She asked for five cars because Jing Shu knew it wouldn’t be enough, and she could get more later. Asking for ten cars would be way too... COUGH COUGH.
"Five cars? Has she gone mad? What does she need so many cars for?"
"This is yet another case of the rich not needing them, and the poor not affording them. Nowadays, charging an energy car costs several Virtual Coins. If it breaks down, it can’t be fixed. Who has so many Virtual Coins to burn and still buys more?"
"The issue is, she wants so many gas-guzzling cars. How much oil does her family have?"
Although Jing Shu spoke softly, she still surprised everyone in the room. Follow current novᴇls on NoveI[F]ire.net
Chen Nan was dumbfounded. She had anticipated that no one present would lack cars but had offered them as a way to add some excitement for Su Malie’s auction.
Considering that nobody wanted them, she had specifically put up an energy car for auction, pricing it so low it was practically a giveaway.
But she hadn’t expected someone to request five cars right off the bat; it felt like Chen Nan’s heart was bleeding.
Su Malie burst out laughing. Just yesterday, Chen Nan had made bold claims that she wouldn’t be able to sell them off even in a package deal. Who would buy so many cars at once? Even for flipping them, they’d at least have to show Miss Chen Nan some respect.
"What’s the problem? Won’t you sell them?" Jing Shu asked quietly.
"No, no, I just wanted to ask if you’re buying all these cars for personal use?" Chen Nan asked.
Jing Shu once again captured the attention of the whole room. The RV was already a known entity, and future modifications would require various materials. The connections in this room could also help her gather some. So she said,
"I want to extensively modify the motorhome to enhance its functionality and safety, which will require many parts and advanced body systems."
Many in the room then understood. Without specialized materials and with all car factories closed to the public, they could only resort to dismantling one thing to fix another. Besides, parts from scrapped vehicles were useless and incompatible with a motorhome...
"I never realized this before, but now it’s clear that Jing Shu is a real tycoon."
"She spends eight hundred Virtual Coins on luxury cars not to drive them, but just to mod a motorhome? Holy crap, that’s some serious high-roller style!"
"Jing Shu already owns a Shark Submarine and also has a red BYD. Plus, she has a motorhome. Yesterday, I circled her villa and noticed she has a huge warehouse out back, probably for storing all sorts of vehicles."
Chen Nan let out a sigh of relief.
"So that’s what it is. It’s a good idea to prepare an RV; that way, if another disaster strikes, you’ll have a means of escape. How about this? My family happens to own a modification factory. I’ll cover all the materials you need for your motorhome modification. That should be better than you scrounging around for parts, right? You can pick whatever you like directly at the factory. Of course, I’m only offering materials; labor is on you."
This way, she’d lose less than if she sold already modified vehicles directly, Chen Nan swiftly calculated.
Jing Shu looked awkward and coughed. "That might not be ideal. My motorhome is quite large and requires substantial materials. Maybe it’s better to charge directly based on material costs!"
Chen Nan waved her hand grandly. "How much material could you possibly need? More than what would be used for five cars combined?"
"How about this: just charge me the bulk rate for ten cars. The materials I need are indeed unusually plentiful, and I can pay you extra if it turns out to be insufficient."
Since there was an existing modification factory with professional tools, she wouldn’t hold back. Her dream of a two-story, elevating villa-style motorhome could finally be realized! Jing Shu thought.
Hearing Jing Shu’s frankness, Chen Nan finally asked, "By the way, what kind of motorhome is it?"
"A German MAN Armadillo Conqueror F motorhome..."
"Conqueror? What kind of motorhome is that?"
"You’re so out of touch! It was a top-of-the-line motorhome before the apocalypse, costing ten million. It’s several times larger than a regular one."
The classmates inhaled sharply.
Chen Nan’s mouth fell open. It wasn’t the ten million that shocked her—everyone present had a pre-apocalypse net worth of at least a hundred million. What amazed her was the sheer size of the vehicle; the amount of materials it would require was truly extraordinary.
"I don’t recall Wu City having that car," Chen Nan said, nearly in tears.
Jing Shu coughed. "I just got it from the United States a few days ago..."
"How could I, Chen Nan, go back on my word? Just 800 Virtual Coins. I’ll cover all the modifications you need."
Even if losing a few thousand Virtual Coins was just like losing pocket money for a while, she couldn’t afford to lose face, Chen Nan thought.
"Alright, then thanks in advance." Seeing Chen Nan’s insistence, Jing Shu didn’t press further. She’d just have to see how much material was used and then repay Chen Nan with a gift later. Debts of gratitude weren’t easy to settle.
With most of the materials for the RV modification accounted for, Jing Shu’s mood improved considerably. It seemed today’s visit hadn’t been a waste after all.
The third dish was caviar steamed egg. It involved carefully carving gear-like openings and patterns into an eggshell, then pouring the prepared egg mixture inside and steaming it perfectly before topping it with fingernail-sized red caviar.
A delicate little spoon scooped some caviar and steamed egg together into her mouth... SLURP. Delicious!
It was said that eating exactly thirteen spoonfuls of the steamed egg and caviar, no more and no less, would allow the caviar’s exquisite flavor to linger the longest on the lips and palate.
While Jing Shu was savoring her second spoonful, her classmates had practically scraped their eggshells clean... Jing Shu narrowed her eyes. Could she get some caviar too? This stuff is delicious!
"The third auction item is a batch of steel left over from the construction of the Artificial Sun. It’s not much, only a few dozen tons left. Cutting and processing techniques are provided. A fixed price of 4,000 Virtual Coins, or trade for oil."
Su Malie then explained that a friend had asked her to help sell it, wanting only to get rid of it quickly.
"The price is quite cheap."
"But it’s pretty much useless now. You couldn’t even resell it."
"My family is already planning to switch to agriculture. We’re aiming to plant more fruits and vegetables this year."
Steel had many uses, but unfortunately, all the factories had ceased operations. Aside from its use during the construction of the Artificial Sun, there was basically no other need for it now. After all, even finding enough food was a problem, let alone undertaking new construction projects.
Seeing that the item was about to go unsold, Jing Shu said timidly, "If no one wants it, then... I’ll take it?"
Jing Shu truly didn’t want to draw attention to herself by bidding. However, the dozen or so boulders in her storage space had all been damaged, a month’s hard work gone to waste. Considering her experience of being bombed the other day, the boulders had proven to be quite effective as secret defensive and offensive weapons.
Steel was far superior to boulders. It was harder, could be used multiple times without damage, and possessed greater destructive power. This might genuinely be the last batch of steel ever produced—truly top-notch.
"She really does have money."
"What does she want steel for?"
"She definitely has a use for it. Damn, 4,000 Virtual Coins just like that, without even blinking. Her family definitely isn’t short of food."
"No kidding. She probably has a pool full of crayfish. You think she’d be short?"
The fourth dish was Burgundy wine-braised beef.
"I counted the beef. There were three pieces in total. I chewed forty-nine times, and then it was gone."
"Two pieces of carrot, one sprig of cilantro, one clove of garlic, one sip of red wine."
"I dipped the beef in the sauce and slurped it more than a dozen times before I dared to eat it."