resource exchange

The spaceship came to a stop in a district filled with bars. On either side of the long street stood buildings with peculiar shapes. Ye Fan disembarked from the spaceship and made his way towards a bar named "Springtime Whispers."

It was still daytime, and business at the bar seemed slow, with only a few dozen patrons scattered around the empty hall. Ye Fan's eyes cautiously scanned the room before he walked up to the counter and ordered a drink called "Ye**."

"Ye**" wasn't an ordinary beverage; it was a liquid extracted from the pulp of a certain source plant, containing a small amount of source energy. The price wasn't exorbitant, just about five times that of a regular drink, making it a favorite among ordinary people.

As he savored the "Ye**" in his cup, Ye Fan couldn't help but think of the "Nectar" series of drinks. Those were the true favorites of gene warriors, packed with rich energy. Just one cup was enough to make someone feel like they were floating on air, truly deserving of the name "Nectar."

However, compared to "Ye**," the price of "Nectar" was outrageous. Ye Fan remembered that the cheapest "Nectar" cost around five thousand star coins per cup. The highest-grade "Nectar" was even priced comparable to S-class life potions! Such extravagance was far beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

After finishing his "Ye**," Ye Fan waved over the bartender. When the bartender approached, Ye Fan discreetly made a peculiar hand gesture and whispered, "Hey, buddy, I've got some good stuff."

The bartender, recognizing the familiar gesture, smiled even more brightly. He quietly returned the gesture and said in a low voice, "You're among friends. Follow me."

Ye Fan felt a sense of relief as the secret signal was successfully exchanged. The last time he had been here was ten years ago. Ten years is neither a short nor long time, but he had been worried that this black market might have changed hands. Fortunately, it seemed his luck was holding up.

The bartender led Ye Fan through the spacious, empty dance floor to a concealed room. The room was small, about thirty square meters. At the far end, a sharp-looking middle-aged man with slicked-back hair was seated at a desk.

"Uncle Wu, this friend here seems to have some good stuff. I brought him to see you," the bartender said respectfully, greeting the middle-aged man and introducing Ye Fan.

Uncle Wu glanced at Ye Fan and pointed to the chair in front of the desk. The bartender then left, and once they were alone, Uncle Wu smiled and said, "My name is Wu Tianming. May I ask what to call you, young man?"

"You can call me Li," Ye Fan replied, maintaining his calm demeanor. "Let's get straight to the point. I'm here to sell two gene chains first. If this goes well, I believe there could be significant gains for both of us in the future."

"Oh..." Uncle Wu's eyes gleamed with interest as he looked at Ye Fan, a subtle smile playing on his lips. In his line of work, no one made a move without a guarantee of profit. Ye Fan seemed to understand this well, and without hesitation, he pulled out two crystal vials from his backpack.

"Gene chains!" Uncle Wu's eyes lit up, a hint of excitement in his voice. After all, gene chains were one of the most sought-after commodities in human society, with incredible value. With a bit of maneuvering, they could generate enormous wealth.

"Two standard gene chains. You can test them if you'd like," Ye Fan said calmly, pushing the two vials towards Uncle Wu.

"Standard gene chains?"

The look of anticipation in Uncle Wu's eyes faded, replaced by a slight hint of disappointment. Just moments ago, he had hoped that this young man might present him with two natural gene chains. Now, it seemed that he had been a bit too optimistic.

It's important to know that every natural gene chain can become a hot item at auctions, often fetching astronomical prices. Even on Tianlan Star, the appearance of two natural gene chains would be enough to create a significant stir.

However, even small gains are still gains. Although standard gene chains are far less valuable than natural ones, these two gene chains could still net him tens of thousands of star coins. With that in mind, Wu Tianming's face softened into a friendly smile as he said cheerfully, "Mr. Li, please wait a moment."

As he spoke, Wu Tianming picked up the two vials and pressed a couple of buttons on the nearby cabinet. The door opened, and he quickly placed the two gene chains inside. Moments later, a clear voice emanated from the cabinet.

"Dragon-Elephant Variant Gene Chain, mid-level quality among basic standard gene chains, rarity rating: extremely rare gene chain!"

Wu Tianming's smile froze for a moment as he listened to the voice, then his gaze shifted back to Ye Fan's calm expression, and he began to feel that this young man was more complex than he first appeared.

"Heh, Mr. Li, you certainly have an extraordinary hand!" Wu Tianming began, his tone light. "Let me be honest with you—our trading house just received news that the private planet of the human peak expert, Thunder God, known as Thunder God Star, was recently frozen by the Ice Fairy. That place is now a dead zone, which means the gene chains exclusive to Thunder God have become some of the most scarce items in the Federation."

As Wu Tianming observed Ye Fan's reaction to this news, he was surprised to see that the young man remained completely unfazed. This further confirmed Wu Tianming's suspicions. The information he had shared was accurate and recent, known to very few people on Tianlan Star.

As a businessman, being well-informed is crucial. Wu Tianming had access to this information thanks to the vast underground network backing him. Given the timing, the fact that this young man was now presenting two gene chains exclusive to Thunder God naturally led Wu Tianming to speculate.

Perhaps this young man already knew about the situation and was testing the waters to see if Wu Tianming's organization was worth cooperating with. Of course, it could also just be a coincidence—a case of a lucky break.

Regardless, Wu Tianming didn't want to miss out on a potentially lucrative opportunity, so he had shared the news as a way to probe. Even if this didn't lead to anything, he would only be out a piece of information.

Information is all about timing. Wu Tianming knew that it wouldn't be long before this shocking news spread across the Yadis Federation and the entire human world. Once that happened, the information would lose its value, so sharing it now wasn't a loss.

Seeing the young man's composed reaction, Wu Tianming knew he had made the right gamble. To hear such news without showing any surprise meant Ye Fan must have already known about it. Otherwise, no matter how mature, it was hard to believe that a teenager could maintain such composure.

"Heh, it seems Mr. Li was already aware of this news. These two Dragon-Elephant Variant Gene Chains are indeed exclusive to Thunder God. With Thunder God Star now frozen, the source of these chains has been cut off.

Nowadays, among the major powers, a single Dragon-Elephant Gene Chain is being auctioned for as much as 1.5 million star coins. There are even a few factions that have been seeking the secret recipe and are willing to pay even more. Today, I'll make an offer you can't refuse—how about 3 million star coins for these two gene chains?"

Ye Fan suppressed the intense emotions stirring within him—such was the psychological resilience of a peak warrior. When he first heard that the Ice Fairy had frozen Thunder God Star, he nearly lost his composure. The Ice Fairy's actions clearly sent a message to him: someone had begun to seize his assets.

The Ice Fairy had frozen Thunder God Star to protect his wealth. The fact that she was forced into a defensive position meant that it was likely due to one of those superpowers. The first name that came to Ye Fan's mind was the Golden Secret Society.

"I'll be returning soon, and when I do, I'll settle all these scores, one by one!"

Ye Fan silently made a vow in his heart, while pushing the image of that beautiful woman with a fairy-like appearance deep into his mind.

"The price is fair, and I'm satisfied. As for the three million star coins, I want fifty bottles of A-grade life potions, ten bottles of B-grade life potions, and a hundred bottles of A-grade gene nutrition liquid," Ye Fan said, his expression unchanged as he quickly listed the items he wanted to purchase.

Among these, A-grade life potions were priced at 5,000 star coins per bottle, B-grade life potions at 50,000 star coins per bottle, and A-grade gene nutrition liquid also at 5,000 star coins per bottle. Altogether, these items totaled a value of two million star coins.

Two million star coins could easily sustain an ordinary person for a lifetime, but for a so-called gene warrior, it might only cover a few days of training expenses. The deciding factor in becoming a gene warrior wasn't talent—it was money.

Though it seemed like Ye Fan was spending extravagantly, dropping two million star coins in a single transaction, these potions would only support about two months of training. The best they could do was help him complete most of the first stage of his blood transformation.

"Mr. Li, we have all the items you're looking for in stock. Since we're making friends today, I'll give you a 5% discount on these, bringing the total to 1.9 million star coins," Wu Tianming said with a broad smile. Although a two-million-star-coin purchase wasn't a huge deal, it was a good start, which pleased him greatly.

"Haha… I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Wu. I look forward to even smoother cooperation in the future," Ye Fan replied with a grin, nodding in satisfaction.

Twenty minutes later, Ye Fan exited the "Springtime Whispers" bar. In his backpack, the items worth two million star coins lay quietly, while the remaining 1.1 million star coins had been transferred directly into his personal bank account by Wu Tianming.

Ye Fan casually hailed a spaceship and headed straight for Tianlan Star. The news he received today gave him a bad feeling. He knew all too well how vast his wealth was. While the Ice Fairy might be able to fend off small-time threats, she wouldn't be able to hold back the superpowers. And given her deep feelings for him, she might be willing to risk her life to protect the wealth he left behind. Ye Fan didn't even dare to think about what might happen after that.

"The training is progressing too slowly. It looks like I'll have to pick up the pace. I just hope I'm not too late!" Ye Fan sighed as he looked up at the sky, his eyes flickering with a trace of worry.