Cave Refuge

When Old Jefferson mentioned he was planning to sell his shop, Mr. Thompson was startled at first, then immediately responded, "I came here to discuss the same thing. Recently, people have been pestering me nonstop, and it's driving me insane. So, this time, I actually came to let you know that I'm also planning to sell my Black Market shop.

Since you have acquaintances offering a reasonably good price, as long as your acquaintance can settle the payment directly with a Mysterious Core on the spot, then I can sell my shop to your friend."

Old Jefferson was also taken aback when Mr. Thompson said this; he hadn't expected Mr. Thompson's visit to be about this matter.

However, Old Jefferson was quite happy about Mr. Thompson's proposition since he only had one shop, and several acquaintances had approached him, none of whom were suitable to sell his own shop to.

Now things were looking up, with Mr. Thompson's shop, he could first auction off Mr. Thompson's place, then sell his own shop to the second-highest bidder among his acquaintances.

As the two had the same idea, they briefly discussed the details at the door, after which Mr. Thompson entrusted the whole matter of selling the shop to Old Jefferson.

After Mr. Thompson left, Dong Tianyu immediately headed to the Plantation Garden. His visit this time wasn't to check on dividends, but to understand the situation of the emerging Black Market outside the base through Ye Liuyun.

Compared to Mr. Thompson's casual indulgence in business dealings, a professional merchant like Ye Liuyun would likely have a deep understanding of the new Black Market.

Compared to the last visit when the Plantation Area was filled with deep pits, the area had transformed into neatly organized greenhouses.

Although the environment had changed significantly, Dong Tianyu quickly found the area Ye Liuyun had shown him before, relying on his memory.

Coincidentally, just as Dong Tianyu arrived and was about to use Divine Sense to check if Ye Liuyun was around, Ye Liuyun walked out of a nearby greenhouse.

Seeing Dong Tianyu, Ye Liuyun initially showed an incredulous expression, then joyfully shouted, "Zachary, why didn't you let me know in advance before coming?"

"Why would I give you advance notice? This is a surprise attack, to save you the trouble of faking things afterward."

Hearing Dong Tianyu joke, Ye Liuyun disdainfully said, "Psh, if I really wanted to fake something, it wouldn't matter whether you came or not. Even if you watched me every day, I could still keep you in the dark without you knowing."

As Dong Tianyu approached the entrance of the greenhouse, Ye Liuyun immediately said, "Let's not talk about other things, first get me a bottle of Ice Cola. I haven't had that stuff since you left, hurry and get me one to satisfy my craving."

Seeing Ye Liuyun's eager expression, Dong Tianyu somewhat helplessly said, "Do I owe you something, or what? Why do you think I'd have Ice Cola?

You, who are always at the base, can't get Ice Cola, so why would you think I, who hardly ever come back to the base, would have it?"

But even after hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Ye Liuyun relentlessly continued to demand, "Come on, cut the crap; we both know each other well.

I dare say that even if there was only one bottle of cola left in the entire base, I would bet that it's in your hands.

And I dare to say, not only do you have cola, but it must be Ice Cola."

Hearing Ye Liuyun assert this, Dong Tianyu, with a look of resignation, took a can of room-temperature cola from his Storage Space and said in a sorrowful tone, "Sorry, you only guessed half right. I do have cola indeed, but it's just room-temperature cola."

Seeing the cola Dong Tianyu took out from the Storage Space, Ye Liuyun grabbed it without hesitation and stashed it into his own Storage Space without a second thought.

Shortly afterward, he spoke to Dong Tianyu again, "Who are you fooling with room-temperature cola? Hurry up and bring out some Ice Cola. I've been dying for one."

Seeing Ye Liuyun's shameless behavior, Dong Tianyu crisply replied, "Bring out that bottle of room-temperature cola, and I'll show you how to chill it quickly right here."

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun's gaze revealed disdain, "That trick might work on the naive kids, but it certainly can't fool an old hand like me."

"Alright, I know you didn't come here to check the accounts, you definitely have something else you need from me, so let's not waste any more time here. Hurry up and get me an Ice Cola to satisfy my craving. Whatever you need afterward, just leave it to me."

Hearing this, Dong Tianyu really did take out a bottle of Ice Cola from the storage space and handed it to Ye Liuyun, asking, "Do you really mean I can leave anything to you?"

As Ye Liuyun took the Ice Cola, he said very seriously, "Of course, a man's word is his bond. If I said you can leave it to me, you can leave it to me."

Then, he directly opened the bottle, and in less than five seconds, he had gulped down a whole chilled cola.

After finishing the cola, Ye Liuyun asked Dong Tianyu confidently, "So, what did you come to me for this time?"

Seeing Ye Liuyun's now exceedingly arrogant demeanor, Dong Tianyu wasn't angry; instead, he smiled and said, "It's nothing big, just that my Companion Spiritual Treasure needs upgrading and lacks some Mysterious Cores. Not too many, just give me four hundred thousand for now."

Hearing Dong Tianyu mention the figure four hundred thousand so casually, Ye Liuyun first paused and then replied, "Don't worry, since I promised you, I'll certainly make it happen. Besides, that number is no big deal for me.

But, asking for so many all at once, I can't round them up that quickly. Here's what we'll do; I'll give you the Mysterious Cores in batches. I'll give you one today, and every time we meet in the future, I'll give you another one.

I don't know if four hundred thousand Mysterious Cores will be enough, so how about I add an extra hundred thousand, making it five hundred thousand in total? How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Dong Tianyu replied somewhat speechlessly, "We're talking serious business here, can you stop joking around?"

Ye Liuyun retorted unapologetically, "It was you who started the joke, asking for four hundred thousand Mysterious Cores. Do you even know how much space four hundred thousand Mysterious Cores would occupy!"

Hearing Ye Liuyun's rhetorical question, Dong Tianyu responded with a laugh, "You'd be surprised, but I actually do know how much space four hundred thousand Mysterious Cores would take."

Hearing this, Ye Liuyun rolled his eyes instantly and then said, "Alright, you're strong, you're amazing, you're experienced, happy now? Then what are you doing bothering me?"

Seeing Ye Liuyun's reaction at this point, Dong Tianyu realized that the joke had gone far enough, and continuing would be less joking and more mocking.

So, at this moment, Dong Tianyu took on a very serious look, dropped his jesting tone, and asked Ye Liuyun, "How much do you know about the Black Market outside the base?"

Hearing Dong Tianyu ask this, Ye Liuyun also became serious and said disdainfully, "Black Market, my foot. Have you ever seen a black market that's well-known to everyone, with such a huge ship, and visitor numbers skyrocketing every day? That place can hardly be called a Black Market. You might as well call it the second market."

After saying this, he glanced at Dong Tianyu and then asked somewhat puzzledly, "What's up? Why are you asking about the Black Market as soon as you get back?

Looks like you had a fruitful trip outside. If you've got some good stuff, show it to me. If you're not comfortable handling it personally, I can not only help you find potential customers but can also help you appraise and certify the value of what you're selling."