]
[Euro (5150€) > SP (1030)]
[Confirm] [Cancel]
"Confirm," Paul said, visibly pleased with the sudden increase in system points, which seemed to allow him to fulfill any of his wishes.
"Now, System, open Shop and search for [Compressed Money Printing Machine]."
Paul bought three of them since he now had 1000 SP, and it wouldn't hurt to make more money quickly rather than starting slowly.
The only thing Paul still needed was a place to store all this and a place with power for the machines.
"System, search for a pre-constructed house."
Paul now had the choice between wooden houses, stone, concrete, or even straw and magical houses. Depending on the materials, size, and security, the prices varied. For example, a wooden house with average security and a size of 5m (length) × 5m (width) × 3m (height) would cost only 30 SP.
At first glance, the price might seem cheap. However, the price for 10 regular wooden planks is 0.1 SP. The frame of this house would probably cost only 5 to 10 SP in resources. Considering that the house is already built and only needs to be placed, the price of 30 SP is justified.
Paul decided against the wooden house, as it seemed too unstable and insecure for what he planned to do inside. So, Paul opted for a concrete house instead.
[Pre-constructed concrete House]
[A 10m × 5m × 3m concrete house, sturdy and provides optimal security]
[Quality: Uncommon]
[Quantity: ∞]
[Cost: 50 SP]
[Buy (1)] [Back]
Paul immediately decided on it. It was stable and secure, exactly what he needed.
"Inventory," Paul said, as his items appeared before him again. Paul clicked on the purchased house and then on the [Place] button, which was suggested to him for the first time.
Suddenly, the world around Paul seemed to stand still. In front of him was a bluish transparent house that he could move and rotate as he pleased. Paul chose a spot where the house wouldn't bother anyone and wouldn't be noticeable. This spot was the field behind the yard. Paul had planned from the beginning to build his shelter on the field because it provided a clear and wide view of the land around him, and he could quickly access the house in emergencies.
There it stood, a large concrete house with gray walls and only one window in the roof. The only way in was a huge and thick metal door that could only be opened with a key, which automatically landed in Paul's inventory after he placed the house.
Inside, it was empty, so Paul quickly bought three tables from the shop, which cost him 0.3 SP, and placed them in the room. He then placed the machines on the tables and only needed to figure out the power supply before the money printing could begin.
"System, search for batteries." There were now a variety of different batteries in Paul's view: big, small, high-end, or just cheap ones.
But Paul needed a good one that would last long and provide a lot of power.
"This one seems like a good choice."
[C771 Industrial Battery]
[A battery from the world of 2120. It has a power output of 100 volts and a capacity of up to 2000 Ah (ampere-hour).]
[Quality: Common]
[Quantity: ∞]
[Cost: 20]
[Buy (1)] [Back]
Paul decided on six of these batteries, one for each machine, so he could replace them anytime if something went wrong or they ran out.
If the machines consumed 2 kWh (2000 Wh), each battery should provide 100 hours of power for the machine. Paul was satisfied. With such capacity, he could run the machines continuously, and when the batteries were empty, he could sell them in the [Exchange] for some SP. This way, he solved the power problem and even got some points back each time.
Paul quickly bought cables for 0.03 SP and placed two batteries next to each machine.
He then connected the three machines to the batteries and pressed the small "On" button on the back.
After Paul turned on the machines, they started working. They made noises similar to a starting engine, and a few seconds later, they sounded like money counting machines. You could hear the bills being printed.
Paul waited for 20 minutes and then pulled out all three containers from the machines. They revealed three containers filled with 10€ bills. The containers were about 30 × 20 × 30 cm and were now about one-fifth full. Paul estimated that he could run the machines for an hour before they needed to be emptied. This would take time but wasn't a big challenge.
Paul counted 1200€, which meant he had gotten 400€ from each machine in 20 minutes. This meant each machine would earn him 1200€ per hour. Paul collected the money and packed it all into one of the supermarket bags.
Now came the moment of truth. Would he gain unimaginable wealth, or had he wasted his time?
"Store."
[Ding, [Money Bag] has been successfully stored!]
"Oh my God, it really worked," Paul said, excited that his idea had actually worked. If he could use this money, he could eventually buy anything he dreamed of, no matter what it was or how expensive. His time would come.
[Exchange]
[Euro (1200€) > SP (240)] [Confirm] [Cancel]
Paul exchanged the money for SP and was now left with exactly 822.77 SP and 7.51€. With this, he could either buy 4 new money printing machines and 4 batteries or spend it on other items from the shop.
Paul ultimately decided to buy 2 more machines and 4 more batteries. This gave him a total of 5 machines and 10 batteries, and he would earn approximately 1200 SP every hour, which was twice as much as he had earned so far.
"Now onto the next part."
With that, Paul closed the thick metal door behind him and left the concrete house.