Chapter 179: E-commerce, Changing the Trade Pattern [Two-in-One]

Back at 11 Bone Avenue, Raun was sitting on the front steps, resting his chin on his hand, looking listless.

Seeing Desowa return, Raun immediately stood up and said apologetically, “Teacher Desowa, I’m sorry I…”

“No, it’s me who should apologize. I lost my temper! I’m sorry.”

Desowa came over and rubbed his head, saying the apology easily.

——Two years ago, he wouldn’t have been able to say such words.

Raun was stunned, then grinned, showing his white teeth, and said, “No problem, the future Archmage Raun forgives you!”

Desowa flicked his forehead with a finger: “Are you so proud? Did you finish watching the public lecture?”

Raun held his forehead and shouted, “You are using this lecture as a personal vendetta!”

After shouting, he shrank his head and dashed into the house.

Desowa chuckled and also returned to the room.

He decided to become a Grand Mage before going home. Rather than being too proud, he felt that a Grand Mage offers limited help to the family.

Only by becoming a Grand Mage can one have significant influence.

Especially at his age.

When he said it was “soon,” he wasn’t just comforting his mother.

With the Internet and Q&A communities, mastering fifth-level magic was not very difficult for him. He just needed a little more time for research and accumulation.

In this, he was quite confident! Sitting back in his chair, Desowa opened the Internet to check out the Internet Mega E-commerce.

As for magic practice?

He was not in a hurry. He preferred to research quietly at night when everything else was silent.

The Internet Mega E-commerce logo was interesting: It was a pair of trading hands, one holding a money bag and the other a product.

The meaning it conveyed was straightforward.

Upon clicking it, a very extensive interface appeared.

On the left side of the homepage was a line of main product categories, including [Food & Grain], [Weapons & Armor], [Industrial Manufacturing], [Magical Tools], [Magical Ingredients], [Daily Necessities]… and so on.

Randomly clicking on a main category would immediately pop up a row of subcategories.

For example, clicking on [Food & Grain] would pop up “Meat,” “Cereals,” “Fungi,” “Aquatic Products,” “Fruits and Vegetables,” “Processed Foods”… and other more detailed subcategories.

The variety was obviously carefully planned.

What surprised Desowa the most was that several products were scrolling in the middle of the page, including “Bicycles,” “Guns,” “Floating Airships,” and “Seeds.”

Especially the last product, “Seeds,” left Desowa dumbfounded.

On the interface was an image of a Graceful Woman holding several floating seeds with one hand.

In the picture, the seeds were floating up and down, her long hair fluttering, and her smile was warm.

That woman was none other than the girl who had chased after him before—Dorothy!

Clicking on this ad took the page to a well-made website.

The banner read:

——Forest of Magic, Seed Experts of the Multiverse! Under the banner, countless products were listed, with most being seeds or special magical plants’ seedlings.

He clicked on a “Black Wheat 6-11 Seed” product, and the page redirected to a lower-level subpage.

This page was filled with information about the superiority of the “Black Wheat 6-11 Seed,” which also included a video.

The video showed Dorothy standing next to a four-square-meter Time Rain Farm under a glass dome, introducing the seed’s characteristics.

As she introduced, she activated the Time Rain Farm to accelerate the crop growth cycle, directly showing the seed’s superiority.

Desowa wasn’t interested in the superiority of the 6-11 seeds; no matter how scarce food was, he wouldn’t miss a bite.

He was just a bit surprised at Dorothy’s change.

In the video, Dorothy smiled with her hands overlapping at her waist, looking intellectual and graceful.

Her pronunciation was clear, and the occasional mention of terms like “Accumulated Temperature,” “Self-Pollination,” and “De-shelled Weight” was novel to him.

He became increasingly aware that Dorothy was digging deeply into a field he knew nothing about.

The little girl who used to follow him and make him feel annoyed had found her own path.

Desowa smiled genuinely, feeling happy for Dorothy’s achievements.

He hadn’t realized yet that the Forest of Magic seeds he wasn’t interested in had caused a huge disturbance in the multiverse!

No! It should be said that the launch of the Internet Mega E-commerce shocked the multiverse completely!

……

“Honorable Baron Volcker, I am truly sorry, but it’s not that we won’t sell you grain; the mountain path is too difficult to traverse! By the time the grain is transported, thirty percent of it is lost on the way, and with the current terrible weather, the loss rate is over fifty percent, so…”

In the castle’s great hall, the second manager of the Gold Spike Guild spread his hands helplessly, but a hint of smugness was in his expression.

Hearing this, Baron Volcker’s facial muscles twitched, nearly driving him to rage and murder.

Fifty percent loss? Did they take him for a naive child?

These idiots clearly wanted to take advantage of the situation!

He wished he could draw his sword and chop off this bastard’s head, but he dared not! If he dared to cut off the second manager’s head, the hungry residents in his territory would chop off his head.

Thinking this, a deep sadness and anger rose in Baron Volcker’s heart.

Since he inherited the title from his father, he had diligently managed the territory, fighting bandits and developing commerce, only to have everything destroyed by a flood.

The disaster caused a famine, leading to riots, unrest invited enemies to seize opportunities.

He knew how to solve the immediate problem.

That was food! As long as he had food, no matter how the enemy agitated and stirred up trouble, it wouldn’t matter.

Those cowardly, timid residents would not rebel if they could stay alive.

However, while it was common to add flowers to the brocade, it was rare to offer charcoal in the snow.

No, in desperate times, one might even face being kicked when down! Gold Spike Guild was indeed kicking when down.

His reserve of gold coins was already very limited, and now, they raised the prices.

Even if he bought this batch of grain, it would only delay the crisis. Without seeds for sowing, the residents would likely overthrow him once this grain was gone.

These damned merchants only wanted to squeeze his last bit of oil without caring about his life.

For a moment, thick despair enveloped his heart.

He had to put on a brave face, pretending to be calm: “I understand the Guild’s difficulties, but isn’t this also the best opportunity for your Guild to gain the friendship of the Volcker family, which has lasted two hundred and sixteen years?”

The second manager of the Gold Spike Guild looked Baron Volcker up and down, a sneer on his lips: “The friendship of the Volcker family isn’t worth much!”

At these words, Baron Volcker’s face turned red.

He suddenly placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

The second manager laughed coldly, confidently staring at Baron Volcker with no fear!

He’d bet that Baron Volcker wouldn’t dare kill him! Killing him would be cutting off his retreat! “Huff… Huff…” Baron Volcker’s eyes were bloodshot, his mind in a frenzy.

“Click, click, click!”

A series of hurried footsteps came, as an elderly magician rushed into the castle hall, speaking softly and excitedly into Baron Volcker’s ear.

Baron Volcker listened quietly. His position of authority granted him a calm demeanor, though his pupils trembled slightly.

“Phew…”

After a long time, he breathed out a sigh, relaxing his grip on the hilt.

The second manager noticed these details, unsure of what had happened, but his disdainful look only deepened.

He guessed that Baron Volcker’s territory might be in trouble again? Indeed, those lowly residents would only lie quietly in their pigsties when full; once hungry, they would charge about.

Baron Volcker took a deep breath: “The end of the Gold Spike Guild is near!”

“What?” The second manager looked bewildered, as if seeing a madman: “No, no, no, Baron Volcker, Aubrey’s Territory may meet its end, but not the Gold Spike Guild!”

“Is that so? But your end has come!”

With that, Baron Volcker, who had relaxed his fingers, suddenly gripped the hilt, drawing his sword and thrusting it in one fluent motion! “You—”

Baron Volcker’s sudden attack caught the second manager by surprise. He clutched his abdomen, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Baron Volcker snapped his fingers, causing a virtual screen to appear out of nowhere.

He flicked it open, finding a grain supplier on the Internet Mega E-commerce.

“One hundred thousand stone of grain, one ton of gold, transported through the teleportation array. Can the opportunistic Gold Spike Guild do that?”

Baron Volcker looked at the second manager’s face, full of glee! “No, impossible…?”

The second manager stared at the virtual screen before him, and as his consciousness faded into darkness, he died.

The magician who had rushed into the Great Hall looked at the slumping second manager with an impassive expression.

“Lord Volcker, besides grain, I also consulted the Dragon Factory’s customer service. They said if we purchase one hundred thousand stones of grain, we are allowed to buy a small batch of guns, one thousand pieces, with ten thousand bullets included, totaling one thousand gold coins.”

Baron Volcker’s eyes suddenly lit up.

With grain and guns, would the troubled situation persist? No! It wouldn’t!

He could even seize the opportunity to sweep out the rats hiding in the shadows.

Praise you, Internet God!

All of this came at just the right time.

At that moment, how many other hearts, like Baron Volcker’s, praised the Internet God?

……

……

“I’ll take all of these. What do you want? Grain? Or water?”

The words from the magician of the Kewell Empire on the Azaea Continent left the Kobold Chieftain elated.

These blue stones before him weren’t everywhere in the desert, but if they searched carefully, they could find a good amount.

In the past, the tribe collected them merely as decorations.

He never thought that these unremarkable decorations were actually precious magical materials; just this small bag could exchange for a large amount of grain.

Thank the Internet God! The Internet Mega E-commerce is simply wonderful! “Grain, water, guns, bicycles, and seeds from the Forest of Magic, I want them all. But you must first estimate a price!”

The Kobold Chieftain said cautiously.

He was not afraid of being cheated! First, with the Internet, he had already checked what Gobi sapphires were and their value.

Secondly, when the other party’s spirit descended, they signed a confidentiality contract.

What he had to do was find a suitable trading place to prevent the other party from recording coordinates through the teleportation array.

“I believe you’ve checked online the price for Gobi sapphires, this part is clear. However, let me remind you that only my Kewell Empire can swallow so much goods and provide you with guns, bicycles, seeds, and more. So, I’ll offer ten thousand gold coins per pound for these sapphires, this is fair, and I intend to do long-term business.”

The Kewell magician spoke eloquently.

“Gold coins? No, no, I want goods.”

“I know, this is priced with gold coins. After calculating the total value, you can then purchase my goods for barter, right?”

After some haggling, both parties finalized the deal.

The Kobold then led his tribe warriors to complete the transaction with the Kewell merchants in an underground cave far from the tribe.

When heaps of goods were hauled to the tribe,

this Kobold tribe living in the desolate desert fell into shock and celebration!

The ample supplies led to a grand ritual celebration in the tribe!

The object of worship was the Internet God! “Thank you, Internet God, for bringing grain, water, mighty guns, and exquisite bicycles to Mansub! You are the master of trade, the god of justice, the disseminator of knowledge, the protector of the Kobolds! Praise you, Internet God!”

The Kobold Chieftain shouted loudly on the altar.

“Praise the Internet God!”

Countless Kobolds below the altar echoed, resounding through the clouds.

The Kobold Chieftain looked at his fanatical people, shaking with excitement.

He had a feeling that as long as the Internet existed, Mansub would eventually grow under his rule! Under the protection of the Internet God, the desolate desert will never trap Mansub on the path to prosperity and strength!

……

……

In some places, new paths of development were discovered with the help of the Internet;

in others, people saw hope but hesitated!

Lyle Plane, City of Grantham.

This is the Preaching Area of the Underworld God.

Residents of this land have always taken pride in their faith in the Underworld God, especially after the emergence of the Dark Web, which has grown fervent among the inhabitants of Grantham.

The Dark Web is so powerful!

So dazzling!

Although the Internet later spread here, local residents despised it, even cursing the Internet God for plagiarizing the Dark Web.

Otherwise, why are the two so similar? Through [followers of the Underworld God], the residents of Grantham also came to know the Underworld!

Necromancers were overjoyed by the ease of future practice, and ordinary residents were excited to explore the mysteries of the world, thrilled by the hope-filled future.

However, when the Four Main Gods marched to the city walls, everything became a bubble!

Even though the Underworld God boasted of having five hundred million calamities, spread across twenty-seven planes, the numbers were hardly noticeable.

As the war broke out, the drawbacks of the Fifth Calamity gradually emerged.

First, even though the Fifth Calamity was cost-effective, it still required a significant number of undead corpses.

The Underworld God got too carried away with the huge military gathered by the [followers of the Underworld God].

When all his Preaching Areas were engulfed in war, he realized that even though the Fifth Calamity was cost-effective, under the fire of war, it couldn’t meet demands.

Secondly, compared to the Fourth Calamity, the Fifth Calamity gradually exposed a fatal flaw.

The Fifth Calamity’s production cost is extremely low; there’s no time limit on landing; the soul fragment’s growth can even feed back to the main body.

In extreme cases, the fragment could even become the main body.

But the Fifth Calamity has a deadly weakness—it cannot die!

Unlike the Fourth Calamity controlled through Six Sense Sharing Contract puppets.

The Fifth Calamity controls the undead with soul fragments, dying multiple times leads to soul damage. A few instances are fine, but many times, players obviously change.

Irritable, aggressive, delirious, neurasthenic, losing weight, and mentally erratic.

This problem wasn’t serious initially.

On one hand, the Underworld God used soul authority, cutting only a small part of the player’s soul fragment;

on the other, the soul itself had a self-repairing ability, especially souls nourished by a body.

Occasional soul fragment deaths were like losing three or five drops of blood on the physical body.

Ironically, war magnified this flaw! In response to the attack of the Four Main Gods, the Fifth Calamity became cannon fodder. Players had to revive and die repeatedly to protect their homes.

Some veteran players even died suddenly due to excessive loss of their body’s soul.

For residents of Grantham, the worst wasn’t the soul loss—it was no food left.

With the city besieged by the Four Main Gods, even money couldn’t buy grain.

Therefore, when the Internet Mega E-commerce went online, those Underworld God followers still paying attention to the Internet were dumbfounded.

Should they remain faithful to the Underworld God? Or become Internet users for their stomachs? This became a dilemma.

……

The dilemma of Grantham’s residents also became the dilemma of countless followers in the Preaching Areas of the gods.

When wealth is within reach, can faith remain unshakable? The gods lacked confidence, the Underworld God was furious! The update of the Internet Mega E-commerce made the situation for the Dark Web increasingly difficult. He realized, changes must be made, or he was doomed.

Continue the plagiarism strategy, launch an e-commerce section?