126: Chapter 126 Taking Control of the Guild! A Crazy Plan with an Annualized Return of 30%

The alleyway was deep and dark, and the setting sun stretched Qin Ji's shadow long and thin.

In the palm of his hand, the purification jade pendant that had just finished evolving was radiating a warm touch. Qin Ji's fingertips lightly touched it, and lines of new attribute data jumped and appeared on his retina.

[purification jade pendant (Evolution · Rank 1)]

Quality: Special Growth Type

Current Effect: Probability of removing crowd control increased from 85% to 88%.

New Characteristic: [Crimson Glaze] (After successfully removing crowd control, gain 1 second of Super Armor).

"Eighty-eight percent..."

Qin Ji's eyebrows twitched slightly as his fingertips rubbed the blood-like red dot in the center of the jade pendant.

Although it hadn't reached a full 100%, this 3% increase was highly valuable, not to mention the new "Super Armor" trait. In a clash between experts, one second of Super Armor was enough to decide life or death.

Without any pause, Qin Ji reached back and pulled out a second [equipment evolution scroll].

This was stock from when he had cleared a Hidden Dungeon earlier.

"Continue."

As the scroll shattered, a purple light once again illuminated the dim alley. The jade pendant emitted a crisp hum in the light, as if some sort of shackle had been completely broken.

[System Prompt: purification jade pendant evolution successful!]

[Current Control Removal Probability: 90%.]

The rate of increase was diminishing, but this was expected.

At this level, every point of attribute increase was a qualitative change. A 90% probability meant that as long as one wasn't extremely unlucky, it was essentially equivalent to being immune to control.

"Even if the marginal effect becomes more severe later, reaching 95% is only a matter of time."

Qin Ji hung the jade pendant back on his waist, and the eerie red light instantly vanished under his gray cloak.

Equipment sorted, and the Clone had gone to work as well.

Next, it was time to get down to business.

Qin Ji's gaze turned toward the bustling street outside the alley, the most prosperous area of Tianxing City and the location of that behemoth—the Adventurers Guild.

In this game world, besides killing monsters to level up, there was another power that could dominate everything.

Money.

And the fastest way to control money was to open a bank.

...

Tianxing City, Adventurers Guild Main Hall.

The massive oak doors were wide open, and inside, the crowd was boisterous, with a wave of heat hitting him in the face.

Thousands of players were coming and going, and the massive quest board was crowded with people looking for opportunities.

"Buying wolf skins! High price for wolf skins, as many as you have!"

"Teaming up for Poisonous Swamp, need a tank, PM me!"

"Any big shots willing to carry a newbie? I can cheer you on..."

Qin Ji walked through the crowded throng, heading straight for the VIP reception counter deep in the hall.

Compared to the noise outside, there were only a few scattered high-level players in well-crafted gear waiting in line. Behind the counter, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed female staff member was lazily flipping through documents, her well-tailored uniform accentuating her impressive curves.

"I want to see your person in charge."

Qin Ji's finger lightly tapped on the marble countertop, his voice flat.

The blonde girl looked up, her gaze scanning Qin Ji's lusterless gray cloak, then glanced at his empty chest—he wasn't wearing any Adventurer badge.

"Not just anyone can see our person in charge."

She closed the file in her hand, her lips curling into a professional yet clearly distant smile. "Sir, only Adventurers of seven stars or higher, or nobles with the Rank of Count or above, are eligible to request an audience with Lady Zhamalei."

Her voice wasn't quiet, and several nearby players turning in quests immediately looked over.

"Pfft... who is this guy? Asking to see the person in charge right off the bat?"

"The game's only been out a few days; even the top-tier players have only just hit three-star status. Seven stars? That's just a threshold for show."

"Probably someone gone crazy trying to get a hidden quest. I've seen plenty like him, thinking they're the chosen one when they'd actually struggle to solo a Slime."

Laughter spread like ripples.

In this world where strength was paramount, having no badge and no flashy equipment effects meant being destined for the bottom of the social hierarchy.

A warrior nearby in bright silver armor puffed out his chest proudly, pointing to the shimmering bronze badge on his own chest.

"Brother, look closely, this is an Adventurer badge. Two-star! Understand? This is a glory I earned by grinding for three days and three nights. You want to see the person in charge? Go kill a thousand wild boars before you start dreaming."

Envious exclamations immediately rang out around them.

"Holy crap, a two-star big shot!"

"Anyone who can reach two stars at this stage is a Hardcore Grinder."

Qin Ji's expression didn't change; his gaze didn't even flicker.

This low-level sense of superiority seemed to him like an ant bragging about moving a grain of rice.

He flicked his wrist.

A badge, pitch-black with intricate purple-gold patterns on the edges, appeared out of thin air between his fingers.

"Do you recognize this?"

The blonde girl, who had been about to wave for security, froze instantly the moment her eyes touched the badge.

It was a pattern she had only seen on the frontispiece of the employee training manual.

Not just her, but even the warrior who had been showing off his two-star badge looked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. The mockery at the tip of his tongue was stuck, and he made a strange "clucking" sound.

The surface of the badge flowed with a faint light called "Authority."

That was...

The Grand President's Badge of the Adventurers Guild!

This wasn't just a symbol of Rank; it represented the highest authority to mobilize the entire guild System!

This was one of the supreme rewards the System had issued when Qin Ji completed that unique "ragnarok Prologue" quest, even more precious than the Divine Artifacts he carried.

"This... this..."

The documents in the blonde girl's hand hit the floor with a "thud."

She didn't bother to pick them up, her hands trembling as she braced herself against the counter, her previously arrogant face now deathly pale.

"You... please wait a moment! I will notify Lady Zhamalei immediately!"

Having said that, she didn't even care about her poise, lifting her skirt and sprinting toward the back office, her high heels clicking in a series of panicked, rapid notes on the marble floor.

The hall instantly fell into a dead silence.

The players who had just been mocking Qin Ji now looked at each other, their eyes filled with terror and confusion.

"What badge is that? Why was that NPC so scared?"

"I don't know... but I feel like we just offended someone incredible."

The two-star warrior shrank back into the crowd, trying to use others' bodies to hide his bronze badge, which now looked incredibly ridiculous.

Only half a minute passed.

A series of hurried and powerful footsteps approached.

A tall woman with sharp, well-defined features walked out quickly. She was wearing tight black leather armor and had a sharp, imposing aura; she was the person in charge of the Tianxing City Adventurers Guild—Zhamalei.

This normally cold and aloof NPC, who ignored most players, now walked straight up to Qin Ji.

Under the gaze of countless shocked eyes.

Zhamalei bowed deeply, performing a standard ninety-degree salute.

"My Lord, you... you are finally back."

Her voice trembled with a near-fanatical reverence.

"Boom—"

The crowd completely exploded.

"Holy crap?! That NPC is famous for being impartial and cold. Last time, a guild leader tried to use the back door and she kicked him out, and now she's actually bowing to someone?!"

"Who exactly is this guy? Is he the game company's favored son?"

"The clown was me all along... this is a real big shot!"

Qin Ji ignored the surrounding noise, tucked away the badge, and said calmly, "Let's talk inside."

"Yes! Please follow me, My Lord."

Zhamalei immediately stepped aside to make way, her attitude as respectful as a personal maid.

...

Inside the luxurious office on the top floor of the guild.

Isolated from the noise outside, it was so quiet that only the ticking of the magic clock could be heard.

Qin Ji sat on a wide leather sofa, his fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest. Zhamalei stood respectfully to the side, not even daring to take a seat.

"How is the guild's current financial situation?" Qin Ji got straight to the point.

"It's the same as always."

Zhamalei reported truthfully, "We mainly rely on taking commissions from issuing quests, as well as selling intelligence and supplies to earn the price difference. Although stable, growth is slow."

It was just like an auction house, earning service fees—stable, but not profitable enough.

Moreover, players didn't have much money right now, so there wasn't much profit to be made.

"I'm here this time to change the rules."

Qin Ji leaned forward slightly, his purple-gold pupils flashing with the light of ambition. "I want to open a 'savings' business within the Adventurers Guild."

"Savings?"

Zhamalei was stunned for a moment, then showed a troubled expression. "My Lord, the banking System of the Star Kingdom has already been monopolized by several major merchant groups. Furthermore, our capital reserves are insufficient. If we offer meager interest rates like they do, we won't be able to attract Adventurers to deposit their money with us at all."

In this world, the annual interest rate of banks was usually between 1% and 3%, with only a few top-tier merchant groups daring to offer 5%.

For players, this bit of interest wasn't as worthwhile as buying potions to grind monsters.

"Who said I was going to give meager interest?"

The corners of Qin Ji's mouth curled up slightly as he held up three fingers.

"Thirty percent annually."

"What?!"

Zhamalei looked up abruptly, a look of "horror" appearing for the first time on her usually composed face.

Thirty percent!

What kind of concept was that? That was practically giving money away!

"My Lord, this... this absolutely won't work!" Zhamalei was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead. "We'll go bankrupt! No investment can guarantee such a high rate of return. If a Bank Run occurs, the guild will go bankrupt in a single day!"

"Bankrupt?"

Qin Ji chuckled, opened his attribute panel, and showed Zhamalei the special passive he had been hiding.

Of course, he didn't show everything, but rather the "Fortune" trait disguised by the System.

But in the eyes of an NPC, this represented a kind of "absolute profitability" at the level of Law.

It was a hidden business logic derived from his [100% luck value]—in this digitized world, as long as your luck is high enough, even buying junk stocks blindly would see them turn profitable the next day.

"I have my channels. You only need to know that this 30% interest is but a drop in the bucket to me."

Qin Ji's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable magic. "Not only will we not lose money, we will make a Fortune. I want all the liquid capital in the entire server to gather in my pocket."

Zhamalei stared at the golden shimmering trait, her throat moving with difficulty.

After a long time.

The horror in her eyes gradually transformed into a kind of fanatical conviction.

In this world, strength was truth. Since this Lord possessed such a Heaven-Defying ability, then this would be a wealth storm sweeping across the entire kingdom.

"I understand."

Zhamalei took a deep breath and bowed deeply again. "I will go and arrange it now. Within three days, the 'high-interest deposit' business will be launched in all branches of the Star Kingdom."

"Very good."

Qin Ji stood up and walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside, the setting sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the magical lights of Tianxing City began to light up one by one.

"Don't worry about the pressure from other banks."

He looked at the bustling night view outside, his finger lightly tracing across the glass as if carving out the city's territory.

"If anyone dares to reach out..."

Qin Ji's pupils reflected the deep blue night outside, his voice cold as a blade. "Then chop it off."

As night fell, Qin Ji stood with his hands behind his back in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window. Behind him, Zhamalei was frantically drafting documents, while outside, the lights of the entire city seemed to prostrate at his feet at this moment, quietly waiting for the arrival of a storm that was about to overturn the entire world's economic System.