Summoning Players into My Game

Even though Abner spoke casually and calmly, Fluo beside him showed a slight change in expression, looking at Abner in astonishment. It was clear that he didn't expect Abner to plan such a business deal.

"Monopolizing the trade routes is not easy." Lin Qi was quite surprised in his heart, but with the help of the Fixed Star Explosion Visualization Technique, there was no change in his facial expression. Even his voice was incredibly calm, without a hint of fluctuation. "We, at the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, intend to develop Red Moon Mountain. I'm afraid we don't have enough manpower to undertake other tasks."

Monopolizing trade routes often involves raiding the transport convoys traveling between cities, allowing only one's own transport convoys to pass safely, which brings significant profit.

Many suburban enterprises and companies entrust such transport work to wilderness gangs. Once a monopoly is established, these suburban enterprises and companies can only choose the wilderness gang that ensures safe transport unless they are willing to pay higher prices to have suburban gangs handle shipping, which few enterprises and companies would be willing to bear.

Trade competition between cities is very intense, often centered around price wars. As transportation costs increase, prices naturally soar, making it difficult for goods sold in other cities to remain competitive. So the final choice would be those wilderness gangs that can ensure safe transport.

However, monopolizing a trade route requires a large amount of manpower, given the high number of transport convoys between cities. One cannot effectively raid them without sufficient personnel.

"Rest assured, Hall Master Lin." Abner said with a smile, "I mentioned before, I'm here to make friends with Hall Master Lin. So, the trade routes between Ten Thousand Stars City and Chasing Light City will be handled by our Demon Star Gang. We will raid those wilderness gang convoys heading from Chasing Light City to Ten Thousand Stars City."

"Our Demon Star Gang might not be able to raid every convoy, but over time, the number of wilderness gangs willing to accept such jobs will decrease. By then, when Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall takes up the commissions to and from Ten Thousand Stars City, I believe many companies and enterprises will come to us."

"And what can we, at the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, do for Demon Star Gang?" Lin Qi also smiled, looking at the over two-and-a-half-meter tall Abner before him.

This one-sided monopolization of trade routes offers no benefit to the Demon Star Gang. It could even make the wilderness gangs of Chasing Light City hostile towards them, exposing Demon Star Gang's convoys heading to Chasing Light City to various attacks. It seems like a thankless task.

In the high martial world of gangs, none act without profit. Lin Qi simply doesn't believe in ventures that offer only disadvantages and no benefits.

Abner looked at Lin Qi, speaking cautiously, "After arriving at Red Moon Mountain, I've seen its potential and hope Hall Master Lin might allow our Demon Star Gang to establish a large store and a warehouse. We will only sell no more than ten specific products unique to Ten Thousand Stars City, and ask for nothing else."

The profit potential of a transit market is enormous. Once established, products unique to Ten Thousand Stars City can be sold at lower prices in the transit market, likely attracting many vagabonds from Chasing Light City to buy instead of transporting Ten Thousand Stars City's goods there without the right to sell them.

And while vagabonds don't earn many bits, their numbers far exceed the residents within the cities, ensuring that Ten Thousand Stars City's unique products have a market.

However, doing so does pose a significant problem: it could infringe upon the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall's interests. After all, Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall painstakingly created a transit market to serve vagabonds from two cities. If the Demon Star Gang sells Ten Thousand Stars City's unique products, it will naturally affect Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall's sales.

So Abner doesn't dare ask for much, limiting his request to ten unique products out of the hundreds from Ten Thousand Stars City.

"If that's your request." Lin Qi paused, masking the joy in his heart, and then said, "I can agree to this but only for ten low-priced unique products."

He indeed plans to attract city vagabonds from both ends, but currently, Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall lacks the manpower and funds to procure goods from Ten Thousand Stars City for resale at Red Moon Mountain. Even maintaining control over the small area of Red Moon Mountain is a challenge.

If someone is willing to set up shop at Red Moon Mountain, making its market more prosperous and attracting more vagabonds, he'd be more than grateful.

"Thank you, Hall Master Lin." Abner couldn't help but clench his fist slightly in excitement. If this deal is successful, his position in the Demon Star Gang will rise greatly, and he personally can gain much profit. "Regarding monopolizing the trade routes, once I return, I'll start taking actions, and I believe Hall Master Lin will soon receive a satisfactory result."

"Alright, this is the trade district map of Red Moon Mountain." Lin Qi nodded, taking out the map of Red Moon Mountain he drew yesterday for the players, pointing to an area away from the mining cave and said, "You can freely choose two sites for building the store and warehouse within these locations. Let me know once you've picked satisfactory ones and are ready to build."

"Are all these areas permissible?" Abner was filled with surprise upon seeing the areas available for building the store on the map. He didn't expect Lin Qi to offer areas close to the mountain path, which are considered prime locations normally reserved for one's own use and not typically given to other forces.

However, after taking a glance at Lin Qi's smiling face, Abner suddenly understood Lin Qi's intentions.

That is, the Demon Star Gang had better perform well; only by doing well would there be such good storefront positions. If they didn't perform well or if the cooperation ended, Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall could reclaim those storefronts anytime, leaving Demon Star Gang with nothing but regret.

"The head of this Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall is indeed extraordinary. No wonder he's so young yet able to manage this Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall." Abner watched Lin Qi leave to transport the energy ore, and his evaluation of the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall rose a few notches. He decided that any personnel sent to Red Moon Mountain in the future must be smart and resourceful. They must not provoke Lin Qi, or they wouldn't even know how they died.

The sunset gradually descended, and Lin Qi managed to return to the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall with the first batch of energy ore just before the sun went down.

As Lin Qi returned to the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, he saw that the training ground was filled with players cultivating the Shocking God Breathing Technique, resembling actual martial arts academy disciples.

At the front of the training ground stood a humanoid machine over two meters tall—the coach B6 training machine awarded by the system.

This coach B6 training machine could be described as the best companion for new players. It could instruct up to twenty people in the Shocking God Breathing Technique at once, with an effect rivaling that of real-life guidance. It could detect various issues players had and provide correct instructions immediately.

This method, which could promptly help players correct training technique mistakes, not only allowed new players to quickly improve their proficiency but also enabled Lin Qi to gather a second round of players. Players looking to accelerate their progress were required to pay a guidance fee of a hundred points per hour, essentially making new players pay to expedite their progress.

Of course, the coach B6 training machine was not without its shortcomings. It could only record the training technique up to an introductory proficient level, after which it could no longer guide. To improve further, players would have to find their own way.

Even so, it prompted a frenzy among the then-new players, who did not expect such benefits for newcomers.

However, the newbies had not been happy for long when they discovered that in the new version of the martial hall, there were few ways left to earn points and contributions. New players wishing to earn points and contributions were left with digging holes and farming, or helping veteran players harvest Blood Essence Rice. Veteran players would reward some points as a form of additional earnings, but compared to past veteran players, the points gained were still too few.

The only way was to reach the Apprentice Level as soon as possible and head to the new map to better earn points and contributions.

Because of this, veteran players at the time felt reassured that their previous efforts hadn't been in vain.

Just as Lin Qi assigned a few tasks for newcomers to transport energy ores, his advanced smart watch suddenly rang with a communication notification, and the person contacting him was Luo Qi.

"Have you chosen a new store location?" Lin Qi answered with a smile.

Just two days ago, he persuaded Luo Qi to become the store owner of the suburban shop, specifically managing the processing of future outdoor harvests.

Originally, he intended to entrust players, but considering players could only comprehend the Human Race language and were unclear about many aspects of Chasing Light City, Luo Qi was undoubtedly the best choice.

Not only was she a mechanician familiar with various materials and goods, but she also was a permanent resident living in the suburbs of Chasing Light City for years, proficient in multiple languages, making her the perfect candidate for store owner.

"I've chosen it already—it's a three-story building in the bustling district, with a monthly rent of a hundred thousand Bits," Luo Qi said.

"Only a hundred thousand for a three-story shop in the bustling district?" Lin Qi was quite surprised. He didn't expect Luo Qi to have the means to procure such an affordable shop. Normally, a one-story shop in the suburbs would cost around ten to twenty thousand, while a bustling district would require no less than thirty or forty thousand, not to mention a three-story building.

"I guess you could say it was a bargain. The owner of the shop had an accident, leaving only a mother and daughter. To avoid trouble, they wanted to rent it out quickly," Luo Qi nodded, then sighed with a somewhat helpless tone. "However, I've heard some not-so-great news while in the suburbs today."

"What news?" Lin Qi asked curiously.

"I learned from a friend working for a suburban company that many companies and enterprises in the suburban areas of Chasing Light City seldom commission the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall. Even if some did, the routes were extremely dangerous. All these issues are due to the White Feather Gang spreading messages to these suburban companies and enterprises. If any company commissioned the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall, the White Feather Gang would no longer accept their commission," Luo Qi said worriedly.

Without commissions from these suburban companies and enterprises, the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Hall couldn't bring back unique goods from other cities or towns to sell in the suburban shop.

And the primary income for the top fifty gangs from the wilderness mainly comes from the profit of selling these unique goods—losing this means at least a 30% reduction in income.

But the most critical issue was that there would be nothing to sell at her shop…