The next morning, Lin Yu stretched and washed up quickly, his mind on the skill crystals he had obtained yesterday.
He hurried downstairs and to another street, finding a public phone booth. He then took out a business card.
This was a card given to him by Liu An, the rich second generation, a few days ago when he emerged from the secret realm.
He dialed the number on the card.
Ring, ring, ring!
After a few rings, the call was connected.
"Who is it?"
"I have skill crystals!" Lin Yu had no intention of revealing his identity; after all, caution ensured longevity.
Upon hearing this, the person on the other end quickly said, "I'll take them, no matter the price!"
Lin Yu was slightly taken aback. He knew skill crystals were precious and rare, but he hadn't expected them to be so valuable that they could make a rich second generation so excited.
Skill crystals allowed one to learn skills. While learned skills couldn't grow stronger with increased combat power like innate talents, they were a major path for low-tier talents to surpass high-tier talents.
Imagine facing an opponent with various high-level skills, while you only had one innate skill. The outcome of a battle between them would be truly unpredictable.
However, the drop rate of skill crystals was extremely low, and they were consumables. Therefore, as soon as one appeared, it would be immediately snatched up.
On the market, skill crystals were a highly stable product, more so than star coins!
Some people even collected a room full of skill crystals. This was akin to Earthlings converting their assets into real estate. It was more valuable than real estate, and in a crisis, skill crystals could even be used to build an armed group.
However, acquiring skill crystals was not easy. Most people who obtained them would use them themselves.
If they wanted to sell them, they would sell them to legitimate shops. As for Liu An, if he wanted to buy, he would have to pay a hefty price.
Most of the time, they were available in name but not in supply. You wanted to buy, but you couldn't.
Although Liu An was a rich second generation, he had many siblings. Furthermore, because his talent was only D-class, he wasn't highly valued in his family.
If he couldn't buy skill crystals through official channels, and even if someone sold them, there would be a crowd fighting over them. With his financial resources, he couldn't compete.
Lin Yu hadn't dealt with this matter before, so he didn't know much about it.
If it was difficult for a rich second generation like Liu An to obtain skill crystals, how much more so for an orphan like Lin Yu?
Therefore, his knowledge of this area was very limited.
However, Lin Yu's luck was indeed excellent. He had dropped two skill crystals from just two monster hunts.
If others knew, they would surely curse him for being lucky as hell.
Lin Yu said, "Aren't you going to ask what kind of skill crystal it is?"
Liu An replied, "Your combat power isn't high, so the skill crystal you obtained certainly won't be a high-level one. Secondly, skill crystals are precious, and I feel it's worth it regardless of the price!"
Lin Yu nodded upon hearing this, and the value of skill crystals increased in his mind.
"In that case, give me a price!"
"Three hundred thousand!" Liu An said.
Three hundred thousand star coins could buy a hundred-square-meter apartment in Ji City!
Keep in mind that the monthly salary for an ordinary person in this city was only three thousand star coins.
Lin Yu's breathing quickened upon hearing this number.
Just as he was about to agree, Liu An, thinking Lin Yu was unsatisfied, quickly said:
"The market price is three hundred thousand, but skill crystals are hard to come by. How about five hundred thousand? If it's any higher, I won't have enough cash on me right now!"
Lin Yu took a deep breath and said, "Deal!"
Liu An was overjoyed and said, "You're straightforward! I'm making a friend out of you. Where are you? I'll come find you!"
Lin Yu named a coffee shop, and the other party said he would be there immediately before hanging up.
Lin Yu put down the phone, his heart still pounding.
Five hundred thousand!
In Ji City, it could buy a hundred-and-fifty-square-meter apartment. An ordinary salary earner would need to work for seventeen to eighteen years without eating or sleeping to save up that much money.
And he, he had obtained it so easily.
No!
Lin Yu shook his head. It wasn't obtained easily.
After all, it required leaving the city, and leaving the city carried the risk of death.
In other words, it was earned with his life.
"No wonder hunting outside the city is so dangerous, yet so many people still go out there. It turns out to be so profitable!"
At this moment, Lin Yu finally understood why adventurers who hunted outside the city made so much money.
After a while, Lin Yu calmed his emotions and then created a clone. He put a hat and mask on the clone and sent it to the coffee shop.
The clone had just entered when Liu An arrived.
As soon as Liu An entered, he saw the clone's disguise, but he wasn't surprised.
After all, this was a significant transaction. Being cautious was understandable.
He said, "Is it you?"
The clone nodded and took out the skill crystal!
Upon seeing the skill crystal, Liu An excitedly said, "May I examine it?"
The clone said nothing, staring at him intently.
Liu An awkwardly said, "How about this, I'll give you the money first!"
The clone uttered two words: "Cash!"
Liu An replied, "Don't worry, I brought cash!"
He was familiar with this type of transaction. Since they didn't know each other, cash transactions were safer, leaving no trace.
As he spoke, he took off his backpack and took out the cash inside.
The clone counted it. The amount was correct, and it wasn't counterfeit. He took the cash and put it in his backpack before handing the skill crystal to the other party.
Liu An held the skill crystal and placed it against his forehead to examine it.
After a long while, he put down the skill crystal, "Energy Slash, not a loss!"
When he turned around again, the clone had already left.
Liu An looked at the departing figure and quickly checked the phone number, discovering it was a public phone.
Liu An muttered to himself, "This person is really cautious. Interesting!"
...
At Lin Yu's home.
Lin Yu looked at the backpack full of money and grinned happily.
"I have money now! Let's go out for a big meal!"
Lin Yu went downstairs and walked towards the nearest restaurant.
As an orphan, he usually lived frugally. Forget restaurants, he had never even been to a decent eatery.
Suddenly arriving at this high-end restaurant, he felt completely at ease.
The previous owner hadn't been here, but in his past life, he often went to high-end restaurants.
He beckoned a waiter and ordered a table full of dishes.
When the dishes arrived, Lin Yu waved the waiter away and began to feast.
"Mmm, delicious!"
"This meat is so chewy, it must be from a mutated beast! It's so much tastier than food from Earth!"
"After eating, my whole body feels warm. It's so damn comfortable!"
He was already a first-tier awakened being, and his appetite was ten times what it used to be.
He ate the entire table of dishes by himself.
After he was full and satisfied, he called for the waiter to settle the bill.
"Sir, your total bill is 1500 star coins!"
1500 star coins was equivalent to half a month's salary for an ordinary person, but Lin Yu didn't feel any heartache.
He paid directly and left the restaurant.
He ignored the admiring glances from the waitress behind him.
He felt light as a feather with money! It felt like he had been inflated, not only walking with more energy but also his mind felt much clearer.
On his way back, he bought two new sets of clothes. As he was heading home, he suddenly spotted an equipment shop. Looking at the dazzling array of various equipment in the shop, he stopped.
The shop owner was bent over, doing his accounts. He looked up and saw Lin Yu, greeting him enthusiastically, "Young man, would you like to come in and take a look?"
Lin Yu instinctively wanted to leave, but then he remembered that he was also a person with money now. What was there to be afraid of? He immediately puffed out his chest and walked into the shop.
"Boss, what kind of equipment do you have? Introduce it to me!" Lin Yu said with great confidence.
The boss was an old man with white whiskers.
He had fair skin, a buzz cut, stood about 1.8 meters tall, and was slender, but his posture was straight, giving the impression of an upright pine tree.
This made Lin Yu look at him with surprise for a few extra glances.
This person gave off a feeling of not being an ordinary person!