During the day, a grand opening ceremony was held at a large, prestigious store in Fengqu City!
The signboard read "Pet Shop," and upon entering, one could see the place teeming with pets.
There was no need for any special promotion.
In less than half an hour, the Free Pet Shop was bustling with people, both inside and out.
While other pet shops existed, they typically only had a few cats and dogs, with limited variety and quantity.
Moreover, those pets were generally weak and had little to no value for raising.
This pet shop, however, was entirely different. Occupying a prime location, it was filled with an overwhelming variety of pets.
From creatures that flew in the sky, swam in the water, or ran on land, the shop had it all.
The pets' strengths varied as well, ranging from the Qi Refining Realm to the Crystal Formation Realm.
Such a pet shop instantly captured the interest of all players looking for pets.
Players from other regions even came in increasing numbers, drawn by the shop's reputation.
In the game "Tale of Immortal," pets were incredibly hard to find, rarer than equipment. Players who had been searching in vain were eager to rush over upon hearing they could purchase pets with Spirit Stones.
Upon arrival, they found the shop indeed had a vast selection of pets, all clearly priced.
However, there was one catch: the prices were... exorbitant!
Really fucking expensive!
[Qi Refining Realm · Flying Rock Mouse]: 150 Spirit Stones.
[Qi Refining Realm · Long-armed White Ape]: 170 Spirit Stones.
[Qi Refining Realm · Golden Horned Horse]: 180 Spirit Stones.
Even Qi Refining Realm pets were priced at one to two hundred Spirit Stones.
At market rates, that was at least 30,000 RMB.
This price immediately excluded over 60% of the players; it was just too expensive.
Looking further down, the prices became even more outrageous.
[Foundation Establishment Realm · Bronze-armored Brown Bear]: 500 Spirit Stones.
[Foundation Establishment Realm · Three-tailed Fire Fox]: 650 Spirit Stones.
[Foundation Establishment Realm · Golden-backed Blue Wolf]: 800 Spirit Stones.
[Crystal Formation Realm · Red Flame Lion]: 2000 Spirit Stones.
[Crystal Formation Realm · Dragonfang Spider]: 3000 Spirit Stones.
[Crystal Formation Realm · Wind-riding Eagle]: 5000 Spirit Stones.
After seeing these prices, players were furiously complaining about the shop's exorbitant rates. This was daylight robbery!
A Foundation Establishment Realm pet could sell for tens of thousands of Chinese Yuan, pricing out 90% of the players.
Crystal Formation Realm pets were even more outrageous, costing millions, which was beyond the reach of 99% of players.
Many players left disappointed.
However, many more stayed, unwilling to leave.
Despite the high prices, the pets' attributes made them seem worth it.
After all, this was the only shop where such pets could be bought, giving it a monopoly. The high prices were somewhat understandable.
Moreover, these pets could easily outclass those from other so-called pet shops, and the wide variety was truly eye-opening.
Of course, affordability was still an issue.
Even Qi Refining Realm pets were out of reach for many, let alone Foundation Establishment and Crystal Formation Realm pets.
However, never underestimate the spending power of Chinese players.
There were still plenty of players who could afford them. Some middle-class players, after eyeing a Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining Realm pet, went straight to the black market to exchange money for Spirit Stones.
For the wealthy players, their targets were the Crystal Formation Realm pets.
For those with money, spending millions was no big deal.
Many wealthy individuals spent millions on virtual game pets, so it was no surprise that "Tale of Immortal," the hottest virtual game, had a large base of affluent players.
Imagine taking a Crystal Formation Realm pet out for a spin; how cool would that be?
Whether for fighting or showing off, it was perfect!
Many guild leaders also placed orders decisively.
Guild leaders needed to maintain their image. If other guild leaders had pets and they didn't, it would be a loss of face.
Soon, the shop's orders skyrocketed.
As the leader of the Moon Shadow Guild, Jiang Luoyu placed an order for over a hundred pets in one go, nearly ten of which were Crystal Formation Realm pets.
This was the largest order to date and likely would remain so.
Jiang Luoyu knew this shop was owned by Lin Jichen, but she had no intention of asking for a discount or special price.
Lin Jichen had already given her a Thunder-striped Silver Moon Tiger.
Seeing the prices of the pets in this shop, she could estimate the astronomical price the Silver Moon Tiger would fetch if sold.
Crystal Formation Realm pets sold for thousands of Spirit Stones, and the Silver Moon Tiger, a rare Golden Core Realm pet, could easily sell for tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.
Yet Lin Jichen chose to give it to her for free.
Jiang Luoyu felt she had to support his business and also fulfill Su Wanling's wish for a pet.
The other pets could be gifted to elite guild members, binding them with permanent contracts and boosting the guild's combat power.
But what about the players who couldn't afford it?
Of course, Lin Jichen's learning ability was strong.
Inspired by Jiang Luoyu's previous advice, he set up a large lottery wheel in the shop to allow players with less money to participate.
For just ten Spirit Stones, one could spin the wheel.
The prizes included various pets, though the chance of winning nothing was 99%.
The probability of winning a pet varied by realm, ranging from 1% to 0.01%.
In other words, one out of a hundred people could win a Qi Refining Realm pet.
One out of ten thousand could win a Crystal Formation Realm pet.
If ten thousand people each took a spin, that would be a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
Even if someone won a Crystal Formation Realm pet, he would still make a profit, heh heh (sly grin).
Lin Jichen even put a Golden Core Realm Black Tortoise into the prize pool as the shop's treasure.
He feared that if he priced it openly, some wealthy player would buy it instantly, so he put it in the lottery to entice all players to try their luck.
This Black Tortoise had an absurdly low winning probability, less than 0.0001%.
He had no intention of letting it be won, using it instead to continuously stimulate players' desire to gamble.
This could even attract many wealthy players.
Lin Jichen had perfectly mimicked the tactics of a black-hearted merchant. His lottery scheme was almost on par with the infamous tactics of the tech giant from twenty years ago.
But the effect was indeed excellent.
Seeing the lottery, many players who couldn't afford pets decided to try their luck on the big wheel.
After all, many couldn't come up with over a hundred Spirit Stones, but ten was manageable.
Take a chance, and maybe you'll hit the jackpot.
This was the common mindset of all players trying the wheel.
But soon, they would understand the meaning of despair.
Thousands of players chose to try the lottery, but only a few won anything.