Survival Game: Call Me an Honest Businessman

"Hmm? Your voice sounds familiar..."

Li Zhi muttered to himself, "She's like a friend of mine, but unfortunately I haven't seen her in a long time."

"Is the friend you're talking about named Odales Riley?"

Li Zhi's incredulous tone was tinged with surprise: "You...you're Riley?"

The black mist drifted over, exclaiming happily, "It's me! I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Li Zhigeng exclaimed with delight: "My friend, I thought we wouldn't have a chance to meet again until Black Iron Port was rebuilt."

Riley: "I actually wanted to come and visit you, but my bracelet was taken away. I asked Celia, but she didn't know where you were either. I'm so happy to see you today!"

Li Zhi didn't expect that even though she and Celia had such a good relationship, she was still so wary of her.

Could she possibly corrupt Riley?

Li Zhi: "Then what are you doing here?"

Riley: "I'll help... I'll sell... I'll help people sell these items."

Li Zhi picked up one of the small hats: "So, someone with such outstanding aesthetic sense, tight stitching, and extremely high artistic taste and sewing skills is actually your friend? This is unbelievable and such a coincidence!"

Riley looked at the hat, sewn with feathers of various colors, practically a reincarnation of a scruffy chicken, with feathers of different lengths, and her complex tone perfectly expressed her complex feelings:

"...You...you really think this...um, has outstanding aesthetics?"

Li Zhi's tone was steady: "Of course! Look, these feathers of different colors and lengths have been carefully matched, and even the subtle differences in texture between the different feathers are handled exceptionally well. I really like it. How much is this hat? I want to buy it!"

Riley: "...Then one silver coin it is."

Li Zhi's tone instantly turned serious: "Riley, you can't give me such a low price just because we're friends. This is a desecration of art!"

Riley: "Even if you say that... it's only worth 2 silver at most."

"Is there no room for further price increases?"

"no."

Li Zhi was shocked: "How could this be?! In my mind, it's worth at least two hundred gold coins! But you're saying this—"

"Then you'll pay 200 gold coins."

Celia's hoarse voice sounded ominously behind Li Zhi.

Under the smoke, Li Zhi's lips, which had been frantically trying to suppress laughter, instantly shrugged off.

Li Zhi: "No amount of money can buy a heart that yearns for art! I'm willing to pay 200 gold coins! Even if—"

"Even what?"

"Even if this hat is too small for me to actually wear, I will still collect it for its priceless value as art!"

She had originally planned to say that even 2000 or 1 gold coins would be worth it, but when she thought that Celia would definitely ask her to transfer the money, she quickly shut her mouth.

"Aesthetic appreciation is priceless! Art is priceless! Well said! Absolutely so!"

Another excited voice rang out.

Li Zhi's eyes lit up, and he instantly and deftly pulled out two hundred gold coins: "Please tell that artist to keep creating and maintain his current level of skill. I will always be this artist's most loyal follower and look forward to more of his works~"

A cloud of black mist shot up and grabbed Li Zhi's hand.

"No need to tell anyone, I am that artist!"

Li Zhi was suddenly grabbed. He instinctively tried to pull away, but fortunately, he reacted quickly and only tensed up for a moment.

"You're that artist?" Li Zhi's voice cracked with excitement. "I've met my idol?!"

What is an idol?

"An idol is someone you admire the most."

"This hat is for you!"

Li Zhi was secretly delighted, but refused verbally: "No, I'm spending money to buy your work to express my support. It's my way of showing my love for you, and it's the only thing I can do for you. Not letting me pay is taking away my love for your work!"

The smoke stopped.

The smoke trembled excitedly.

The smoke rose rapidly.

It emitted an excited, spiraling sound that seemed to ascend into the sky.

Li Zhi was still wondering how Master Odin could be so easily fooled when he heard Celia's even more sinister voice: "If you dare to mock Master Odin and Prince Riley again, I will send your location to everyone who is hunting you down."

Riley asked curiously, "What kind of teasing?"

The smoke descended rapidly, accompanied by hearty laughter, and echoed with the same question: "Celia, what are you saying?"

Celia was about to speak when Li Zhi interrupted her: "You...you mean this is Master Odin, the legendary Master Odin?"

The smoke descended beside Li Zhi, and the voice said reservedly, "It's me!"

Li Zhi was incredibly excited: "My God—I only admire two people the most on the Tianqi Continent, one is Master Odin, and the other is this artist, and now you're telling me it's the same person!"

Celia's voice entered his mind: "Master Odin and Prince Riley are not people you can easily fool. I'm warning you one last time: stay away from Master Odin and Prince Riley."

Li Zhi knew, of course, how loyal Celia was to her race, and even more so, how devoted she was to the royal family of the Forging Clan, as well as inventors and weapon masters.

But this also means that her weaknesses are clearly visible.

Celia Asia Pacific has become powerful.

Whether it's personal strength, status, power, or money, he absolutely surpasses her in every aspect.

This person is the second largest shareholder of her exchange.

In the short term, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, but in the long term, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

Celia's loyalty and respect for the Forging Clan were so extreme that she couldn't tolerate even the slightest imperfection, which undoubtedly influenced her decisions and actions in a subtle way.

This is very detrimental to the exchange.

The foundation for the exchange to gain a foothold in the Apocalypse Continent is that it must not favor any race and must become a completely neutral financial institution.

Li Zhi was absolutely certain that Celia's willingness to cooperate with her was not only due to her interest in the future potential of the exchange, but also because she wanted the exchange to serve the forging clan.

What Li Zhi needs to do in the short term is to unite with other minority shareholders to restrain Celia, or find another shareholder who can rival Celia. In the long term, he wants to become stronger as soon as possible and become an entity that Celia cannot act rashly before a real conflict occurs.

But before that, she had to make Celia realize that they were partners and that she would not obey her.

The key point of this consciousness was to make Celia have something to consider.

Therefore, Li Zhi will not only not distance himself from Master Odin, but will also be determined to get on Master Odin's good side.

Only after establishing a relationship with these two individuals did she become more than just a collaborator to Celia, acquiring an additional layer of emotional value.

—Although this feeling wasn't directed at her, but rather at Master Odin and Riley.

However, given how much Celia values ​​Master Odin and Riley, as long as she doesn't clash with the Forging Clan, Celia will be more cautious and thoughtful for the sake of these dual values.

This will also give her more time to grow.