Chương 99: Laws for Players
As Bai Yi stepped out of the City Lord's Mansion, he was fully prepared for Sabo's scheming. In this era, everything must be fought for.
Before becoming the acting city lord, Bai Yi had never received anything for free.
Thus, as long as it didn't violate fundamental laws—like large-scale massacres, rituals for evil gods, or acts that stripped civilians of their chance to rise—everything else was fair game. It was merely a contest over resources.
Bai Yi had never feared revenge from the congressman's family. His only concern was that Sabo's actions might alienate all the congressman families, leaving him isolated when he needed support most.
This is why Bai Yi never considered giving Sabo 20% of the network shares for operation.
The network, still in its development phase over the past year, wasn't profitable yet. The Coman family would have to wait until the extraordinary citizens were fully accustomed to the internet before they could begin charging for it. That was when the real profits would roll in.
Returning to his pharmacy, Bai Yi summoned his two employees.
Irene was a bit frustrated. Her thoughts were consumed with the money her boss had, but Bai Yi ignored her, focusing on more pressing matters.
But that was a minor issue. Bai Yi extracted six hundred gold coins from his panel and divided them—four hundred for Luo Ning and two hundred for Irene.
"Boss, isn't this a bit much?" Irene and Luo Ning spoke simultaneously. Irene glanced at Luo Ning, proud, as if saying, The little one is growing up and resisting the capitalist system, just like I taught her.
Bai Yi smirked. "Oh, right. Irene, there's something else."
He waved his hand, and with a soft thud, two boxes of books appeared at Irene's feet.
"These are the basics of life sacrifice. To make you more proficient, Dawn Pharmacy will soon open a clinic window where you'll treat people in the city," Bai Yi continued.
Irene's eyes lit up. She had never thought of capitalists as anything other than greedy, but for the first time, she saw Bai Yi in a new light. She was about to express her gratitude when Bai Yi added, "You'll keep 20% of the consultation fee. The rest is a loan for the knowledge. You don't lack money now, but you still need to pay for this knowledge, right?"
Irene's smile faded. Her eyes narrowed in mock frustration. "Damn capitalist! You talk so sweetly, but you're still exploiting me!"
Bai Yi grinned as he turned away. "What's the problem, Luo Ning?"
Luo Ning looked at Irene nervously, unsure how to respond. "It's okay."
"Good. You have one day to prepare. Use your own money to buy what you need," Bai Yi said with a satisfied nod.
The resources for life sacrifice and fortune-telling were minimal, and practice was key—something that would come naturally. With his reputation, word of the clinic would spread, offering plenty of practice opportunities.
"Or, change the sign and add a medical clinic and fortune-telling house below Dawn Pharmacy," Bai Yi instructed.
He placed a piece of soul essence on the front desk and turned toward the laboratory.
As for the employees, they should be exploited—albeit in a healthy way. Both Irene and Luo Ning were talented. Before the Dark Age, life sacrifice was one of the most revered professions among the elves, and it came naturally to them. Despite the lack of divine guidance from the Goddess of Life, they still possessed far more potential than an alchemist or druid.
The reasoning was simple: healthy exploitation led to rapid growth, higher fees for medical services, and eventual profit during the training process. In return, Bai Yi would gain two powerful assistants—two ideal workers.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he inspected the materials the skeletons had prepared. They were now being used for the magnetic mechanical bodies. Production had started, but the skeletons had been working relentlessly for over two months. Would they be able to keep up?
Just then, a rustling sound echoed from behind.
Bai Yi paused before pushing the door open, then turned around. Several skeletons were stumbling forward, their soul fires barely flickering as they struggled to carry materials. In an instant, they collapsed, their bones breaking apart with a crash.
The final flickers of their soul fires died out.
Bai Yi frowned, then gestured sharply, and the skeletal remains scattered in an instant. Some of the skeletons' hand and leg bones shattered into bone fragments. At that moment, their soul flames faded.
A voice rose from the shadows, filled with anger.
"You damn capitalist! Look what you've done to them! They're less than a year old! You deserve to burn in hell!"
Orr, the skeletal figure, stepped forward, his voice raw with rage. His power surged, causing dust to fall from the walls.
Suddenly, a pulse of life energy flared, and the skeletal fragments turned to dust.
Irene stared, wide-eyed, confused. Bai Yi looked back at her, exasperated.
"What do you think you're doing, Irene? Using life energy on undead? What's the difference between this and holy light?"
"I thought I could help them... I didn't realize," Irene stammered, her eyes downcast.
Orr, still furious, glared at Bai Yi. "You capitalist scum, you better be more careful next time. Is a skeleton not a life?"
Bai Yi took out a large soul crystal from his ring and tossed it to Orr.
The undead's curses ceased as Orr caught the crystal, staring at it for a moment before scoffing. "Be more careful next time."
Turning to Irene, Bai Yi sighed. "Luo Ning, watch the store. Irene, go memorize the energy restraint rituals. By the time I return, I want you to recite them by heart, or you won't get paid next month!"
Irene's gaze wandered. "But... the clinic—"
"Clinic? How can you open a clinic after using life energy on undead?" Bai Yi shot her a stern look. "Take these books and start memorizing now!"
With her head lowered, Irene quickly retreated into the room, dragging the boxes of books with her.
Bai Yi then turned to Luo Ning, who nervously said, "Boss, I didn't say anything. Please don't scold me, too."
Irene froze before quickly picking up the pace and closing the door behind her.
Bai Yi sighed, relieved that he hadn't opened a clinic yet. With Irene's questionable medical practices, it was best to wait.
"Keep an eye on the store. You're a bronze-level fortune-teller now, so feel free to raise the consultation fee a bit. Use the online prices for reference," Bai Yi instructed gently before heading into the laboratory.
His current focus was the AI brain and the gold-eating worm. Once the worm appeared on the panel, leveling it up would free him from wasting skill points on other skills. [Growable Artificial Intelligence AI (3/2000)] + Bai Yi clicked the button twice, and a flood of knowledge poured into his mind. Within moments, he had created a basic AI in the spiritual realm, his understanding of the subject nearly on par with its creators.
As his proficiency solidified, Bai Yi felt the weight of his remaining twelve skill points. Though his boss template provided far more powerful skill points than a typical player, it came with intense mental strain.
He popped a soul crystal into his mouth and chewed it, then placed all thirty accumulated free attribute points into his mental power. His mental strength surged to 575, approaching the threshold for gold-level mastery. With that, he could start crafting legendary alchemical creations once his mental power reached the necessary level.
For now, he had one medium-sized and eight small soul crystal cores, which he planned to save for future emergencies.
As Bai Yi continued his work, the continent was far from calm.
Players were leveling up, growing more powerful, and beginning to oppress the civilians. This led the Federation to introduce new laws targeting players, aiming to prevent them from becoming a dangerous force. Despite the new laws, conflicts between players and residents escalated—culminating in the Federation enacting drastic laws that reshaped the game's dynamics.
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