Chapter 880: Chapter 880

880: Chapter 866 Reality and Change 880: Chapter 866 Reality and Change “Eh, not accepting union coins?

Then what are you here for, selling goods?”

Although he had a vague premonition and had even guessed the reason why the opposite side wouldn’t accept it beforehand, when the matter actually befell him, Lu Ping’an’s mood still couldn’t improve.

“I am truly sorry, but accepting your world’s union coins is really unusable in other worlds; our company can only count it as a loss…”

The tall four-armed man opposite him was already sweating profusely, but he still insisted on not accepting the union coins.

For them, Earth’s union coins were just a pile of useless paper that couldn’t buy anything, even if the local government repeatedly requested, they indeed made small transactions…

After getting their hands on it, they would immediately trade it for resources within the Seventh District and take it straight back.

But with a large transaction like the one at hand, they were absolutely unwilling to accept it.

“You can first exchange the union coins for local specialties, then trade with us.”

Lu Ping’an heaved a helpless sigh and didn’t insist any further.

His currency being rejected wasn’t because the other side was discriminating against him…

What they discriminated against, or rather looked down upon, was your entire civilization; they felt that your products were worthless, just a pile of trash.

This, probably, was the harshest form of insult—insult through reality.

In fact, there was not much to be done about it, apart from thinking ‘Thirty years on the east of the river, thirty years on the west’, and continuing to work hard, looking forward to a potential reversal of fortunes in the future.

All right, then what kind of local specialties can serve as equivalent goods?”

You should be able to receive the goods at the local authorized franchise store.”

Lu Ping’an took a look at the list and scoffed, unable to understand it….

“Good Karma Steel Ingot, Soul Crystal, wooden water…

These are all highly valuable specialties, some are products of the Exotic Realm from the Secret Realm, others are some of Earth’s rare materials, all ‘natural resources’.”

Fortunately, Big Cat was there to explain.

So, Lu Ping’an headed to the so-called authorized franchise store…

huh, an old acquaintance, isn’t this Officer Zhou?

How come in just a few days of not seeing him, he’s also taken over as the lobby manager?

“I am acting as an agent for the trade.

This is a resource company with official backing, although at the official level, it’s unacknowledged…”

Procedures that seemed trivial were actually the result of stark reality.

The officials knew too well that their union coins were worthless to outsiders from the Foreign Domain unless they allowed them to leave the Seventh District to make purchases in this world on their own.

But if they actually played it that way, not only would the Seventh District’s system be rendered meaningless, but the Customs’ admission system would also be effectively abolished.

In a sense, the visitors from the Foreign Domain banding together to reject the union coins could also be another form of reality cornering them; they always wanted more…

but all this was already within the scope of official design.

These are rare resources obtained through official channels; you can use union coins to purchase them here, and then spend them in the stores of other Foreign Domain visitors.

Of course, there will be certain additional consumption, and they will surely press down the price on their side.”

The officials weren’t really maliciously inflating prices, but they also had costs in large-scale procurement…

especially when those suppliers realized that you had an urgent need.

Another hidden trouble in bartering is being subject to price suppression and control by the trading side and platform, which have managed to grasp the information and channels.

A slight increase in the sales price of rare specialties on their end, and a further price reduction on the receiving side, even if it’s just a loss of 20%, adds up to a considerable sum.

But there was really no solution; if your civilization’s currency wasn’t strong enough, you would be forced to “pay a tax”.

This is still in the case of direct trade…

If you want to buy from A, and A doesn’t accept your ‘specialty’, but is willing to accept goods from B instead.

Then, you need to propose a trade to company B, and if B company then says I want something from C…

With each additional hand in the process, there’s an additional layer of “tax”.

This is not hypothetical, but a clear reality, and it’s even possible that after going around from ABCD, it ends up back with A…

They just want to exploit you; what could you do?

This really does infuriate one.”

Lu Ping’an was still smiling, but the smile was somewhat stiff.

The outsiders were not very kind, but such is the nature of a pure seller’s market; they are willing to come and trade with you, and you ought to be grateful to them…

This is the sorrow of a weaker civilization, a weaker country, and it’s still less costly than going out and trading on your own.

Although the Seventh District did its best to attract more civilizations from the Exotic Realm, hoping that their competition with each other would lead to a relatively fair environment… clearly, these guys are old hands at interstellar trade, having already formed offensive and defensive alliances along the way.

“Their fists have hardened,” said no one in particular.

But it seems there is no other way.

At least, they certainly smile at people now… uh, with suckers arriving, it’s natural to have a smile on one’s face.

Actually, Earth also has its share of rare resources that are sufficiently alluring.

It’s just that the locals aren’t necessarily aware of it, or it might even be the least noticeable item on a long list of exports.

Intelligence and vision are also a kind of resource, needing more people to go out there, and then bring it back… these things still need regular updating, as isolationism will forever yield outdated and useless intelligence.

“Native” waiting at home for others to come knocking with “trade” is always the most unequal trade where the opponent takes the lion’s share.

When you truly become a “great nation”, a key link in the trade chain, you naturally obtain new rights to set prices and even to make rules…

Of course, the premise is still having military theory to preserve your own wealth.

But for now, we can only endure, even take more losses, in order to draw in more greedy middlemen…

Lu Ping’an had come to understand this, even sighing “It’s a bit like a certain period of history,” but all he could do was sigh and continue his own trades.

“I’ll take all of these, all of them,” he said.

These were not the words of Lu Ping’an, but of a human clergyman who was passing by.

He wore a red robe, with blond hair and blue eyes, clearly not from the Eastern Country…

The Seventh District’s fame had, in fact, spread internationally, and these foreigners from the True God Church were also coming.

But the currency they pulled out felt a tad peculiar.

“Two thousand Ika currency, welcome to come again,” they said.

Some foreign churches and loners were “internationalized” even before the Eastern Country, and if they had stable “territories” in the Foreign Domain, they might naturally obtain a large amount of foreign currency ahead of time.

Hey, hey, hey, I saw it first.”

“Sorry, they have cash…”

A weapon that Lu Ping’an had taken an interest in had been pre-emptively ‘bought’ by someone else with money.

It appears that the foreign merchants prefer direct cash over bartering goods; they are willing to earn less to avoid some risks.

That’s reality, with its humiliation and helplessness.

But in this moment, Lu Ping’an and his companions became even clearer on the necessity of the Nirvana Plan.

Perhaps, the further they venture out, the better the situation may become…

“Vortex Ore, a super-equivalent good, do you have any?

We’re buying without limit,” they called out.

It was at this moment that Lu Ping’an saw Eastern Country’s “hard currency.”

When he brought out his list of goods, trying to persuade the opposite party to lower their prices, some items on the list excited the foreign merchant on the spot.

It turned out that the specialty goods from the Exotic Realm that Lu Ping’an had acquired for his country…

for the Mother Star, had unknowingly become official winners for them!

And many of these foreign merchants who came especially here were exactly after that.

The Eastern Country Official, holding the paths and sources of goods, played a very successful game of creating scarcity, making these foreign guests pay a hefty additional price.

Even, Lu Ping’an easily exchanged some raw ores for the armor that the other party had previously insisted on not selling!

“Heh, the changing wind is truly in our hands…”

When your world has more vassal worlds, with more specialties and products, everything will naturally change along with it.