Chapter 794: 792
"This is an energy baryte?" Holding the irregular white crystal stone that was almost the size of a child's head, Zhang Menglong found it hard to believe that such a piece could contain such immense energy.
Just ten such stones would be enough to power an ordinary Level One civilization for a year! If this could be made into a weapon, he estimated that one stone could probably blow a country to smithereens, right?
"Kid, you're in luck!"
"Such a huge crystal stone, this is a bloody fortune!"
"Friend, you look quite unfamiliar. I'm here almost every day, and it seems I've never seen you before."
Gamblers one by one approached Zhang Menglong to strike up a conversation, also hoping to rub off some of his good luck.
"Hahaha, of course I'm unfamiliar, today is my first visit to the ore factory, it's very normal that you haven't seen me," laughed Zhang Menglong.
"The first time?"
"This couldn't be your first time buying ore, could it?"
"Yes, it's my first time!" Zhang Menglong nodded.
"My God!"
"What kind of luck is this?"
"This is simply the luck master!"
"To find crystal stones the first time you buy ore? Did you hack the system or something?"
"What fortune teller? Starting today I only believe in the luck master!"
This made those gamblers incredibly envious. There were countless others who had bought hundreds of pieces of ore but still came away empty-handed.
Everyone had two shoulders and one head, so why was his luck so damn good?
"Is there anyone here who specializes in purchasing crystal stones?" Zhang Menglong asked.
"There's a counter over there that specializes in buying crystal stones," one of the gamblers said, "but they rip you off here. If you take it to the market, you could get about 10% more for it."
"No problem, I'm not short on cash, just hate hassles," Zhang Menglong smiled, "If I can see through the dust and clouds of Zidel ore, then why worry about making money? What's 10% to me?"
Holding the crystal stone, Zhang Menglong walked over to the purchasing counter, "Hello, how much do you pay for this thing?"
An old man, wearing what looked like decorative spectacles, turned around and examined the stone, "Not bad, the purity has reached Grade A, 25.7 carats. I can offer you 4.8 million Izek crystal coins for it."
Carats are the universally recognized unit of weight across space, one carat roughly equivalent to 472.6 grams, which is close to 0.5 kilograms.
"Director, that price is quite fair. Were it a major energy purchasing conglomerate, they might go as high as 5.5 million, but here, it's already a good deal," someone advised.
"Alright, let's settle for that price!"
"You're forthright, young man!" The old man transferred 4.8 million crystal coins to Zhang Menglong's account through a device. In truth, such transactions were subject to tax, but the ore factory had taken it upon themselves to bear the tax burden.
"Not bad, making more than fifty times the investment in one go," Zhang Menglong wore a satisfied expression. Indeed, this was faster than robbery, and key to that, safe and environmentally friendly – this was making money with real skill!
Zhang Menglong strolled around Level One again. After a tour, among the tens of thousands of ore samples displayed, only 12 contained crystal stones. This ratio didn't even reach one-thousandth, and if compared to the promised five per thousand, the actual number was hugely inflated.
He also noticed that among the ores, there was one with green mist swirling within it – probably a Level Two energy crystal.
"Damn crooks!" Initially, Zhang Menglong thought about showing some mercy since they needed to conduct business, but if he purchased all the ore that contained crystal stones, would they even have any business left?
The gamblers weren't fools either; seeing so many stones already containing crystals, wouldn't the rest turn out to be basically worthless?
One should know, every piece of stone had a unique product marker on it. They could not resell the same batch of ore, which was also forbidden by universal law.
In this way, tens of thousands of ores in the exhibition hall would have to be discarded, resulting in losses amounting to billions of Izek crystal coins.
However, since they were crooks, Zhang Menglong felt no moral burden. He even felt his red scarf fluttering more vibrantly on his chest.
Moreover, he was earning money through his own skill, why should he consider the crooks?
"Hello, if I were to buy a large amount of ore, could someone help me out?" Zhang Menglong inquired with the staff.
"Sir, you may place an order for each piece of ore and make the payment. If the quantity is significant, our staff will provide you with complimentary transportation and stone-breaking services," replied a staff member.
"That's good," Zhang Menglong, following the number he had just seen, directly purchased all twelve Zidel Ore blocks containing Energy Baryte.
The total was just a little over one million, and Zhang Menglong didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache because he knew that these would soon turn into at least one hundred million Izek Crystals.
"Sir, it's a pleasure to serve you," a few staff members indeed quickly approached, "You just placed an order for twelve Zidel Ores. Would you like to have them processed right away? If you need to take them with you, we can also offer free delivery service, limited to the mother planet of the Izek civilization."
"Just help me process them!"
Buying a dozen Zidel Ores at once was very common in the areas above, and some people would even splurge on hundreds or even thousands of them for fun.
But in the areas below, these were the playgrounds for gamblers. It was rare for someone to buy two or three, and purchasing a dozen at once was an oddity.
Suddenly, a large group of gamblers swarmed around.
"Isn't that the young man who just turned out a Level One Crystal Stone?"
"Who would have thought he was so wealthy?"
"Hahaha, he thinks his luck is through the roof after uncovering a Crystal Stone. Another little gambler has fallen into the trap."
"I want to see the expression on his face when he uncovers twelve worthless stones later."
"Come on, everyone, come watch!"
The lobby's work area was suddenly crowded with hundreds of people.
The first ore gradually began to shrink under the friction of the machine, and its volume soon halved.
"Gone, a piece of trash!"
"If he buys two stones with Crystals consecutively, I'll eat all the stones on this floor!"
"Hahaha, I'll eat two floors!"
"I'll eat the entire building!"
Zhang Menglong, amidst the crowd, was laughed at by these people. The idea of internal competition really exists in every civilization. Can they even gamble over such stakes?
"Wait! The instrument is lighting up!"
As a transparent luster spread out, the instrument emanated a glow, indicating that there was an Energy Crystal inside the stone!
"Another Energy Crystal!"
"Good heavens! Is this even possible?"
"Who was the one who said he'd eat all the stones on this floor just now?"
...
While everyone was astonished at Zhang Menglong's luck, another instrument nearby lit up as well.
"Another one?"
"This can't be possible!"
One might be a fluke, two a coincidence, but three consecutive Crystals? The odds are less than one in a hundred million. This is simply impossible!
The fourth block, the fifth one... Not only were the audience numb to the spectacle, but the staff were too.
Some come here to gamble, but he seems to be here to wholesale Energy Barytes!
"Green light! Green light! He's turned up a Level Two Crystal!"
"Struck it rich, could he be that Crystal Master? But he's too young!"
"Master, take us under your wing!"
"Master, do you take apprentices? I can endure hardship, I'm willing to learn anything!"
Dozens of gamblers rushed over to Zhang Menglong, surrounding him with eyes full of utmost admiration.
"What master? I am no master," Zhang Menglong waved his hand, "It's just pure luck, that's all.