**Rick** stared at the chat window, deep in thought.
**[kGod]:** "What game?"
**[4289359285]:** "Divine Gift, WoW, 10.10."
**[kGod]:** "What type of green gear? How much?"
**[4289359285]:** "1,000 pieces, belts. Can you handle that? Only accepting gold in exchange."
Rick, initially dismissive, suddenly felt his heart race. He immediately shifted into a more serious mindset, calculating how much profit this could bring him. His first thought was to sell the gear to **Rita**, using her to connect with the government.
Right now, the only people he truly trusted were his parents, **Samuel** and **Scarlett**, and Rita.
But he quickly dismissed that idea. Connecting with the government would mean directly crossing the **Lopez family**, and that wasn't worth the risk. Plus, Rick couldn't handle such a large deal on his own; he only had a handful of followers under his command.
**[kGod]:** "How much gold per piece? What are the attributes? I need to see the actual items."
**[4289359285]:** "Each adds 3–4 attribute points. 2 pounds of gold per piece."
Rick knew immediately that this was grossly overpriced. While he had only participated in one closed beta test, he had browsed the auction houses enough to know that 2 pounds of gold, roughly equivalent to half a million dollars, was asking far too much.
Though he couldn't recall exact prices, Rick was an expert in **Jewelry Crafting**. Even at the **beginner level**, he could craft earrings that added 5 attribute points. The materials for such items were costly, often requiring gems worth over a million dollars, but that was unique to **jewelry**.
He knew other professions, like **Leatherworking**, **Tailoring**, and **Engineering**, could produce gear with similar stat boosts at far lower costs.
The issue, however, was that not everyone was as resourceful as him. Most players barely scraped by, completing tasks for mere silver coins, with no money left over for learning skills, let alone buying materials.
**[kGod]:** "I need to see the items first."
Meanwhile, Rita spent her days quietly at home, focusing on **Alchemy**. She brewed 1,000 bottles of **Lesser Healing Potions**, planning to sell them to the Lopez family for gold.
Healing potions were among the first items to become obsolete in the game, but at this stage, they were worth their weight in gold. Each bottle restored 60 health points, which was essentially a lifesaver for players whose starting HP was only 100. While average players might hide and wait for natural recovery, the wealthy couldn't tolerate being below 90% health for long.
Rita wasn't sure if the Lopez family had developed their own alchemists yet, but she figured it was worth trying. If nothing else, she could deplete their gold reserves early. If she didn't sell to them, they would just buy from elsewhere, likely using paper money rather than valuable gold. She handed the task off to **Gunslinger**, specifying that he could only sell to the Lopez family.
For each potion sold at 100 grams of gold, any excess profit was his to keep.
A **Lesser Healing Potion** sold for just 1 silver in shops on the alien world, so charging 100 grams of gold per potion was a ridiculous markup—a fiftyfold increase. But that was the price of cross-world trade, wasn't it?
After leaving the potions with Gunslinger, Rita collected 200 pounds of gold and didn't worry about him cheating her. Gunslinger was smart; he knew better than to cross someone with access to such lucrative deals. He also knew that if he didn't follow her instructions, he wouldn't be trusted with future opportunities.
However, Rita wasn't as trusting of **Hong Kong Boy**, the other middleman she was using. Since Vancouver was further away and the player wasn't as reputable, she only sold him three sample belts, instructing him to come back with a successful deal before getting more.
Driven by the promise of massive profits, both Gunslinger and Hong Kong Boy aggressively marked up their prices.
Each day, Rita used her **Teleportation Portal** to visit the alien world. After her earlier wine delivery to the **Undead Alchemy Tutor**, where the tutor accepted the wine and gave her a 10-minute lesson, Rita had made it a routine. Every day, she brought five bottles of fine wine and attended 50-minute lessons. The tutor's insights far surpassed the basic alchemy videos she had been watching.
Between her alchemy lessons and grinding experience in the wild, Rita's schedule was packed. By early February, she received word from **Hong Kong Boy**—the deal was ready, and she needed to bring the rest of the belts to Vancouver.
Using her usual method, Rita snuck onto a flight and arrived in Vancouver, disguised as a large man. She headed to the agreed meeting spot.
Inside a hotel suite, Hong Kong Boy was waiting for her. Rita had already used her **Hunter's Eye** to scan the surroundings and found the adjacent rooms filled with people. But that didn't bother her; the numbers were within reason. She ignored the tea on the table and got straight to the point. "Deal settled? Is it the buyer I recommended?"
Hong Kong Boy didn't ask why she insisted on that particular buyer. "Yes, it's done. You can check for yourself. He and his wife are in the next room."
Rita nodded. "Where's the gold?"
He opened a case, revealing stacks of gold bars.
The sight was familiar, and Rita felt a wave of nostalgia. She quickly brought out her box of belts, and they exchanged the goods, pushing their respective cases forward.
Rita's **Chávez Pocket Watch** had an **Insight** ability that allowed her to check not only people's information but also items. She only needed to verify the purity of one gold bar before confirming if the rest were legitimate. The game's inventory system helped her quickly calculate the total weight.
Checking all 900-plus belts, however, was more tedious. But Rita remained patient, allowing Hong Kong Boy to inspect each item. All the while, she stayed on high alert, prepared for any sudden betrayal.
After half an hour, Hong Kong Boy breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried this might be a scam. Satisfied, he pocketed the belts. "Pleasure doing business. If you've got more deals , let's keep working together."
He had no intention of turning this into a double-cross. They were in the middle of the city, and everyone involved was a player. It was easier to trade peacefully, especially since they had made a substantial profit from the deal. The Lopez family had been unwilling to part with more gold, agreeing to pay 1 pound per belt. Still, they had been willing to pay extra cash.
Hong Kong Boy and his associates had made an extra 10,000 dollars per belt, netting them nearly 1 million in profit after selling 900 belts. Even after keeping a few for themselves, they'd still be set for the year.
Rita nodded in satisfaction and left promptly. She didn't have much **Disguise** time left.
Between the healing potions and the belts, Rita had drained 1,200 pounds of gold from the Lopez family.