My Dating Sim Just Got an Update - Chapter 47

“Still, if this lightning-type user charges so much, is he really the only option for electricity in the base? If they can modify a generator for a lightning user, why hasn’t anyone built a solar one?” Jian Dan asked, voicing her own doubts.

“Modification is possible, but most of the solar panels were confiscated by the base. They’re used to power critical security and management systems. The panels we can find on our own are scarce; if we relied on solar, it would be too slow and wouldn’t provide enough power. Besides… since autumn started, sunny days have been rare. Sometimes, when it’s cloudy or rainy for a long stretch, even the base has to buy power from that lightning user!”

Wu Tong shook her head helplessly and continued, “Plus, modifying a solar generator is incredibly expensive. Our current generator is enough for now, so we have no plans to convert to solar for the time being.”

Hearing that modifying a generator was expensive, Ren Chenxi instinctively asked, “How many crystal nuclei did it cost to modify yours?”

“60,000 Level 1 nuclei,” Mu Ning answered for Wu Tong.

60,000 nuclei? Sister, are you telling me this in such a flat tone just to flex your wealth? You’re definitely flexing!

Ren Chenxi kept a straight face while numbly opening the Doomsday Mall, which she hadn’t checked in ages, to search for generators. Hmph, so what if you have 60,000 nuclei? Let’s see if you can afford the generators in my mall. She looked at a hand-cranked generator and saw it cost… Eh? Only 5,000 crystals??? The original price was 10,000, but it was crossed out and replaced by a Member Price of 5,000! Since when was she a member???

Ren Chenxi quickly switched the virtual panel to her personal information. Sure enough, her once-plain white name had turned into a shimmering, bold, and enlarged golden font with a cool border! Furthermore, a similarly flashy suffix was attached to her name: “Premium Grand Member – 50% Off Everything!”

50% off???

Seeing those four golden words, Ren Chenxi’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately opened the card-drawing panel. Indeed, the original price of 1,000 crystals per draw was crossed out, with a member price of 500 written underneath! Since a single draw only cost 500 and a ten-pull only cost 5,000, Ren Chenxi suddenly felt that her path to power had become much smoother!

So… how exactly did she get this Premium Grand Membership? In her experience with online games, you usually had to top up with real money to get a membership. But this damn game didn’t have a recharge channel, and the money she had left from before the update hadn’t decreased! Then this membership…

While suppressing her excitement, Ren Chenxi tried tapping the “Premium Grand Member” icon to see if any useful info popped up. To her surprise, she actually found the origin of the status. At the end of the day… it was because of Mu Ning.

Premium Grand Member (50% Off): You have achieved the “First Intimate Contact” achievement with your beloved goddess, earning a 50% discount on all purchases. Note: If you achieve the “Deep Penetration: Becoming One” achievement with the goddess, you will be rewarded with a 90% discount on all purchases!

After reading the small print in the parentheses, Ren Chenxi suddenly whipped her head around to glare at Mu Ning, her cheeks burning uncontrollably. That “Deep Penetration” achievement was phrased very suggestively, but under the influence of her old “driver” friends online, she knew exactly what it meant! It wanted her and Mu Ning to… with Mu Ning…

Damn it!

“What is it?” Mu Ning asked, sounding a bit bewildered after being suddenly glared at. Seeing Ren Chenxi’s flushed cheeks and the trace of shyness in her wide eyes, she found it… quite cute. Truth be told, seeing such a mix of anger and bashfulness on a face identical to Ren Muhui’s was oddly charming.

What is it? What do you mean ‘what is it’! Why is it that even in the apocalypse, my rewards are still tied to you, my original target!

Ren Chenxi rolled her eyes at Mu Ning in a fit of shame and indignation, then switched the panel back to the mall. The search results for generators were still there. She skipped the first few options—the hand-cranked one, the solar one, and the wind, water, and tidal generators—and locked onto a “Crystal Nucleus Generator.” It was listed at 100,000 crystals, but with her member discount, she only needed 50,000.

As expected of a Doomsday Mall, even the inventory was closely tied to this apocalyptic world. She hadn’t expected it to offer a generator that extracted energy directly from nuclei! And looking at the consumption rate…

Ren Chenxi looked at Mu Ning again. Hmph, I can’t afford 50,000 crystals myself, but this rich woman… she doesn’t even blink at 60,000 nuclei. 50,000 shouldn’t be a problem for her, right? In that case, could she act as a middleman? She could sell the generator to this rich lady and pocket the difference!

“What are you trying to say?” Mu Ning asked, noticing the hesitation in Ren Chenxi’s eyes.

“Well… It’s just… if I said I had a generator that ran on crystal nuclei, would you want to buy it?”

“A crystal nucleus generator? One that runs on nuclei? Where would you get something like that?” Mu Ning looked at her with a strange expression. It wasn’t that the technical staff at the base hadn’t noticed the energy within the nuclei, but aside from ability users who could absorb it, no one had found a way to extract and utilize that energy. So, if the experts couldn’t figure it out, how did Ren Chenxi have a generator that could do it?

“None of your business where I got it!” Ren Chenxi snapped back, but then she remembered she was waiting to profit from this rich woman. Softening her tone, she began to spin a serious lie. “I rescued a group of people while passing through a city, and they gave it to me. They probably modified it themselves. So, do you want it?”

“What’s the consumption rate on this generator?” Mu Ning stared at her, suspecting a lie. But if she was lying, what would she actually sell if Mu Ning agreed? It wouldn’t be easy to fake a piece of machinery.

“Well, it’s definitely cheaper than buying power from that lightning user. One Level 1 nucleus can be converted into 10,000 mAh of power.” Ren Chenxi had pulled this data straight from the item description.

“What! One Level 1 nucleus for 10,000 mAh? That means filling our two power stations would only cost 100 nuclei?”

Before Mu Ning could speak, a sharp, excited scream came from the doorway. It turned out that Chen Gu and several other boys had gathered at the entrance of the new building without anyone noticing. Clearly, they had overheard Ren Chenxi’s offer to sell the generator.

“Sister Xi! Sister Xi! How many nuclei are you planning to sell it for?” Zhang Tongqi asked impatiently. If the generator was really that efficient, the girls wanted one too. They wouldn’t have to be so frugal with power at night, and they could use some electronics to kill time.

“Well…” Ren Chenxi hesitated for a moment when Zhang Tongqi asked about the price. Eventually, she made an uncertain offer. “How about 60,000 Level 1 nuclei?” Your modified lightning generator cost 60,000, so charging the same for a more advanced version is a total friendship price!

“60,000?” As expected, Zhang Tongqi didn’t refuse or seem surprised. She simply turned to look at Mu Ning.

Mu Ning stared at Ren Chenxi for a long time before shaking her head. “We don’t need a new generator.”

“Ah! Boss—”

A chorus of mournful wails erupted from the boys at the door, and the girls, including Zhang Tongqi, looked visibly disappointed.

Ren Chenxi, who had been certain that a rich woman like Mu Ning would buy it, was also stunned by the refusal. What? A woman who spent 60,000 to modify a generator and pays 10,000 a month for power doesn’t want this? Buying this would obviously make her life so much more affordable in the long run! She wouldn’t have to get ripped off by that lightning user anymore!

Maybe this rich woman just has so many nuclei she enjoys overpaying for things!

Ren Chenxi pursed her lips in annoyance and glared back at Mu Ning.

Seeing Ren Chenxi’s smile instantly collapse, Mu Ning couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think selling such an efficient generator to me for only 60,000 nuclei is a loss for you. My suggestion is that you sell it to the base. I think… if you offer it to Qi Sheng for 100,000 nuclei, he will definitely take it!”

Ren Chenxi sucked in a sharp breath. 100,000 nuclei? That’s 100,000 crystals! If I flip it, I’ll make a profit of 50,000 crystals! Her current balance from painstakingly killing zombies and beasts hadn’t even reached 10,000 yet! No wonder… no wonder there were so many crooked merchants before the apocalypse… and there were definitely plenty after it, too!

Seeing that Ren Chenxi didn’t speak for a while, Mu Ning thought she didn’t believe Qi Sheng would buy it. She explained further, “Don’t worry, Qi Sheng definitely has enough nuclei—more than I do. Just from the monthly rent at the base, he collects a fortune. Of course, most of that goes toward building and maintaining the base. They’re constantly constructing new housing and equipment; the base definitely needs a generator like this!”

Actually, Ren Chenxi didn’t need all that explanation. The moment Mu Ning mentioned 100,000 nuclei, her heart had started racing. With Mu Ning’s guarantee, Ren Chenxi wasn’t stupid. She desperately needed nuclei for card draws to increase her strength, so selling to the base was clearly her best move.

“Alright! Chen Gu said you’re on good terms with Qi Sheng. Could you act as my representative and negotiate with him?”

“Me? Negotiate? You only need to tell him about it and give him a demonstration. It should be a simple exchange of goods for nuclei. Why do you need me?” Mu Ning was puzzled. “If you’re worried about him haggling, don’t be. He won’t, especially since this will save him a fortune in the future.”

“It’s not about haggling…” Ren Chenxi found it a bit difficult to explain. If she could buy the generator right now, she wouldn’t need Mu Ning. But the problem was, she didn’t have enough crystals! Without buying it first, how was she supposed to show it to Qi Sheng?

“Then what is it?” Mu Ning didn’t like seeing Ren Chenxi so conflicted and asked proactively, “What do you need me to do?”

“Well.  I’m just.. alright, I’m worried about whether Qi Sheng will be quick to pay. So… could you negotiate a deal where he pays half as a deposit first? Then I’ll give him the generator and collect the rest.” Even Ren Chenxi felt embarrassed making this request. What am I doing? Asking for a 50,000-nuclei deposit before I’ve even shown him a machine? What if they think I’m a scammer?

Sigh! That’s exactly why I asked Mu Ning to handle it! I’m being so shameless asking for such an unreasonable favor!

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