Are You Selling or Not?

From his appearance, this big man wasn’t nearly as short as the goblins in fantasy stories.

But since he was dressed entirely in green and seemed to have a knack for business, he could be called a “goblin,” right?

However, the moment this “goblin” saw Zhou Zhanying, all of his mysterious aura instantly vanished.

“Boss! Big brother! Father! Please, I beg you, doing business is not easy.”

The “goblin” clung to Zhou Zhanying’s leg, eyes brimming with tears.

“You know there are plenty of scalpers who go bankrupt too, so as long as I don’t lose too much, I’ll sell, I’ll sell everything.”

Zhou Zhanying kicked the “goblin” away.

“Bring the goods out and let us see. If the price is fair, I won’t lay a hand on you.”

“Alright, alright, here are my goods.”

The “goblin” placed a holographic projector on the cabin floor.

He tapped on his emblem screen, and the projector displayed his arsenal of weapons and equipment.

Students could trade points with each other, which gave some students the chance to earn points through business.

“There’s quite a variety.” Zhou Zhanying skimmed through the “goblin’s” goods.

He turned to Ye Lan and Su Lixiao.

“Do you two want to take a look?”

Su Lixiao shook her head.

She had already bought her equipment and only had 5 points left, which wasn’t enough to buy anything useful.

But Ye Lan hadn’t bought anything yet, so he still had 100 points.

And with this “goblin’s” sudden appearance, Ye Lan felt like he might actually find what he was looking for.

As Ye Lan browsed, the “goblin” glanced around the empty cabin.

“By the way, Hawkeye, are there only two freshmen on your plane?”

Zhou Zhanying raised an eyebrow.

“What? You don’t want to do business if there are too few customers?”

The “goblin” immediately shook his head.

“No, no, not at all! Just being able to meet you, Hawkeye, is enough for me to brag to my peers for an entire semester.”

By then, Ye Lan had already found what he wanted.

He turned to the “goblin.”

“[TX-8 Exoskeleton]—how much are you selling it for?”

By academic definition, an exoskeleton is a hard outer structure that shapes, builds, and protects the soft internal organs of a creature.

So by that logic, both the armor of medieval knights and modern tactical suits could be called “exoskeletons.”

But such a broad classification was too vague.

So scholars categorized them based on the percentage of body coverage.

Armor that covered less than 70% but enhanced the human body was considered an “exoskeleton.”

Armor that covered 70% or more, with both enhancement and protection, was called “tactical armor.”

This meant the academy emblem shield only replaced low-end exoskeletons.

It could never replace the high-end market.

Hearing Ye Lan’s question, the “goblin’s” eyes lit up.

“Oh? You’ve got sharp eyes, classmate. This outdated semi-coverage exoskeleton is rare these days because of the emblem shield.

But emblem shields can’t boost physical resistance or body strength like exoskeletons can.

So this type of equipment is getting rarer.

If you don’t buy it now, it’ll be gone soon.

And the price is only 89 points.

If you want it, hurry and buy!”

Eighty-nine points? Robbery!

This knock-off exoskeleton didn’t even belong to a lettered series.

Ye Lan had a very clear idea of its true value.

This swindler’s face was shameless.

So Ye Lan didn’t show mercy.

“I’ll give you 5 points.”

This [TX-8 Exoskeleton] only covered 37% of the body.

The chest and abdomen were wide open, with no bulletproof plates, so its protection was poor.

Its armor mostly covered the spine, shoulders, thighs, and major joints like knees, elbows, and wrists.

That gave it decent enhancement effects, even if its defense was weak.

And since it had only 37% coverage, it was lighter than other exoskeletons, making it very suitable for Ye Lan at the moment.

The only question was the price.

Ye Lan figured it should never cost more than 40 points.

“This deal can’t happen.”

Hearing just 5 points, the “goblin’s” face instantly turned green—though it was already painted green.

“How about 37 points? Final offer.”

Ye Lan set his price.

The “goblin” tried to counter.

“Raise it a bit. How about 50?”

Ye Lan gave him no room.

He knew his price was perfectly reasonable.

“Thirty-seven. Not a point more. If I have to lower it, I’ll say 35.”

Take it or leave it.

If he didn’t want to sell, Ye Lan wouldn’t buy.

“This is tough business…”

The “goblin” scratched his head in frustration.

He had bought this [TX-8 Exoskeleton] for 35 points.

So Ye Lan’s 37-point offer would net him just a tiny 2-point profit.

Still, better to sell than not sell at all.

“Fine, fine, 37 points. It’s yours.”

Even a small profit was still profit.

And the fact that he was leaving alive from under Hawkeye’s gaze was already a blessing.

Ye Lan took out his emblem, signaling the “goblin” to begin the trade.

Because of how valuable points were, transactions outside the academy’s system required direct emblem-to-emblem verification.

The “goblin” didn’t expect this freshman to be so familiar with the process.

But he only wanted to leave this plane under Hawkeye’s watch as quickly as possible.

So he initiated the trade.

[Confirm trade? Yes/No]

[Yes]

[Trade complete! 37 points deducted. Remaining balance: 63.]

[TX-8 Exoskeleton transferred to user’s inventory.]

“Anything else you want to buy?”

The “goblin” asked instinctively, then immediately regretted it.

Why was he still stalling here instead of running away?

Fortunately, Ye Lan shook his head.

“That’s all.”

The “goblin” let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Zhanying opened the cabin door again.

In the howling wind, the “goblin” walked to the edge.

He turned back with a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“I hope you enjoy your life at the academy.”

Then he leapt out, opened his glider, and disappeared into the clouds.

“That’s better.”

Zhou Zhanying put away his rifle, closed the door, and looked at Ye Lan with a smile.

“You really can bargain. From 89 down to 37.

These scalper ‘goblins’ usually rip freshmen apart, sometimes so badly they can’t even join the following missions.”

Ye Lan chuckled.

“Then they’re truly wicked. Too bad for him he met me.”

Thanks to the “goblin,” he could finally shop happily.

{Shopping Cart:

+[Shield II] (Price: 20)

+[E Series | Universal Anti-Materiel Energy Sniper Rifle] (Price: 35)

+[G Series | G-46 EMP Tremor Grenade] x2 (Price: 2 each)

+[J Series | C-90 Mini Stasis Field] x1 (Price: 3)

= Total Price: 62

Note: Purchase of [Shield I] automatically canceled due to [Shield II]. }

Including the [TX-8 Exoskeleton] from the “goblin,” Ye Lan now had only 1 point left.

Thankfully, the Soul-Slaying Military Academy dorms were rent-free, and the cafeteria served free meals.

Otherwise, with how broke he was, he might have ended up sleeping on the streets.