Chapter 77: Devil Fruit Trading
Having not seen him for a while, Zhou Ning was struck by how haggard Ian looked. His already high hairline had receded even further.
What's going on? Zhou Ning wondered, shocked. Is the pressure on the Watchers really that intense? Even a tough guy like Ian is cracking.
When Ian saw it was Zhou Ning, a smile broke through his serious expression. "Come in," he said.
He reached for the suitcase to help Zhou Ning carry it inside. Awkwardly, as soon as Ian turned, he tripped and fell flat on his face, his nose making intimate contact with the floor.
Surprised and amused, Zhou Ning hurried over to help Ian up. "Are you okay?"
Two streaks of blood trickled down Ian's rugged face. "I'm fine," he said calmly, wiping them away.
Once they were settled inside, Zhou Ning opened the suitcase on the table. "Fourteen rifles, seventeen pistols. Two hundred rounds of ammunition. The total comes to 707 Victa. You can just give me 700."
Ian counted the contents, then nodded slightly. "The number is correct."
He pulled a stack of banknotes and a card from his pocket, placing them on the table and pushing them toward Zhou Ning. "Here's 700 Victa. The card is for a 1,000 Victa bounty. You can withdraw it at any state-owned bank."
"If I were you," Ian continued with a smile, "I'd consider investing in stocks for the National Arms Company and the Gas Mine. I expect they'll see steady appreciation. I forgot to mention, besides being a Sun Watcher, I'm also an amateur investor."
"Stocks?" Zhou Ning repeated, stunned for a moment before smiling. Stocks existed in Apocalypse, of course, but they were mostly limited to government bonds, foreign bonds, mining companies, and canal shares. Even the game forums had sections dedicated to them, filled with players bragging about their profits or lamenting their losses. Zhou Ning wasn't interested. He silently counted the cash on the table before stashing it securely.
Money is only real when it's in your pocket!
1,700 Victa! he thought. My wallet is bursting.
After a moment, Zhou Ning tapped his fingers on the edge of the long table. "Ian," he said with a smile, "I was wondering if you could help me contact someone in charge? Sherlock would be fine, too. I have a big deal I'd like to discuss."
Ian looked slightly stunned. "What kind of deal?" he asked reflexively, but then nodded. "Alright. You'll have to wait a bit, though. About thirty minutes."
"Okay." Zhou Ning smiled, nodded, and crossed his legs, settling into a more comfortable position to wait as Ian hurried out of the room.
Suddenly, a cold female voice echoed in Zhou Ning's mind. "Although I don't know what stocks are, I advise you not to follow his advice. He seems to have come into contact with something unclean and is now plagued by bad luck."
"Who's there?" Zhou Ning asked, startled, his eyes darting around the empty room. He quickly realized that unlike the system prompts from his control panel, this voice was forming directly in his mind. It was a very strange sensation.
The cold female voice continued, "I'm in your ring. Don't worry. I'm just a remnant soul. I don't have the ability to do anything to you."
Zhou Ning let out an "oh" of understanding. This must be the effect of that purple talent, 'Portable Grandfather.' He had originally thought Roger would be the one brought along, but now he recalled the talent's description: 'Your ring contains the soul of a local expert.' This woman must be that expert.
After thinking for a moment, he asked curiously, "How long have you been awake?"
"About two days," the cold female voice replied. "You can pretend I don't exist. It won't affect you."
What a strange woman, Zhou Ning thought, speechless. He wasn't angry, just curious. After a brief mental chat, Zhou Ning learned the woman's name was Jasmine. In life, she had been a follower of the Sun Goddess, as well as a capable meteorologist and priest who also knew a little alchemy and enchantment. She couldn't recall any other details for the time being.
Zhou Ning was quite curious about her, but he didn't have time to ask more questions. Just then, Ian pushed the door open and walked in with Qi'en West.
Zhou Ning hadn't expected Ian to bring Qi'en himself. He stood and tipped his hat. "Mr. Qi'en. I didn't expect to see you."
Qi'en smiled and sat down opposite him. "I was on my way. I heard from Ian you have some big business to discuss?" he said, his gaze inquisitive.
"Yes." Zhou Ning smiled, nodded, and took the Devil Fruit from its box. "This," he said, placing it on the table, "is called a Devil Fruit. It's extremely rare. Eating it grants a person a powerful special ability. More importantly, it doesn't conflict with any profession, including psychics. I was wondering if you might be interested."
"A Devil Fruit?" Qi'en's eyes flashed. He picked up the fruit, stroking its strange patterns with his fingers, a hint of excitement in his touch. "Is it like a super-potion? Is there a chance of failure? Any side effects?"
"The success rate is one hundred percent, but a person can only ever eat one. As for side effects... does being unable to swim count?"
"A one-hundred-percent success rate?" Qi'en was genuinely tempted, easily dismissing the swimming side effect. Not only were super-power potions ridiculously expensive, but even the best ones offered less than a fifty-percent chance of awakening an ability. He pondered for a moment, then asked, "How much is this fruit?"
Zhou Ning hid a smile, knowing he had him hooked. He thought for a moment before replying.
"I was originally going to sell it for 1,000 Victa, but considering our good relationship, I'll let it go for 800."
Qi'en nodded. The West family was already in the alchemy business. A single dose of a highly effective super-potion cost around 250 Victa, and that was without factoring in the high chance of failure. If this fruit truly worked as claimed, 800 Victa wasn't expensive at all. "Seven hundred Victa," he countered, "and I'll need to see it tested first."
Zhou Ning fell into a thoughtful silence. My production cost should eventually be under 200 Victa per fruit. That's a massive profit margin. Besides, the Sun Guardians have no conflict of interest with me. This deal is definitely worth it. He pretended to weigh the offer with a pained expression. Finally, he sighed.
"I agree."
Qi'en counted out seven hundred Victa and pushed the stack across the table. Then, he picked up the Devil Fruit, sniffing it with a frown. "How do you eat this thing? Just bite into it?"
"Yes, but you have to eat the entire thing, or it won't work," Zhou Ning said seriously. I've heard they taste worse than shit. Although I have no idea which poor god ate a mouthful of shit to make that comparison, I'm still pretty curious to see his reaction.
"Alright." Qi'en nodded, then casually handed the fruit to Ian. "This is for you, Ian. A reward for your long-standing contributions to the Sun Guardians."
Ian snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!" he said, his voice filled with awe. He took the fruit with both hands and, without hesitation, took a large bite. A moment later, his expression turned grim, and the hands holding the fruit began to tremble.
He closed his eyes, steeled himself, and devoured the rest of the fruit in huge bites. After a few moments, he let out a long breath, his expression remarkably calm through the ordeal.
Damn, Zhou Ning thought. He really is a tough bastard.
Qi'en West looked at Ian. "How is it?"
"I... I think I feel something." Ian closed his eyes. A moment later, his body began to swell. His head morphed into that of a bull, and curved horns sprouted from his temples.
At this, even the composed Qi'en West couldn't help but be stunned. He looked at Zhou Ning. "This is..."
Zhou Ning was also taken aback by the minotaur-like figure before him. There's a big difference between seeing it in an anime and seeing it in real life. Ian now stood nearly two and a half meters tall, his body rippling with muscle. It was an amazing sight.
"That should be the Bull-Bull Fruit, Bison Form. It's a very powerful ability," Zhou Ning explained with a smile. "Don't worry, he can change back to his human form at will." He then raised his voice. "Ian, try moving around! See how much your physical fitness has increased."
The Xilin Grocery Store had a small training ground in its basement. After a brief test, Ian transformed back into his human form and returned to the other two, his voice filled with excitement as he reported his findings. "After transforming, my strength is up by nearly fifty percent. My agility hasn't changed much, but my durability and endurance have increased significantly. And I feel like I'm far from my physical limit. The only drawback is that the transformation drains my energy a bit quickly."
Qi'en West nodded, the data giving him a clear understanding of the Devil Fruit's power. He looked at Zhou Ning thoughtfully. "The effect is impressive. I'd like to order a batch on behalf of the Sun Guardians. I need to know... what's your production capacity?"
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