The Price of the Combat Suit

Luo Feng couldn't help but smile. With 100% integrity, his treasured sword would fetch a high price.

"This weapon was likely used in battles against monsters below SS-tier," Wang Hou said with a smile.

An SS-tier weapon, if used against an SS-tier King-level monster, would incur subtle damage. If the number of battles accumulated sufficiently, and the damage reached a certain extent, it could break. However, an SS-tier treasured sword, when used against Lord-level or Beast General-level monsters, would remain completely unscathed.

"Wang Hou, what price can you offer for this treasured sword?" Luo Feng pressed.

"This treasured sword, if purchased at a Martial Arts Hall, costs 30 billion Huaxia Coins at full price, or 15 billion at half price. If purchased at the War God Palace, the optimal price is 10 billion," Wang Hou chuckled. "I'm sure you're already aware of these market figures."

Luo Feng remained silent.

Aware?

He knew nothing about the legendary War God Palace. He hadn't expected the optimal price for a weapon there to be even lower than the 'half price at Extreme Martial Arts Dojo'.

"The War God Palace's optimal price of '10 billion' is already the absolute lowest. The production cost of this treasured sword is around 9 billion. And for me to buy this sword from you, I'd have to go through various channels, paying considerable channel fees and commissions before I can resell it! So—the highest I can offer you is 8 billion. Any higher, and we'd make no profit," Wang Hou explained.

Luo Feng understood. If the production cost was 9 billion, and he demanded 9 billion, the manufacturer could simply produce a new sword. Why buy a second-hand one? Although this sword boasted 100% integrity, it lacked a quality guarantee. Weapons sold by the HR Alliance and Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, however, came with promises.

"Alright, 8 billion it is," Luo Feng said, nodding with a smile.

"Excellent!" Wang Hou also smiled. "Mr. Wei, how about we celebrate properly later? My treat! At one of the nine most exclusive 'Royal Halls' in the Royal Palace of Will. If you'd like some company, just name your conditions—age, height, measurements, education, looks, virginity, whatever you desire."

Wang Hou spoke with practiced ease. This was a massive deal, and even the most extravagant night at the Royal Palace of Will might cost millions. But with a deal worth over ten billion, such an expense was a mere trifle.

"Wang Hou, don't rush. I have more items," Luo Feng interjected.

"More?"

Wang Hou's eyes widened.

He had assumed the Dragon Egg and this treasured sword were the extent of the goods, already exceeding ten billion in value. But there was more treasure! Judging by the order in which 'Mr. Wei' had presented his items, each one was clearly more valuable than the last! The Dragon Egg sold for 5 billion, the SS-tier treasured sword for 8 billion. What could the final item be?

"Quick, let me see!" Wang Hou was visibly excited.

Luo Feng smiled faintly and retrieved the final treasure from his backpack—a complete combat suit! It included combat boots, arm guards, a vest, and all other components.

"Whoa, what a find!" Wang Hou gasped, sucking in a cold breath. "Could this combat suit also be SS-tier?" While all SS-tier equipment was valuable, prices varied greatly depending on the item. A flying dagger, which used minimal materials, was worlds apart in price from a combat saber. A combat suit, with its high manufacturing difficulty and superior flexibility, commanded a much higher price than weapons like combat sabers or swords.

"Take a look," Luo Feng said, laying out the entire combat suit.

"Mhm."

Wang Hou immediately used the same instrument that had tested the treasured sword. The mesmerizing light once again enveloped the combat suit, scanning each component. The instrument's screen rapidly displayed a wealth of data. Wang Hou, watching it, chuckled to Luo Feng, "Mr. Wei, with my eye, I can confirm this combat suit is at least S-tier. As for whether it's SS-tier, I can't say yet."

Luo Feng smiled, saying nothing.

"Hmm?" Wang Hou's expression suddenly hardened, his smile vanishing as he stared at the instrument's screen.

"What's wrong?" Luo Feng frowned.

"Come look," Wang Hou turned the instrument's screen towards Luo Feng. Luo Feng peered closely… The screen clearly showed two items identified: the combat boots were S-tier, the combat pants were S-tier, and other components were still being scanned.

Luo Feng's expression subtly changed.

S-tier?

This combat suit was only S-tier! Although SS-tier and S-tier were only one rank apart, their prices were worlds apart.

"How can this be?" Luo Feng didn't suspect Wang Hou of deception. He had seen such precise inspection instruments when he sold monster materials to the HR Alliance and Extreme Martial Arts Dojo. Moreover, he knew these instruments compared data with a central database to make judgments. This meant that all detection data and evaluation results were recorded in the central database, so no one dared to falsify them.

"Phew!" Wang Hou let out a long breath. "Alright, all done. Mr. Wei, first, I'll give you some bad news: this combat suit of yours is not a complete SS-tier combat suit. And now, some good news: it's also not a complete S-tier combat suit."

"Because it's a combat suit mixed with S-tier and SS-tier components!" Wang Hou laughed. "The 'combat vest' in this suit is SS-tier."

Luo Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The results on the screen were clear: all other components were S-tier, but only the combat vest was SS-tier. In a combat suit, the 'combat vest' was actually the most important, being the core component for protecting the body.

"The expert who originally used this combat suit probably didn't have enough money. So they only bought an SS-tier combat vest!" Wang Hou chuckled. "This is common in the War God Palace. The other parts, like the pants and combat boots, are still S-tier."

Luo Feng had already guessed as much.

"What's your offer?" Luo Feng inquired.

"A complete SS-tier combat suit costs 120 billion Huaxia Coins at full price in a Martial Arts Hall, or 60 billion at half price. The optimal price at the War God Palace is 40 billion! Your SS-tier combat vest, as the core component, is worth half the entire suit! With 100% integrity, if purchased at the War God Palace, the optimal price would be 20 billion."

"However, the cost of the combat vest is clearly less than 20 billion. And my offer will definitely be below our production cost."

"I can offer you a maximum of 15 billion Huaxia Coins to acquire this SS-tier combat vest," Wang Hou said with a smile. "Of course, with my authority, I can't mobilize such a massive sum all at once. If you're willing to sell it to me, you'll need to wait about fifteen minutes for me to arrange the funds."

Luo Feng's heart stirred slightly.

The Dragon Egg was 5 billion, the SS-tier treasured sword 8 billion, and this SS-tier vest 15 billion. That totaled 28 billion! Very close to 30 billion.

"What price can you offer for the other S-tier components of the combat suit?" Luo Feng asked.

He knew that combat suits varied in size depending on the wearer's height and build. Luo Feng had tried on this suit, and it was clearly too large, so he had no intention of keeping it.

"This..." Wang Hou frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Wei, to be honest! The other components of your combat suit, firstly, show some wear and tear; they're not 100% intact. We can't sell them directly. Secondly, while combat vests sell very well, these combat boots and pants... How about this!"

"A complete S-tier combat suit costs 12 billion Huaxia Coins at full price in a Martial Arts Hall, or 6 billion at half price. The optimal price at the War God Palace is 4 billion. Your S-tier combat suit components, lacking the core 'combat vest,' wouldn't even exceed 1.5 billion in production cost. And since their integrity isn't 100%, I can only offer you 800 million!" Wang Hou shook his head with a smile. "This is only because of our previous dealings. I dare say, if you tried to sell these components individually, no one else would offer 800 million."

Luo Feng, of course, had specifically sought out Wang Hou in Jingdu City because of his reputation for trustworthiness.

Wang Hou's offer was fair, and he rarely haggled.

"800 million." Luo Feng hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, 800 million it is!"

These incomplete components were useless to him anyway.

"Mr. Wei, do you have anything else?" Wang Hou asked.

"No," Luo Feng replied with a smile. "Calculate the total and transfer it to this account." As he spoke, he pulled out a slip of paper with the anonymous account number and confirmation code he had obtained from the Swiss International Bank.

Wang Hou smiled and nodded: "Dragon Egg 5 billion, SS-tier treasured sword 8 billion, SS-tier combat vest 15 billion, S-tier partial combat suit 800 million. Total: 28.8 billion!"

"Mr. Wei, please wait a moment. I'll transmit the combat vest's data to apply for an increased transfer limit." With that, Wang Hou quickly entered data on the detection instrument's keyboard. The mesmerizing light of the instrument enveloped the combat vest, and the detailed detection data was swiftly transmitted to headquarters.

About ten minutes later.

"Beep beep." Wang Hou took out his phone, looked at it, and smiled.

"Mr. Wei, the money should have arrived," Wang Hou said, looking at Luo Feng. "Only our Alliance headquarters, with internal transfers within the Swiss International Bank, can transfer such a large sum instantly."

Luo Feng's phone also rang.

He took out his phone and saw a message: "Dear Diamond-tier client, your account ending in 189891 received a transfer of 28,800,000,000 Huaxia Coins at 23:36 on the 8th. Your balance is now 28,800,000,000 Huaxia Coins. (Swiss International Bank)"

"Pleasure doing business," Luo Feng said, extending his hand with a smile.

"We hope to have more opportunities to work with a valued client like Mr. Wei in the future," Wang Hou said, shaking Luo Feng's hand warmly. "Mr. Wei, are you ready to..." Wang Hou gave a suggestive look.

"No, I have other matters to attend to."

Luo Feng slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'll be taking my leave now."

"Mhm, I won't see you out. I still need to arrange these items," Wang Hou said with a smile. The items in the room were all treasures.

...

That night, Luo Feng took a train, leaving Jingdu City. He arrived at the Yangzhou City station in Jiangnan City around seven the next morning. At a 'True Kung Fu' fast-food restaurant near the train station, Luo Feng used the restroom to remove his beard, glasses, and height-increasing inserts. He washed his face, completely returning to his original appearance.

"Home."

Luo Feng took a taxi to the entrance of Mingyue Residential District. Mingyue Residential District was a Warrior Residential District, prohibiting outsiders, so the taxi naturally stopped at the gate.

"I'm back," Luo Feng thought, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. The Dragon Egg, combat suit, and other items had been hot potatoes; it was good to have them off his hands.

28.8 billion!

Including his visible savings, he now had nearly 30 billion Huaxia Coins. And he would continue to earn more in the future.

"Luo Feng!" The white-haired old gatekeeper at Mingyue Residential District called out.

Luo Feng turned to look.

The white-haired old man smiled and said, "There was a young lady named Zhen Nan. Last night, she was at the district entrance, making call after call, trying to see your brother, but she didn't succeed. Later, deep in the night, she came back to the district and asked me to help her deliver a letter to someone in your Luo family. She hoped it would reach your brother, Luo Hua."

"Oh?" Luo Feng's heart stirred as he took the envelope.