Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong had never dealt with such transactions before. However, after making inquiries through various channels, they managed to determine a reasonable price for the magazines—approximately one fruit coin per standard energy round.
Although this price was far below Xu Mo's expectations, he felt better upon considering the 1:600 exchange rate between fruit coins and Huaxia currency.
With a slight markup, Xu Mo set the price at 25 fruit coins per magazine. As soon as they were displayed, they were immediately sold out. Seeing the lingering customers still inquiring, he quickly produced another batch of 20 on the spot. However, this time, at a price of 30 fruit coins, sales slowed down. It took him half an hour to sell just five, before a foreigner dressed like a cowboy, a senior member, bought up the remaining stock in one go at a negotiated price of 28 fruit coins each.
The acquisition price of a green junk shard was 100 fruit coins, with the cost evenly distributed across each magazine being 5 fruit coins. At a standard price of 25 fruit coins per magazine, each batch yielded a net profit of nearly 400 fruit coins. Though not as exaggerated as his initial calculations, it was still a considerable sum.
Unfortunately, the energy of the "Shaved Ice Machine" currently only supported one manufacturing session per day. Enhancing this "money-printing cheat" had now become an urgent priority.
Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong were astonished by the "artifact" Xu Mo possessed. While envious, they couldn't help but joke about it.
Just as the three were packing up to leave, a man wearing a silver skull mask suddenly pushed through the crowd to Xu Mo's stall. He dropped a dice-sized red skull ornament on the counter and, in a commanding tone, said, "15 fruit coins per magazine. From now on, 'Blood Skull' will take all your stock. You don't need to set up a stall anymore!"
Xu Mo was no dedicated merchant—profits were secondary. If the other party had followed proper business procedures to negotiate a wholesale deal, he wouldn't have minded settling for a lower margin. But to resort to outright coercion? That was unacceptable. Xu Mo was never the kind to "wait ten years for revenge"—his temper flared instantly.
"I don't care who you are! If you want to buy, come early next time. The lowest price is 25 fruit coins—no haggling!" Xu Mo sneered, kicking the red skull ornament aside.
The skull-masked man was momentarily stunned before he let out an enraged laugh. "Alright! Kid, you've got guts! Watch your back from now on!" With that, he turned and stormed off.
As soon as the skull-masked man left, Du Zhizhang anxiously pulled Xu Mo away from the trading zone, rushing toward Carriage Zero while whispering urgently, "Brother, you're in trouble now! 'Blood Skull' isn't a large organization within the alliance, but their brutality ranks among the top three. Nobody who crosses them has survived longer than a week. We need to leave before their leader arrives…"
"But isn't private combat strictly forbidden in the trading zone? They wouldn't dare to kill someone here, would they?" Xu Mo asked in confusion.
"They wouldn't dare to kill here, but it's rumored that the leader of 'Blood Skull' has an ability to track a wielder's true form. Anyone who offends them usually ends up dead in the streets within three days, in a gruesome manner…"
"Doesn't the alliance do anything about this?"
"The alliance is just a commercial organization, not the police. How could they care about such things? There are no laws governing ability wielders—at most, the alliance only maintains internal trading order."
Just as the three reached Carriage L2, their path was suddenly blocked by two men and a woman, all wearing silver skull masks. They instinctively took half a step back, only to realize that the skull-masked man from earlier was now approaching from behind, accompanied by a towering figure. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded.
"Which one of you just refused our 'Blood Skull' supply deal?"
The leader of 'Blood Skull' was a true giant. Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, he was built like an iron tower. His bulging muscles twisted like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree, and his half-opened collar revealed a thick mat of chest hair, adding to his wild and ferocious appearance.
Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong, now entirely powerless as ordinary people, dared not speak. Xu Mo feared they would be dragged into the conflict, so he took a step forward and shouldered the blame. "I was the one who refused you. If you have a problem, deal with me. These two were just passing by and have nothing to do with this."
The 'Blood Skull' leader's bull-like eyes swept over Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong with disdain. Sensing their complete lack of energy fluctuations, he casually waved his hand. The two men and one woman blocking the path immediately stepped aside.
Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong knew that staying would only make things worse for Xu Mo. They exchanged worried glances, and before leaving, Du Zhizhang whispered in Xu Mo's ear, "The 'Blood Skull' organization consists of five members. Those three are just lackeys. The real threats are the two in front of you. The leader is known as 'Ripping King Kong' among senior members—his raw strength can tear apart tigers and leopards, and his weapon of choice is unknown. The man behind him uses two semi-automatic pistols and is an excellent marksman. He's also a notorious womanizer, frequently posting in trade forums to buy virgins for their first night, which is why people call him 'Three Shots'… Be careful."
With that, Du Zhizhang secretly slipped something into Xu Mo's hand before pulling Chang Zitong away.
Xu Mo felt the object—it seemed to be an Apocalyptic Shard. However, he had no time to inspect it, so he discreetly pocketed it.
At this moment, the group was in a crowded train carriage. The tense standoff caught the attention of several alliance members. However, most veteran members recognized the silver skull masks of 'Blood Skull' and quickly averted their gaze, not wanting to get involved. Only a few senior members and some clueless rookies lingered to watch the scene unfold.
"I'm right here in front of you. What do you want?" Xu Mo asked coldly, unafraid.
Even if 'Ripping King Kong' had pushed his strength to the limit, Xu Mo doubted he was more terrifying than the female tyrant he had faced before. He may be a rookie, but he was by no means weak.
A faint chuckle came from behind the 'Ripping King Kong' mask. He remained arrogant as he spoke, "Relax, I won't bully a rookie inside the alliance. I just want to make a bet with you."
"And why would I bet with you?" Xu Mo sneered, turning to continue toward Carriage Zero.
"You don't have a choice!"
A massive hand shot toward Xu Mo's shoulder. Without hesitation, Xu Mo drew his gun and aimed it squarely at the man's chest before the hand could touch him.
"Drop the gun!"
Simultaneously, 'Three Shots' and the other three members reacted, drawing their weapons. Five dark muzzles surrounded Xu Mo from all directions, pressing against his head.
Beep! Beep!
The alliance's security system detected the disturbance in the carriage. As a piercing alarm blared, the side doors slammed shut, and dozens of small windows on the ceiling slid open, revealing internal defense laser turrets. In an instant, numerous targeting lasers locked onto Xu Mo and the 'Blood Skull' members.
"Warning! Warning! All alliance members in Carriage L2 must cease private combat immediately. Failure to comply will be considered an act of defiance against alliance rules and will result in immediate termination. Countdown: ten… nine… eight…"
"Looks like you lost."
Xu Mo smirked, withdrawing his gun and brushing aside the massive hand on his shoulder, meeting 'Ripping King Kong's' furious gaze with a mocking stare.