Chapitre 98: Mistakes Must Be Paid For
"Players who die will be resurrected at the nearest resurrection point."
Bai Yi murmured, his gaze heavy with realization. Everything had changed.
The player base had surged from 10 million to 18 million, and players were no longer confined to a single city. This meant that if players were determined enough, six million could easily congregate in one location.
In the new update, there were only thirty resurrection points scattered across the entire federation, meaning that key cities would become battlegrounds for players. Cities, where even the city lords were no more than silver-tier, would remain safe from invasion.
A mechanical beep cut through Bai Yi's thoughts. He had made little progress in the past few days, largely because working with the intelligent brain—if it was just a computer or device—felt cumbersome.
He had been planning some upgrades, such as developing contact lenses or micro-machines, which would be far more convenient. But those changes would take time—five days were certainly not enough.
Stepping out of the lab, Bai Yi immediately spotted Sabo, who looked anxious, and Irene, who had just received her inheritance.
"Boss!" Irene's eyes lit up, a mix of surprise and excitement in her gaze. It was time for wages again. During her month-long inheritance, she had worked a few days at the start, slept for half the month, and still received a raise. Now, as she woke, it was payday once more.
"What's going on?" Bai Yi ignored Irene and turned to Sabo, who looked like he was dealing with something big.
Sabo glanced at Irene, then stepped forward, whispering, "My friend, the city lord will come to see you shortly. We can talk while we walk."
Bai Yi raised an eyebrow. He turned and began walking, Sabo quickly following. After glancing around cautiously, Sabo lowered his voice. "First, congratulations."
Bai Yi slowed his pace, his mood darkening. He spoke calmly. "What do you mean?"
Sabo grinned, speaking low. "In the thirteen days since I became financial officer, the city's revenue has exceeded one billion gold coins. Surprised?"
Bai Yi's heart sank. His steps slowed, a hint of suspicion creeping in. "Minerals?" he asked cautiously.
Sabo hesitated. "Business, my friend. A councillor's family sold us fifty tons of mithril for 500 gold coins each. They're the most generous family I've ever encountered."
Bai Yi stopped in his tracks. This was a trap. A big one.
"Five hundred million for fifty tons of mithril?" Bai Yi murmured. Sabo wasn't done yet, though.
"My friend," Sabo continued, his voice tinged with frustration, "I haven't finished. Are you sure you don't want a penny?"
Bai Yi hesitated, then reluctantly turned back toward the City Lord's Mansion. "Anything else? Let's hear it all."
Sabo's expression shifted as he grew more sheepish. "Well, it's that family again. They signed a friendly contract with Dongwu City. Not only did they sell us mithril, they planned to hire me—Sabo, the professional resource collector from Dongwu City—to help them quickly gather more mithril ore. The hiring fee was 50% of the vein's yield, and that newly discovered vein is estimated to contain 150 tons."
Bai Yi's expression became blank. "What else?"
Sabo hesitated, clearly realizing that he'd misjudged his words. "I mean, it's still that generous family."
Bai Yi interrupted with a smirk. "Sabo, next time, pick a wider target. It's easy to make a mortal enemy with this kind of thing."
Sabo spread his hands helplessly. "It wouldn't have been a problem, but they broke the contract. They tried to fire me."
Bai Yi paused, his heart sinking and then rising again. "How much is that in total?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
"Well, 150 tons of mithril," Sabo said, grinning. "At ten gold coins per gram, that's 1.5 billion gold coins. And mithril's a rare, high-value metal; the total circulating in Dongwu City is under 500 kilograms. It's hard to come by."
Bai Yi nodded slowly. "Sabo, don't worry. This won't affect you. But now, tell me the details."
Sabo's smile broadened. "So, here's the thing. I was originally planning to partner with some city lords, but on my way, I found a mithril mine. I changed my plans and worked with the Reina family to secure some mithril for Dongwu City."
"Then, things got complicated. I may have accidentally spread an evil god's curse over the mithril mine—though they didn't know that. They failed to read the contract closely. That's why all this happened."
Bai Yi's expression remained stoic. "Anything else?"
Sabo continued, "No, that's it. But things were dangerous—those guys were about to fight me, but luckily, I had a few extra contracts written up. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it out."
Bai Yi smiled. "Good work, Sabo. Go handle the rest. You don't need to worry about it."
Sabo rubbed his hands together. "Well, there's one more thing."
Bai Yi stopped and turned toward him. "What is it?"
Sabo hesitated before continuing. "Federal law. I know some basics, but I'll probably only need to learn the laws of Dongwu City."
Bai Yi thought for a moment. "I'll give you an emergency contact number later. You'll be able to reach me within three seconds."
Sabo beamed, clearly relieved. "Thanks, my friend!" He turned, walking happily into the crowd.
As Bai Yi took a few more steps, a soldier suddenly approached, eyes bright. "Mr. Bai Yi, the city lord is looking for you."
Bai Yi nodded. "I understand. Thanks for letting me know."
The journey was smooth, and he soon entered the lobby of the City Lord's Mansion. Inside, three people awaited him: the old city lord in the main seat, a polite blond young man from the Kaina family sitting opposite, and a thin, anxious middle-aged man standing beside the young man.
They all turned as Bai Yi entered, and their expressions varied.
The young man, Xiao Ti, stood, smiling politely. "Mr. Bai Yi, it's a pleasure to meet you. We've had some misunderstandings with Dongwu City, and I wanted to clear things up personally."
Bai Yi smiled back, sitting beside the city lord. "I'm happy to help. What misunderstandings are you referring to? I haven't heard anything about it."
Xiao Ti continued, his tone polite but firm. "It's about the mithril. Your financial officer took 150 tons of mithril from us for 500 gold coins each, which I believe isn't a fair price. I'd like to negotiate a return or discount, perhaps at 40% off market price. What do you think?"
The city lord took a sip of coffee, glancing between Bai Yi and Xiao Ti, clearly uninterested in getting involved. Bai Yi, however, remained calm, his expression unreadable.
"Ah, I see," Bai Yi replied with a smile. "But this is a matter for the financial officer. I don't have the authority to change things."
Xiao Ti pressed on, a hint of urgency creeping into his tone. "I understand, but as you know, mithril is crucial to a family's resources. We'd be willing to offer compensation for your officer's actions if we can settle this matter."
Bai Yi held his ground. "I'm afraid I can't give you an answer just yet. I'll need to verify the details first."
Xiao Ti's patience thinned. "How long will that take? I've been sent by my family to resolve this mithril issue. If it takes too long, I can remain in Dongwu City while you verify everything."
Bai Yi smiled, keeping his voice calm. "Of course, Mr. Xiao Ti, you're welcome to stay. But as I understand it, you signed a contract, and it was your family who broke it. That changes things."
Xiao Ti's expression shifted subtly, a dark flicker crossing his features. He didn't speak at first but motioned for his subordinate to step forward.
Leta, the middle-aged man, was clearly on edge. "This is absurd! You're going to ignore our family's rights?"
Bai Yi raised an eyebrow, meeting Leta's gaze. "The contract was breached first by your family, and that's why we're in this situation."
Leta's face turned red with anger. "Are you refusing to negotiate? Is this how you do business in Dongwu City?"
The tension in the room escalated, but Bai Yi simply smiled and said, "I'm not refusing anything. But mistakes have consequences. If you failed to read the contract properly, that's your responsibility."
Suddenly, a faint buzzing sound filled the air. A worker bee landed on Leta's shoulder, and within seconds, the man fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth and turning black and purple.
Xiao Ti shot to his feet in shock. "What have you done to him?"
Bai Yi remained calm. "Don't worry. He won't die, but I've just taught him an important lesson. The gods of business don't tolerate dishonesty. You'll learn soon enough."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone