Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi gently pressed the dark gold card onto the smooth metal surface of the counter with his fingers, producing a soft, soft sound.

The goblin clerk Grom Copper Coin, who had been sporting a standard professional smile just a moment before, froze the moment his gaze fell on the card, as if by some invisible force.

His usually bright and darting eyes froze, and the ancient goblin word "II" was reflected deep within his pupils.

The air froze for half a second.

Immediately afterwards, the well-trained mask of enthusiasm on Grom's face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by an expression of extreme respect.

He subconsciously straightened his back, which had been slightly leaning forward, and clasped his hands together in front of him, his fingertips slightly curled inward—a polite gesture that goblins would only make when facing high-ranking guests.

“Your…esteemed…Class II VIP!” Grom’s voice was lowered, but clearer than before, each syllable carrying a careful confirmation, “Please forgive my previous neglect!”

His movements were quick and steady, and he took the VIP card from Lin Yi's hands with almost reverence.

The card feels slightly heavy in the hand, with a unique texture and extremely fine energy patterns flowing along its edges. This is an anti-counterfeiting and identity binding technology that is only available to mid-level VIPs and above in the Goblin Merchant Guild, making it extremely difficult to counterfeit.

Grom wasted no time visually identifying the card; he quickly turned around and placed it into a card slot on the side of a crystal panel embedded in the counter behind him.

A soft blue halo swept across the card's surface, and then a waterfall of data rolled across the panel at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

Lin Yi's virtual image, ID number, accumulated transaction amount, credit rating, exclusive contact person information, and most importantly—several internal permission tags personally marked by senior executives of the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, such as "key client," "potential high-value partner," and "requires the highest level of service," were clearly displayed in front of Grom.

Grom's breathing quickened almost imperceptibly for a moment, and a cold sweat even broke out on his back.

He was extremely grateful that his reception process had been completely in accordance with the standards and without any oversights.

At the same time, a strong sense of professional excitement welled up inside me—to serve a mid-level VIP, especially one with so many internal designations, is a huge opportunity in itself!

Even completing a single transaction that satisfies the other party is enough to significantly improve his performance evaluation and even earn him the opportunity to be transferred to a more core department.

If the previous enthusiasm was a formulaic, distant business smile, then at this moment, the respectfulness carries a hint of obsequious importance.

He spoke in a tone as steady as possible but with absolute clarity: "Distinguished Class II guest, your identity has been confirmed. Please allow me to provide you with a more... more comfortable service environment."

Before he finished speaking, his finger had already pressed a discreet red button under the counter with precision and force.

Almost at the same instant, a very faint mechanical transmission sound came from the previously empty ground behind Lin Yi.

A silver-gray metal floor silently slid open, and a simple yet elegant leather sofa rose smoothly from below.

The sofa's leather has a restrained dark brown hue, which gleams delicately in the soft lighting of the rest area.

When fully extended, its height is clearly the result of precise calculation.

Lin Yi simply took a half-step back, and the process of sitting down was natural and smooth.

Just as his body completely sank into the embrace of the sofa, an almost imperceptible hum came from the sofa base, and the entire sofa began to rise very steadily.

The lifting process was swift and quiet, taking only two or three seconds to complete.

When Lin Yi sat down, he realized that his eye level was about a head higher than Grom's behind the counter.

He didn't need to look up; he only needed to lower his gaze slightly to clearly see everything inside the counter from a relaxed, slightly condescending angle, including every subtle change in Grom's expression and the key information displayed on the crystal panel.

This high design is by no means accidental.

It cleverly places the customer in a more psychologically comfortable and controllable position, without making the service staff feel overly pressured.

Every detail, from the speed at which the sofa is lifted and the final height it rests at, to the ergonomic support design of the sofa itself, reveals the great care and financial resources that the Goblin Merchants have invested in the service experience.

"No wonder it's a merchant guild that can hold a place in the void trade." A thought crossed Lin Yi's mind, but his face remained calm.

He gestured for the other party to look at the mining rights certificate for the large high-seismic steel vein.

Grom placed it in another, slightly larger scanning groove next to the crystal panel.

A dark blue scanning beam swept repeatedly across the surface of the document.

A 3D projection quickly appears on the panel: a star map with detailed spatial coordinates, in which a planet is highlighted, along with its geological structure profile, mineral vein distribution density, estimated reserves, associated mineral types, and even a preliminary assessment of mining difficulty... a massive amount of data is automatically generated.

Grom's eyes quickly scanned the information, his fingers flying across the auxiliary keyboard on the side of the panel, conducting more in-depth cross-validation and preliminary valuation calculations.

His expression grew increasingly serious and focused, and he unconsciously muttered some goblin-language technical terms: "...deep rich ore zone...associated rare element 'coerite'...mining environment assessment: low to medium risk...preliminary valuation range..."

However, just as his initial assessment was about to be completed and he was preparing to give Lin Yi his first-stage report—

"jingle--!"

A crisp yet unmistakable ringtone suddenly sounded from a communication device adorned with tiny gems beside Grom.

The ringtone has a distinctive tone, carrying a clear sense of priority.

Grom's movements suddenly stopped.

He glanced at the specific runes lit up on the communication device, then quickly glanced at the preliminary valuation figures for the Gaozhen steel vein on the panel, a complex expression of realization and regret flashing across his face.

“I am deeply sorry, Your Excellency.” Grom immediately turned to Lin Yi, bowed deeply, and spoke apologetically but clearly, “The amount involved in your transaction exceeds the maximum processing authority of an clerk of my rank. According to the Chamber of Commerce’s service regulations, in order to ensure that you receive the highest quality and most efficient service, this transaction will be immediately transferred to a higher-level supervisor in this service center for your personal processing. Please wait here for a moment; the supervisor will be here shortly.”

After he finished speaking, he bowed respectfully again, and then quickly and orderly began to prepare for the handover: carefully taking Lin Yi's VIP card and mineral vein certificate out of the equipment and placing them on a specially made tray on the counter.

The almost invisible energy barrier in front of Lin Yi flickered for a moment, then became completely materialized, turning into an opaque milky white that temporarily separated the inside from the outside.

A line of Void Universal Language text lit up above the window: "Service upgrade in progress, please wait."

Before leaving, Grom nodded to Lin Yi again, his eyes clearly showing regret for not being able to personally complete the major transaction, but more so, an absolute obedience to the Chamber of Commerce's procedures.

The waiting time was very short, only about ten seconds.

The milky-white window became transparent again, and the energy barrier silently dissipated. A goblin had taken over behind the counter.

This newly appeared goblin was slightly thinner than Grom, but his temperament was completely different.

He wore a perfectly tailored dark green velvet tuxedo, with a diamond-shaped gemstone brooch at the collar that emitted a faint spatial fluctuation.

What was most striking about him were his eyes—a deeper, darker gold color. When he looked over, his gaze swept over Lin Yi, Benny on his shoulder, and Baha beside him, without the slightest hint of rudeness.

"Good afternoon, esteemed sir. I am the head of the Goblin Merchant Guild's Service Center for the Battle of the Strongest. You may call me Morpheus Golden Scales." His voice was steady, and he spoke standard Void Common, with impeccable pronunciation.

"It is an honor to serve you. First of all, I sincerely apologize for any short wait that my colleague may have caused."

As Supervisor Morpheus spoke, his gaze naturally fell on the two items on the tray.

He didn't touch it immediately, but first made a "please" gesture to Lin Yi, indicating that Lin Yi could continue to sit comfortably in the adjusted position.

"Regarding the 'Large High-Shock Steel Vein Mining Rights Certificate' you provided," Morpheus began, speaking calmly and deliberately, "after a rapid scan by our equipment and comparison with our basic database, we can confirm its authenticity and validity. The vein is located on the edge of the 'Ash Belt' in the Void North, with clear coordinates, clear ownership, and no known legal disputes or prior pledges. According to preliminary analysis of the scan data, its main high-shock steel vein reserves are extremely considerable, reaching the upper limit of the 'large' standard, and it also contains a small amount of valuable 'Coronite Iron' crystals, which further enhances its overall value."

He paused slightly to allow the information to be processed before continuing: "Calculated using the Goblin Merchant Guild's standard valuation model, and taking into account the current stable demand for high-quality, high-vibration steel in the void market and the cost of mining-related services, the base exchange value of this certificate..." He gave a number, in the form of advanced points within the Goblin Merchant Guild, a number that made Benny, who was perched on Lin Yi's shoulder, suddenly perk up her ears.

“Of course,” Morpheus changed the subject, a perfectly timed smile appearing on his face. “You are our valued Tier II VIP client. According to your VIP privileges, you will enjoy an additional 3.5% premium in such large-scale asset exchange transactions, as well as a waiver of all transaction fees. This is our Chamber of Commerce’s sincerity towards our important partners.”

Instead of listing all the possible complex solutions to confuse the issue, he directly gave a discounted figure along with a brief explanation of the calculation.

Lin Yi nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. He did not immediately respond to the specific numbers, but instead took out the list of materials Hill needed.

Supervisor Morpheus took the list of materials with both hands, placed it on a specially designed reading stand, and then put on a pair of exquisitely designed monocles. The lenses gleamed with the light of data streams, seemingly connecting to the Chamber of Commerce's core database in sync.

His gaze swept across the items on the list line by line, only occasionally twitching his brow very slightly when he saw a few specific names, indicating that these items were unusual.

The materials on the list cover several niche and high-end fields, such as soul studies, higher energy conduction, and abyssal qualities.

For example: "Void Shadow Dragon's Reverse Scale Powder (must be kept active)," "'Sleeping Ancient Wood' core material that has been imbued with pure faith for ten thousand years," "'Primal Harmonizer' mixed with the blood of at least three demigod-level beings from different systems"... Any one of these, if it fell into the outside world, would be enough to cause a small-scale bloodbath. It is something that most forces have never heard of or that only exists in legends.

But this is the Goblin Guild.

After reviewing the list, Manager Morpheus slowly removed his monocle, looked at Lin Yi, and showed no sign of difficulty.

“Sir, all the materials you need are rare items, some of which are even controlled materials and cannot be circulated in the regular market.”

Lin Yi looked at him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

“However,” Morpheus’s lips curled back into that professional, reassuring smile, “our mission at the Goblin Guild is to meet the reasonable needs of our clients. All items on the list are either in stock in our main warehouse or in specific partner warehouses, or have a proven track record of availability.”

He looked at the list again, his finger lightly tapping the edge of the scroll, as if he were doing quick mental calculations while comparing it with the data synchronized in his glasses.

A dozen seconds later, he raised his head and looked at Lin Yi with clear eyes.

"Based on the final discounted valuation of the mineral vein certificate you provided, and after conversion with the current market price of all the materials on this list..." Manager Morpheus's tone was calm and objective, "After completing the exchange of all materials, the remaining value of your mineral vein certificate can be converted into approximately... fifty Soul Crystals (complete)."

As he spoke, he quickly entered data on the control panel inside the counter, projecting a detailed calculation sheet that clearly listed the mineral vein valuation, VIP bonus, unit price of each material, quantity, subtotal, and final balance onto the light screen in front of Lin Yi.

Lin Yi's gaze swept across the light screen. His calculation ability was also quite strong. After a quick mental calculation, he confirmed that the overall framework and final figures given by the other party were roughly in line with expectations.

The Goblin Merchant Guild's price might not be the most "merciful," but it's definitely within a "reasonable" range. Considering the scarcity and difficulty in obtaining these materials, the price could even be said to reflect VIP benefits.

Just as Lin Yi was about to nod and confirm the deal—

"Meow!"

Benny, who had been perched on Lin Yi's shoulder, had stood up at some point. Her fur was slightly ruffled, and her jewel-like cat eyes were wide open, staring intently at the numbers on the screen. Her tail tip was swishing restlessly from side to side.

The next second, she lightly leaped onto the counter, landing right in front of Manager Morpheus. She raised one front paw and pointed unceremoniously at several calculation items on the screen that she thought were problematic, making rapid and continuous "meows" sounds, her tone full of "you've calculated it wrong," "this is wrong," and "are you guys trying to scam us?"

This sudden "protest" caused a slight pause in the atmosphere.

Manager Morpheus was clearly taken aback for a moment. But as expected of a mid-level manager in the Goblin Merchant Guild, he was knowledgeable and quick-witted.

The surprise on his face lasted for less than half a second before quickly turning into a slightly interested focus.

He even leaned down slightly to keep his gaze level with Benny's at a more peaceful level, and then—

He began to listen intently to Benny's meows, his dark golden eyes carefully observing the location of Benny's paws and her body language.

A few seconds later, Director Morpheus actually nodded and responded in a gentle and patient tone in the Void Common Language: "Dear...Miss Cat? I understand your concerns. You are referring to the conversion standard of the unit of measurement for 'Star Core Embers' and the depreciation coefficient of 'Sleeping Ancient Wood Core Material', is that correct?"

"Meow!" Benny nodded vigorously, tapped her paws again, and meowed more urgently, as if explaining her calculation logic.

Manager Morpheus looked enlightened and then patiently explained, "Regarding the first point, the Chamber of Commerce uses 'standard cubic millimeters' to measure 'star core embers,' which is a highly reactive and easily dispersed substance. This has a fixed density coefficient when converting to conventional weight units. This coefficient is based on the average of 3,700 actual measurements. There is a detailed explanation in the secondary link in the notes... Please see here."

He actually reached out and operated the screen, bringing up a lengthy and professional document explaining the coefficients, and pointed to a specific entry.

"As for the second point, the relationship between the age of the 'Sleeping Ancient Wood' core material and its effectiveness is not linear. After more than 10,000 years, the rate of increase in 'faith-infused purity' per thousand years will decrease. This is clearly recorded in Chapter 4 of Volume 7 of 'Void Rare Plant Materials Science'. The depreciation model we use is the universal model type II certified by the 'Nature' school... The relevant literature index is here."

He then pulled up another index of data.

Benny leaned close to the light screen, her cat face almost touching it, carefully examining the complex charts and formulas. Her ears would sometimes stand up and sometimes lie flat, and she would make unintelligible purring sounds, as if she were desperately calculating in her little head. But clearly, those professional models and coefficients were beyond the scope of her "business intuition".

Baha, standing to the side, had already covered his face with his wings, looking as if he couldn't bear to look at him.

At this moment, it leaned close to Lin Yi's ear and simultaneously "translated" and complained in a very low voice: "Benny thinks they lost out by giving us the 'Star Core Embers' by weight; and that piece of wood... my god, it's really good manners of the goblin not to just kick her out."

Lin Yi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

He had long been familiar with Benny's "business logic," which was enough to make any respectable businessman suffer a brain hemorrhage.

She was able to grow her savings ever full thanks to the resources Su Xiao kept adding to it.

Expecting her to provide effective advice in such large-scale transactions with strict valuation systems is nothing short of a pipe dream.

But what truly elevated Lin Yi's opinion of the Goblin Merchant Guild was Morpheus's attitude.

Faced with Benny's almost absurd questioning, the supervisor did not show the slightest impatience or sarcasm.

He maintained a patient, even gentle, attitude throughout, taking a cat's "business inquiry" seriously and explaining it with references and examples, trying to persuade the other party with a professional framework.

This level of self-cultivation is indeed not something that ordinary forces can possess.

No wonder the Goblin Merchant Guild has become a behemoth in the void trade; its service spirit and professionalism alone are enough to filter out more than 90% of the competitors.

"Benny."

Benny paused on the counter, turning her ear toward Lin Yi.

"That's enough," Lin Yi said, only three words.

Benny turned her head, looked at Lin Yi's face, then at the complex explanations on the screen in front of Manager Morpheus that made her dizzy. Finally, she meowed reluctantly, her tail drooping, but she still obediently jumped back onto Lin Yi's shoulder, burying her face in Lin Yi's neck, only revealing a pair of eyes that were still turning around and muttering, obviously still conducting intense "business calculations" in her mind.

Seeing this, the manager of Morpheus maintained his smile and gave Lin Yi a slight bow: "Your partner is very... energetic and pays great attention to the details of the transaction, which are very good qualities."

In a single sentence, the little incident was glossed over, and both sides were given a way out.

"Execute according to this plan. Prepare the materials as soon as possible and send them to the coordinates I designate. The Soul Crystal (complete) will be directly deposited into my account."

“A wise choice.” Manager Morpheus’s smile became more genuine.

"Please confirm the transaction agreement again."

A detailed contract appeared before Lin Yi.

Lin Yi quickly imprinted his mental mark using his mental power.

"The contract is established," said Manager Morpheus solemnly, leaving behind the Chamber of Commerce's mark as well.

"All materials will be collected and inspected within three standard days and delivered through secure channels. Fifty Soul Crystals (complete) have been credited to your VIP account, which you can access or use at any time via your card. Thank you for your trust and cooperation with the Goblin Guild."

The transaction was completed, and Manager Morpheus respectfully returned Lin Yi's VIP card with both hands.

Lin Yi took the card and put it away, then stood up from the leather sofa.

The sofa then silently descended, returning to its original position and sinking into the ground.

Without further ado, Lin Yi nodded slightly to Manager Morpheus, then turned and left the Goblin Merchant Guild's service window. (End of Chapter)