Chapter 39: Counting the Spoils, Veteran Players Are So Poor

Xu Lang opened his private messages and found that Ye Fan had indeed messaged him five or six minutes ago.

He replied with a "thank you" and then opened the chat box with Wu Huihui.

[200 Xu Lang: Do you want the room key for Dorm 57?]
[186 Wu Huihui: How much?]
[200 Xu Lang: Name your price.]
[186 Wu Huihui: I don't think I can afford it. Why don't you trade with Wang Ao? It would be good for us in the original dormitory block to get stronger so we don't get bullied.]

Xu Lang frowned upon reading this. It seemed that because Dorm 57 was on the third floor, Wu Huihui wasn't interested. After all, the main dormitory doors and defensive facilities couldn't be moved up to the tenth floor, and dismantling them would be a waste. As for selling it to Wang Ao... honestly, if the opportunity arose, Xu Lang still wanted to finish him off. This had nothing to do with being magnanimous; it was primarily about the vengeance theory he had considered earlier.

Just then, Wang Ao's avatar flickered, and he sent a private message. Xu Lang clicked to view it.

[44 Wang Ao: Brother Lang, are you selling the key to Dorm 57?]

Xu Lang chuckled softly. This bastard Wang Ao really knew how to swallow his pride. Never mind; he had already killed one veteran player and intimidated the other small-fry, so there was no rush to kill Wang Ao. Besides, Wang Ao was on the third floor and likely wouldn't come up easily.

[200 Xu Lang: Give me your highest offer.]
[44 Wang Ao: Five thousand copper coins. If you give me two more days, I can collect more, but by then other veterans might show up, and the chance of them breaking down the door is higher.]
[200 Xu Lang: Eight thousand.]
[44 Wang Ao: That is truly the highest price I can give!]

...

In Dorm 44, Wang Ao’s face darkened. He had been too anxious and had blurted out his true maximum bid. They were all newcomers without detailed plans, having spent most of their money on their first day in the supermarket. The five thousand he had was mostly gathered through scavenging and robbery.

[200 Xu Lang: Let's trade. Give me everything you’re willing to exchange, and I'll see if it's enough.]

Wang Ao gritted his teeth, shouting for his lackeys to bring the supplies while initiating the trade with Xu Lang. Seeing the key to Dorm 57 in the trade window, his eyes turned red. This was a veteran's dormitory! He had gone to check Dorm 57; since Liu Quan was dead, its information could be scanned. The door was a Tier 2 steel door, and the defensive facilities were two Tier 1 water cannons.

Just that facade alone was worth six thousand!

"Hurry up and bring the stuff!" Wang Ao urged his lackeys. Soon, his trade window was filled with a pile of supplies.

On the other side, Xu Lang felt it was enough and clicked to confirm the trade. Wang Ao immediately accepted, and a key appeared in his hand.

"Haha!" He laughed, but then realized the dorm was empty and couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, we're even short on food now!"

Taking a deep breath to suppress his anger, he took his two lackeys to Dorm 57 to open the treasure chest. This dorm was truly important to him; otherwise, his lackeys wouldn't even have a Tier 1 dorm, which made him look bad.

...

In Xu Lang's dorm, a large pile of supplies appeared out of thin air, causing the eyes of Cao Yaxuan and the other two women to light up.

"These were traded for Liu Quan’s door key. You guys sort them out; I'll check the value of his other items," Xu Lang said with a smile.

"Got it!" Tong Qi rolled up her sleeves. Little Q-ba had a bit of a hoarder's instinct and was the most diligent at sorting supplies. Cao Yaxuan and Wang Yazhi also helped, and Xu Lang quickly tallied up Liu Quan's possessions.

A Tier 3 longsword, three Tier 2 throwing daggers, two Tier 2 ghost-repelling talismans, and a blood-stained fragment of unknown purpose. Apart from that, there were a few hundred copper coins. These veteran players didn't seem to have the habit of saving money. Xu Lang was disappointed, feeling that Liu Quan was quite poor. If Liu Quan knew this, he would probably be angry enough to rise from the dead—he might not have been a top-tier expert, but he shouldn't be called poor by a newcomer!

In truth, it was just that Xu Lang was so wealthy that it made Liu Quan seem poor. After the first two days, Xu Lang had been in a "nouveau riche" state for the next two, living better at home than anyone else. While others were struggling, he was eating self-heating hotpot with two beauties.

"The total value of these things doesn't exceed six thousand, and without the relevant skills, a longsword isn't as useful as a machete. It will probably be hard to sell," Xu Lang mused, rubbing his chin. After thinking it over, he decided not to sell the weapon and would let the three women use it instead.

He hadn't forgotten another matter: if everyone in his dorm reached the top ten of the leaderboard, could he upgrade the dorm multiple times? He began to ask Xu Ruyan about this.

[180 Xu Ruyan: Does a 'turtle-style' player like you actually have such dreams?]
Xu Lang: "..."

This woman’s intelligence-gathering ability was damn strong; she had figured out his style so quickly. Xu Ruyan laughed but still shared what she knew.

[180 Xu Ruyan: It won't increase the number of upgrades for the room, but the rewards for others will be synchronized with the person who has the highest points.]
[200 Xu Lang: Thanks. Also, why did Liu Quan care so much about the Guardian Spirit?]
[180 Xu Ruyan: Because there is no upper limit to the number of dormitory Guardian Spirits, and their functions are diverse and extremely rare. Don't mention him; even I’m envious. If it weren't for the fact that a Guardian Spirit only recognizes one owner, I would definitely snatch yours.]

Xu Lang found this strange.

[200 Xu Lang: Then why did Liu Quan try to snatch mine?]

Xu Ruyan’s response was blunt and straightforward.

[180 Xu Ruyan: That idiot probably didn't know the specific rules of Guardian Spirits; he just heard that such a thing existed!]
[200 Xu Lang: Thanks.]

With that, their conversation ended, and Xu Lang made a decision.

"Yazhi, come here," he beckoned to Wang Yazhi.
"What is it?" Wang Yazhi straightened her white dress and walked over. Cao Yaxuan and Tong Qi also looked over.

Xu Lang handed the longsword directly to Wang Yazhi: "This is a gift for you."

Wang Yazhi was stunned. She took the sword and realized it was a Tier 3 item, so she quickly waved her hands to refuse: "No, no, this is too precious! I can't take it!"

Wu Huihui had only just bought a Tier 3 weapon, and she hadn't done anything to deserve such good equipment!

"Hmm?" Xu Lang raised an eyebrow.
"Sister Yazhi, just accept it," Tong Qi said with a smile. "Xu Lang has given us weapons too."
"But this is a Tier 3 weapon!" Wang Yazhi clenched her fair, slender hands, feeling the pressure.

Cao Yaxuan felt a bit jealous. Just then, Xu Lang sent her a private message.

[200 Xu Lang: I'll get you a new weapon when I find one.]

He sent the same message to Tong Qi. Good relations were one thing, but one had to consider the principle of "worrying not about scarcity, but about inequality."

After sending the messages, Xu Lang said to Wang Yazhi: "If you take this sword, you must be prepared to fight. If you only want to stay at home forever, then forget it."

"Okay!" Upon hearing this, courage welled up in her heart, and she agreed. She didn't want to just drift through life doing nothing. If the dormitory door were ever breached, she wanted to contribute.

"Try swinging it," Xu Lang said with a smile.

Cao Yaxuan and Tong Qi stopped sorting the items and ran over to watch Wang Yazhi practice. The sword cast light in the air; it was very sharp, and ordinary wood split at the slightest touch.