Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 2342: Taking all wealth is a form of control (3)

The Raini-grade equipment Ye Zhongming displayed totaled five pieces: two weapons, two pieces of armor, and one accessory.

Among them, the accessory and one of the weapons were premium-grade.

Raini-grade pricing was hard to pin down—the most ordinary might go for a hundred thousand Moonspan Gold or even less, better ones for over a hundred thousand, and premium pieces for several hundred thousand or more, depending mainly on demand.

In the past, Ye Zhongming wouldn't have offered Raini-grade equipment to these small races—partly because they couldn't unleash its full power, and partly because they couldn't afford it.

Items costing six figures or more were far too luxurious for races struggling to make ends meet.

Perhaps one or two among them had Raini-grade equipment, but it would be their ultimate trump card, never brought out except in direst need.

Ke Steel-grade and Red Condensation-grade were good, but Ye Zhongming only had what he'd just shown—made in his spare time after returning from the planet hunting ground, some even repaired and improved from spoils of war.

Without Ye Zhongming's terrifying crafting speed, these wouldn't exist at all.

But in his view, this still wasn't enough.

The Red Condensation-grade pieces might fetch a few million Moonspan Gold, and the Ke Steel-grade was the bulk—only a hundred million or so. Divided among the small races, it wasn't much.

Every one of these small races had plundered tens of millions in wealth from the Eight Heads, not counting the compensation and war losses paid by the Star-Eye Clan and Ye Zhongming.

The earlier Red Condensation-grade and Ke Steel-grade purchases would have only skimmed a few million from each race—far from their limits.

Yes, Ye Zhongming didn't want them holding onto cash.

This idea had been there from the start. Originally he'd planned to do it with the Star-Eye Clan—drain the small races' wealth and convert it into equipment, potions, machinery, and other forms.

Only that way could he prevent them from becoming complacent or arrogant.

People who have been poor for long, once suddenly rich, can easily lose control.

Ye Zhongming saw Dark Strip City's small races as the foundation for his continued advance—his best source of soldiers for future campaigns against any lifeform.

If these small races, after profiting from this war, wanted to close their doors and live comfortably, or grew arrogant and drew attention from major races, that wasn't what Ye Zhongming wanted.

Especially what happened with the Star-Eye Clan made Ye Zhongming realize these small races might be excellent warriors, but their decline wasn't without reason—their thinking was limited. Long years at the bottom of society had narrowed their vision and ambition.

These Raini-grade items and what followed were meant to make the small races spend their savings.

With no money in hand, they wouldn't lose their nerve—they'd stay hungry, keep the courage to fight.

Now that the Star-Eye Clan was unreliable, draining their wealth had to be done by him alone.

Raini-grade equipment was usable by the clan leaders and decision-makers present, and its appeal far exceeded Red Condensation-grade. Looking at the five fine pieces, everyone's eyes lit up.

Ye Zhongming then announced the prices.

Ordinary Raini-grade weapons: one hundred thousand Moonspan Gold. Premium: two hundred thousand. The two ordinary armor pieces: eighty thousand each. The premium accessory: two hundred thousand.

These prices were indeed lower than outside, but the discount wasn't as steep as Red Condensation-grade and Ke Steel-grade.

Still, it didn't diminish their appeal.

For example, Duoduo was close to breaking through to great expert, but no one knew when—or if—he would. If he faced a great expert now, he'd surely lose; even the Cloud Peak King, without transformation, war beasts, or other aid, couldn't defeat a great expert alone.

But with Raini-grade equipment, that certainty would blur—he'd still likely lose, but at least he'd have a fighting chance, and with luck, could even escape.

The same applied to others—it would greatly boost their strength.

Before, they couldn't afford such luxuries. Now they had money—after spending a few million, they still had several million left.

"Order Leader, before the auction, may I ask a question?"

Ye Zhongming turned toward the voice—it was the clan leader of the 'Cailiu' race. This race was short, even slight, naturally lacking in strength and not particularly sharp in senses.

But they had exceptional individual combat ability, thanks to their superb agility and mastery of martial techniques very similar to Earth's national arts.

Seeing him, Ye Zhongming knew what he would ask and why.

The Raini-grade accessory he'd made had a high agility bonus, plus damage reduction and enhanced perception—extremely friendly to this race. With it, they could maximize their racial advantages.

Sure enough, after Ye Zhongming signaled, the clan leader voiced his question—or rather, his request.

"If—just if—I don't have enough Moonspan Gold, can I offset it with some real estate in Dark Strip City? If you allow, I can price it ten percent below market."

This clan leader had caught on—these Raini-grade pieces weren't the finale. There were still many crates unopened, and his current cash might not suffice.

Hearing this, the others looked at Ye Zhongming expectantly.

After dividing the Eight Heads' assets, most of their wealth was in real estate, but they could use very little of it—at least for now, they had no businesses to run.

Those properties, especially the buildings, were useless sitting in their hands. Better to sell at a discount and exchange for necessities from Ye Zhongming.

This was the limitation of small races—even knowing these shops and properties could appreciate and generate income, they lacked the resources and ability to utilize them.

Ye Zhongming thought briefly. "That works, but let's stick to market price—after all, these things weren't easy for you to obtain."

This stance made everyone even happier, deepening their goodwill and trust toward Ye Zhongming.

And so a fierce auction began. Watching from the side, Ye Zhongming found it far easier than expected—these small races somewhat... couldn't control their wallets.