"Twenty million national currency to purchase a rare-grade firearm? Why doesnât this coal boss just directly buy it in the market if he has so much money? Why pay several times the price on this forum? This person is likely up to something."
After browsing the forum posts for a while, Wang Zhifan noticed that the situation had become quite chaotic, and he estimated that many people here were trying to muddy the waters with malicious intent.
"But thereâs also a one in ten thousand chance that this person is a genuine fool with money. Anyway, I have nothing to lose now; guess itâs worth a try."
Thinking that his current strength was already exceptional, leaving him worry-free about traps and such, Wang Zhifan quickly sent a private message to the coal boss seeking to purchase, telling him that while he didnât have rare-grade firearms, he did have rare-grade melee weapons and inquired if the boss was interested in purchasing.
After the private message was sent out, Wang Zhifan didnât receive any immediate response, but he wasnât bothered by it. Instead, he started posting on the playersâ forum, looking for buyers.
"Rare-grade Venom Fang Dagger for sale! Detailed attributes in the post! Interested parties, please PM the poster with your offer!"
The post Wang Zhifan made was to sell the Venom Fang Dagger, which was no longer of any use to him. Selling it for money seemed quite appropriate. He could have sold it to merchants in the market, but he heard that finding the right buyer on the forum could fetch a better price, so he wanted to give it a try here.
Unlike his earlier private message to the unresponsive coal boss, no sooner had Wang Zhifan posted the Venom Fang Dagger for sale than his forum account was flooded with reply notifications within seconds, and people sending him private messages started popping up soon after.
Replies:
Post 1: "First!"
Post 2: "The attributes of this dagger look nice; Iâll take it for fifty thousand bucks."
Post 3: "Are you stupid? This is rare-grade gear! No one will sell it to you for less than a million."
Post 4: "A dagger that can stack ten layers of poisonâlooks pretty good. However, melee classes arenât in demand, so it might not fetch a high price."
Post 5: "What does melee class demand have to do with me, an Assassin? (dog head emoji) Luxury players in the Assassin class would definitely be interested in this kind of dagger."
Post 6: "Haha, just a rare-grade item, nothing special."
Post 7: "Wow, arenât you something? Donât care for rare-grade stuff? Did you loot extraordinary or epic items? Show them off if you can and let everyone take a look."
Post 8: "Holy! Another lucky dog! Youâve looted such a great weapon! Iâm almost at level ten and have never even seen a rare-grade yet (tearful)."
Post 9: "Expecting rares at just level ten? Youâre dreaming, arenât you (picking nose emoji)."
Post 10: "(Gritting teeth) Why is it that others always get rare drops? (angry) When will it be my turn?"
...
Most of these replies lacked substance, mere comments from forum users joining the excitement with some complaints, since most didnât have the purchasing power for such an item.
However, the private messages sent to Wang Zhifanâs forum account were more precise, with a few seriously interested in buying.
Private Message 1: "I offer 990,000 national currency for a face-to-face cash transaction. Will you sell?"
Private Message 2: "1.3 million, using an escrow platform."
Private Message 3: "Bro, selling your dagger like this wonât get you the price you want. You need to engage a professional team to market it for you; I guarantee you can sell it for over five million national currency. Contact me if youâre interested."
Private Message 4: "Hey! Your Venom Fang Dagger is really nice. I want to buy it... but unfortunately, Iâm a bit short on cash flow right now. Would you support an installment plan? I can pay you one hundred thousand upfront, you trade the dagger to me, we sign an agreement face-to-face, and then Iâll pay you fifty thousand each month for six years. In total, youâll receive 3.7 million national currency, which is a fair price..."
...
"The highest offer right now is only 1.3 million national currency, lower than I expected... but itâs likely because not many people have seen the post yet."
Finding that quite a few people had inquired about the rare-grade Venom Fang Dagger he planned to sell, Wang Zhifan felt there might be potential in this method of transaction. However, the current offers were too low, as he hoped to sell it for at least three million national currency.
As for pricing, Wang Zhifan, thanks to memories from his previous experience with forums and the market, had some understanding. He knew that melee weapon prices couldnât compare to firearms. Rare-grade firearms had a base price of five million national currency, while rare-grade melee weapons struggled to exceed three million. This pricing was largely determined by the popularity and power of the gunner class.
"Maybe I should sell the Bear Race Mage Headband instead? The Mage class is also popular, and such gear could fetch a good price."
While Wang Zhifan pondered whether to sell two rare-grade pieces simultaneously, considering the potential trouble this might bring, he suddenly noticed a notification from his forum account that the coal boss had replied.
Private Message Reply: "I also buy rare-grade melee weapons, but my offer wonât exceed ten million national currency. If youâre interested, add my communication account for detailed discussion..."
This so-called coal boss included a communication account with his response to Wang Zhifan, implying that if he wanted to sell rare-grade weapons, he should contact him for further discussion, though the price for melee rares wouldnât match that of firearms.
"Haha, no harm in chatting; letâs see what your deal is."
Though fully aware that this so-called coal boss was likely a scammer, Wang Zhifan decided to engage in conversation, as he had nothing to fear from scammers, given his newfound strength, unlike potential attention from the Special Administration Bureau, which might warrant caution.
Before long, Wang Zhifan searched and applied to add the communication account as a friend using the software, connecting with the accountâs user, who had an avatar of a bespectacled man in formal attire and the nickname Mr. Han.
Mr. Han: "Are you the supplier for Mr. Huangâs equipment?"
Wang: "Yes."
Mr. Han: "Please send the detailed information of the equipment over."
Wang: "A rare-grade longsword, approximately 1.2 meters in length, 40% physical defense penetration..."
Mr. Han: "Mr. Huang doesnât lack melee weapons, but if the price is right, we can still purchase it. What price do you wish to sell it for?"
Wang: "Selling for ten million national currency."
Mr. Han: "Are you joking? Even a rare-grade melee weapon canât be sold for ten million. Five million is the absolute limit."
Wang: "Then Iâll sell it for five million national currency."
Mr. Han: "4.8 million."
Wang: "At least 4.9 million."
Mr. Han: "Deal. Can you come to our place for a face-to-face transaction?"