Chapter24-Acquiring Materials and the Military Agreement

With a flash of azure light, the figures of Jason and Carolina materialized in the central district of Losfall City. 

The surrounding players were slightly baffled, buzzing with speculation.

"What's happening?"

"Is there a teleportation array here??"

"That woman, no, she's a hero, one of [Smith]'s lieutenants!"

"Holy smokes! No wonder there's a new teleportation array, classic [Smith] move!"

…

Many players wanted to get closer, but Carolina simply raised her hand slightly, summoning a gust of wind that barricaded the enthusiastic "fans." 

The players, eager to approach, were instead pushed back by the wind, some even losing their balance and tumbling to the ground.

Subsequently, the dragon girl transformed into a flying dragon, carrying Jason and soared straight to the potion shop they visited in the morning. 

Already, numerous players were waiting there. 

Seeing Jason, they rushed over excitedly.

"Boss, I've gathered the sea stone flowers you wanted."

"Boss, here are the broadleaves I collected."

…

The players squeezed in excitedly. On just the second day of the server being live, everyone was short of gold coins. 

One gold coin could be exchanged for a 1-tier unit, and every extra coin meant more strength to better pioneer the game.

Who wouldn't be thrilled when someone was willing to pay double for materials?

Jason, still playing the silent expert, merely raised his hand to initiate trade with the closest players.

"You paid 17 gold coins and obtained 6 sea stone flowers."

"You paid 21 gold coins…"

…

As players continuously flowed in, Jason swiftly acquired the materials he needed for his quests in Losfall. 

However, he hadn't collected many of the other batch of materials required for entering the event dungeon. 

These were rarer items, beyond the reach of ordinary players.

"Saving some time is good enough... As for the core materials, I'll figure out a way to collect them later," Jason thought regretfully, though his expression remained impassive.

Soon, the crowd of players began to dwindle, and sensing the time was right, Jason spoke up loudly, 

"I will continue to purchase here tomorrow night. However, I no longer need the items from the first list, only the second one, and the price remains double."

Just as Jason was about to leave, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking his path. He halted, sizing up the newcomer.

The player in front of him wore a cloak emitting a faint luminescence, indicative of platinum-level gear or higher. 

To possess such equipment on the second day of the server indicated this player was a high-level gamer, likely affiliated with the officials or major clans.

Thus, Jason was not averse to hearing out what the individual had to say. 

Observing that the enigmatic [Smith] had stopped and was intently focusing on him seemed almost enchanted, Aelica—the figure blocking Jason—couldn't help but reveal a hint of joy.

"It seems [Smith] isn't as indifferent as he appears. Could he be swayed?" Aelica pondered internally.

She was a representative of the Valoria military, tasked with engaging [Smith]. 

As the ace of the military's Project Swallow, her mission was to persuade [Smith] through personal charm and a sense of duty to the nation, attempting to recruit him to serve the Valoria government.

"Mr. Smith, I understand you're collecting some materials?" she began, listing off items like a menu—obsidian, sixty units; pure gold balances, sixteen; onyx stones, thirty; essence of flame, forty-two—all rare materials Jason had sought that morning.

However, to her disappointment, Jason's face remained unexcited, his expression cool and detached.

"The military?" Jason articulated coolly. 

Gathering such advanced materials in such short order would require not just manpower but also superior intelligence sources, beyond the capability of mere major families.

"You're quite observant."

"Mr. Smith, not only have we gathered these materials for you, but we are also offering them to you free of charge."

"And we will continue to collect your required materials until they are complete." Aelica's smile was sweet, her voice pleasing to the ear. Her innocent face made it hard not to lower one's guard.

But Jason simply shook his head and said, "The most expensive things come for free."

"Spit it out, what do you want?"

Aelica was about to say, we want nothing but your commitment to strive for the greatness of Valoria once again. 

However, seeing [Smith]'s still utterly stern visage, she knew such words would be pointless and switched to her backup plan.

"If possible, we wish to obtain the [divine fragment] needed to construct the [Divine Realm]..." 

Mid-sentence, observing [Smith]'s mocking expression, she quickly corrected herself, "The item for summoning heroes! Some of the rare items you listed this morning are hard to come by."

"We only need two hero summoning items."

After hearing her out, Jason merely shook his head and stated, "One."

"We've already suffered heavy casualties collecting these materials…" Aelica immediately retorted, desperation creeping into her voice.

Jason cut in decisively, "I know. So, besides the hero summoning item, I can also sell these pieces of equipment to you."

Jason's looting sprees had yielded many Iron/Bronze-tier items. 

He had no use for them, but at this early stage, barely two days into the server, even the mighty Valoria official government was short on equipment.

So, he laid out his terms, offering to sell these items in bulk to them, an offer that was undoubtedly tempting. 

As for the hero summoning item, Jason was aware of a monster den near Losfall City, clearing which would drop a [C-tier Hero Invitation]. 

He didn't plan on using it himself and could trade it with the Valoria officials.

"Wait, sell to us..."

"This... my goodness! All this equipment??" Aelica was initially going to refuse, but she was astounded soon after.

Jason displayed a bunch of equipment. 

Though they were Iron and Bronze-tier, they were far from trash; in fact, because they were primarily obtained from the first clear of a dungeon or the first kill of a boss, their attributes were quite exceptional.

"You should understand, all this equipment could arm a pioneering team right now," Jason stated in a relaxed manner.

"Of course! Of course! Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Smith."

Aelica was incredibly shocked; she was almost dumbfounded... 

What [Smith] said was true; these items could indeed equip a pioneering team. But didn't his family need these items? 

To think he could just sell them off??

The only explanation she could fathom was that [Smith] could gain a greater benefit from collecting those materials...

Lost in her speculations, she couldn't guess that Jason simply didn't care for these low-tier items and found it convenient to offload them all at once.

Subsequently, Aelica swiftly transferred all the materials to Jason.

As for the pile of equipment, she offered a fair price of one hundred thousand gold coins to take all of Jason's gear. 

The price was a bit steep, but considering the game had just launched, and having equipment was crucial for pioneering and acquiring more resources, the premium was understandable.

Soon, the transaction was completed. 

Naturally, Jason was not inclined to waste more time and turned to leave.

Yet Aelica, who hadn't fully processed the situation, had spent a hundred thousand gold coins. 

Securing such a haul of equipment was a significant achievement, and she was inwardly exulting in her triumph. 

It wasn't until Jason had walked far away that she suddenly realized something.

"Wasn't I supposed to showcase some charm, attempt to establish a close relationship with [Smith]…" 

Aelica slightly zoned out, recalling her original mission. 

She couldn't help feeling helpless; it wasn't that Aelica lacked mental fortitude, but as an intelligence operative fully aware of the game Divine Age's difficulty level, the surplus equipment casually discarded by Smith, which they deemed unnecessary, was like a long-awaited rain for the Valoria government...

This [Smith] was simply too extraordinary.

…

After Jason had left, he was oblivious to the profound impact he'd had on someone else. 

He was in high spirits — he'd just made a hundred thousand gold coins!

"Off to complete more quests!" Jason was ready to ramp up his efforts in the game.