"Boss, um... can I work overtime tomorrow instead? I have something to take care of..."
Xu Zikuai tried to struggle a bit more. He had waited in line for three hours just to have some fun at the Autumn Moon Pavilion.
Recently, after losing a finger, he had been abstinent for a long time and didn't dare to go out, fearing retaliation.
He stayed cooped up in his room every day, working hard to please his boss.
Today, he finally sold all the equipment he had refined and saved up some Spirit Stones. He wanted to go to the Autumn Moon Pavilion to relax, but his boss asked him to work overtime.
He didn't want to work overtime! He wanted to go to the Autumn Moon Pavilion! He wanted to find a woman!
"Work overtime when I tell you to. If you don't want to, you can leave."
The voice on the other end of the phone shattered Xu Zikuai's fantasies. He didn't dare to leave; where else could he find such a good job?
"Boss, I'm sorry. I'll go back and work overtime right away."
Xu Zikuai hung up the phone in frustration, cursing the evil capitalists, and reluctantly left the line of 'gentlemen' waiting to get in.
A sleazy buddy behind him laughed, "Why aren't you staying in line, bro? You were almost there. Did your conscience finally kick in?"
Already furious, Xu Zikuai snapped, "Get lost! You piece of trash!"
After cursing, he walked away grumbling. Just then, he passed by Lin Jichen and his eyes lit up.
"You, you, you... aren't you Lin Jichen? Hello, big shot! I'm a huge fan of yours."
Xu Zikuai's face was full of flattery. He thought that if he could make friends with Lin Jichen, his status would skyrocket.
Unfortunately, Lin Jichen didn't even acknowledge him, treating him like air as he walked past.
Feeling awkward, Xu Zikuai muttered, "Just because you're good at playing games, you think you're something special? Acting all high and mighty, as if I care to talk to you."
After venting, Xu Zikuai had no choice but to head back to work overtime.
But he soon discovered that today's overtime was just the beginning. From then on, he was required to work overtime every day.
Though he didn't have to work overtime during the day, the problem was... the Autumn Moon Pavilion wasn't open during the day...
The next day, the entrance of Honest Auction House was crowded with players.
Almost all the guild leaders were present, and even guild bosses and wealthy players from the other three provinces had gathered.
They were all here for the second Honest Auction.
Since the reputation system was opened in the four provinces, many guilds bought shops and turned them into auction houses.
Unfortunately, their auction houses were worse than pawn shops—small, remote, and filled with ordinary goods.
Unlike Honest Auction House, which was famous and known for its high-quality items.
Naturally, everyone flocked here, hoping to snag something good to boost their guild's strength.
This time, Honest Auction House had advertised early that there would be many Earth Grade Equipment, with the lowest being Mysterious Grade.
This attracted all the wealthy players in "Tale of Immortal."
The entry threshold for this auction was even higher than last time. Previously, it was a minimum of ten thousand Spirit Stones to enter.
This time, it was even more extreme—starting at one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Anyone with less couldn't get in.
Despite this, players still flocked in like a school of fish.
As the time approached, the auction hall on the second floor, with thousands of seats, was already packed.
Lin Jichen walked in, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
All the guests looked at him as if a moving gold mountain was approaching.
The reason was simple: Lin Jichen's identity as the owner of the four golden shops had been uncovered.
Although Lin Jichen never admitted it, everyone had accepted it as fact.
Moreover, as more clues were dug up, they all pointed to Lin Jichen.
He was the current owner of the four golden shops in "Tale of Immortal"!
Upon learning this, countless capitalists and bosses wanted to collaborate with Lin Jichen, trying every means to buy his shops.
Unfortunately, Lin Jichen had gone to the Hundred Thousand Mountains at that time, and they couldn't find him.
Just as they were about to look for Lin Jichen in real life, the world's richest person, Jiang Luoyu, the head of the Jiang Group, publicly stated that Lin Jichen was her good friend. If anyone dared to disturb him in real life, they would be the enemy of the Jiang Group.
With this statement, most capitalists decisively abandoned their plans.
Offending the Jiang Group for Lin Jichen was not worth it.
Of course, some people were still unwilling to give up and were searching for information about Lin Jichen.
Usually, Lin Jichen was elusive, but today he finally appeared.
In an instant, all the guests greeted him warmly, introducing themselves, eager to become friends with Lin Jichen.
Lin Jichen responded with a smile and a nod to everyone, not offending anyone.
This smooth and tactful attitude quickly won him the favor of most people.
However, at this moment, a young fat man stood up and blocked Lin Jichen's path.
"Hello, excuse me," Lin Jichen greeted with a smile.
But the other party didn't buy it, arrogantly saying, "Lin Jichen, I know you're the owner of the four golden shops. Let's not beat around the bush. I want to buy one of your shops. Name your price."
Lin Jichen finally took a serious look at him, realizing it was the 'fake second-generation wealthy' Wang Fuchun from the last auction.
The accountant who embezzled a huge amount of company funds appeared at the auction again. Last time, to pursue Liu Xiazi, he spent over four hundred thousand to buy Lin Jichen's Crimson Cloud Sword as a gift for her.
After that move, many people extended olive branches to Wang Fuchun, thinking he was a disciple of some prominent family.
Unexpectedly, he showed up again this time, able to enter an auction with a starting bid of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
This indicated that he had embezzled tens of millions from the company.
Tsk tsk, a ruthless guy, truly reckless.
This time, he set his sights on Lin Jichen.
Lin Jichen didn't want to get involved and politely said, "I don't have any shops. Sorry."
But Wang Fuchun wouldn't let it go, "Are you refusing to give me face?"
Wang Fuchun saw Lin Jichen's slick demeanor and thought he was easy to bully. He believed that if he intimidated him, Lin Jichen wouldn't dare to refuse.
More importantly, Wang Fuchun knew he had embezzled too much from the company, and he couldn't repay it with his own ability.
So he targeted Lin Jichen's shops. If he could buy one, he could wait for it to appreciate and then sell it.
This was called borrowing a chicken to lay eggs!
He might not only repay the company's funds but also make a huge profit, becoming wealthy without embezzling again.
Thinking about it, he felt this plan was very promising.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas