He observed as he traveled, finding that this Elf Forest Continent lacked any large stores.
Each stall and shop had only one person, which surprised him greatly.
It felt as though the elves in this Elf Forest Continent hadn't yet developed a concept of commerce.
He undoubtedly felt he had discovered another avenue for wealth.
The wealth of this world was simply too easy to earn.
He wasn't a professional merchant lord, nor did he possess exceptional business acumen, but he knew very well how lucrative a world without any established commerce could be.
He realized he was severely lacking in commercially-minded talent. If he had a group of business experts, planning commerce in this world would be incredibly simple.
Since no one was competing with him, he had no rivals and could develop at his own pace.
Moreover, with so many worlds across the myriad realms, he couldn't possibly develop them all.
At most, he could only transport a hundred people, and that was only if his territory level reached its peak.
He casually examined the items the elves were selling, finding that each stall had many materials he needed.
And the prices were all similar.
The two most common items they sold were lumber and wood-attribute crystal cores, and their prices were very low. Three-star lumber only sold for 10 spirit coins.
Three-star lumber on the Canglan Continent sold for at least 100 spirit coins, and could even fetch 150 spirit coins during times of scarcity.
He paid no mind to the occasional elf selling them for 11 or 12 spirit coins.
Materials like these, once bought, would yield at least a tenfold profit.
He thoroughly enjoyed this process of picking up money.
He was either picking up money or on his way to pick up money.
He was overjoyed.
The little elves were also very happy when he bought all the materials, each saying thank you to him.
These elves were too adorable, their appearances making one want to pinch them.
However, he also discovered a frustrating issue: because there were no merchants, items were very scattered. To purchase large quantities of goods required visiting each stall individually.
This was a significant waste of time; he would much rather have someone gather enough materials and buy them at a slightly higher price.
His time was precious and couldn't be continuously wasted on purchasing materials.
He intended to find someone capable of doing this here, but as he traveled, he found no suitable candidates.
After an indeterminate amount of time, he noticed a very large treehouse, dozens of times larger than the others. He curiously asked a little elf, "Whose treehouse is that? It looks quite different."
The little elf seemed puzzled but respectfully replied, "That is the shop of our Elf Queen. She is the strongest elf in our entire Elf Forest."
"So that's how it is."
After finishing his purchases at the current elf's stall, he headed directly towards the Elf Queen's shop.
There were two male elf guards here. He walked inside and saw several elf maids selling goods.
This was the only shop he had seen with multiple people selling items.
He approached one of the elf maids and asked, "Is the Elf Queen here? I have something I wish to discuss with her."
"You are looking for the Elf Queen?" The maid was clearly surprised that someone would seek out the Queen, but the elf replied courteously, "If it is not a very important matter, I suggest you do not disturb the Queen."
"This matter is of great importance and will bring significant benefits to the Queen. I believe the Elf Queen will be very happy after speaking with me," Zhou Yan replied sincerely.
The elf maid considered for a moment, then seeing Zhou Yan's sincerity, nodded and replied, "Then please wait a moment. I must see if the Elf Queen has time."
"Thank you very much. You are a truly kind elf."
Zhou Yan added a compliment.
The elf maid was delighted, clearly pleased with his praise.
He took the opportunity to look at the items here, and was astonished.
As expected of the Elf Queen, she possessed so much high-grade lumber.
"Holy crap! They even have lumber above six stars! This Elf Queen is too wealthy, and the prices are still so low!"
He was amazed. All this high-grade lumber, in his eyes, represented piles of spirit coins.
Not only was there a lot of lumber, but the quantity of other items was also substantial. He said to another elf maid, "I'll take all of this lumber."
The elf maid: "ᓫ(°⌑°)ǃ"
The elves purchasing nearby: "щ(゜ロ゜щ)"
She thought she misheard and asked again, "Are you sure you mean all of it, not just one type?"
"Yes, all of it. I'll take it all."
Zhou Yan replied with certainty.
The little elf casually glanced at the quantity of lumber: over a million one-star lumber, five hundred twenty-six thousand three hundred two-star lumber, one hundred eighty-one thousand three-star lumber, seventy-five thousand four-star lumber, ninety-three thousand five-star lumber, sixty-three thousand one hundred six-star lumber...
She had never seen an elf buy so much lumber at once. The sheer quantity was astounding.
This was no small sum, and it made her utterly surprised.
The elf maid still found it hard to believe and asked Zhou Yan several times before confirming that Zhou Yan genuinely needed this much lumber.
Even the surrounding elves looked on in disbelief, staring blankly at Zhou Yan. They had never seen such a wealthy elf.
Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded: all the elves in the shop were looking at Zhou Yan with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
This left Zhou Yan feeling helpless. He hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.
"Are you the one looking for me?" A beautiful voice rang out.
Zhou Yan looked behind him and saw a stunningly tall and elegant Elf Queen, clad in a snow-white gown, wearing a crystal crown, and holding an elven scepter. She emanated a sacred and natural aura as she approached him.
Behind the Elf Queen followed four fully armed, formidable-looking elf guards.
"Respected Elf Queen, it is an honor to meet you," Zhou Yan said.
"Your Majesty, this elf just said he wants to purchase all the lumber in the shop."
The maid from before hurried over and reported. She was indeed startled and still somewhat uncertain.
Purchasing all the lumber would require an enormous amount of spirit coins. She simply couldn't fathom who, besides the Elf Queen, could produce such a sum.
"What? All of it?"
The Elf Queen, upon hearing this, was also greatly astonished. She paused for a moment, observed Zhou Yan closely, and asked, "I truly cannot comprehend why you would need such a colossal amount of lumber."
In her eyes, while this lumber was useful, the quantity required didn't seem that significant.
"Your Majesty, everyone has their secrets. Please allow me to keep mine. I wish to discuss a collaboration with you."
Zhou Yan spoke with utmost sincerity.
The Elf Queen was the most respected individual among all elves, and he had to maintain his respect at all times to gain her favor.
After all, he was here for business.
The Elf Queen nodded and said, "Collaboration? That is rather intriguing. Please, come with me. I am curious to see if you can offer me a surprising conversation."
"I believe you will not be disappointed."
Zhou Yan smiled and followed the Elf Queen into a room.