Chapter 438: Cash It In

Chapter 438 -437: Cash It In

[Pretty Guardian]: Dolorum… just the name alone sounds dangerous!! A boss is truly on another level, huh? You think so differently from us mere mortals!

Seraphina Sinclair: “…”

[Blacktiger Ford]: Cut the nonsense. Gift me the Potions you’ve made recently.

[Pretty Guardian]: Okay, okay! I’ll send them right over!

Seraphina Sinclair waited a moment. The Potions didn’t arrive, but a new message from her did.

[Pretty Guardian]: Wait, Boss, something’s wrong. We can’t just trade freely like before. It’s not just for trades, but for gifts too. We have to pay a cross-Zone fee.

‘A cross-Zone fee?’

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t ask any more questions and simply tried it herself.

After selecting Pretty Guardian, a notification panel popped up:

[You and the recipient are in different Zones. An additional fee is required for cross-Zone delivery.]

[Fee Calculation: Item Value × Zone Distance Coefficient × Item Level Coefficient]

[Current Zone Distance Coefficient: 8.7 (Dolorum Zone 444 to Sylvestris Zone 444)]

[Current Item Level Coefficient: 1.2x for F-E Level items, 1.5x for D-level items, 2.3x for C-level items. B-level and above items cannot be sent cross-Zone at this time. Special unranked items cannot be sent cross-Zone at this time.]

[Example: To send one F-level Spirit Resistance Potion (valued at 50 Black Fog Coins), an additional fee must be paid: 50 × 8.7 × 1.2 = 522 Black Fog Coins]

[Continue with delivery?]

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the number, silent for several seconds.

‘So… for a Potion originally worth 50 Black Fog Coins, the additional fee for a cross-Zone gift is 522 Black Fog Coins?’

This wasn’t a matter of “a small fee” anymore. This was blatant robbery.

[Blacktiger Ford]: I see.

[Pretty Guardian]: Right?! Right?!!! The system is so heartless!!! I tried it just now and it scared me silly!!!

[Pretty Guardian]: That’s enough to buy more than ten Potions! This is robbery!

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t say anything, just kept looking at the notification panel.

After a long silence, she tried gifting Black Fog Coins directly.

This time, surprisingly, no pop-up window appeared.

Gifting Black Fog Coins directly incurred no fee. But sending items cross-Zone incurred a fee of ten, or even twenty, times their value.

‘What did this mean?’

‘It meant the system didn’t mind the flow of money, but it did mind the flow of resources.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s mind raced.

‘Money is static; resources are dynamic. Money can buy resources, but only on one condition—you have to be able to buy them.’

‘If the resources can’t get to you, what’s the use of having money?’

‘The system was trying to turn every Zone into an isolated island.’

She recalled the words on the notification panel: *B-level and above items cannot be sent cross-Zone at this time. Special unranked items cannot be sent cross-Zone at this time.*

‘In other words, the more precious something was, the less likely you could get it out of your own Zone.’

Sudden realization dawned on Seraphina Sinclair.

The Kindling rules forced people to kill each other, and the cross-Zone fees forced people to be trapped in their respective areas.

‘Combine the two…’

Every Zone was The Coliseum.

The system locked everyone in their own cages, threw in a knife, and said, “Begin.”

[Pretty Guardian]: Boss? Are you still there?

[Pretty Guardian]: Boss, don’t scare me! Did you faint from anger at the system?

Seraphina Sinclair snapped out of it. Looking at the two messages, the corners of her lips twitched slightly.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Here.

[Pretty Guardian]: You scared me to death! I thought something had happened to you!

Seraphina Sinclair stared at her polite words for a moment, then her lips curled into a soft smile.

‘This girl… she must be absolutely ecstatic right now, right?’

‘They had agreed she would get a share of the Potions when they discussed the crucible. Now, with this exorbitant fee, of course Seraphina wouldn’t make her pay so many Black Fog Coins just to get the Potions… ‘

And reality was just as Seraphina Sinclair had predicted.

Pretty Guardian was, at this very moment, smiling with genuine delight. This was wonderful news! Though she was still staring at the chat panel, her grin stretched from ear to ear.

‘Blacktiger didn’t mention the Potions! What did that mean?’

‘It meant she didn’t have to send that batch of Potions!’

Pretty Guardian fought to hold back her laughter. She spun around in her room, once, then again, before plopping down on the floor, hugging her knees and shaking with laughter.

Heavens knew how nervous she had been just moments ago.

When they’d discussed the crucible, they had agreed: from now on, she had to give Blacktiger a share of the Potions she made.

After all, it was Blacktiger’s crucible.

The only reason she could now produce Potions of such stable quality was all thanks to that crucible!

Plus, they had signed a trade contract, so Pretty Guardian didn’t dare try any funny business.

But those were her babies!

Those Potions…

Every single bottle was personally mixed, personally brewed, and personally watched over as they took shape bit by bit! From the first bottle that exploded the furnace and covered her face in soot to being able to produce them consistently now—how much of her heart and soul had she poured into them?!

And she was supposed to give her babies away? For free?

Pretty Guardian’s heart had been bleeding, but she still gritted her teeth and agreed.

There was no choice. It was what she owed Blacktiger.

But now, the cross-Zone fee had appeared—a full 522 Black Fog Coins per bottle!

Pretty Guardian almost burst out laughing on the spot.

But she held it in.

Not only did she hold it in, but she also put on a display of righteous indignation, joining Blacktiger in cursing the system for being heartless.

But after she sent another message, Blacktiger went silent.

‘Is it over?’

Pretty Guardian was a little uncertain. After all, she knew this Boss all too well. Blacktiger was definitely not the type to take a loss.

She had a bad feeling, the same kind of feeling she’d had when she signed the trade contract with Blacktiger Ford.

Sure enough, the next second, a message from Blacktiger Ford popped up.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Sending the Potions would be too much of a loss. How about…

Pretty Guardian had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the next line.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Cash it out.

Pretty Guardian’s smile froze on her face.

She stared at those three words for several seconds, then slowly typed a question mark.

[Pretty Guardian]: ?

[Pretty Guardian]: Boss, what do you mean by that?

[Blacktiger Ford]: Literally what it says. Convert the Potions to their Black Fog Coin value and give it to me.

Pretty Guardian’s expression completely stiffened.

‘How could she have not thought of that move? Cross-Zone transfers for Black Fog Coins were free!’

Just moments ago, she was celebrating not having to send the Potions, and then the other party turns around and hits her with “cash it out.”

Pretty Guardian took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She felt like she’d taken more deep breaths today than in her entire life combined.

[Pretty Guardian]: Boss… are you serious?

[Blacktiger Ford]: Mm.

[Pretty Guardian]: But… but we originally said we’d split the Potions, not the money!

[Blacktiger Ford]: The situation has changed.

[Pretty Guardian]: …

Pretty Guardian was silent for a moment before asking tentatively, “Is that written in the trade contract?”

Seraphina Sinclair let out a soft snort and replied with a smile, “Of course it is.”