In the distant, boundless snowfields, snowflakes fell endlessly, and sounds of pain and wails echoed between heaven and earth.
The captives from various nations had no idea what they had done wrong to provoke this deity of the snowfields. Chen Yu, sitting beneath the floating city, was also unaware that someone was carrying the burden for him.
From beginning to end, he silently stared at the chat window.
He rested his cheek on one hand, knitted his brows, and muttered to himself.
"So patient, a true master."
If they managed to get the Flame Fruit, they likely wouldn't have just that one. Even if it were truly just one, there should have been plenty of Magma Fruits as companions.
Since the other party could list the Flame Fruit, they absolutely wouldn't know its value.
It couldn't be that they were using it as bait to lure Chen Yu, right?
Baiting Chen Yu with a Flame Fruit, worth tens of billions of resource points, for only 300,000 resource points would come at too great a cost. Chen Yu felt it was unlikely.
He pondered that the other party was likely just playing a game of patience with him.
Perhaps they themselves weren't sure of the Flame Fruit's value and wanted to see Chen Yu's reaction to it. Clearly, in this region, Chen Yu was considered the most knowledgeable.
However—
Chen Yu could never have imagined that standing opposite him were a group of teenagers filled with hope for the future, and their prolonged silence wasn't a test of patience with Chen Yu, but rather them contemplating…
"How should I approach Boss Chen Yu?"
Nois, filled with apprehension, repeatedly tugged at his hair.
Nois had been a survivor in the same region as Chen Yu even before Chen Yu possessed his Free City-State, and he had personally witnessed Chen Yu's actions in the caves.
In his eyes, Chen Yu was someone he greatly admired.
A remarkable adventurer.
They were all invited to the caves from outside the caves, and they all started from nothing. While he was still struggling on the brink of death, fighting wild beasts for a bite of meat, Chen Yu had already begun selling food resources to help other survivors through the most difficult times.
Let alone in the early stages of the caves, even now, obtaining food in the caves was extremely difficult.
Chen Yu's ability to have ample food at such an early stage, and his willingness to share it, was enough to prove his strength and kind heart.
Although Nois was cheerful and optimistic, he was not good at flattery.
When other survivors in the region saw Chen Yu, their chat windows were filled with compliments, but he merely watched silently, a faint glint in his eyes, dreaming of one day becoming a successful adventurer like Chen Yu, and he had also longed to have a few words with Chen Yu.
Now, his dream was about to come true.
This person, standing at the peak of their region, had proactively added him as a friend. The sudden appearance of his idol, however, left Nois unsure of how to speak.
Staring at the chat window, Nois looked at the others with a pleading gaze.
"Don't look at me, I don't know what to say either." Reyel, shrinking his neck, waved his hands repeatedly. Da Xiong hid his head behind his shield. "I have social anxiety."
The stoic Zeku looked blankly at Nois, his eyes seeming to say—are you sure you want to rely on me?
Even the most mature Ai Wei, at this moment, gently pursed her lips.
"How about, we just get straight to the point?"
After all, they were all just sixteen or seventeen-year-old youths. Before coming to the caves, they were the flowers of the nation, blooming in schools.
In the year they were invited to the caves, they had rarely interacted with people.
Adventure was their main theme.
Suddenly having to conduct business with adults made them all uncertain.
"Is that okay?" Nois hesitated, his eyes conveying a plea. "Sister Ai Wei, why don't you talk to Boss Chen Yu? You're both from Dragon Country, so it should be easier to communicate."
"You're the team leader."
Ai Wei shook her head, declining. Nois, tightly clenching his fists, fell silent for a long time.
"I heard that in Dragon Country, you say some polite words before discussing matters. I don't really understand it either. If we just go straight to selling resources, will Boss Chen Yu think we're rude? One fruit for 300,000 resource points, that's not a small amount. Aren't we trying to rob him?"
"I think it's better to be direct,"
Biting her lip, Royer stepped forward and said softly.
"Boss Chen Yu is probably very busy. If we waste too much of his time, he might become impatient. 300,000 resource points is just a small amount for us, but it's probably nothing to Boss Chen Yu. Look at the daily turnover of his resource exchange center, it's probably tens or hundreds of billions. Our business of a few tens of millions is insignificant to him."
As soon as this was said, it was immediately supported by the adventure team.
Nois scratched his head and remained silent for a moment, then looked up at the other team members and pursed his lips.
"Really going for it directly?"
"Go for it," Reyel encouraged. "At worst, we'll fail, and we won't lose anything. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."
"Okay!"
Nois clenched his fists fiercely and made up his mind.
He decided to go all out.
Clicking on Chen Yu's chat window, he sent a message directly.
"Boss, want to buy fruit?"
Ding—
A crisp sound entered Chen Yu's ears. Leaning back in his chair, waiting for messages, Chen Yu quickly clicked open when he saw Nois's message.
Seeing the straightforward words, Chen Yu couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
"Is this the business style of foreign countries? It's quite direct," Chen Yu muttered softly.
Being able to use the regional trading channel indicated that they were survivors from their region. Seeing Nois's name, Chen Yu naturally regarded him as a foreign friend.
Simple and direct, straight to the point.
To be honest, he liked it.
Chen Yu was not the type to engage in pretense or waste too much time on useless conversations. It was better to be straightforward. If it worked out, it worked out. If not, so be it. It saved time and energy, and there was no need to constantly ponder what the other party was thinking.
"The fruits have arrived."
The little demon perched on Chen Yu's shoulder and said with a smile.
"How are you going to talk to them? If you just say 'buy,' then your previous waiting will be in vain."
"It's very simple. Watch carefully, and I'll give you a practical lesson."
Chen Yu glanced sideways at the little demon's pretty face and nodded towards the chat window on the screen.
"Language is an art. Learn it well."
As he spoke, Chen Yu lightly tapped his fingers and sent a line of text.
"If these resources become a burden to you, I can help lighten your load. We are all survivors who came here from outside the caves. Within my capabilities, I want to help you as much as possible."
"We can buy."
"How much more do you have?"