87: Chapter 87 Speculating on Maple Coins? Directly Banned Until Players Quit

Dawn broke.

The Luofeng Village trade zone was already packed with people.

"Buying moonlight grass! Only paying in maple coins!"

"Trading dungeon runs for maple coins, DM me!"

"maple coins are so stable; who even collects copper coins anymore!"

Since maple coins were launched, trading in the Third Beginner District had become smoother and smoother.

Buying medicine? Use maple coins.

Entering a dungeon? Use maple coins.

Snagging a stall? Use maple coins.

Even many players from other districts made it their first priority upon arriving at Luofeng Village to rush to the exchange panel and convert their copper coins into maple coins.

The 1:100 ratio had become the default rule for everyone.

But once the rules stabilized, some people began to harbor crooked thoughts.

In a corner of the trade zone, several merchant players backed by major guilds huddled together, speaking in hushed tones.

"maple coins are too strong."

"The whole server recognizes them now."

"If we can pump the market, we can make a killing."

"We have copper coins—we can pull out tens of millions. What's there to fear?"

Soon, batches of maple coins began to be swept up at high prices.

Originally, 1 maple coin exchanged for 100 copper coins.

Half a day later, some in the trade zone were already calling out for 105.

By evening, it rose to 110.

The next morning, someone directly posted a private buying price of 1:120.

Rumors also began to surface on the world channel.

"I heard maple coins won't be issued anymore in the future!"

"Hoard them fast! Buy now or they'll be more expensive later!"

"Luofeng Village has more and more benefits; maple coins will go out of print sooner or later!"

"I just bought two hundred at 120; they'll definitely rise again tomorrow!"

A crowd of ordinary players suddenly panicked.

"Is this for real?"

"Will we not be able to exchange for them later?"

"Buy some first just in case, we'll need them anyway!"

Some grit their teeth and bought in at high prices.

Some dumped all the copper coins in their bags into it.

Others simply converted the money they had prepared for equipment into maple coins first, fearing they would lose out big if they were a step too late.

In just one day, the private exchange rate was hyped up to 1:130.

The trade zone grew increasingly chaotic.

"Holy crap, it was 100 yesterday, and 130 today?"

"Who would sell at the official price anymore? Only an idiot would!"

"solo players have it so rough; even wanting some maple coins to enter a secret realm costs thirty percent more!"

On a dirt mound, Lin Chen was holding that Millennium Dragon Egg, his small hand stroking the shell bit by bit.

Suddenly, his little brow furrowed.

"Dad, the trade zone smells wrong."

Lin Zhe leaned against a maple tree, his gaze calmly sweeping below.

"Someone is speculating on the currency."

Xing Jianwan's face also turned cold.

"Making money off your rules?"

Lin Chen huffed, the golden sigil on his forehead flashing.

Server-wide data permissions, deployed!

Buzz—

A massive blue-gold data screen spread across the air.

Row after row of exchange records and transaction flows scrolled rapidly.

Who was hoarding maple coins in bulk.

Who was privately posting high-priced orders.

Who was spreading rumors on the world channel about maple coins "going out of print."

Who was cycling goods between different alt accounts to pump the market.

It was all crystal clear!

With a tap of Lin Chen's small hand, dozens of red dots were instantly marked out.

"Found them."

"These few, and those behind them, are all one gang."

Several nearby players who were offering gifts looked up and were completely stunned.

"Holy cow, so many accounts?"

"There are even guild warehouse accounts!"

The more Lin Chen looked, the colder his little face became.

"They pooled over ten million copper coins to hoard stock."

"Sweeping up maple coins at low prices first, then using alts to drive up the price."

"And spreading rumors themselves to trick people into taking over the bags."

"They're rotten to the core."

Lin Zhe only said two words.

"Ban them."

"Okay!"

Lin Chen's small hand slapped down hard.

Boom!

Streaks of golden rule chains instantly descended across the districts!

In the trade zone, the faces of several merchant players who were smugly posting orders changed violently.

"What's going on?!"

"Where are my stall permissions?"

"Why can't I withdraw my maple coins!"

In the next second, a crimson notification popped up before their eyes simultaneously.

[You have been permanently banned for malicious speculation on the maple coin exchange rate, spreading false information, and disrupting the economic order of Luofeng Village]

[Penalty 1: Permanent deprivation of maple coin exchange permissions]

[Penalty 2: Permanent placement on the maple coin blacklist]

[Penalty 3: All illegally hoarded maple coins and illicitly gained assets are confiscated]

"Permanent?!"

"No!"

"I was wrong! I'll sell them back at 100 right away!"

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

A long string of accounts turned gray on the spot.

The illicit maple coins in their bags, warehouses, and guild transfer accounts were instantly drained by the rules and poured directly into the Luofeng Public Warehouse.

The trade zone was in an uproar.

The world channel was also instantly flooded with server-wide announcements.

[Server Announcement: Upon investigation, certain merchant players maliciously hoarded maple coins, drove up private exchange rates, and spread false information such as 'maple coins going out of print' to defraud ordinary players]

[All involved accounts have now been permanently banned]

[All illicit maple coins and illicitly gained assets have been fully deposited into the Luofeng Public Warehouse]

[Starting today, the official maple coin exchange rate is permanently fixed at 1:100]

[Anyone who maliciously speculates, hoards, or spreads false exchange rate information will be permanently banned without exception]

The entirety of miracle exploded.

"Good ban!"

"Damn, I almost bought at 130!"

"These bastards really treat solo players like pigs to be slaughtered!"

"Little Archon Lin is awesome!"

What was even more ruthless was that Lin Chen threw out all the evidence in one go.

Which accounts were cycling goods with each other.

Which accounts were setting the pace in the channel.

Which guild warehouse accounts were sweeping the market at midnight.

Even the chat logs were presented clearly.

"Dump them once we pull it to 130!"

"solo players panic the easiest; keep hyping the 'out of print' angle!"

"Squeeze their copper coins dry first!"

When the players saw this, their tempers flared instantly.

"Beasts!"

"A permanent blacklist is too light!"

"From now on, curse these accounts whenever you see them!"

Those ordinary players who had bought in at high prices had been feeling the sting, but after seeing the announcement, they all breathed a sigh of relief instead.

At least the rules were set in stone now.

They didn't have to worry about being fooled again.

Soon, the prices that had gone haywire in the trade zone instantly dropped back.

Long lines formed once again in front of the exchange panel.

"Exchange a hundred maple coins for me; the official price is still the most stable!"

"Right, 1 to 100, no matter what."

"If anyone mentions a price increase from now on, I'm reporting them first!"

Over at the public warehouse, because a large amount of illicit maple coins had been confiscated, Lin Chen conveniently added another announcement.

[Confiscated illicit assets have been deposited into the public warehouse and will be used for player benefits in the future]

At this, the players were even more delighted.

"Holy cow, after all that speculating, they ended up giving us benefits!"

"This is called walking straight into the trap!"

"Who would dare touch the rules of maple coins now?"

Zhou Ming, watching the exchange rate curve return to normal in the backend, was utterly impressed.

The official team was still thinking about how to issue warnings, how to conduct manual audits, and how to slowly stabilize the market.

Lin Chen just raised his hand and ripped it out by the roots.

Fast.

Ruthless.

Not a single word of nonsense.

On the mound, Lin Chen held the dragon egg and announced in a milky voice.

"Listen up."

"maple coins will always be 1 to 100."

"Whoever dares to speculate recklessly will never get to use them again."

After this sentence spread through the regional announcement, the entire trade zone went silent for a moment.

Immediately following that, countless players responded in unison.

"Understood!"

"We support Little Archon Lin!"

"From now on, we only recognize the official exchange rate!"

The wind blew across the mound.

Below, the exchange light pillars lit up one after another.

After this farce, maple coins hadn't collapsed; instead, they became even more solid.

Players who were originally a bit hesitant were now even more at ease.

Because everyone now knew one thing.

maple coins weren't a market that just anyone could touch.

This was the Lin family's 'rule money'.

Whoever dared to reach out their hand would be banned until they quit the game.

Lin Zhe looked at the trade zone that had stabilized once more, his expression calm.

And on the system panel in his arms, the number behind the maple coin circulation was still steadily rising.