My Simulated Road to Immortality

576  Chapter 548: Hoarding and Living Oddly

Leaving Gao Yuan and his insightful understanding of human hearts aside, the perspective returns to He Zhenghao.

In a state of unease, he spent another ten or so days to finally amass one billion contribution points.

Then, following Gao Yuan's advice, he quietly awaited Li Fan's next command.

This period was incredibly agonizing.

Even though Gao Yuan's guess was plausible, it remained just a personal guess.

As for how the Emissary truly felt…

Who could pinpoint it accurately?

Perhaps, he might have considered letting He Zhenghao handle that one billion contribution points?

Although He Zhenghao appeared calm on the surface.

Actually, his mind was bubbling with thoughts, his heart full of anxiety.

He felt like a prisoner on death row, experiencing torment as he awaited the final verdict amidst the passage of time.

He truly experienced the so-called "invasion of the heart demon" often mentioned by Ancient Cultivators.

Luckily, He Zhenghao's luck was not too bad.

Just when he felt he could not bear it any longer, he suddenly sensed faint fluctuations from his storage ring.

Overjoyed, He Zhenghao quickly collected himself, then hastily took out the metallic miniature.

"Sir, did you need something from me?" He respectfully asked, placing the miniature on the table.

"With the one billion contribution points you've raised, purchase materials based on this list as quickly as possible," came Li Fan's voice from the metallic statue.

"You don't necessarily have to buy everything from the Tianxuan Mirror. Some items of slightly lower quality but much cheaper can also be considered."

"Soon, when the prices of these items rise, you can sell them off."

...

After giving his instructions, Li Fan's voice gradually faded away.

He Zhenghao's mind, on the other hand, was a blank canvas, rocked by the impact of what was just said.

"The Emissary really intends to let me handle this one billion contribution points!"

After a brief stall in his thoughts, He Zhenghao slowly recovered.

This time, however, he was free from previous fear and helplessness.

Instead, he felt a mysterious excitement and enthusiasm.

While his ability alone was inadequate, with guidance from the Emissary, it wouldn't be an issue!

Investing, bluntly put, is actually straightforward.

It all comes down to information disparity.

As long as one knows something others don't, even a pig could make money while lying down!

As He Zhenghao shook slightly, he quickly started looking over the list provided by Li Fan.

"Tian Yudan, Brute Energy Pill, Killing Intention Mad Demon Pill..."

"Standard Tian Gang Armor, Shen Wu Lei…"

"Hundred Battle Array Map..."

The more he read, the more puzzled his expression became.

It was completely different from what he expected.

He Zhenghao had initially thought that Li Fan would have him purchase raw materials like rare ores and medicinal herbs.

With control over the Tianxuan Mirror, the price fluctuations of these items wouldn't be too significant.

At most, they would rise or fall by about twenty percent.

Even if one was unlucky enough to buy at the highest price, as long as one held on for a sufficiently long time, one could wait for the prices to rise again.

If sold then, the only loss would be transaction fees.

If one has a high merit ranking, these transaction fees could be ignored.

But the items listed by Li Fan turned out to be finished products.

Furthermore...

They were all items like elixirs, magic tools, and array diagrams that would only be used in battles.

Elixirs were still fine, cultivators exploring Sect Ruins would invariably face danger. Carrying a few as precaution was indeed necessary.

But magic tools like Tian Gang Armor, Shen Wu Lei, etc. were things that ordinary cultivators wouldn't use unless they were in a life-and-death battle.

Not to mention those array diagrams.

After searching the trading records of these items in the market, He Zhenghao found only a few.

It could basically be said that they were not sought after.

Therefore, their prices had always been stable. Moreover, these were items that could be produced in large quantities, suggesting abundant stocks as well.

Would the prices of these items increase?

Even though Li Fan had demonstrated his incredible prediction skills a few times prior, He Zhenghao still fell into deep doubt.

Should he really buy these items in large quantities?

He Zhenghao suddenly became hesitant.

However, at this point, Gao Yuan's previous admonitions reverberated in his mind.

"We, being subordinates, it doesn't matter if we aren't capable. The most important thing is to be obedient."

"When the Emissary asks us to do something, we must finish it unhesitatingly and resolutely."

"Otherwise, with the multitude of cultivators in the Cloud Sea, seeing that we are not exceptionally talented, why would the Emissary favor us?"

...

He Zhenghao gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

"Although it's a bit baffling, I can just follow the Emissary's instructions."

"Moreover, these elixirs and magic tools are widely known, and the first things that come to mind when we talk about cheap and useful items."

"Even if the Emissary's prediction fails, it can't be that much of a loss."

He Zhenghao comforted himself with these thoughts.

Composing himself, a focussed He Zhenghao didn't dare to delay, swiftly reaching out to his friends for advice.

He Zhenghao was now a hot commodity.

On hearing that he needed help, numerous cultivators enthusiastically provided suggestions.

After comparing the prices provided by over a dozen contacts, He Zhenghao began his procurement process.

Being visited by such a serious buyer interested in the large amount of accumulated stock was greeted with joy by the merchants. They provided generous discounts to quickly close the deal and prevent any change of mind. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Although one billion contribution points was a large amount, spread across so many types of elixirs and magic tools, it didn't seem like much anymore.

Any slightly large workshop could fulfill He Zhenghao's requirements.

Thus, the speed of procurement was incredibly quick, unexpected even for He Zhenghao.

With the one billion contribution points he had gathered completely spent, replaced by piles of seemingly useless 'junk,' even though they were Li Fan's orders, He Zhenghao felt a strange emptiness.

A sense of unreality permeated his heart, lingering.

He quietly sensed He Zhenghao's strange behavior. Though He Zhenghao was careful, he still could not escape others' scrutinizing gazes.

In the public's eyes, He Zhenghao's every move, was not just about him.

Everyone knew he was Li Fan's confidant. Such a large-scale procurement, if anyone said it wasn't Li Fan's instructions, it would be unbelievable.

Could it be possible that this Ancient Sect of Heavenly Secrets monk has predicted something again?

Will the prices of the items He Zhenghao purchased rise?

Several people were instantly intrigued.

But...

Having learnt their lesson from the Universal Leisure True Leaf incident, more cultivators suspected that Li Fan could be artificially inflating prices again, and opted to wait and watch.