Zhou Yan arrived at the [Myriad Realms Virtual Mall] and then teleported to the [Azure Continent · Trading Market].
The trading market on the Azure Continent was still bustling, with countless people buying the items they needed.
Zhou Yan walked through the crowd and arrived at his shop. Looking at the people entering and leaving [Ling Xiao Treasure Shop], Zhou Yan realized he hadn't been here for a long time.
Business in the shop was booming. Many items were sold out as soon as they were stocked. With the supply from myriad realms, [Ling Xiao Treasure Shop] could earn a considerable amount of spirit coins daily.
However, Zhou Yan's goal wasn't to make money, but to acquire more items.
[Ling Xiao Treasure Shop]'s reputation had indeed spread, and many people came by recommendation. Coupled with the higher prices the shop offered for recycling items compared to other shops, it naturally allowed the shop to recycle more goods.
When Zhou Yan walked in, the busy staff immediately stopped their work and hurried to him. "Boss, you're here."
"The boss is here!"
"Oh my! I thought the boss wouldn't come."
"This is the boss? So young!"
...
Due to the booming business, the shop had recruited many new members. They looked at Zhou Yan with curiosity or admiration.
This naturally attracted other customers, especially the old ones who frequented the shop. They were very curious about the source of the items, but unfortunately, the shop's goods were sold in limited quantities daily and did not accept reservations.
Many people could only queue up every day waiting for new stock. Furthermore, there were restrictions once the items were released, limiting how much each person could buy, which left many lords helpless but to purchase according to the requirements.
Several lords stepped forward, wanting to befriend Zhou Yan. Their true intention was to buy more items from him, but Zhou Yan refused them all. He was completely unapologetic, essentially saying, "Buy it or don't, I'm not making friends with you."
He was that unyielding, that righteous. If you were unhappy, the door was there, feel free to leave.
"Work hard," Zhou Yan said to his employees before heading upstairs.
He said the same to the staff on each floor, which reignited a new sense of motivation in many of them.
Zhou Yan was indeed very good to his employees, offering high salaries and improving the overall treatment of staff in the trading market. Many people wanted to join, but they couldn't as the positions were already filled.
"Boss, why didn't you inform us in advance that you were coming?" The shop manager, Ye Xiaorong, saw Zhou Yan and immediately left her customer to come to his side.
"It's nothing. Someone will be coming to see me later. Just send them to my office," Zhou Yan instructed.
"Understood." Ye Xiaorong nodded and also entered Zhou Yan's office, where she began to brew tea for him and briefed him on the shop's recent performance.
Zhou Yan listened, nodding, and began to wait.
Ye Xiaorong sighed and left the office.
After a long while, Ye Xiaorong knocked on the door and brought someone in. "Boss, someone is here to see you."
"Okay, you can go now." Zhou Yan said, then watched as a woman walked towards him. The woman was attractive, but unfortunately, she was flat-chested with a prominent backside.
"Hello, my name is Yao Ling," the woman said, extending a fair hand.
Yao Ling?
Zhou Yan almost mistook her for a certain "Yao Mei."
"Zhou Yan." Zhou Yan shook her hand and asked, "Let's get straight to the point. How much do you want?"
Yao Ling: "???"
"You're very direct."
Yao Ling felt something was off after her initial response and asked, "Are you talking about the Time Gem?"
"What else would I be talking about? My first impression of you was quite good, and I thought we could have a good transaction," Zhou Yan said.
"I came here to trade for Time Gems, but I don't need spirit coins. I want to trade materials with you. I've taken a liking to a material in your shop called 'Kongming Stone' and would like to trade for it."
After speaking, Yao Ling looked at Zhou Yan with her beautiful eyes. She had been searching for this material for a long time, two full years, and only found it with Zhou Yan.
"Certainly. We can trade 1:1. How many Time Gems do you trade me, and I'll give you the same quantity of Kongming Stone. What do you say?" Zhou Yan asked.
"That's not a major problem. I just want to ask, can you sell me some extra? I need quite a lot."
"Of course, as long as you agree, I can satisfy any condition you have."
Yao Ling finally revealed her thoughts.
Zhou Yan listened and looked at her. Honestly, he had zero interest in Yao Ling, so this condition was absolutely unacceptable.
Zhou Yan: "I'm not short of money..."
Yao Ling: "I can trade something else with you."
"For example?" Zhou Yan asked.
"Well, this." Yao Ling took out another material and said, "I've checked, and your shop doesn't seem to have this material."
Zhou Yan took a look and found that the material was called Blood Jade Stone. He glanced at his territory's material storage and was speechless. Then he said, "Uh, I'm sorry, I have a lot of this material."
After speaking, Zhou Yan took out a large pile of Blood Jade Stones and said, "I have tens of millions of units of this stuff."
Yao Ling: "(ﾟﾛﾟﾉ)ﾉ"
Yao Ling was stunned!
So much!
"Ahem, well, can I buy it with spirit coins then?" Yao Ling quickly asked.
"No, I only need Time Gems in exchange," Zhou Yan replied.
"But I only have four-star Time Gems. I don't have any five-star or above," Yao Ling said helplessly.
"Is that so..." Zhou Yan was indifferent. His territory's [Free Material Dungeon] could drop high-level Time Gems, so he didn't worry about it at all.
"See if you need any of these materials," Yao Ling took out some more materials. Zhou Yan took a look and found one material called Starry Sky Stone, which even his territory's material storage didn't have.
"This is good. Let's trade with this," Zhou Yan said.
"Okay, then it's decided." Yao Ling was very happy and said, "Let's begin the trade then."
"Alright!"
Both parties took out their materials for the trade. Zhou Yan obtained a large quantity of two-star to four-star Time Gems, and the other party received a lot of Kongming Stone. After the trade was completed, both showed satisfied smiles.
They lingered for a moment before Zhou Yan said, "We'll trade again next time."
"No, next time you can just find my shop manager. I might not even come here once a year," Zhou Yan said.
"Let's add each other as friends, and we can trade remotely from now on," Yao Ling replied.
"Okay." Zhou Yan did not refuse.
"Successfully added [Yao Yao Leading] as a friend."
That username was truly impressive!