351: Chapter 351 You're ripping people off, do I have to teach you how?

Chen You was cut off so sharply by Hill that he was left speechless on the spot.

This situation felt like something was wrong somewhere.

He blinked, his mind racing.

Wait, when did I ever say I wanted to freeload?

The phrase 'strictly cash only' was practically a VIP channel custom-made for him, wasn't it?

But why didn't the Yuanjie System take this opportunity to fleece him ruthlessly?

Chen You pondered for a moment.

This Foundation Establishment's core energy was the 'Huangquan Essence' that Zhong Bukui, that NPC suspected of being a True God, had forcibly scraped from tens of thousands of players.

In this process, the Yuanjie System had actually contributed only one ten-thousandth of the effort, aside from providing a quest panel.

Was the system too embarrassed to take his money because it hadn't done any work?

But how could that be okay?

Absolutely not!

Chen You rubbed his chin, a sense of awkwardness welling up inside him.

Director Li had just transferred another two hundred billion huaxia coins into his card, which was equivalent to two hundred thousand gold coins.

He was now carrying a mountain of gold in his pockets; he had broken through a major realm, yet there wasn't even a place to spend money to make a splash?

This was like going to a club and booking the most expensive private room, only for the manager to tell you they only provide plain water and newspapers today.

This Foundation Establishment felt like it lacked a bit of ritual; it felt like a loss.

"Hill," Chen You sighed, pulling over a broken chair to sit down.

His eyes held three parts pity and seven parts frustration at her lack of ambition. "You just said that the Source Realm strictly recognizes money, right?"

Hill crouched back in front of the vending machine without looking back. "Nonsense. Without money, you can't move an inch here."

"Then what does my money count for? Come and earn it!" Chen You slapped his thigh.

"I am the server's only Cultivator, and I've crossed a major realm."

"For such a huge Pay-to-Win milestone, you didn't even give me a single pop-up window?"

"Your operational capability wouldn't last a week where I come from!"

The wrench in Hill's hand hit the ground with a 'clang.'

She turned her head and pushed up her goggles, looking at Chen You as if he were some rare kind of mental patient.

"Did the water in your brain evaporate into paste when you broke through? You're actively asking me to scam you out of your money?"

"What do you mean scam? This is called providing emotional value!"

Chen You stood up, walked over to Hill, leaned his hands on the grease-stained counter, and looked at her with bright eyes.

"Listen up. As a veteran 'leek,' I'm going to give you a free lesson in modern business operations."

Chen You held up one finger: "First, the Realm Breakthrough Gift Pack."

"When players work hard to break through, it's exactly when their self-confidence is bursting and their impulse to spend is strongest."

"At that moment, you pop up a box: 'Congratulations to the player for breaking through to Foundation Establishment! Limited-time two-hour special offer: the Realm Stabilization Gift Pack, originally 9,999 gold coins, is now only 998!'"

"Stuff it with some health potions, haste talismans, and throw in a limited-edition title. Guess if I'll buy it?"

Hill was stunned, her mouth slightly open as grease slid down her cheek.

"Second, the Realm Growth Fund!" Chen You held up a second finger, getting more excited as he spoke.

"I've broken through to Foundation Establishment, and after that, there's Golden Core and Nascent Soul. You set up a fund for ten thousand gold coins."

"Every time I increase a minor realm, you return one thousand gold coins' worth of items. What's this called? It's called sunk cost!"

"To get my money back, I have to grind like crazy. Doesn't that build user stickiness?"

Hill sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Third! The Battle Pass system!" Chen You slapped the counter, making the screws on it jump.

"A monthly Battle Pass is too low-level. Create an 'Immortal Path Pioneer Exclusive Pass'! Split it into a free version and an advanced version."

"The advanced version sells for fifty thousand gold coins. Assign me some monster-slaying tasks every day, and I'll level up the pass to get rewards."

"Put a unique mythological-grade mount or a fragment of a Dharma Treasure at the final level. This is called long-term exploitation!"

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Only the vending machine was still emitting black smoke.

Hill stared blankly at Chen You, her gaze shifting from looking at a mental patient to looking at some kind of unspeakable, terrifying entity.

"You..." Hill swallowed, her voice trembling slightly.

"Master, what kind of work do you do?"

"Me? I'm just an ordinary corporate slave." Chen You waved his hand with a modest face.

"It's mainly that the planners on our side are quite inhumane; I'm just scratching the surface."

Hill seemed to fall into some deep thought, dazed.

Five seconds later, she suddenly stood up, grabbed Chen You's arm, her eyes shining.

"Wait! That 'limited-time special offer' you just mentioned, how exactly does it work?"

"If I bundle a bunch of unsellable scrap blueprints, mark the original price as one hundred thousand and the current price as ten thousand, will some idiot... will a noble Adventurer really buy it?"

"As long as you package it well, slap on 'Limited Edition' and 'Unique' labels, and add a countdown. The faster the countdown, the more the player's hand will shake."

Chen You imparted his experience with an air of profound wisdom.

"Genius! It's simply a stroke of genius!"

Hill spun around twice in excitement and threw the wrench in her hand right out the window.

She rushed behind the counter and rummaged through a pile of scrap metal to find a crystalline plate glowing with blue light, her fingers tapping frantically on it.

"Wait! Noble immortal path pioneer boss! Give me three... no, one minute!"

Hill spoke extremely fast, her eyes flashing with the fanatical light of an awakened capitalist.

Chen You leaned against the counter with satisfaction.

That's more like it.

A game without a Pay-to-Win interface has no soul.

In less than a minute.

*Ding!*

In Chen You's vision, a massive, golden virtual panel suddenly popped up.

The edges of the panel even featured cheap, low-quality special effect fireworks, and in the center was a line of bold, rainbow-colored text:

[Congratulations to Player Chen You for successfully breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage! The Heavenly Dao rejoices, and all things shine!]

Looking down, there was a huge gift pack icon, with eye-catching red text written on it:

[Immortal Overlord · Foundation Establishment Stabilization Limited-Edition Supreme Gift Pack (10 Minutes Only)]

[Original Price: 500,000 Gold Coins]

[Current Price: 99,800 Gold Coins]

[Contains: Heaven-Grade Spirit-Returning Pill × 100, Unique Title "More Money Than Sense"... Strikethrough, Unique Title "Wealth Can Reach the Gods", Unknown Curio × 1]

The countdown was ticking down rapidly: 09:59... 09:58...

Chen You looked at this panel, his mouth twitching wildly.

Was this Hill's learning ability a bit too strong?

This UI interface, this color scheme, this countdown—it perfectly captured the essence of Pay-to-Win web games.

But what was the meaning of forgetting to delete "More Money Than Sense" properly?

"How is it?" Hill poked her head out from behind the counter, rubbing her hands together with an expectant yet slightly nervous look.

"I just applied for temporary permissions from the Source Realm and forcibly generated this gift pack. This is put together from the best stuff I have hidden away."

"Are you... buying?"

Chen You took a deep breath.

Even though he knew this was a routine he had taught her, and even though he knew there was definitely a markup...

Looking at that ticking countdown and those words like "Limited Edition" and "Unique"...

Chen You's finger rose uncontrollably.

"I'll buy it!"