"Of course, of course." Xu Sheng chuckled, dusting off a chair with his sleeve. "Mr. Su, let's sit and talk."
"That won't be necessary." Su Ze waved his hand and got straight to the point. "Mr. Xu, just tell me what price Evolutionary Technology can offer for this Tier 4 extract. If it's right, I'll sell. If not, I'll move on to the next."
Su Ze was indeed in a hurry. The members of that mysterious organization could track this tube of extract. Once they shook off Zhang Fantie, they would surely come after him.
Xu Sheng said, "Mr. Su, you're a man who doesn't mince words. In that case, I'll first use our equipment to analyze the extract's specific details, and then I'll give you a quote."
Then, as Su Ze watched, Xu Sheng took the Tier 4 extract and placed it into a complex, high-precision machine. After a brief scan and analysis, the machine's display screen showed the information for the extract.
Abyssal Shadow Demon Extract
Tier: 4, Grade: B
Potential Skills: Shadow Transformation, Dark Night Invasion, Fear of the Shadow...
'A Tier 4, Grade B extract...' Su Ze was secretly stunned. A Grade B extract was already considered high-quality.
The grading standard for extracts was established by Evolutionary Technology itself. They divided extracts into six grades—S, A, B, C, D, and E—based on the boost they provided to the user's physique and the strength of the potential skills. S was the highest quality, and E was the lowest.
The value gap between high- and low-grade extracts of the same tier was enormous. For example, the Giant Power Ant and Unihorn Rhinoceros extracts Zhao Lingxiao had absorbed were both S-Grade, whereas the Burrowing Mouse and Water-Spraying Frog extracts were E-Grade. Their prices differed by a factor of hundreds, even thousands.
Xu Sheng's face lit up with excitement. He had worked at the Heiyan City branch for over a decade and had, at most, acquired a few Tier 3 extracts. He had never once laid eyes on a Tier 4 extract. Not only was this one Tier 4, but it was also a high-quality Grade B. If he could successfully acquire this, he was guaranteed a promotion. He wouldn't have to be stuck in this tiny, rundown shop in Heiyan City anymore.
As for the extract's origins, Xu Sheng couldn't be bothered to ask. If he passed up this deal, he guaranteed his competitor, Life Pharmaceutical, would snap it up without a moment's hesitation.
So what if the extract had a questionable origin? Once something entered the maw of Evolutionary Technology, there was no reason to spit it back out.
Across the entire Lin Hua Continent, the number of powers that could truly make Evolutionary Technology feel threatened could be counted on one hand, and the six nations of the continent were not among them.
"Mr. Su, please wait a moment. I need to report this to the Group and get their pricing."
Xu Sheng returned to his computer to communicate with the leadership at Evolution Technology Headquarters. A moment later, he came back to Su Ze with a smile. "Mr. Su, after I fought for the best deal for you, Headquarters has given its highest offer. Now it's just a matter of how you'd like to complete the transaction."
"One option is to be paid in the common currency of the Lin Hua Continent, Lin Coins. The other is to be paid in points from our Evolution Technology Group."
"We've valued this extract at 10 billion Lin Coins. If you choose to be paid in Lin Coins, we can offer a 10% premium, for a total of 11 billion Lin Coins."
"If you choose to be paid in points, that would be one million points. One point is equivalent to 10,000 Lin Coins."
'Holy crap! I'm rich!'
On the surface, Su Ze's expression didn't change, but his mind was reeling. He had guessed the Tier 4 extract would be valuable, but he never imagined it would be *this* valuable.
Zhao Yuanyi had given him two hundred million before, and back then he felt like he was reeking of money. Now he realized that two hundred million wasn't nearly as much as he'd thought. It wasn't even a fraction of what this Tier 4 extract was worth.
In truth, Su Ze didn't fully grasp the value of a Tier 4 extract. It was a required item for a Butterfly Stage evolver to advance to the Saint Stage, making it a strategic-level resource for the six nations of the Lin Hua Continent. Its value couldn't be measured in money alone.
Su Ze didn't hesitate. "Done," he said. "I'll take the points."
He knew from Zhao Lingxiao's memories that Evolutionary Technology's points were hard currency in high-level evolver circles, far more useful than Lin Coins.
One point equaled 10,000 Lin Coins, but you couldn't exchange 10,000 Lin Coins for one point.
High-level Evolution Items couldn't be bought with money alone. Take extracts, for example. Evolutionary Technology only allowed the purchase of Tier 1 and 2 extracts with Lin Coins. Tier 3 extracts required a hefty premium, and Tier 4 and above could only be bought with points.
In other words, if he chose the Lin Coin transaction, Evolutionary Technology would pay him eleven billion Lin Coins. But he wouldn't be able to use that money to buy a single Tier 4 extract from them.
But if he took the deal in points, that restriction didn't apply.
Points could be spent on Evolutionary Technology's official website and in its stores, and they could also be transferred privately, serving as the currency for private trades of high-level Evolution Items.
The only official way to acquire Evolutionary Technology Points was to sell high-level Evolution Items to Evolutionary Technology.
Therefore, trading in points was essentially a system of barter—an exchange of one high-level Evolution Item for another.
The Evolution Technology Group was a massive enterprise that held a near-monopoly on the extract trade in the Lin Hua Continent. They had a solid reputation, so there was no fear of them suddenly going bankrupt and leaving him with useless points.
Seeing Su Ze agree to the transaction, Xu Sheng said excitedly, "Mr. Su, do you have a membership account with Evolutionary Technology? I'll have Headquarters credit the points to your account right away."
Su Ze shook his head. "I don't want to use my real-name account."
"No problem." Xu Sheng patted his chest. "We at Evolutionary Technology have always respected our clients' privacy. We have special, anonymous accounts for clients just like you. I can set one up for you now."
While Xu Sheng was busy setting up the card, Su Ze took out his phone. He logged into Evolutionary Technology's online store and browsed the listings for Tier 4 extracts. As expected, they could only be purchased with points, and there weren't many available on the site.
On Evolutionary Technology's official website, there were only two Grade B, Tier 4 extracts for sale. They were priced at 950,000 and 1,100,000 points, respectively. Su Ze weighed his options. The 1,000,000-point acquisition price from Evolutionary Technology was quite fair.
A business had to make a profit, of course, and this wasn't an exorbitant markup. Su Ze could accept the price.
In truth, to ensure the deal went through, Xu Sheng really had pushed Headquarters to offer a very fair price.
With Su Ze's cooperation, an anonymous Evolutionary Technology VIP card was quickly issued and handed to him.
"From now on, you can just use this card when you log into our website or make purchases in-store. Also, since this card isn't registered to a name, please make sure you memorize your password. Forgetting it would be a huge hassle."
"Got it." Su Ze put away the sleek, minimalist black card. "Now, show me your Tier 1 extracts."