Zoey had no other choice. After hanging up with Rita, she immediately dialed the number Rita had given her—Shadow.Q. It didn't take long for her to receive a staggering quote: 300 grams of gold for a single beginner healing potion.
Rita's offer of 100 grams of gold per potion was already exorbitant, considering the in-game price was just 1 silver coin—50 times the price. But Shadow.Q's rate? That was 150 times the original price.
And the equipment? Even worse. Items that sold for 1 gold coin in the auction house were being offered for 2 pounds of gold each.
Fifty thousand dollars for one piece of gear? Sure, it didn't sound too bad at first glance—Zoey's jewelry was worth more than that. But with over a thousand subordinates to equip, even giving each of them a single piece of gear would cost 2,000 pounds of gold. Worse, she knew how quickly low-level gear became obsolete. The rate of replacement was faster than upgrading a smartphone.
Soon enough, those pieces would be lying on the ground, ignored by players because they only added a few stat points. Zoey figured eating a gourmet meal would be more beneficial than those items.
The belts Rick had managed to secure for 1 pound of gold each were barely tolerable—at least Zoey could justify it as a morale-boosting investment for her team.
Unable to hold back, Zoey blurted, "Are you really from the Chinese Special Affairs Bureau? Or is this Myanmar's Special Affairs Bureau?"
Shadow.Q, likely used to this question, responded confidently, "Of course I am. You can even verify me on the bureau's official website."
After hanging up with Shadow.Q, Zoey realized just how "sincere" Rita had been.
Hearing Zoey call her "sis" didn't particularly please Rita. She responded bluntly, "Negotiations fell through?"
Zoey dodged the question, asking instead, "What's the price on your end?"
"I just asked. The supplier's willing to sell 500 beginner healing potions and 500 beginner mana potions, each for 150 grams of gold. No haggling. But they're also throwing in 50 beginner bandages. Though they don't instantly restore health like the potions, if you have a wound, applying the bandage will restore 1 HP per second for a minute. So the effect is almost the same."
Rita paused, then added, sounding slightly apologetic, "But if I manage to seal this deal, you'll need to handle my brother's situation with The Jones Family. I'm pulling a lot of favors here, and this supply was originally meant for The Jones Family."
Zoey glanced at Rick, who was staring blankly at the phone, and immediately agreed, "Deal."
The Lopez family's morale had already been shattered by the meager loot—just a few dozen silver coins after three hours of dungeon grinding. And compared to Shadow.Q's outrageous prices, 150 grams of gold per potion suddenly seemed like a bargain. Shadow.Q's price was practically forcing the Lopez family to cooperate with the Special Affairs Bureau.
At the moment, market prices were in chaos. With enough time and effort, they could slowly buy currency or potions at a lower price from short-sighted individuals. Within a few days—certainly no more than a week—prices would likely stabilize, and they could probably buy these items with cash.
But while they could afford to delay buying equipment, health potions were indispensable for survival in the dungeons. Without them, the Lopez family couldn't progress.
Money wasn't the issue. In a world where they couldn't directly access the in-game store to purchase supplies, finding a reliable way to trade gold for game resources was a blessing—thanks to Rita.
"Are you sure you can't get any equipment? We can negotiate the price," Zoey pressed, still hoping to secure more valuable items.
Meanwhile, Mateo was already on the phone, instructing his people to stock up on more gold. Ever since they had to use gold to buy belts, the Lopez family had been debating whether to hoard more. Now, it was clear: gold was essential. Hoarding it was better than holding onto cash, which was bound to crash.
Rita wasn't interested in selling the Lopez family any more gear. She offered them an unattainable price: "I asked. I'd like to buy it myself, but the supplier only accepts in-game currency. They won't take cash or gold... Oh, and there's another option, but it's not worth it."
Zoey was intrigued. "What is it?"
"If you don't have in-game currency, you can trade high-level items. An A-grade item can get you 1,000 pieces of green gear. I mean, how is that not highway robbery?"
"..." Zoey thought to herself, even robbers aren't this brazen. She genuinely asked, "Did you offend them?"
After a long discussion, Zoey managed to convince Rita to help her acquire 2,000 potions—1,500 beginner healing potions and 500 beginner mana potions—at 150 grams of gold each. They would buy it.
Rita, feigning concern for her well-being, advised, "That price is outrageous. If you wait a few days, the prices might drop. In the game, they're only 1 silver coin each..."
Zoey calmly responded, "It's just 600 pounds of gold."
Rita shut up immediately. Damn, she should've charged more. Where else could you find suckers ?
Two thousand potions in exchange for 600 pounds of gold. The cost to Rita? Just 20 gold coins, plus a few low-level bandages she had crafted while leveling up her first aid skill. Since those low-tier items didn't display the creator's ID, she could sell them to anyone without risk.
This was a far faster way to make money than converting gold into coins with goblins.
It was no surprise Zoey was scrambling to buy potions and gear in this life. A little deduction was all it took. In the past life, Rick's talent was the greatest lure—attracting elite players to serve the Lopez family with little cost. The ability to increase one's attributes just by eating had been enough to win over top players.
And they probably started recruiting heavily after the first closed beta, boosting the core team's stats. So after the game's full launch, they didn't need much gear or potions to clear dungeons quickly and rise to prominence.
But this time, without Rick's freebie abilities to lean on, the Lopez family had to offer tangible benefits to keep their players. Otherwise, why wouldn't those players join the Special Affairs Bureau for better perks?
Rita happily accepted the friend requests from Rick and Zoey, then noticed one from **Shadow.Q** and accepted that as well.
**[Shadow.Q]: So cold.**
**[Rita]: How much are you charging for beginner healing potions?**
**[Shadow.Q]: 300 grams of gold per bottle.**
**[Rita]: Aren't you afraid of getting hit for that price?**
**[Shadow.Q]: Yeah, that's why it's a different price when we talk face-to-face. But over the phone or online? Doesn't hurt me.**
Rita didn't regret setting the price at 150 grams per potion. It was just right. She didn't aim to get rich off the Lopez family—just wanted to show them she had connections while keeping things superficially friendly.
Now that everyone was a player, with billions scrambling for the limited supply of beginner healing potions, 150 grams of gold? She wasn't even making that much profit!