Hours seemed to pass in the dim silence of the geothermal node, marked only by the drip of water and the relentless ticking of Li Fang's foreclosure clock.
He did his best to stay out of Xie Ruolan's way, occasionally fetching her a nutrient bar or a bulb of purified water, feeling more like an anxious assistant than a partner in this high-stakes digital heist.
He focused on his own rudimentary Qi circulation, trying to soothe the ache in his sealed dantian through the meager Passive Income Stream from the Spiritual Coin.
"Almost there," Xie Ruolan finally murmured with a strained and exhausted voice. Her brow was furrowed in deep concentration as she called for Li Fang.
"I found a cluster of linked accounts… Flagged under the 'Outer Veil Exploratory Initiative – Whispering Realms Division'. It was sealed approximately five hundred standard years ago after the entire division was… 'decommissioned due to unforeseen metaphysical contaminants'."
A grim euphemism, Li Fang suspected. It was clearly worse than that. If it's not 'contaminants', they might've encountered something beyond their power within that realm. Or… their mission was compromised by a rival Sect-Corp hiring a chaotic Qi-Rogue Organization to decimate the division, preventing their return. Of course, the possibility that it was merely used as a cover-up to embezzle the funds was also there. Whichever the case, no one would find out the truth now.
"Minimal residual balance indicated. Flagged for archival purgation routines, but the purge cycle for this particular sub-ledger hasn't triggered for centuries. Bureaucratic oversight, again."
With a sigh, she typed a rapid, complex sequence of commands, the holographic keys blurring under her touch.
"Accessing primary account… rerouting nominal balance through a chain of ephemeral shell corporations existing only in simulated data space within a pocket dimension hosted on a restricted Bank server… layering transactions through three defunct inter-Sect currency exchanges… final destination: anonymous, single-use disposable Qi-Credit chit, to be fabricated by my comm unit upon successful transfer."
Li Fang watched, mesmerized by the complexity and the courageous audacity of the digital Qi-Credit laundering Xie Ruolan was performing in real-time. Each step was designed to break the chain of custody, to make the funds untraceable back to the Bank, back to the Whispering Realms slush fund and back to them.
Soon, a soft, almost inaudible ping echoed from Xie Ruolan's comm unit. She slumped back against the console, letting out a long, shuddering breath.
The tension was visibly drained from her shoulders as her face, illuminated by the dying glow of her holographic keyboard, looked pale and exhausted. However, her eyes held a spark of fierce and triumphant satisfaction.
"Done," She whispered. "Five hundred Qi-Credits. Clean. Untraceable, hopefully, if the karmic trace risk your associate mentioned remains low-priority for Bank auditors."
Her comm unit whirred faintly and a wafer-thin, obsidian-black credit chit materialized from a small fabricator slot.
She picked it up, examined it briefly, then tossed it to Li Fang. It landed in his palm, feeling surprisingly heavy for its size, which radiated with the latent financial power of the 500 Qi-Credits within.
"Don't waste it. That was… draining." She warned before gulping down a mouthful of water and slumping down again.
Five hundred Credits. Li Fang repeated in his head.
It was more tangible money than he had held in his entire adult life. Enough to significantly delay the foreclosure, perhaps even bribe a low-level CRB clerk to 'lose' his file for a few weeks, giving him breathing room. But that wasn't the plan.
The QFS had identified a more immediate, albeit smaller, opportunity. Sustained growth, not just temporary survival, was the goal.
"System," Li Fang said immediately, holding the chit.
"Initiate market analysis. Low-tier spiritual components. Focus: Mana Batteries. Grade 1-3, civilian use, Basic Spirit Conductors with copper-equivalent purity or lower and Expired Stock Basic Warding Charms. Identify short-term price fluctuations and arbitrage opportunities based on predicted industrial retooling schedules, salvage reprocessing cycles, and known bulk purchase orders from minor Sects or outer settlement suppliers."
He listed what little knowledge he had about it, hoping the QFS could fill in the gaps.
[Accessing Neo-Tian Commodity Exchange Network (Lower Tiers) via secured Lilypad-01 relay…]
[Analyzing Order Flows, Current Inventory Levels, Historical Price Data, Futures Contracts on raw material inputs…]
[Cross-referencing with predicted output schedules from Sector Gamma Reclamation Facilities and Sector Epsilon Foundries…]
Almost instantly, the QFS interface became filled with complex charts and cascading data streams that made Li Fang's head swim.
This was Xie Ruolan's world, the ebb and flow of markets but translated down to his scale. Not souls and karma futures but discarded batteries and profit margins on second-hand charms.
[Opportunity Identified: Grade-2 Mana Batteries (Manufacturer: Shimmering Path Energetics - Defunct)]
[Currently undervalued by approximately 15% on average across three minor exchanges due to temporary market surplus following recent decommissioning of outdated municipal lighting arrays in Sector Theta.]
[Expected price increase of 8-12% within the next 6-8 hours.]
[Causality: Confirmed bulk purchase order placed by 'Eternal Spark Cultivator Supplies Inc.' (Tier-3 Outer Rim Supplier) scheduled for fulfillment. Eternal Spark is known for logistical predictability and meeting fulfillment deadlines.]
[Recommended Action: Allocate ~450 Qi-Credits for immediate purchase of the maximum feasible quantity of Grade-2 Shimmering Path Mana Batteries across multiple exchanges to avoid triggering price alerts. Liquefy holdings upon confirmation of Eternal Spark fulfillment and subsequent price uptick.]
[Estimated Net Profit Potential (after exchange fees & minor slippage): 36-54 Qi-Credits.]
[Risk Profile: Low-Moderate (Primary risks: Eternal Spark order cancellation/delay – probability <10%, Unforeseen market manipulation by larger players – probability <5%).]
"Eternal Spark Cultivator Supplies is buying up bulk Grade-2 Mana Batteries from Shimmering Path," Li Fang relayed the QFS analysis to Xie Ruolan. "My associate predicts an 8 to 12 percent price jump within the next six to eight hours as their order fills. It recommends buying around 450 Credits worth now, selling on the uptick."
Xie Ruolan nodded slowly, processing the information. "Eternal Spark… yes, they frequently fill bulk orders for outer settlement garrisons and independent prospector outfits. Their logistics are fairly predictable, often buying up surplus when prices are low. Your associate's analysis seems sound." She looked at him with a ghost of her former banker's smile playing on her lips. "Your move, Fund Manager. Time to make that hard-won capital work for you. You'd better risk it to be a player in this game. No worries, it's inconsequential even if you lose. That's dirty Qi-Credit anyway."