161: First transaction in Star Spirit Forest

Shen Xiaochuan was awakened by the System's notification sound.

He sat in a chair in the Main Hall, two buttons of his work uniform collar unfastened, the copper gear on his cuff brushing his chin. His eyes were tired, but he still reached out to touch the edge of the storage compartment. He had just had a dream, dreaming of Qiao Yao leading a group of Beast Girls standing outside the West Gate Sentry Tower, their backbaskets full of bright red fruits. Just as he was about to open them to look, the scene broke off.

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was open the Faith Mall backend.

To be received: Star Spirit Forest Supplies (First Batch)

Status: In Transit

Estimated arrival time: 12 hours

The numbers weren't moving, as if stuck. He frowned and clicked into the settlement channel to check. The payment limit had been set, and the account balance was 46,000 faith points—it had naturally increased by over 10,000 overnight before he went to sleep. Money wasn't the issue; the issue was that there had been no movement yet.

He stood up, walked to the control panel of the Divine Kingdom Hub, and swiped his finger across the screen to pull up the monitoring logs for the West Gate Sentry Tower.

Yesterday at 5:17 PM, three teams registered to enter the mountain. Each team consisted of five people, all Beast Girls, carrying woven rattan backbaskets and wearing illuminating talismans on their waists. At 1:23 AM, the first team returned, their backbaskets bulging. The guards scanned high-purity life energy fluctuations and made a record but did not open the boxes. At 3:09 AM, the second team returned. The last team returned at exactly 6:00 AM, just before dawn.

"They picked them," he whispered.

He breathed a sigh of relief. As long as people were moving, most of the work was done.

He reviewed the agreement content again. Only fallen fruits were to be collected, no trees were to be harmed; replanting was the responsibility of Skydome City; rare varieties were blacklisted and not to be touched. These rules were set by him. It wasn't that he feared she would act recklessly, but that he feared a future supply cut-off. With resources, if too much was taken at once, there would be nothing left for next time.

As he was thinking, a "ding" sound rang in his ear.

System Notification: High-grade resource cluster detected entering the barrier range. Automatic identification and classification are in progress. Please wait... Shen Xiaochuan immediately sat back in his main seat, staring at the light screen.

A translucent projection unfolded, displaying continuously updated data:

red sun fruit × 37: Each contains fire-element active energy, suitable for Body Cultivators to Break through Bottlenecks. Market price: 4,800 faith points/fruit.

moon heart berry × 120 units: Luminous plant, can stabilize spiritual fluctuations. Average auction price: 3,200 points/unit.

Star Pattern Grass × 19 stalks: Mature plant, roots contain trace amounts of Star Power. Mall price: 2,800 points/stalk.

Dragon Blood Vine × 3 sections: Hundred-year-old vine, very tough, can be used as Divine Weapon binding. Estimated price: 8,500 points/section.

Frost Dew Flower × 8 blooms: Opens in the early morning, withers within three hours. Best medicinal efficacy. Rarity: S-Rank. No public quote available yet.

After the data scrolled, the page refreshed, displaying the total estimated value:

Initial Estimated Total Price: 231,785,400 faith points

Shen Xiaochuan looked at this number, his hands trembling slightly, his eyes full of disbelief. From his Awakening until now, he had worked tirelessly like an ant, giving his all in every dungeon. Yet, even so, the accumulated faith points combined couldn't compare to this single transaction. Previously, for tens of thousands of points, he often struggled on the brink of death, having to save every single point. Now, this one order was worth three years of his effort.

He took a deep breath and tapped the table twice.

"Qiao Yao... what good stuff is growing in your backyard?"

No sooner had he spoken than a server-wide announcement suddenly popped up:

System Announcement: Undocumented high-grade resources detected entering storage, triggering cross-zone price comparison mechanism. Transaction permissions temporarily frozen for 30 seconds. Relevant administrators, please confirm listing information.

Shen Xiaochuan suddenly looked up.

This was a big deal. The System only froze transactions when encountering irregular materials to prevent data manipulation or hacking into the mall. Now, everyone in the entire Huaxia Alliance had seen this notification, and many people were surely checking who uploaded the goods.

Without hesitation, he directly authorized the backend and manually created five listing entries.

red sun fruit, moon heart berry, Star Pattern Grass, Dragon Blood Vine, and Frost Dew Flower were all set to "Limited to Huaxia Allies," with a limit of three items per person, immediate delivery after payment, and unified dispatch from the West Gate Sentry Tower.

After doing all this, he issued another announcement:

"Skydome City's first ecological cooperation is online, resources from Star Spirit Forest, exclusively for Huaxia Allies."

As soon as the news broke, the mall page exploded.

Within minutes, all items were sold out.

Faith point deposit notifications popped up one after another:

red sun fruit transaction: 37 × 4800 = 177,600 points

moon heart berry transaction: 120 × 3200 = 384,000 points

Star Pattern Grass transaction: 19 × 2800 = 53,200 points

Dragon Blood Vine transaction: 3 × 8500 = 25,500 points

Frost Dew Flower transaction: 8 blooms auctioned as a package, purchased by the Eastern War Alliance for 1.2 million points.

Total credited: 231,785,400 faith points

A golden badge appeared at the top of the page, reading "Epic Transaction Achieved."

Qiao Yao opened her mouth, speechless for a long time. After a while, she slowly turned to look behind her, her voice a little hoarse, and softly said, "The Elders are all crying. This morning, the first batch of water purification devices arrived in the village. It's been thirty years since our village first drank such clean water. And those illuminating talismans, we won't have to light choking oil lamps at night anymore..."

She paused, her voice catching, "Our Star Spirit Forest has always been poor. It's not that we don't know how to do things, it's that no one told us these things were valuable. Everyone goes out on missions every day, working themselves to death for a few small coins. Yet the fruits from our own forest, one fruit can be exchanged for a watchtower..."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't speak, just listened.

He knew that feeling. In college, classmates laughed at him as a "Mechanical System Trash," saying he'd only be able to repair machines his whole life. Until that night, when faith points started increasing on their own, he realized that even the most inconspicuous person might hold the biggest cards.

"I understand now," Qiao Yao looked up, her eyes changed. "This isn't charity; it's what we've exchanged for with our resources. Every transaction is clear, right?"

"Right," he said. "However much you pick, I'll take. It'll be settled at market price, not a single cent less."

"Then... I want to sign a long-term agreement," she said seriously. "Not just once or twice, but every month. We can arrange shifts, take turns picking, and even train new people. As long as we don't damage the forest, we're willing to supply indefinitely."

Shen Xiaochuan smiled, "Alright. I'm also ready. Cement formula scrolls, irrigation toolkits, and seed cultivation boxes will all be included in the next batch of support. Let me know anytime if you're short on anything over there."

He opened the contract System and created a new "Quarterly Supply Memorandum." The terms were simple: three deliveries per month, each no less than thirty units of high-grade resources; Skydome City would provide technical support and basic materials; and a dedicated contact channel would be established for real-time progress communication.

"Sign it?" He pushed the confirmation box over.

Qiao Yao looked at it for a few seconds, then reached out and tapped 'Agree'.

A prompt popped up on the light screen: The contract has taken effect. Both parties' credit ratings have been upgraded to "Trusted Partner."

She let out a long breath and suddenly smiled, "From now on, the Star Spirit Forest is willing to be a permanent source of supply for Skydome City! I say this on behalf of all my people, not just out of impulse."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded, "I'll remember that."

The image closed, and the Main Hall became quiet.

He leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. His mind was still replaying the scene—Qiao Yao's mud-streaked face, the Elders' hands clutching the water purifiers, and that lush green dense forest. The value that had gone undiscovered for so many years was now unearthed.

He opened the Divine Kingdom Sandbox, his gaze sweeping across the resource zone, finally stopping at the level-five field on the border.

He had money now.

The warriors' equipment could be replaced, skill books could be issued in bulk, and the field assault plan could be launched tomorrow.

He stood up, walked to the control panel, pulled up the Believers' roster, and prepared to summon the core members for a meeting.

Just as he was about to press the communication button, he paused again.

He looked back at the newly generated transaction report on the table.

Total Transaction Amount: 231,785,400 faith points

Partner: Star Spirit Forest

Fulfillment Status: First delivery completed, good credit.

He tapped the desktop lightly.

"Training the troops isn't urgent," he said. "Let's first finalize the allocation plan for this batch of goods."

He slid his finger, beginning to draft a new material dispatch order. Cement scrolls would be prioritized for the North District infrastructure team, illuminating talismans would be distributed per household, and water purification equipment would first be installed in schools and hospitals.

After doing all this, he picked up his communicator.

"Notify all captains: assemble at the training ground tomorrow morning at six."