The Nine Great Starfields

Luo Hua picked up his teacup, drank half of it in one gulp, and sighed, "Even though I was losing money, my conviction was firm at the time. I continued to follow my investment system's philosophy, and before I knew it, all 500,000 mixed yuan units were invested... I never imagined I was so overconfident!"

Luo Feng's heart sank a little upon hearing this.

500,000 mixed yuan units!

His brother couldn't have lost too much, could he?

"Fortunately, I never used margin leverage, nor did I ever finance to gain leveraged returns; I always used my principal!" Luo Hua explained. "And because it was my first time entering the market, my investments were in the top 20% of excellent projects selected from the many under the Virtual Universe Company and Giant Axe Martial Arena. It was a broad-net strategy, ensuring safety. After all, if I had invested solely in a single Undying God group, and that group was wiped out during an expedition into a Cosmic Secret Region, I would have lost everything."

"Oh?"

Luo Feng nodded slightly.

He somewhat understood now; it was like sharing risks and rewards with a project.

"Casting a wide net, and investing in the highest quality projects under the Virtual Universe Company and Giant Axe Martial Arena... for all those projects to fail, the entire human race would have to be wiped out," Luo Hua chuckled. "This strategy is very safe, but it doesn't make big money. After 120 years of investing, my highest return was 2.3%, with assets reaching 102.3% of my principal. The lowest was 91.6%. Except for the initial period when I made money, I was mostly in a state of loss, and my funds rarely exceeded 98%."

"Once, when I was chatting with Hong, we were just discussing Earth's future, but it made me think of investing and I had an epiphany," Luo Hua said with a smile. "From the 122nd year of investing, I started to change my strategy!"

"My previous strategy was flawed."

"Because choosing the best projects and casting a wide net... that's the most conservative and simplest method. Perhaps there are many techniques in investment timing and settlement. But those who can enter humanity's highest financial market have likely mastered every technique to an extremely perfect degree. After all, my techniques, honed over a hundred years, are almost at their peak. What's tested more is... strategy! Ideology! And the occasional sudden decision!" Luo Hua chuckled.

Luo Feng rubbed his head and murmured, "Ah Hua, what you're saying is really complicated. Before, when you talked about choosing the best projects and casting a wide net, I thought it sounded great. But now... it's become a very foolish method."

"Not foolish."

"This method is very safe, and if the timing is chosen well, you can still profit. For example, earning 5% in an epoch is quite good," Luo Hua shook his head. "But I'm different. I've lived for less than 500 years, and I simply can't stand such a stagnant, uneventful investment method. I can tolerate it for one year, five years, but twenty or thirty years? I can't. So, I abandoned this strategy."

"The changed strategy is a bit aggressive! But it suits my personality very well."

Luo Hua smiled, looking at Luo Feng. "What suits me is the best. I'm thriving like a fish in water. In the past hundred years or so, my principal rose from a low of 96.2% to a high of 118.1%. Just recently, I settled my investments, and now it's at 116.2% of the principal, which is about 581,000 mixed yuan units!"

From 500,000 to 581,000 mixed yuan units.

It had gone through many twists and turns.

"Fortunately, I settled it. Just recently, a team under one of the projects I held suffered significant losses on the Outer Territory Battlefield, causing that project's price to plummet by 60%. If I hadn't settled, I probably would have lost over 30,000 mixed yuan units," Luo Hua lamented.

...

Luo Feng listened, holding his breath.

His brother had said so much, and it was now very clear.

Assuming one wanted to pursue huge profits, using a leveraged model meant that no matter how much money there was, it could vanish in a short time! Even without a leveraged model... if all funds were invested in one or two projects, once those projects failed, all the funds would be gone! All wealth would be lost.

Of course, the profits from a leveraged model could also be extremely high. For Luo Hua, assuming five times leverage, his assets might now be 900,000 mixed yuan units. And for individual projects, if an Undying God group in a project obtained a large number of treasures in a certain Cosmic Secret Region, the project's price could directly skyrocket two or three times.

It was also possible for projects to fail completely!

Enormous returns were a temptation; only by resisting that temptation could one survive longer in humanity's highest financial market.

"Even if your mindset and skill are good enough, some super-factions might set traps. If you accidentally fall for one, it's over," Luo Hua's eyes gleamed. "This feeling... it really makes your blood boil."

"Ah Hua," Luo Feng said with a sigh.

"Hmm?" Luo Hua put down his teacup.

"In over two hundred years, you've earned 81,000 mixed yuan units. In these two hundred years... your brother here hasn't earned a single bit, but rather spent a lot," Luo Feng lamented. "These 81,000 mixed yuan units, you've basically earned about one-fifth of the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield."

"Mainly, Brother, you gave me enough principal. With less principal, you earn less, and you might not even qualify to participate," Luo Hua's eyes sparkled. "Brother, don't worry. After experiencing a series of minor setbacks, I've truly integrated into this market. I can't say I won't incur losses, but I can guarantee that losses will absolutely not exceed 20%, while profits are limitless."

"Limitless profits? That's quite confident," Luo Feng chuckled.

"It's possible," Luo Hua nodded. "Doubling or tripling is possible; it just depends on my patience, my ability to seize opportunities, and my judgment."

Luo Feng smiled. "Then I'll be waiting."

"The Virtual Universe Company is well aware of my investment process over these past 200 years. They even sent people to invite me to manage funds worth tens of millions of mixed yuan units, and were willing to dispatch a guard squad specifically to protect my safety," Luo Hua shook his head. "But I declined, feeling that I wasn't mature enough yet."

"Oh?" Luo Feng was surprised.

Tens of millions of mixed yuan units, the asset scale of a Marquis-level Undying God.

To the Virtual Universe Company, it was indeed a drop in the ocean, but clearly, their invitation represented their high regard for Luo Hua.

In truth—

Luo Feng simply didn't understand how astonishing it was to enter humanity's highest financial market for the first time, not losing more than 10% at most, and even ending up with a 16.2% profit after over two hundred years. Moreover, his competitors were the most outstanding and formidable investment magnates from across the entire Cosmic Nation. Such a track record... how incredible!

It was no surprise that it caught the attention of the Virtual Universe Company.

In fact, there were some financial geniuses in the universe, but with small capital, many were confined to low-tier investment markets. Even if their funds multiplied ten million times over a lifetime, their total scale might not even reach 1 mixed yuan unit. They would never be able to enter that highest market.

This was the importance of principal!

With the enormous principal Luo Feng provided, Luo Hua entered this market. And so... he began to display his talent.

...

Six hours later.

After receiving a list from Babata, Luo Feng's consciousness entered the Virtual Universe Network.

...

Virtual Universe, Amethyst Island.

"Envoy."

"Envoy."

The members of the Ganwu Branch on Amethyst Island bowed respectfully as Luo Feng swiftly entered the most dazzling Amethyst Palace on the island.

"According to the plan Babata found, if I buy various raw materials, the cost would be about one-fifth of the Cosmic Crystals consumed! But it's still too high... To cultivate an army of a million Sector Lords, even if they're all the cheapest Blade Shadow Zerg Sector Lords, one-fifth of the price is 2 mixed yuan units, which would still be 2 million mixed yuan units!" Luo Feng walked on the floor made entirely of amethyst, his footsteps echoing through the corridor.

"No!"

"The price is too high. I only have a little over 200 mixed yuan units left; I can't spend it like this. If I need to spend money again in the future, I'll have no choice but to ask my brother for it," Luo Feng thought to himself. "Besides, what I really want to create are Tiger Armored Zerg."

Tiger Armored Zerg have strong defenses! And strong attacks!

Even powerful Undying Gods would be able to kill far fewer Tiger Armored Zerg simultaneously than Blade Shadow Zerg.

"Purple Lightning Marquis," Luo Feng said as he pushed the door open.

"Luo Feng, what brings you to me? This is a rare occasion," the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis, his face covered in monkey fur, walked over with a smile.

"There is something important," Luo Feng began.

"Speak," the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis chuckled. "Between you and me, just say it directly." He wasn't afraid of Luo Feng asking for help; he was afraid Luo Feng wouldn't ask him.

"It's like this: I have a friend who is an Undying God, and he possesses a Zerg Mother Nest," Luo Feng said with a smile. "So, he needs to purchase some raw materials or Zerg corpses. You are the head of the Commerce Department of the Ganwu Branch, so you must know the ins and outs of this best. Is there any way to save as much money as possible?"

Luo Feng's strategy was precisely this: first, have Babata check the market situation online, then come and ask the Purple Lightning Marquis.

"Cultivating a Zerg Mother Nest?" the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis exclaimed. "Your friend has some capability; Zerg Mother Nests are extremely rare and sought after at auctions, and they're difficult to control."

"I want to know about raw materials and Zerg corpses," Luo Feng pressed.

"Haha..."

The ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis chuckled, "For purchasing raw materials, if you search various markets through the Virtual Universe Network, the market price won't be much lower than anywhere else. Actually, the best way to buy raw materials is to... directly acquire some companies! For example, companies that specialize in processing spaceship wreckage. If you buy such a company, all the spaceship wreckage under its ownership naturally becomes yours! As long as you accurately investigate the company's internal details before making the purchase, it might only cost you between one-third and one-tenth of what it would cost to buy the raw materials directly. It all depends on your ability to find the right company."

Luo Feng's eyes lit up.

"As for buying Zerg corpses, that's also simple. All the wreckage, debris, and so on from the Outer Territory Battlefield are transformed by the cosmic starry sky and directly sent to the 'Garbage Starfield'," the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis chuckled. "All that wreckage, various corpses, broken fragments, even the remnants of shattered planets, are all transferred to the Garbage Starfield. A large number of personnel are stationed there specifically to sort them, and then they're sold off." The ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis smiled, "If you want to buy Zerg corpses, just go directly to the Garbage Starfield."

Luo Feng's eyes lit up again.

"Some Undying Gods, relying on their connections, directly approach key figures within the Garbage Starfield and use irregular methods, such as bribery, to acquire large quantities of Zerg corpses," the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis sighed. "This is truly outrageous; it's completely undermining the Virtual Universe Company! One should buy through proper channels, shouldn't they?"

After speaking, the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis winked at Luo Feng, giving him a knowing look.

Luo Feng immediately smiled.

The ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis was clearly hinting that he should... use internal connections, bribe someone, and then acquire a large quantity of Zerg corpses at a low price.

However, because they were in the 'Virtual Universe Network', these words couldn't be said directly, but the hint was almost as good as saying it outright... Yet, the Virtual Universe Company also turned a blind eye to such matters; as long as it wasn't an overt violation, it was fine.

"Oh, there are a total of nine Garbage Starfields. These Nine Great Starfields, with their endless starry skies, are specifically for storing countless wreckage and corpses transferred from the Outer Territory Battlefield: various spaceship wreckage, puppet wreckage, giant weapon wreckage, planetary wreckage, and so on," the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis chuckled. "You can find out about these 'Nine Great Starfields' of the Garbage Starfield with a simple search, Luo Feng. By the way, you might not be very familiar with that place, so I'll give you a Virtual Universe Network ID for a person in charge there who is a good friend of mine. Just tell him I introduced you. Knowing him... will make things more convenient for you there."

After speaking, the ape-man Purple Lightning Marquis winked again, giving another knowing look.

"Alright," Luo Feng nodded with a smile.

He naturally understood.

Through this person, he would be able to acquire large quantities of Zerg corpses.

...

The day after meeting the Purple Lightning Marquis, Luo Feng, accompanied by Dilun, departed Earth aboard the Yunmo Star Ship, heading for Wulong Starfield, one of the Nine Great War Garbage Starfields.