In the Elnor Branch of Enthruim Gold Chamber of Commerce, Lawrence meticulously examined the quality of each elemental potion using his spiritual senses to ensure they were all high-grade potions.
After a while, he turned his gaze towards Maximus, his eyes gleaming with approval.
“Sir, the elemental potion you brought is indeed of exceptional quality. We are willing to purchase them for six low-magic crystals each,” Lawrence said, his excitement subsiding.
“However, considering the substantial quantity you’re looking to sell, you are eligible to apply for VIP 9 within our Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce,” he explained.
Curiosity sparked in Maximus’s eyes as he inquired, “What is VIP 9, and what benefits does it offer?”
“VIP 9 provides numerous conveniences for our esteemed clients across all our establishments. In terms of our transaction, the buyback price would be set at 70 percent of the original price, which is 10 percent higher than the average. In this case, we would buy your elemental potion for seven low-magic crystals,” Lawrence explained with a smile.
Maximus almost cursed at him for being a profiteer.
The implication was that the original price for the high-grade elemental potion was 10 low-magic crystals, twice the price of the low to mid-quality potion.
He was almost deceived, as there were no high-grade elemental potions listed in the catalog. So he just assumed that they were all priced the same.
Apparently, high-grade potions were so rare that they didn’t sell them in this branch.
“Can’t it be higher?” Maximus inquired, his greed getting the better of him. It was shameless for someone who had purchased the elemental potion for a mere one low-magic crystal to ask for a higher price.
Lawrence maintained his gentlemanly smile, unfazed by the question. “Certainly, sir. If you upgrade to VIP 6 or above, you can sell it at a 10 percent higher rate,” he patiently explained.
Maximus’s agitation subsided, but he couldn’t resist asking, “How does one upgrade their VIP level?”
“It’s quite simple, sir. To upgrade to VIP 8, you need to have transactions totaling between one hundred thousand to one million. For VIP 7, it’s between one million to ten million. VIP 6 requires transactions ranging from ten million to one hundred million, and so on, until VIP 2. As for VIP 1, I’m afraid I don’t know the specific requirements,” Lawrence replied calmly, discussing as if magic crystals is the most common stones you see on the road.
As expected from the world’s number one business commerce establishment, even reaching VIP No. 2 required an astronomical amount—between 100 billion to 1 trillion low-magic crystals.
Having come to terms with the reality that he couldn’t asked for a higher price, Maximus reluctantly agreed to sell the elemental potion for seven low-magic crystals.
“Here you are,” Lawrence said as he took out crates filled with magic crystals and a crystal jade token engraved with the mark “EGCC VIP 9.”
Maximus first scanned the crates of magic crystals to confirm the amount, satisfied with what he saw, he stored them in his storage ring.
Next, he focused his attention on the crystal jade taken, imprinting his mana signature on it to establish its recognition.
Mana signature served as the most common identification method in the world, even mortals possessed a trace of mana unique to them.
The use of spiritual consciousness was mostly reserved for contracts, as violating them could result in severe backlash from curses.
𝓞𝑣𝐞xt.𝗰𝑶𝑚
After conversing with Lawrence for a while, Maximus was personally escorted out by him. “Goodbye, Sir Maximus,” Lawrence bid farewell with a smile.
He nod with a satisfied smile, Maximus realized that he had earned 70,000 low-magic crystals, equivalent to a total of 70 million gold points.
This sum exceeded his annual income from the Aetheria Pavilion.
As for why he didn’t sell more, the answer was clear. Just tens of thousands of low-magic crystals were already a huge sume of money for a Tier 3 nascent mage taking a hundred years to save.
Although he trusted the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce that they will not look at his little money, he still proceed to end the transaction.
The goal this time is to go to the central continent where there are more fish to catch.
Making money there is less conspicuous and bigger.
He was not satisfied with millions of low-magic crystals so of course he needed a bigger place to withdraw money.
Proceeding to the harbor, Maximus made his way toward the ships going to the central continent.
After a while, he laid eyes upon a massive vessel towering above even the tallest buildings in his previous world.
The sheer size of the ship astonished him, but upon reflection, he understood the necessity. Without such massive proportions, the ship would be unable to navigate the endless sea, let alone reach other continents.
This was also the reason why he had come to Elnor Island instead of directly heading to the central continent.
His Tier 3 flying boat can’t traverse the treacherous seas. After all, a mere gust of wind in the endless sea could annihilate it.
Unless he had bought a higher-ranking boat, Maximus would not dare to sail straight to another continent.
Just looking at the massive ship you can feel the coercion of a high-tier beast, which can surely intimidate the creatures of the endless sea.
Such transportation vessels were constructed from massive Tier 8 or 9 sea creatures carcass.
The owner of this ships is the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce. Apparently, they are also in the transportation business.
Walking towards the registration area, Maximus was approached by a specialized steward.
“Here, sir. Allow me to escort you to the VIP area,” the steward said with a slight bow.
It seemed they had detected the crystal jade token indicating his VIP membership. The plate served as a positioning system within the territory of the Etherium Gold Chamber of Commerce, but fortunately, the positioning function can be deactivated or isolated in specialized storage.
After a while, the steward led Maximus to a VIP room.
“What kind of room would you prefer, sir?” the steward asked, presenting him with a catalog.
The rooms were divided into two sections: the common rooms and the VIP rooms.
Common rooms are for the non-VIP customers or those that didn’t have that much money.
After seeing the options, Maximus chose a mid-scale VIP room suitable for his identity as a nouveau-rich nascent mage.
“It will cost you 1,250 low-magic crystals, sir,” the steward informed him.
Though he knew it was expensive, considering it was a special VIP room, Maximus still felt a pang in his heart. You know his Aurora Spectre is only 2,500 low-magic crystals.
He quickly paid the steward, concealing any sign of dismay as not to embarrass himself.
“Here is the token for your room, sir,” the steward smiled and handed him the token.
As Maximus took the token, it emitted a radiant light, revealing a pathway that led to his room.
Walking at a leisurely pace for 20 minutes to his room, he finally realize how immense the size of the ship was.
Upon opening the room, Maximus was nearly blinded by the luxury it exuded.
Looking at the foot mat he felt his blood energize. Who would dare to use the skin of a Tier 7 creature as a mat?
There was a distinct aura of a Tier 7 creature, looking at the skin pattern he confirmed that is a Saber Tiger.
The mat was specially process so instead of being intimidated by the aura, it invigorated his blood, filling him with energy.
“This is truly a VIP room,” he muttered in awe.
He noticed a meditation room filled with complex arrays and runes, and just being near it stirred his meditation technique.
The whole was adorned with wonders and exotic furnishings, fueling Maximus’s ambition as he gazed at them. Unfortunately, he lacked the guts to steal them.
“Just wait, I’ll have my castle even more luxurious than these,” he swore to himself.
The primary objective of this trip was to amass wealth, not just any wealth, but hundreds of millions, if not billions, of low-magic crystals. The mere thought of it made his mouth water.
As for his safety, he had considered it long ago.
[Mask of Grimore Tier 9: Alters your appearance, mana signature, and spiritual signature, deceiving even the gods themselves. Price: 18,000,000 top-grade crystal.]
* A top-grade crystal is equivalent to a billion gold points
Yes, that was his trump card. With such an artifact, he could sell resources repeatedly until his hands cramped, without arousing suspicion.
However, he couldn’t possibly afford such an item with his meager savings.
So, he opted for a lower-tier alternative.
[Mask of Grimore Tier 5: Alters your appearance, mana signature, and spiritual signature. Price: 40 million]
The Mask of Grimore could be activated with magic crystals, alleviating any concerns about having enough mana to activate it.
Furthermore, it was upgradable, requiring only the expenditure of gold points.
With this mask, Maximus was prepared to arrive on the central continent and empty their pockets.