Chapter 16 Second Transaction

Chapter 16: The Second Transaction

An hour later, near noon, the rehearsal concluded. Afterwards, the head instructor brought the department chiefs from each faculty to the podium.

Seeing the seven of them scattered, he didn't comment, just clapped his hands to motion for them to come over.

Once everyone was assembled, the head instructor spoke. "I have three things to announce."

"First, tomorrow your assigned seats will be on either side of this podium. You will meet the chiefs from the senior classes there."

"Second, tomorrow you will officially become the first-year department heads and will give speeches from the stage in your capacity as chiefs. The content is up to you."

"Third, and this is a military academy tradition, tomorrow seniors may challenge the first-year chiefs. Each of you must accept a challenge from a senior chief."

"Is that clear?"

The group chorused energetically, "Understood!"

Seeing their high spirits, the head instructor nodded in satisfaction, hoping this year's freshmen wouldn't lose too badly tomorrow.

Hearing the third item, Ji Anzhi's mouth twitched.

Was this tradition really not just a way to put them in their place?

In fact, it was precisely that—a power play. The academy used it to knock the freshmen down a peg, to make them aware of their own limitations. On the other hand, it also allowed the seniors to size up the rising stars among the newcomers.

Ji Anzhi figured he might need to monitor the main channel later to see what kind of challenges were typically issued.

After a few more remarks, the head instructor dismissed them, finally granting them half a day of rest.

Qi Yanshen found Jian Fuxu and Ji Anzhi, asking if they wanted to return to their dorms to eat or head to the cafeteria.

Both chose the cafeteria. It was closer, there wouldn't be much of a wait, and the food was better than what the housekeeping robots made. The cafeteria was the obvious choice.

The three came down from the podium and joined Lu Yan, who was waiting for them below, heading to the cafeteria together.

On the way, Ji Anzhi handed the remaining two bottles of water to Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan.

Honestly, the sun during this month's military training had been truly brutal. Ji Anzhi remembered that both Lu Yan and Qi Yanshen had been fairly pale, but now their skin was tanned to a bronze. Several other freshmen they passed were the same.

Only the omegas were comparatively fairer, as they were more diligent about applying sunscreen.

The three arrived at the second floor of the cafeteria. Inside were not only instructors but also senior students and a few first-year chiefs. As for the other first-years, to access the second floor, they either needed an escort or had to wait until tomorrow when their official academic credits were deposited.

Seeing how crowded the second floor was, Ji Anzhi remembered the third floor seemed reserved for department chiefs and suggested they eat there instead.

The others had no objections, especially Jian Fuxu. Just smelling the alpha pheromones earlier had made him want to whip out an Energy Bomb. If Lu Yan hadn't stopped him, a large group of people on the second floor might have been knocked out by now.

Going up to the third floor, the crowd thinned out significantly. There were only about twenty people, half of whom were already eating.

After ordering, the four found a well-ventilated, less crowded spot by the window.

Since they had to wait a little over ten minutes, they began chatting about the upcoming challenges.

Lu Yan asked, "Are you three confident for tomorrow? I heard from my father that last year's freshmen lost pretty badly."

Qi Yanshen calmly stated, "We won't lose."

Jian Fuxu didn't speak, continuing to look at the data on his personal terminal. Staring at the figures, he said offhandedly, "Just throw an Energy Bomb over. That would wrap things up quickly."

Lu Yan: "..."

Typical Little Madman.

Ji Anzhi asked, "So, do you know what the challenges usually involve?"

Lu Yan stroked his chin, trying hard to recall the information he had gathered. "It depends on the department and major. Also, because there's a time limit, they usually pick events that don't take long. It's usually combat. For the Mecha Department, it's mecha combat. For Energy Potions, it's using concoctions you developed yourself to take down the opponent. For the Design Department, it's assembling equipment or something."

"For your Star Chart Department, if I remember correctly from previous years, it's usually things like competing by looking at star charts and writing data, with the higher accuracy winning. Or they give you a bunch of data and have you correct errors on a star chart."

Competing by looking at star charts and writing data? Correcting star charts?

Ji Anzhi felt much more at ease. As long as it wasn't some physically demanding activity like combat, he could manage somehow no matter what.

Lu Yan noticed his concern and reassured him, "You don't need to worry too much either. Losing isn't a big deal. Actually, very few people won in previous years. Don't stress yourself out too much."

Ji Anzhi smiled and nodded.

He really didn't care about winning or losing in such challenges. If he could win, great. If not, so be it. It just meant his skills weren't up to par.

After chatting for a few more minutes, everyone went to the pick-up counter. They ate quietly. Not wanting to hang around, they took an automatic hovercar back to the dormitory.

Back at the dorm, they didn't chat for long either, quickly returning to their own rooms to do their own thing.

Jian Fuxu continued researching that Energy Tank with over 4900 units of storage capacity, dead-set on figuring it out.

Qi Yanshen and Lu Yan, exhausted from nearly a month of military training, planned to relax in the virtual world and rest early that night.

Ji Anzhi also entered the virtual world, but he didn't use the public net. Instead, he accessed the internal network to enter the Trading City.

The monthly new products should be up.

Established shops in the Trading City needed to complete at least three transactions per month. Ji Anzhi wasn't sure if he would have time to access the Trading City next month, so he wanted to use the start of the month to knock out all three transactions directly.

From within his shop interface, Ji Anzhi sent a message to Ye Qiming.

"Bamboo Moon: Are you there?"

After two or three minutes.

"DawnDay: Yes."

"DawnDay: Does the shop owner have another high-storage-rate Energy Tank?"

"Bamboo Moon: Yes."

Back in his military academy dorm room, Ye Qiming saw the message. Normally steady and composed, he couldn't help but feel excited now, a broad, unrestrained smile spreading across his face.

Seeing Li Zhi and the others approach with questioning looks, Ye Qiming said, "It's the owner of the Bamboo Moon Shop contacting me. They have a high-storage-rate Energy Tank."

Hearing this, the three of them jolted. They immediately crowded around Ye Qiming, wanting to see the chat content.

Ye Qiming cooperated, enlarging his personal terminal screen. Just as he did, the owner sent another message.

"Bamboo Moon: How many do you want?"

"DawnDay: How many do you have, shop owner?"

"Zhu Yue: I currently have three high-capacity mech energy tanks, all with 3500 unit storage, pre-charged. Price is 13,000 points each. Do you want them?"

On the other side, Navis looked at the message as if he hadn't woken up yet, rubbing his eyes... still three, 3500...

Navis was so shocked that his mind went blank, eyes in a daze.

It took a while for his brain cells to start working again. When he finally reacted, Navis covered his mouth, staring intently at the screen, his voice clearly trembling: "Ye... Ye-ge, am I... seeing this right? Th-three? All 3500 unit capacity?"

Ye Qiming was equally shocked. If the shop owner had offered three over a month, he wouldn't have been this shocked, but offering three at once was truly astonishing.

After all, among the permanent trading area shops, only two could provide high-capacity mech energy tanks, and combined over a semester, they would only have three 3400 unit capacity tanks...

Li Zhi was the first to snap out of it, barely suppressing his excitement as he urgently reminded Ye Qiming: "Qiming, reply to him. We'll take all three. Ask if long-term cooperation is possible!"

The others came to their senses, with Da Anli and Navis also urging Ye Qiming to respond quickly.

Jostled by the others, Ye Qiming snapped out of his daze and quickly replied.

"DawnDay: We'll take all three."

"DawnDay: If you have more in the future, we hope to continue cooperating."

Seeing this, Ji Anzhi couldn't help but feel curious.

"Zhu Yue: Are you using them all yourself?"

The reply came instantly.

"DawnDay: No."

"DawnDay: There are two other teammates. We lost several mech energy tanks on the insectoid front lines."

So that was it. They were on the insectoid front lines—no wonder they wanted all three. They were likely a top-tier high-grade team or, at the very least, elite high-grade students.

"Zhu Yue: Alright, I'll list them right after midnight tonight. Once they're up, you can purchase them immediately. Is that okay?"

"DawnDay: Yes."

"Zhu Yue: Then I'll log off for now. See you tonight."

"DawnDay: Okay."

Ji Anzhi closed the chat window but didn't log off. Instead, he first modified the shop information.

He decided not to open the customer message board, keeping it locked permanently.

Ji Anzhi changed the shop description to a concise "Mainly sells mech energy tanks."

Sold items could have their records hidden. Once hidden, ordinary customers couldn't see the details of sold items, though the shop's total sales count would remain unchanged.

For Ji Anzhi, this feature couldn't be more convenient.

After hiding the records, Ji Anzhi logged off the internal network and went to the star network to study star chart knowledge.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the chat, Ye Qiming and his group fell into silence.

It was all because Navis had curiously muttered: "Why does it have to be tomorrow? Can't it be today?"

Da Anli sat on the sofa, drinking water to calm down, and casually replied: "Maybe tomorrow is a special day."

Ye Qiming, who was still reviewing the chat log, suddenly realized: "Is tomorrow the first of the month?"

Da Anli and Navis looked at Ye Qiming with puzzled expressions. What was the issue?

Li Zhi had already felt something was amiss upon hearing Da Anli's remark. When Ye Qiming mentioned it, Li Zhi immediately recalled that this was a new shop, and this month was its first.

According to trading city rules, shops in the permanent trading area must have at least three completed orders per month after the first month...

Li Zhi looked at Ye Qiming, somewhat disbelieving: "He must still have inventory."

And either he had a significant stockpile, or his ability to modify high-capacity energy tanks was exceptionally stable.

Ye Qiming looked up and met Li Zhi's gaze. Both clearly realized this, exchanging shocked glances in silent understanding...

Navis and Da Anli hadn't caught on yet. Watching the two share a knowing look, as if understanding each other without words, Navis was completely lost.

"What riddle are you two talking about?"

Though Da Anli didn't voice it, his expression showed the same confusion as Navis.

Li Zhi explained his speculation to Da Anli and Navis, spelling out his theory.

Upon hearing this, the two were just as stunned as Li Zhi and Ye Qiming had been, left speechless.

After a while, Navis spoke in a dazed tone, his expression barely containing his distress, posing a soul-searching question to the group: "Could the shop owner... be an elite already in the research institute?"

"…………"

Silence.

The other three also thought so. With such talent, the research institute would never let them slip away.

Being recruited by the research institute before graduation—who could this shop owner be?

Among the previous grade, now fourth-years, they were absolutely certain no such person existed. The research institute had only recruited sixteen interns at the end of last term, and they were familiar with the four from the Energy Department—none had this capability.

As for third-years, being in the same grade, they knew them well enough. The Energy Department's top student indeed had exceptional talent and insight, having already interned at the research institute during the holidays. It was said they could directly transition to a formal research institute role next academic year.

One of the shops in the permanent trading area that could provide high-capacity mech energy tanks was owned by this top student.

They often interacted with him and knew that, given his current ability, 3500 unit capacity was his absolute limit, and even that relied on luck.

So, it was impossible for him to provide so many 3500 unit capacity mech energy tanks at once.

Ye Qiming: "I don't know, but it's unlikely the shop owner is from the third or fourth grade. I think there's a high probability they're from the first or second grade."

Li Zhi and the other two were also quite familiar with the elites in the third and fourth grades and agreed with Ye Qiming's speculation.

Da Anli thought of the Energy Department's new students this year, recalling the only son of General Jian from the Eighth Legion, and ventured a guess.

"Could it be that little madman from the Jian family?"

Navis questioned: "But isn't he mainly skilled in energy weapons? Especially high-damage disguised weapons?"

All four had been victims of their parents forcing them to memorize Jian Fuxu's photo back in the day, so they knew a lot about him. Especially after the incident in middle school, the Eighth Legion had assigned someone to search Jian Fuxu for energy weapons.

It was said that in the first month, weapons were found daily, but over the next month, fewer and fewer were discovered. Just as they relaxed, another kid foolishly provoked him, and Jian Fuxu pressed an energy gun disguised as a necklace against his head.

After that, the Legion stopped bothering with Jian Fuxu, only asking to manage the students and curb their youthful impulsiveness.

From the above, it seems Jian Fuxu probably focuses on energy weapons, but with his talent, he could indeed excel in Mecha Energy Tanks as well.

Li Zhi figured out his own conclusion: "The chance that the shop owner is Jian Fuxu, General Jian's only son, is really high. Also, I saw the shop's info—it was approved and opened exactly on the first day of military training. That day, Jian Fuxu ditched training, so he could access the academy intranet."

Everyone listening agreed with Li Zhi; it was very likely Jian Fuxu.

If the owner was Jian Fuxu, it also made sense why he didn't want many people to know, avoiding meetings even in the virtual world.

Ye Qiming and his group waited anxiously until past 11 p.m. In between, classmates came to discuss the next day's challenge, but Ye Qiming, the Mecha Department top student, brushed them off with a few words. For dinner, he just chugged a nutrient drink and called it a day.

Around 11:50, Ji Anzhi finally rushed online, uploaded the data for three Mecha Energy Tanks to the shop, priced each at 13,000 points, and messaged the online Ye Qiming.

"Bamboo Moon: I'm putting them up in two minutes. Buy as soon as they're listed."

"DawnDay: Okay."

Meanwhile, in the dorm, Navis and Da Anli were also ready, eyes glued to the Bamboo Moon Shop, set to purchase and pay the moment items were listed.

At exactly midnight, the Mecha Energy Tanks were listed. Within a second, the shelf was cleared.

The three paid up fast, and Ye Qiming immediately messaged the owner.

"DawnDay: The other two are my roommates. We're all in the academy dorm now, so you can ship soon."

"Bamboo Moon: Okay."

Ji Anzhi looked at the scrambled addresses on the orders—a method the academy uses to hide personal info. The delivery system would automatically sort and deliver them.

Seemed the buyers were second- or third-years on missions. Most fourth-years were off on internships, not on the academy planet, so that was unlikely.

Ji Anzhi put the three Energy Tanks into the delivery system to ship. Thinking of tomorrow's challenge, he didn't bother with any follow-up and went upstairs to sleep.

Poor Ye Qiming and his group, whose dorm was far from Ji Anzhi's, got their delivery around 12:40 a.m. and were so excited they didn't sleep until two or three.