15 Chapter 15 Fictional Trading_1
Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
“Customer, if the information is correct, I must add the Professional Seal now.”
Inside the store, after Wu Wan handed over the hard paper certification card filled with the Magic Artifact owner’s information to Chen Mobai for confirmation, he solemnly opened a safe, took out a red seal, and without needing an ink pad, directly stamped it onto the certificate. A rank-1 oval-shaped Treasure Appraiser seal in deep red appeared on it.
The innermost part of the seal is Wu Wan’s regular script, the upper semicircle says Rank-1 Treasure Appraiser, and the lower semicircle is a series of arranged numerical symbols.
“This string of numerals is a randomly generated anti-counterfeiting code each time it’s stamped. Once I take a picture of this certificate and register it on the Xianmen network, anyone who inputs this numeric code will be able to see this certificate.”
After taking the needle box and certification, Chen Mobai first checks it with his mobile phone but finds that the page that pops up is completely blank, leaving him puzzled.
“I haven’t uploaded it yet?”
Wu Wan was amused and distressed, but he immediately logged into the electronic archives of the Treasure Appraisers in the Xianmen network with his own account and uploaded the certification of the needle box.
Chen Mobai tried again, and finally, the relevant page appeared.
“Master Wu, thank you for your hard work.”
After paying 200 Good Deed Points with satisfaction, Chen Mobai took the needle box.
“Little Chen, if you want to let go of this Magic Artifact, you can hang it in my shop, as a way to help me accumulate some points. If you agree, I can not only refund your Good Deed Points but also help you complete the Cultivation and use tactics of this Magic Artifact for free.”
While filling out the Magic Artifact owner information earlier, Wu Wan had already learned Chen Mobai’s name. Knowing that he was still a student, just eighteen years old and lacking social experience, a sudden idea sprang up in his mind.
In the Xianmen, because of tight resources, almost everyone worries about spiritual energy and materials after embarking on the cultivation path. Many of them resort to operating personal online stores on the Xianmen network to make money.
Although Wu Wan has obtained a Rank-1 certificate as a Treasure Appraiser and holds some respect among Qi Practitioners, he is still struggling for resources to achieve Foundation Establishment.
In addition to this hereditary shop, he also refines artifacts on normal days.
After all, being a Treasure Appraiser doesn’t bring in a significant fortune, and every cultivator who learns the art of treasure appraisal initially aspires to be an Artifact Refiner.
And the individual shops on the Xianmen network are all based on trading Good Deed Points accumulated through buying and selling. The more points, the more one can exchange for the official Secret Techniques, Elixirs, and Magic Artifacts.
As the Xianmen control the Earth Star and continue the order of the previous civilization, despite the Divinity Transformation ancestor suppressing the world, there have been several economic crises.
Mainly due to the scarcity of Spirit Stones, during wars, as soon as cultivators accumulated Good Deed Points in their accounts, they immediately went to the bank to exchange for Spirit Stones. Even if they couldn’t use them all, they would still save them for future generations.
As a result, no matter how many Spirit Stones were in reserve in the national bank, it couldn’t withstand the billions of cultivators rushing to exchange.
And so an economic crisis arose.
Although the Xianmen issued multiple regulations to prohibit the exchange of Spirit Stones, drive up exchange prices, and even come up with a secret technique that could recover exhausted Spirit Stones by infusing Spiritual Energy, the operation rules of market economy could not be eliminated, even with the transcendent power of the Divinity Transformation ancestor.
However, over the centuries, the Xianmen, under its various palaces and departments, has gathered countless talents on the Earth Star, with many wise individuals.
A thousand years ago, someone proposed to open up the Xianmen national library’s collection of 84,000 Taoist books and allow all cultivators to exchange with points. And these points must be acquired by spending Good Deed Points in the Xianmen market.
For instance, if Chen Mobai purchased three Green Arrow Talismans online and spent 105 Good Deed Points, he would gain an additional 105 points in his personal register.
The moment this policy was introduced, the previously stagnant market economy of the Xianmen exploded instantly. Within just ten years, ninety percent of the private Spirit Stone reserves recirculated back into the national bank, replaced by the Good Deed Points in each individual’s account.
Offline transactions could also earn points, but both the buyer and seller had to pay tax to the Xianmen tax bureau.
For instance, if Chen Mobai wanted to exchange the 200 Good Deed Point appraisal fees he had given to Wu Wan into points, he would have to pay a 20% consumption tax to the Xianmen. In reality, this 20% tax is split between the buyer and the seller, with each paying 10%, but the person receiving the money certainly wouldn’t be willing to do this, unless Chen Mobai gave Wu Wan another 20 Good Deed Points, would the latter agree to go to the tax bureau with him.
After all, only consumption could earn points, while receiving money did not earn points.
Therefore, on the Xianmen market, before the transaction, the seller would confirm whether the consumer requires points, if so, the tax would be included in the total price in advance.
For this reason, the Xianmen does not force taxation, it’s completely voluntary.
But clearly, Chen Mobai wasn’t that kind of person.
He had not reached the point of needing points.
“Master Wu, I don’t understand what you mean by this. If this Magic Artifact is sold in your shop, how would that involve me?”
Chen Mobai was a bit puzzled. The consumer is the one who can earn points, even if this Magic Artifact is sold in Wu Wan’s shop, it has nothing to do with him, right?
“I’m a Treasure Appraiser, it’s normal for me to make money based on my own skills. If you sell this Magic Artifact to me, and then I, with my professional knowledge, complete the Cultivation and use tactics of the needle box, the selling price will naturally double, am I right?”
After Wu Wan finished saying this with a smile, Chen Mobai felt a chill surging up his spine.
“Master Wu, this is fictitious trading, it’s illegal.”
In order to gather points, fictitious trading frequently occurs. Even though it requires paying tax to the Xianmen, it can result in double points from two transations of a single Magic Artifact.
The official flagship store of the Xianmen network periodically offers Elixirs with enhanced Foundation Establishment success rates for auction, available for exchange with points.
Wu Wan has been planning for this for a long time, saving up over a considerable period.
However, such behavior is similar to tax evasion from the previous mechanical civilization of Earth Star. If caught, the Xianmen will impose penalties bringing cultivators to bankruptcy.
“Many people do this. In favor of economic circulation, the Xianmen usually turn a blind eye to these things. If there’s less tax revenue at the end of the year and higher-ups are dissatisfied, they will only target the wealthy individuals, you can rest assured.”
“If you agree, I can guarantee that this needle box can sell for more than 80,000 Good Dev Points.”
Seeing that Chen Mobai was hesitating, Wu Wan added substantial weightage. He appeared young, but was actually already 45 years old. If he didn’t attempt Foundation Establishment soon, his chances of success would keep dwindling.
Next month, the Xianmen flagship store will release a batch of Vein Protection Pills, Spirit Ascension Powder, and Solidifying Qi Liquids, all of which are Elixirs that can increase the chance of successful Foundation Establishment.
Wu Wan is short of 300,000 points, after which he could pick one thing from the batch.
If it were usual times, he naturally wouldn’t dare to fake transactions for points, but now with his foundation establishment right in front of him, and a tight budget, he wanted to try any opportunity that could bring him points.
What if he got lucky and successfully established his foundation!
“This Magic Artifact is a family heirloom. If I were to sell it, I would need to discuss it with my elders first.”
Chen Mobai, being a good student, declined indirectly.
Wu Wan didn’t say more, just wore a lamenting face. Anyway, he just thought Chen Mobai was young and tried to coax him a bit if possible.