Chapter 56 - 50: Transaction Completed
Chapter 56: Chapter 50: Transaction Completed
"Privileges?"
She could understand trading for food and Crystal Cores, but this was the first time she had ever heard of privileges at the Alliance Exchange.
"It works like this: the privileges you can redeem with your treasures are valid throughout the entire Alliance. Based on your treasure’s value, we can grant you Silver VIP, Golden VIP, or Diamond VIP status."
the well-mannered staff member patiently explained to Tang Mo.
"What good are these privileges?" Tang Mo knew nothing about this at all. The fact that they were valid throughout the Alliance made her realize just how low on the totem pole she had been in her past life.
"VIP privileges grant you certain rights within the base, such as free, more convenient, and faster entry and exit. You can enjoy benefits like the best food and lodging, receive certain discounts within the Exchange, and get priority treatment at the mission center. The privileges have many uses in the base; you can slowly discover them for yourself after becoming a VIP, ma’am."
"The higher the level, the greater the privileges, right? Is there anything above Diamond VIP?"
Tang Mo couldn’t shake the feeling that the man before her really wanted her to redeem her items for privileges.
"Above Diamond VIP is Honorary Guest, but that status can’t be obtained by trading treasures. Only those who have made immense contributions to the Alliance are qualified to become an Honorary Guest. Currently, only a few of the Alliance’s Pilot Families have a small number of slots for this status."
"This treasure of yours can be redeemed for Silver VIP status. Would you like to proceed with the exchange?" the staff member added.
Seeing the man’s pyramid-scheme-salesman-like smile, Tang Mo backed down.
"No, thanks. Could you please just tell me how many Crystal Cores I can get for them?"
Privileges were too distant and impractical for Tang Mo. She didn’t need to be a person of status right now; increasing her own strength was the only thing that mattered.
"Oh. If you’d like to exchange for Crystal Cores, these two Poison Fangs can be exchanged for eight Basic Crystal Cores each. You can choose any attribute for the cores, except for the spatial attribute."
If Tang Mo wasn’t mistaken, a flicker of disappointment crossed the man’s face.
’One Poison Fang is eight, so two is sixteen?’
Tang Mo was delighted. Intermediate Beasts really were valuable; the materials from its body were worth more than the Crystal Core inside it.
"There’s also this. Could you give me a price for it too?"
Seeing that the Exchange’s prices were fairly honest, Tang Mo took out the intact River Drake Skin.
The Appraiser’s eyes lit up when he saw what Tang Mo produced. It was the first time in his career that he had seen the hide of an Intermediate Beast in such perfect condition.
’This is excellent material for Defense Equipment!’
He immediately took it, scanned it, and printed the report, all in one smooth motion.
"Twenty Basic Crystal Cores," the Appraiser said, offering a price after a moment of thought.
Their job was to acquire the most valuable items for the Alliance at the best possible price, so they had the authority to adjust their offers within a certain range.
"Hmm..." Tang Mo thought for a moment.
To be honest, the price wasn’t low, but she felt there had to be a better option.
"How about this? I’d like to use these materials to have a dagger coated in poison and a defensive vest made from the River Drake Skin. I’ll sell the remaining materials to you. After deducting the crafting and processing fees, how much would I have left?"
Tang Mo’s plan was not without reason.
Attribute values were important, of course, but if her equipment couldn’t keep up, she would be fighting bare-handed. Even with high combat power, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
Besides acquiring items, the Alliance Exchange naturally sold processed equipment as well. She might as well use the good materials she’d obtained to outfit herself first.
Besides, her two pieces of equipment wouldn’t use up that much material, and she could just sell whatever was left over.
"If that’s the case..."
The Appraiser quickly calculated the amount of material and the production cost for the two pieces of equipment Tang Mo wanted.
"After deducting for the two pieces of equipment we’ll make for you, the remaining materials will get you a total of 10 Crystal Cores."
’Ten?’
Based on the previous quote, the two fangs and the River Drake Skin were worth 36 Crystal Cores in total. That meant her two pieces of equipment would cost a total of 26 Crystal Cores.
Twenty-six Crystal Cores!
That was 26 attribute points—the equivalent of two and a half Intermediate Beasts.
No one knew better than Tang Mo how difficult Intermediate Beasts were to kill.
Tang Mo’s heart ached, but when she thought about the dagger and armor she wanted, she endured the pain and nodded.
’Easy to spend money, hard to make it. The old saying is true after all.’
"What attribute would you like for the Basic Crystal Cores?" the Appraiser asked.
Spirit Attribute, of course. Tang Mo planned to pursue the path of a Spiritual Ability user, so she naturally had to focus all her efforts on developing her Spirit Attribute.
"Can the Basic Crystal Cores be exchanged for an Intermediate Crystal Core?"
Tang Mo suddenly remembered; it seemed there was a way to trade Basic Crystal Cores for Intermediate Crystal Cores in her past life.
"You can, but it’s 15 Basic Crystal Cores for one Intermediate Crystal Core. You can choose any attribute except Space."
...
’This is robbery.’
Tang Mo hesitated. Besides the ten Crystal Cores she would receive as payment, she happened to have exactly five Basic Crystal Cores on hand.
But that would be equivalent to throwing away five attribute points for nothing.
However, the physical enhancement from an Intermediate Crystal Core was something that even ten Basic Crystal Cores combined couldn’t compare to.
More importantly, one Intermediate Crystal Core could expand Tang Mo’s Space by about one square meter. This was the most crucial reason she wanted to trade for one.
Her current Space was already full; expanding its area was an urgent priority.
"I’ll do it!"
Gritting her teeth, Tang Mo took out the only five Basic Crystal Cores she had.
She wept silently in her heart. This trip had been a huge loss. She had handed over the complete materials from an Intermediate Beast and all the Crystal Cores she possessed, only to go home with a single Intermediate Crystal Core.
Clutching the white Intermediate Crystal Core she had traded her entire fortune for, Tang Mo walked out the doors of the Alliance Exchange.
By now, the sky had grown completely dark. Fortunately, the base’s power system was still operational, and the few remaining streetlights were lit, allowing people’s nightlife not to end so early.
The moon in the sky was incredibly bright, and the stars shone with a brilliance that seemed to belong to ancient times.
Having taken care of her top priority, Tang Mo breathed in the pure air, fresh with the scent of new vegetation, and leisurely browsed the small roadside stalls.
She didn’t have any Crystal Cores on her now, but she did have plenty of food.
For these ordinary people, the urgent need for food was far more important than Crystal Cores.
Although the grass fruits distributed by the base could keep people from starving and were very filling, they contained too few nutrients. People who ate them were still sallow, emaciated, and weak, their bodies desperately craving oils and fats to soothe their stomachs.
Most of the stalls displayed things like clothes and jewelry. Watches nowadays came with an appraisal function, so if anyone found something like a Jade Bracelet or Jade Pendant that seemed to emit even a hint of Spiritual Energy, they would appraise it themselves first.
Finding a hidden gem was truly no easy task.