"Buy them all! As many as there are!"
Seeing so many meat buns displayed before him, Nathan didn't even blink before making his decision.
Seeing his insistence, Ningguang didn't say anything more and quickly took out the packaging bags. Her technique was skillful, completely different from her later demeanor as one of the Liyue Qixing. Though this made sense - without such practical skills, how could she have become the wealthiest person in Liyue?
"Each Qiankun Mora Meat costs 100 Mora. There are exactly 200 pieces here, so the total cost is 20,000 Mora!" Ningguang said with a smile after finishing the packaging, arriving at a nice round number.
"Here's 40,000 Mora. Please count it, Ningguang!"
Unlike in the game where players could easily carry hundreds of thousands or millions of Mora, reality - even in this life simulation - didn't allow money to be converted into mere numbers. Bringing out such a large bag of money carried significant weight.
Additionally, in this particular simulation, Nathan's identity was that of a merchant's son. However, when he checked his finances, he discovered his total assets amounted to only 50,000 Mora. Buying all of Ningguang's goods would cost nearly half his fortune.
"Well, although the freedom to trade is yours... let me ask you something, Nathan. You didn't buy these just to eat them, did you?" After counting the Mora, Ningguang looked at him with slight concern. After all, he was a big customer who had just cleared out her entire shop's inventory.
"Of course not for eating. I'm something of a traveling merchant. Ningguang, though I might look like a fool, I'm actually quite skilled at business!"
If anything, this explanation made things worse. Ningguang's expression now clearly showed she thought him an absolute fool. What kind of business genius would try to profit from reselling these goods? Hadn't he noticed that her Qiankun Mora Meat had no customers?
"It's true! I'm really good at business, Ningguang. You have to believe me."
Seeing Ningguang's slightly upturned smile, Nathan realized she didn't believe him at all. He couldn't exactly reveal his Golden Rule talent from the system to her.
"Come on then, Nathan. Where do you live? I'll help you carry these Qiankun Mora Meat back." Given there were 200 pieces, Nathan definitely couldn't carry them alone.
"Ah... but what about your shop, Ningguang?"
"What's there to keep open... haven't you bought everything?" She said while closing the shop door, giving him a charming side-eye.
As for the two irritating shop owners next door, they still hadn't recovered their senses by the time Nathan and Ningguang disappeared down the alley.
---
Carrying the large pile of Qiankun Mora Meat, the two walked slowly along the streets of Chihu Rock. But they hadn't gone far before something unexpected happened - at least unexpected to Ningguang. A group of people blocked their path.
"Say, brother, are all these meat buns yours?" The leader approached Nathan. They were well-equipped, likely an adventure team preparing for a mission.
"Yes... is there something you need?"
"Our adventure team is about to embark on a long journey, and we urgently need provisions. If you're willing, would you sell all of these to us?"
Understanding their intention, Nathan realized his Golden Rule talent had activated.
"Since you're in urgent need, that's no problem... Team Leader, name your price."
"You're a good man, brother. I won't shortchange you - how about 1,000 Mora each?"
The adventure team's equipment alone showed they weren't short on money, so the leader's offered price reflected their wealth.
Money and goods exchanged hands quickly. In the blink of an eye, Nathan had turned 20,000 Mora into 200,000 Mora. At this point, he marveled at the power of rule-based talents. When it promised a tenfold return, it truly delivered - and not through system-generated rewards, but through causality from unexpected sources.
It was like spending 5 coins on a lottery ticket and definitely winning 50 coins - that was the terrifying aspect of rule-based abilities.
After taking all the Qiankun Mora Meat, the adventure team left happily, as if they'd gotten an amazing deal. Nathan stood there holding his bag full of Mora, while Ningguang, having witnessed everything, was speechless.
---
With their burden relieved, Ningguang no longer needed to help with transportation. The two ended up at a teahouse in Chihu Rock called "Yanshang Teahouse" - the same place where Rex Lapis often came to listen to opera and drink tea in the game. Though perhaps unfortunately, they didn't encounter Zhongli today.
Finding a quiet corner, Nathan and Ningguang sat down together.
"See... I wasn't lying. I'm actually pretty good at business!" After securing the Mora, Nathan spread his hands toward Ningguang.
"You... you really are quite amazing!" Ningguang exclaimed sincerely after coming to her senses. She hadn't expected this seeming fool to encounter an even bigger group of fools who would buy the Qiankun Mora Meat at ten times the price. At this point, she didn't know how to describe it - perhaps she was the fool all along.
"So Ningguang, can you tell me now why those two annoying shop owners were deliberately targeting you?" Seeing no one else around, Nathan asked carefully.
Whether it was the two antagonistic shop owners or Ningguang's indifference, everything seemed strange. Even if she hadn't yet grown into her role as one of the Qixing, she shouldn't have been so easy to bully.
"Nathan, you're just a traveling merchant. You don't need to know these things." Ningguang took a sip of clear tea and replied helplessly.
"As it happens... I'm actually planning to settle down in Liyue. In terms of business, I'm looking for a partner, and I think you'd be perfect!"
"Nathan... did you really find me by chance?" Hearing this response, Ningguang's gaze became somewhat peculiar.
"Yes... though it might be hard to believe, I was drawn here by your sales calls." Nathan said calmly, concealing his intentional seeking of her.
"Is that so... Then Nathan, you surely haven't heard... about the trials of the Liyue Qixing..."
A/N- 15 more powerstones to reach 100 guys cmon gimme those stones