Zhou Yan didn't try to overtake. He opened his mouth directly and said, "Esteemed Elf Queen, would you like to make money?"
Elf Queen: "(＃ﾟдﾟﾒ)???"
That one 'mouth' left her completely baffled.
"Can you explain it more clearly? I'm a bit unclear."
The Elf Queen, being so pure, naturally couldn't understand what Zhou Yan meant.
Zhou Yan smiled, like a cunning wolf encountering a cute sheep.
He explained, "I need a lot of materials, and timber is just one of them. Because I'm spread too thin, with limited time and energy, I can't collect enough materials."
"So, I want to ask for your help in collecting materials, and then I will purchase them directly from you. This way, you benefit, I benefit, and everyone benefits."
It was a simple collaboration, a win-win situation. No fool would refuse.
As the leader of the entire elven realm, the Elf Queen possessed the greatest manpower and prestige. If she rallied her people, spiritual currency would simply flow into her coffers.
"I think I understand what you mean. You want me to acquire the items you need from my subjects, and then you will purchase those items from me. Is that right?"
The Elf Queen was clearly encountering a 'businessman' for the first time, but she understood this principle.
"Exactly. Think about it, your subjects have a hard time. If you can let them earn a little more income, it would be a great achievement for you."
"This way, you not only gain extra financial revenue but can also use this money to benefit all elves, making them worship you more, and making you the most worshipped queen in elven history. It's a wonderful thing."
Zhou Yan's words did indeed resonate with the Elf Queen, but she was still a bit uncertain and inquired, "Do you know this isn't a small sum? How can I trust that you possess such wealth?"
In the entire elven realm, besides herself, it was hard to imagine other elves possessing a large amount of wealth.
"Esteemed Elf Queen, although I wish to remain mysterious, to earn your trust, I can only reveal a little information. I believe you will keep my secret for me."
Zhou Yan began to spin a tale, but he considered it a well-intentioned lie.
"You can rest assured about that. My guards and I will keep your secret. Our entire elven realm upholds its promises, so you need not worry."
The Elf Queen said with certainty.
Only then did Zhou Yan adopt a relaxed expression and said, "It's like this, I have a source for weapons and equipment. As for the specific channel, I regret to inform you that I cannot disclose it. As you know, weapons and equipment are extremely scarce in the entire elven realm, so you don't have to worry about me lacking funds."
Before coming here, Zhou Yan had a general understanding of this place. After his personal investigation and inquiries upon arrival, he confirmed that weapons were indeed in short supply, as were most equipment.
Elves didn't favor heavy armor, and very few elves would wear such gear as it would hinder their flight.
Therefore, the best sellers here, besides bows and arrows, were leather armor and similar equipment.
Moreover, heavy armor in this place was practically given away for free. He had collected quite a bit of heavy armor on his way here.
"Is this true!" The Elf Queen was truly surprised to hear this.
No one in the elven realm could forge weapons and equipment. All equipment could only be obtained through opening treasure chests, but the probability was extremely low.
This was also a significant reason for the extreme scarcity of equipment in the entire elven realm.
"Esteemed Elf Queen, we elves never lie, and I certainly wouldn't lie to you."
Zhou Yan said with genuine sincerity. After all, he wasn't an elf, and lying had nothing to do with his human identity, right!
The Elf Queen nodded and said, "I think your proposal is excellent, but I'd like to purchase a batch of equipment from you first. Is that possible?"
This statement also served as a test. If Zhou Yan couldn't produce it, then he would be lying.
"Of course. How much quantity do you need?"
He had already contacted Xiao Wei earlier, asking others to collect more bows and leather armor.
After a few hours, his territory had accumulated a considerable amount of weapons and equipment. The first batch would definitely satisfy the Elf Queen.
"Do you have ten thousand sets?" the Elf Queen inquired.
"Yes, esteemed Elf Queen. I suggest we trade through barter, and pay any difference in spiritual currency?"
Zhou Yan was very satisfied with this trip. With a source of timber, everything else would be much easier.
"Agreed." The Elf Queen was quite pleased with Zhou Yan's words.
They began to discuss the prices of various equipment and timber.
Two hours later, they reached an agreement, settled on prices, and began the first batch of transactions.
Zhou Yan traded ten thousand sets of leather armor, along with bows and crossbows, for timber, heavy armor, wood-attribute crystal cores, and other items from the Elf Queen.
Zhou Yan even suggested that the Elf Queen take back broken equipment, which he would also purchase.
The other party naturally agreed and even sold him a large amount of broken equipment at an extremely low price.
Zhou Yan was naturally delighted. This equipment only needed a little repair to be sold again.
The Elf Queen was also happy. This broken equipment would have been discarded anyway. She also gained additional financial revenue, which was indeed a good thing.
They both happily concluded this transaction and began discussing their next meeting.
The time was set for tomorrow, which Zhou Yan readily agreed to.
Carrying a large batch of timber of various star ratings, along with other items, he returned to the [Myriad Realms Virtual Mall]. Checking the time, he still had some left. He asked Xiao Wei to continue having people collect bows and leather armor, while he returned to his territory to begin upgrading various buildings.
He first started with upgrading the [King's Crystal].
The resources consumed were spiritual currency and three-star wood-attribute crystal cores, which were exchanged with the Elf Queen from the [Elf Forest Continent].
There were many wood-attribute crystal cores in that place, and they were several times cheaper than those from other worlds.
When the [King's Crystal] was upgraded to level thirty, it gained an additional attribute.
[Building: King's Crystal]
[Level: 30]
[Upgrade Required: 150,000 Spiritual Currency, 150 three-star crystal cores of the same attribute]
[Quality: SS (0/1)]
[Upgrade Required: One Lord Crystal]
[Defense: 17000/17000]
[Shield: 70000/70000]
[Special Attribute One: Thunder Attack]
[Special Attribute Two: Within the territory's range, all elemental attacks +30%, defense +30%]
[Special Attribute Three: Chain Lightning]
[Special Attribute Four: Vine Entangle, Wood Thorn Attack]
[Description: The core hub of the Lord's Space, an evolved crystal, with integrated offense and defense, actively attacking all hostile beings within a hundred-meter radius. When upgrading with a crystal of the same type, there is a certain probability of obtaining an attack bonus of that attribute.]
The wood-attribute attack was always a bit weaker. He intended to switch to a different attribute for upgrading the [King's Crystal] next, so he set this aside for now.
(Author: At least six updates today, let's see what my limit is.)