After the commotion settled, Qi Xu looked back at the points exchange panel with a hint of regret. Despite the slight disappointment, she felt genuinely relaxed and at ease. Seeing the "loving" atmosphere all around her, she felt a renewed surge of energy to keep fighting.
She still had 2,000 points left. Exchanging them for some other good items meant the trip wouldn't be a total waste.
But right at that moment, the system announcement echoed once more.
[Players who successfully redeem their teammates will receive all the points accumulated by the redeemed teammates during this instance.]
This time, it was the cold, mechanical voice of the system. It delivered the message without any warning and vanished as soon as it finished.
After a long pause, everyone finally erupted into excited howls.
"See? Unity is always the right choice!"
"I knew the experience we gathered from the last instance would come in handy."
The surroundings were filled with joyous laughter and a festive mood. Only Threeking looked entirely out of place, staring blankly at his -300 points.
After finishing her cheers, Qi Xu looked at her own points panel.
Dongfang Yuan had earned a total of 2,200 points, Wolf Warrior 004 had 2,000 points, plus her own remaining 2,000 points.
She had hit the jackpot! That was a total of 6,200 points!
Without a second thought, she immediately exchanged for the "Poseidon's Scepter." Once they left the instance, her treasure map would smoothly upgrade to level 8!
After the exchange, the option for "Poseidon's Scepter" turned gray. Qi Xu checked with Little Xie and Jinwen Xingmangyue next to her and found that their options had grayed out as well.
This proved that the item could no longer be selected. The two of them cast envious glances at Invincible Black Tornado. Why was it that she could always rake in such astronomical points...
Fortunately, they had made the right choice this time. Instead of continuing to oppose her, they had remained friendly until the very end. Otherwise, they absolutely wouldn't have secured their current points. One only needed to look at the miserable fate of the guy with negative points nearby to know that.
Qi Xu scanned the list. While 1,200 points could be exchanged for some decent items, they all felt a bit underwhelming.
It was rare to get a chance to exchange for premium materials needed for a level 8 upgrade. If she could scrape together enough points to also get the "Eye of the Spirit Stream" and the "River Rhyme," it would be an incredible bargain. Her teammates were due for an upgrade, too.
Looking left and right, Qi Xu first asked Xie Shaoning, "Are you selling your points? I can buy them with whatever you want."
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar already had the intention of aligning herself with Invincible Black Tornado later on. She was more than willing to do her a favor here to pave the way for her future.
So, she took the initiative to answer, "The two of us currently have 1,400 points in total, 700 each. I can give you my 700, but I need you to take me to the Number One Weapon Master in the World and ask him to craft a weapon for me. Of course, you'll be covering the crafting fees."
Qi Xu agreed immediately. Iron Pocket always reserved a few slots for her every month, so this was no trouble at all. As for the Survival Coins... being able to trade Survival Coins for points was absolutely worth it.
Qi Xu understood clearly that Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar was a smart woman. Selling the points this cheaply almost certainly meant she wanted to join Qi Xu's team.
That was fine by her. The woman had brains and methods. Even if she liked to play a few mind games to achieve her goals, as long as it didn't cross any bottom lines, they could work together as a team.
Little Xie had saved her life, and she had been willing to sacrifice herself to save him in return. That alone was enough to prove her character.
Xie Shaoning didn't want to sell his 700 points. He was still hesitating, as he had other uses for them.
Qi Xu didn't force the issue—everyone was free to choose. Instead, she turned to ask Jinwen Xingmangyue.
However, Cheese Milk Cap narrowed her eyes and whispered something into Xie Shaoning's ear, causing his resolve to waver.
"Forget it, I'll sell them to you too. I also want a weapon crafted by the little goblin, and you're paying for it. Plus, I want 5 blind egg color fragments!"
Qi Xu cast a curious glance at Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar, but the woman merely smiled faintly, showing no intention of explaining.
Qi Xu decided not to pry and agreed to Xie Shaoning's terms. Her remaining 1,200 points plus the 1,400 she just bought meant she was exactly 400 points short.
Her only hope now lay with Jinwen Xingmangyue.
Jinwen Xingmangyue currently had 2,300 points. At this moment, she was only feeling regret that she had been a step slower than Invincible Black Tornado and hadn't bought Xie Shaoning and Cheese Milk Cap's points herself.
Otherwise, she could have exchanged for the cheapest "Eye of the Spirit Stream." But she quickly let it go. Even if she had offered to buy them, let alone Little Xie, Cheese Milk Cap wouldn't necessarily have sold them to her. That price was clearly meant to curry favor.
"My beautiful babe, just name your conditions. Ask for the moon if you want. You know I have deep pockets."
Qi Xu could tell that Jinwen Xingmangyue wasn't too keen on selling her points, but she had to try her best to negotiate.
Jinwen Xingmangyue didn't answer right away. She carefully browsed the exchange panel first before starting the negotiation.
"I can sell you 400 points, or I can sell you 1,400 points."
"Tell me more."
An extra 400 points would get her the Eye of the Spirit Stream, while an extra 1,400 would secure the River Rhyme. Naturally, the more expensive one was better.
Smiling, Jinwen Xingmangyue took Qi Xu's hand and pulled her to the side.
Only then did she speak, "If it's just 400 points, given our relationship, I could just give them to you for free. But I know you hate owing favors, so just give me 20,000 Survival Coins and 1,000 energy stones."
Qi Xu felt the price was reasonable, but the way she phrased it... She gave a slight pout. "Babe, with our relationship, I really wouldn't mind owing you a favor. I'd be happy to."
Jinwen Xingmangyue suddenly dropped her smile. "Let me tell you the plan for selling you 1,400 points. In addition to 80,000 Survival Coins, you have to bring 10 people to Sector 11, Sub-sector 09, and help me kill a group of people.
The group that merged over is very strong. I had formed a team too, but we've had wins and losses fighting them, and now it's a blood feud. I want you to bring your people over and help me wipe them out completely."
Qi Xu shook her head slightly and proposed an alternative. "There's no need to come to me for assassinations. My price for taking action is too high. You'd be better off going directly to the Assassin's Hall to hire killers. As long as the money is right, even their Hall Master will do the deed for you. I can introduce you to the Hall Master."
Jinwen Xingmangyue frowned slightly. "I've been to the Assassin's Hall. It's too expensive."
"But it solves the problem once and for all, with zero drawbacks. If the hit fails, they don't charge you. Hire an assassin to kill their boss, and the rest won't be any trouble for you."
Qi Xu genuinely didn't want to get dragged into this kind of mess, so she directly forwarded the business to Ah She.
Jinwen Xingmangyue nodded, accepting Qi Xu's suggestion.
"Then tell me, what else do you want?"
"Do you have any Server Area Fragments?"
"I do, but I'm not trading those. If you sell me 1,400 points, your remaining points are still enough to exchange for items here."
Jinwen Xingmangyue was too embarrassed to admit that she had wanted to buy them at a low price. Since Invincible Black Tornado had put it that way, it meant she wouldn't agree to it.
..........
