Dark Moon Era

Being explicit was unnecessary for a bright person.

Although Tony was not being clear, he made obvious hints to Tang Ling that the items he traded would not be noticed.

“Even if the trade is off, you can keep it. At least, you can hide your spoils better,” said Tony sincerely.

Tang Ling accepted the badge and gratitude glowed in his eyes.

As a matter of fact, it was not that strange. Since Tony claimed that the black market was huge, it would be unrealistic if no important figure in Safety Sector No. 17 was part of this. If there were indeed important figures in this, they had to ensure convenience in a certain part of the process.

Tang Ling believed that as long as it did not cross the line, the black badge that he received could solve a lot of his problems. All he needed to do was to keep it above the line.

“Of course, you can’t be too demanding. If the value of the item you trade is too high, try not to bring it inside the Hope Barrier. Don’t worry. I’ll remind you about it,” Tony added appropriately.

“So, is that Wolf Crunch available for sale?” Tang Ling finally cleared his doubts and decided to go ahead with the trade.

He had many items that he wanted to trade such as the Desert Eagle and the grenades.

However, whenever the cost-performance ratio was concerned, the most practical item would still be the grade B alloy dagger. Grenades were consumables and the bullets of the Desert Eagle would be another costly sum.

“The Wolf Crunch? I see you really like this eh, Tang?” Tony was excited when they finally got down to the deal. His eyes gleamed as he waved the Wolf Crunch in front of Tang Ling.

“Mm. What’s the price?” Since he already stated his desire, it was unnecessary for him to hide it anymore.

“I don’t trade this for credits. I only barter with items, but you can buy it with Hope credits. The Wolf Crunch costs 80 Hope credits, which is a fair price, I must say.”

80 Hope credits? Tang Ling only had 7 pathetic Hope credits, and that was his lunch money for the next day. Even if he sold himself, he could not get 80 Hope credits right away.

“That’s bloody expensive! You can get a grade B alloy longsword at Hope Barrier for 80 Hope credits!” Tang Ling simply said. As a matter of fact, due to his deficiency in Hope credits, he did not check the conversion rate at the information library, but he would get some information from his teammates once in a while during their chats.

However, they had never discussed something as high grade as grade B alloy.

Even Orston’s military knife was given to him by someone from his family in the Hope Barrier, and he had to utilize his relationship to get that.

“80 Hope credits for a grade B alloy longsword?” This time around, Tony was stunned. He knew Safety Sector No. 17 tended to favor the New Moon Warriors in terms of resources, but… has it become this tough? 80 Hope credits…

“Yeah!” Tang Ling was utterly sure. At the same time, he sighed regretfully to emphasize that he was not satisfied with the deal even though he liked the Wolf Crunch.

“Dear Tang, you must believe that I don’t have the courage to cheat a New Moon Warrior. 80 Hope credits is a fair price for this Wolf Crunch. Back in the black market, at most, it’s…” Tony was rather anxious as he went into an explanation in hopes of striking a deal.

A New Moon Warrior’s future was immeasurable. Tony had spent half a year in the camp, and the clients that he traded with were only elite warriors. He wanted to cling on Tang Ling because it would equate to securing his future.

“Huh? At most?” Tang Ling showed interest once more.

“At most, 5 Hope credits discount!” The words were squeezed out of Tony’s clenched mouth. He actually wanted to give a discount of only 2 Hope credits, but since it was the first deal with Tang Ling and considering how important the relationship would be in the future, he decided to bear the loss.

“It’s still a loss for me.” Tang Ling puckered his lips. “I’m sorry, but I’d rather trade with the Hope Barrier since it’s official anyway.”

“But your materials will be deducted and the price that they give will be lower than what you can get on the black market. If you consider the deducted materials, it’s not that cheap either. Moreover, you still need qualifications to exchange for a grade B alloy item.” Tony was speaking the truth.

“Nevertheless, I’m a New Moon Warrior, so I have the qualification for this.” Tang Ling shook his head and feigned leaving as he said, “Deducting the materials is a problem, so when I calculate everything, it’s difficult to do so.” Tang Ling pretended that he was facing a dire problem.

Was calculating difficult? To Tang Ling who possessed Precise Instinct, it was a piece of cake!

“After you calculate everything, my place is cheaper!” Tony emphasized even though he himself did not do any calculations. He was also unclear about whether the identity as a New Moon Warrior was enough to enjoy the benefits of the exchange.

Tony deemed Tang Ling as an honest person since he returned the Wolf Crunch after testing it out, so he did not think he would lie to him.

“Fine, if you throw those brass knuckles in together, I’ll trade them for 75 Hope credits.” Tang Ling scratched his head, pretending to be reluctant.

“No, no, no, my dear Tang! These brass knuckles are grade C alloy!” Tony shook his head repeatedly.

“Then, I guess it can’t be helped. Besides, even if the brass knuckles are grade C alloy, they are thin and don’t really use up a lot of material.” Tang Ling was trying to be picky.

His comment on the thickness of the brass knuckles rendered Tony speechless. Is it that thin? Isn’t this the standard size?

“I don’t want to trade using Hope credits. If it’s alright, take these instead.” Tang Ling removed the mantis’s arms and wings from his back.

Judging from Tony’s expression, he knew that this was probably the maximum that he could squeeze out of Tony. Otherwise, he might have gone above the limit and had to compensate him with something more.

“These materials…” Tony’s expression looked a little better. In fact, as a trader from the black market, he would rather barter with materials and not Hope credits.

He could only get a commission from the deals with Hope credits. If it were materials, however, he could keep some for himself, and if he was lucky enough to succeed fusing the metal, he could earn everything back.

In fact, the mantis materials that Tang Ling offered were not more than 70 Hope credits, but that was the official exchange price from the Hope Barrier. They would be a lot more valuable in the black market. However, the black market did not have the authority to release Hope credits, so they could only pay for the trade with normal credits.

According to the rules, Hope credits had limited usage and access to the black market.

“So, is this a deal? If it’s not, then forget it.” Tang Ling was not being impatient though he casually tossed the black badge in his hand and added, “Tony, believe me. If it weren’t for your generosity, even if you threw in the brass knuckles, I wouldn’t deal with you either. Just think about the difference in the material of a longsword and a dagger. Do you think a dagger is much more useful than a longsword on the battlefield?”

Tang Ling appropriately displayed some regret on his face.

Tony was a little apprehensive, but this particular deal was taking a toll on his earnings. He said loudly, “Tang, you cannot doubt my sincerity in this. In fact, I’m the one on the losing end here. I can throw the brass knuckles in together, but you must compensate me with something else. Otherwise, even if it’s a pity, I will not and do not have the authority to accept the deal.”

I guess this is his bottom line, hmm?  Tang Ling commented in his heart, but he seemed like he was struggling too.

In the end, he took everything in his little pouch out and said, “That’s all I have. Otherwise, it would be a pity.”