Chapter 1791 - 737: Profiting as the Underdog?

Chapter 1791: Chapter 737: Profiting as the Underdog?

Ding!

[Host has opened the Golden Magic Ball and obtained the tool "Alchemist Baron’s Reversing Balance"]

[Alchemist Baron’s Reversing Balance: Every single loss-making business action by the Host will charge the Balance. The greater the loss, the greater the charge. After the energy reaches a certain level, the Host can actively convert all energy into a Mysterious Treasure Chest. Opening the Treasure Chest will grant a large amount of excess rewards]

[Young man, want to gamble on it?

[Note: This tool is a round-limited tool and only takes effect during the fourth Action Round]

...

Reversing Balance?

What the hell...

Zhou Wang was a bit stunned. He tried to sit up, only to find his arm firmly pinned down by Hua Suisui, no matter how he tried he couldn’t pull it back.

So Zhou Wang pinched a very prominent vital spot of hers. Hua Suisui let out a soft groan and twisted, vaguely muttering a "don’t," and Zhou Wang seized the chance to pull his hand back.

Leaning against the headboard, Zhou Wang lit himself a cigarette and reread the system prompt, gradually catching on.

So this "Reversing Balance" thing is basically some kind of guaranteed-floor mechanic?

His current goal is to earn ten million during the fourth Action Round. With Zhou Wang’s current connections, resources, and eye for business, doing this kind of small deal should be a piece of cake. But business is business; there’s always risk.

The first month did turn a profit, but no one can guarantee what happens afterwards.

Counting it out, there are still plenty of difficulties.

Like the most obvious regional limitation. Even though he deliberately chose a street packed with residential buildings when picking a location, "pet funerals" are ultimately not the same thing as standard "pet boarding," "pet cleaning," and the like...

After all, every little cat or dog can only die once.

This means that the customer base of the Farewell Society is, in some sense, constantly being depleted. It doesn’t have sustainable properties.

Especially since around here, Wanghai isn’t actually the only pet funeral shop.

Yang Hao can only see booming business in the decent turnover, but Zhou Wang has already spotted the hidden danger—along with the constant depletion of potential clients, once it reaches a certain threshold, business at Wanghai Farewell Society is destined to enter a lukewarm plateau. It’ll be hard to maintain the current state where order volume increases day by day.

Not to mention, Zhou Wang’s goal has never been to just earn a measly couple of million. Even the current number of orders is far from enough to satisfy his appetite.

So the role of this tool seems pretty obvious.

Once the Farewell Society starts uncontrollably sliding into losses, this Reversing Balance will keep charging in the background...

Although the system didn’t spell out what the reward is after the charge is complete, considering this is a limited tool for the fourth Action Round, Zhou Wang believes the so-called "Mysterious Treasure Chest" will definitely open to rewards that help him clear the round task smoothly.

On the surface, this whole line of analysis checks out, but Zhou Wang still vaguely felt something was off.

He carefully read the tool description again...

"Every single loss-making business action... single?"

Zhou Wang’s gaze paused as he slowly chewed on the wording.

Why did the system go out of its way to specify ’single’?

And this line here also looks a bit suspicious...

"...after the energy reaches a certain level, the Host can actively convert all energy into a Mysterious Treasure Chest."

In other words, the opening of the Treasure Chest is completely non-forced; it’s Zhou Wang himself who controls the timing... why design it that way?

Single instances imply accumulation. This clearly means that to maximize this limited tool, Zhou Wang needs to turn every single order into a loss...

Which is very contradictory.

Because it runs counter to Zhou Wang’s core objective of making money. From that angle, this tool looks downright messed up—

Hmm?

Hold up, this familiar déjà vu...

Isn’t this exactly the "lose-streak eco farming" playstyle that so many players chase in the Teamfight Tactics and Golden Shovel chess games?

Zhou Wang jolted awake.

In Teamfight Tactics, almost every season has some kind of "special playstyle" that runs against the mainstream meta.

Like Fortune in S4, Dragons in S5, Piltover Mecha Tyrant in S9, Heart Steel in Remix Rhapsody, plus Deacon, Izutal, Alchemy Baron and so on...

Alchemy Baron?

Zhou Wang looked again at the name of this tool and finally saw the light.

Sure enough, from this angle the whole idea clicks into place.

All these "special playstyles" share one thing: they keep stacking reward tiers during a lose-streak, then cash out at the right timing to reap huge returns.

Looking again at this [Alchemist Baron’s Reversing Balance], the core reward mechanic is exactly the same.

First keep losing, then use those losses to stack up rewards and obtain the Mysterious Treasure Chest.

The Mysterious Treasure Chest has a trigger threshold, but even after crossing that threshold, Zhou Wang can still keep stacking. Based on in-game experience, if you rush to open the chest right after barely hitting the threshold, the rewards usually aren’t great, you might even still "bubble out in eighth."

But once you push far beyond that threshold and open the chest at the limit, the rewards are generally "game-ending ultimate prizes."

Things like three-star five-costs, All-Light Weapons for the whole team, various Golden Shovel Crowns, Unlimited Gold Coins, and so on...

The only problem is, this playstyle looks braindead, but it’s actually not that easy.