The institutions that issued high-interest loans externally in the Granland Empire and the Saturn Empire numbered about thirty to forty. Each of these institutions rarely had a total capital exceeding a million gold coins. Typically, a high-interest loan company would consider itself fortunate to have around two or three hundred thousand gold coins, profiting mainly by lending money and collecting interest.
Guo Huai contacted these lenders extensively. The Bull Tribe now had substantial assets, and with the fortress’s revenue as collateral, obtaining high-interest loans was relatively easy.
Soon, Guo Huai managed to contact over a dozen lenders and borrowed approximately three million gold coins, all of which were converted into gems and magical rune stones.
About forty percent of the gems on the market were purchased. The gems bought by Nie Yan and others were all of superior attributes with significant potential for appreciation. Especially fire resistance gems, Nie Yan specifically emphasized that they must acquire all available fire resistance gems. Because both the level 60 and level 70 dungeons required fire resistance gems, their potential for appreciation was enormous.
“What should we do now?” Guo Huai asked. “There are still so many gems on the market that we can’t possibly absorb them all. With so many gems piling up and no one buying, the gem prices won’t rise.”
“There are three things we need to do now. First, we must clarify that the secret store is entirely a rumor. Second, we will publicly sell fire resistance gems, starting with five-quality gems at a fixed price of at least 1,200 gold coins each, no bargaining! Third, we wait. After a few days, when people’s panic subsides, those who sold their gems will naturally buy them back. Once the market becomes scarce, prices will naturally rise,” Nie Yan explained. He had already planned everything out. While all other gems were rapidly decreasing in price, fire resistance gems were sold at an exorbitant price, double the original value. This would definitely raise suspicions. Those with market insight would quickly realize the situation was abnormal. Once they figured it out, they would start hoarding gems like crazy, sweeping the market clean. At that point, those with stock would hold out for higher prices, while those without could only watch helplessly, causing gem prices to skyrocket even further.
“I’ll get right on it,” Guo Huai replied.
“For the next few days, use the income from the Star Pharmacy, Assassin Alliance, and the fortress to pay the interest on the high-interest loans first. Any remaining funds should be used to buy gems. Also, discreetly inform the trustworthy members in the guild. Those with money should hoard gems as quickly as possible, or they won’t get another chance. If we can borrow more high-interest loans, continue borrowing. As long as gem prices haven’t rebounded, keep buying,” Nie Yan instructed. Forty percent of all gems in the Granland Empire and the Saturn Empire were now in Nie Yan’s and his allies’ hands, which would generate tremendous profit. If all the gems were sold, Nie Yan estimated they could earn at least twenty million gold coins, which was a conservative estimate.
What could twenty million gold coins do in the game? Perhaps players might find it hard to grasp the magnitude. Twenty million gold coins could buy all the fortresses of the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians, purchase twenty large auction houses like the Carol Central Auction House (assuming they were willing to sell), or even demolish and rebuild Krips Fortress fifty times over, upgrading all Star Pharmacy branches to level sixteen pharmacies (compared to the current level ten headquarter pharmacy). With so much money, it would be more than enough to fully equip the Bull Tribe’s six thousand players.
If twenty million gold coins were in hand, the Mage Alliance, Holy Guardians, and even Angel Dominion would be penniless in comparison. The combined liquid funds of these three guilds would barely reach seven or eight million.
The Bull Tribe had always been known for its wealth, but their maximum liquid funds had never exceeded three to four million gold coins.
What troubled Nie Yan was that he had no idea how to spend twenty million gold coins if he had them. Keeping such a massive amount in storage might lead to significant depreciation over time.
However, all of this could wait until the money was actually in hand. For now, nothing was certain yet.
Guo Huai began implementing Nie Yan’s instructions. Currently, players firmly believed in the existence of the secret store, keeping gem prices low. In a few days, when players noticed that gem prices didn’t drop and the market supply dwindled, they would inevitably grow suspicious. Therefore, Nie Yan and his allies needed to patiently wait until people started doubting on their own, then push the momentum further, causing gem prices to rebound quickly to their original levels. Combined with Nie Yan and his allies’ aggressive buying spree, which reduced the market supply by forty percent, this would create a shortage. Previously suppressed demand would then surge, further driving up gem prices.
Just as players firmly believed in the secret store and frantically sold their gems, another rumor quietly emerged, claiming that the Century Financial Group fabricated the secret store rumor to profit. When gems plummeted in price and everyone was selling, they hoarded aggressively. The so-called secret store was entirely fictional.
Nie Yan and his allies operated discreetly, making it impossible for others to trace their actions. Thus, they simply shifted the blame to the Century Financial Group, which already had a notorious reputation and wouldn’t mind one more accusation.
The two rumors clashed intensely. Players who believed in the secret store still held the majority, but some began to waver. Some players quietly retrieved their gems from the auction houses, realizing that selling at such low prices wasn’t worth it. They decided to keep the gems in their backpacks and wait. Only those who firmly believed in the secret store or lacked updated information continued selling their gems.
Reversing the market trend still posed some difficulty. However, as Nie Yan said, they just needed to wait a bit longer, and the market trend would eventually change. After all, Nie Yan and his allies were buying at the lowest prices, so they wouldn’t lose money under any circumstances. Profit was merely a matter of time.
Nie Yan continued leveling up. With the javelin launcher, he could at least gain several levels. Additionally, Guo Huai had helped him gather several hundred sets of magical rune stones. Submitting those would grant him a few more levels, quickly pushing him past the level 100 milestone.
Nie Yan activated his Haste Steps and charged forward, swiftly weaving through the forest. This area was already populated by level 120 monsters, but he pressed onward, gradually reaching his destination. A mountain stream rushed downhill, its path strewn with large boulders that obscured the line of sight. From memory, Nie Yan knew a troll lurked on the opposite bank of the stream—his target.
Trolls were a race living in jungles, known for their towering stature and formidable combat abilities, capable of overshadowing even the giant race, renowned for their melee prowess. However, their intelligence was not particularly developed. Their wisdom was proportional to their age. Ordinary trolls possessed extremely low intelligence, while only those aged over 300 with white beards and aged appearances had moderate intelligence. These trolls often became the great prophets of their race.
Moreover, they were notorious for their poor eyesight, with a vision range of only thirty yards. Anything beyond thirty yards was invisible to them.
The troll on the opposite bank stood about three yards tall, clad in tattered animal hides, wielding a massive club in his hand, aimlessly wandering around. In front of him was an open space of about thirty yards in diameter. Surrounding this open space was a blazing fire circle, approximately five yards high, with roaring flames. In Nie Yan’s previous life, at least 380 fire resistance was required to pass through this area unscathed. Beyond the fire circle were peculiarly shaped rocks, blocking the players’ line of sight.
Troll Dylans, an elite monster, was extremely famous in Nie Yan’s previous life. This enclosed area resembled a small arena, capable of accommodating a team of twenty players. Engaging a troll within a thirty-yard radius in single combat was an incredibly terrifying experience.
Beyond the thirty-yard mark, the terrain was littered with bizarre rocks. It might be possible to climb onto the rocks and shoot the troll with crossbows, but the standing positions on top were limited and easily spotted. If Troll Dylans spotted them, they wouldn’t be able to descend.
Moreover, this location was a ravine with rugged terrain, making it impossible for siege weapons like catapults to enter. However, here, javelins could be used. Nie Yan wasn’t the only one who had thought of using javelins to fight trolls in his previous life. However, the rocks surrounding the troll obstructed the view, making it impossible to accurately shoot javelins. Additionally, within a hundred-yard range, there were only three suitable spots for launching javelins, making it impossible to cover the area with a dense javelin barrage to kill Troll Dylans.
Troll Dylans had a slow health regeneration rate but a total health pool of 300,000. He would respawn every two hours. Due to his elite status, his respawn frequency was relatively high.
Before players reached level 120, Troll Dylans had always been an unbeatable opponent due to his excessively high attack power. Later, when shield warriors improved their defenses, they managed to defeat Troll Dylans. The experience and loot obtained from defeating Troll Dylans were widely praised. In Nie Yan’s previous life, countless battles occurred in this area over the struggle for Dylans until the Triumphant Empire and Radiant Flame guilds claimed the territory, putting an end to the chaos.
It was said that the Triumphant Empire established a rule to balance various interests, allowing guilds to take turns farming Troll Dylans for a day.
It was easy to imagine how coveted Troll Dylans was.
Nie Yan examined the terrain. He could vaguely see a figure moving in the distance but couldn’t determine its exact position. From memory, he was certain it was indeed in that location. He took out both the javelin launcher and the Eye of Kielg, planning to use these two items to farm Elite Troll Dylans today.
“This is like pioneering. I wonder if I can get the Key of Magic,” Nie Yan couldn’t help but think. The Key of Magic was an extremely rare item, with an approximate drop rate of one in a thousand from Troll Dylans, making it incredibly scarce. The Key of Magic was a legendary special item. Nie Yan had only heard about it from others and had never actually seen one.
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