This Game Is Too Realistic-Chapter 533.1: Twisted Fate Chu Guang

A sudden post on the forum stirred up quite a bit of discussion.

Hurricane Niuniu: Big news! A batch of discounted second-hand machinery has appeared in Boulder Town! Lifestyle Profession players, keep your eyes peeled! DM me if you need help buying! We have great prices, first come first served!

The post came from a merchant player who had long operated in Boulder Town. His favorite games were economic simulations like Uncharted Waters and Port Royale. He had no interest in grinding levels. He just loved running between two markets and profiting from price differences.

There had always been arbitrage potential in buying cheap goods with silver coins and reselling them in Boulder Town for chips. This was a standard gaming strategy, not some exploit or bug.

However, it was also true that Boulder Town's purchasing power had been declining. Goods often sat unsold for long periods, with only luxury items like bionic prosthetics selling well.

Months ago, he could still exchange his earned chips directly for silver coins. But once the New Alliance signed a loan agreement with the Boulder Town Bank and the bank started printing money to release liquidity, the New Alliance no longer lacked chips.

By now, the New Alliance Bank only gave 1 chip for 2 silver coins. The reverse, exchanging 1 chip for 2 silver coins, was entirely out of the question.

On the black market, the exchange rate had fully flipped. It took 2 to 5 chips to get a single silver coin.

It wouldn’t be long before the New Alliance officially adjusted their exchange rate. For the time being, they were probably just avoiding buying up too much junk.

Left with no better options, the merchant resorted to using his devalued chips to buy up slower-appreciating goods in Boulder Town and ship them back to the New Alliance for sale.

What was strange, though, was that despite the general rise in prices for goods and real estate in Boulder Town, production equipment alone had barely risen in price. Some were even discounted.

Hurricane Niuniu immediately sensed a business opportunity.

Wasn’t the New Alliance undergoing an industrial transformation right now?

If he could buy equipment and machinery that the New Alliance needed and resell them for silver coins, wouldn’t that effectively cash out his chips?

The post included a detailed list.

It covered nearly every industry where the New Alliance lacked capacity or was still operating with cottage-level workshops, producing durable consumer goods like plastics, home appliances, leather, and furniture, as well as fast-moving goods like food, paper, daily chemicals, and detergents.

Actually, Boulder Town selling second-hand equipment wasn’t really news.

Previously, a few rarely-seen used machines had already turned up at auction, most of them were pretty much new.

Back then, many Lifestyle Profession players discussed it on the official forum. The machines didn’t look particularly high-tech, but some of their unconventional designs seemed weirdly practical, possibly even applicable in real life.

Several experts and students from related fields were amazed and even inspired. And Wasteland Online’s deep lore only added to the speculation.

Still, most players focused on the game itself.

Shortly after the post, almost every Lifestyle Profession player on the forum had dived into the discussion.

Quit Smoking: Why are there suddenly so many used machines?

Teng Teng: Weren’t they expanding production just a few months ago? 0.0

Yaya: Is something bad happening?

Ample Time: Maybe it’s just overproduction. A place with 500,000 people can only support so much industry.

Makka Pakka: I just don’t get it. Didn’t the Federation have a long history before it formed? You think they wouldn’t notice you milking them?

Ample Time: C’mon, just because something happened in history doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. If that were true, we’d all be living in paradise by now.

Gale: History doesn’t repeat, but the ways people fall into the same pit are oddly consistent. (¬_¬)

Night Ten: But seriously... Doesn't the City Lord see what’s going on? And if not him, shouldn’t the bank president or someone in the top brass realize something’s off?

Escaping Mole: In theory, sure. If all Boulder Town's leadership had superhuman intelligence and passed rigorous IQ and skills tests, and if their selection process was managed by some otherworldly AI... then yeah, maybe you couldn’t fool them. (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Ample Time: It’s not that complicated. Think of it this way. Drinking damages your stomach. but do you drink?

Makka Pakka: Well... I mean, a little.

Ample Time: And have you considered your stomach’s feelings?

Makka Pakka: Huh? What feelings? ( ˶°ㅁ°)

Ample Time: That’s just what your brain tells you.

Quit Smoking: Damn... That kinda makes sense.

Makka Pakka: The hell it does?!

Ample Time: Right? People aren’t wired to prioritize health first. Why expect a group of people to magically act like a perfect hive mind? An addict who sees drugs won’t think of quitting. Without external force, he’ll be chasing that high until the day he dies. Just like Quit Smoking over here, been using that username for years and probably still hasn’t quit. (¬_¬)

Quit Smoking: Hey! I’m just catching strays now?! What’s your problem?

Yaya: HAHAHAHA! o(＊≧▽≦)ツ

Quit Smoking: I'm quitting, I’m quitting... Dammit, now that you’ve brought it up, I really want a smoke. Haven’t had one since I drew that helmet.

Night Ten: Put the helmet on! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Ample Time: Not my fault you feel like smoking! I still don’t see what’s so good about smoking. (¬_¬")

...

In a way, debt was even more dangerous than drugs, mainly because it was more deceptive.

The buildup of a financial bubble was slow and sweet, but the burst happened in the blink of an eye.

Boulder Town wasn’t lacking in smart people. Whether geniuses or those who merely thought they were smart, there were plenty of them. Surely, some had seen the danger.

Otherwise, who was dumping chips on the black market?

Even before the war ended, the black market’s chip-to-coin exchange rate had already flipped from the official rate. It wasn’t something new.

On the surface, it didn’t make sense. If the New Alliance was the one repaying the debt, if they were repaying in chips, then Boulder Town Bank should have the leverage.

That should make chips more valuable, right?

Ample Time: Checked the equipment list. It looks decent. My advice? Wait a bit and you might get an even better deal. Actually, the most valuable sector in Boulder Town is their military-industrial side. Aside from exoframes, they can produce almost everything, From exoskeletons to Phased Array Radar... If we can scam them all, we could patch a huge hole in our defense industry.

Mosquito: That sounds really tough though.

Ample Time: Not impossible. Boulder Town is going through industrial hollowing. No single factory can hold out forever. Plus, Boulder Town Arms Industry isn’t just one company, they’ve got subsidiaries doing both military and civilian orders. It’s actually similar to our economic model. We’ll start by poaching their entry-level workers and assembly line equipment. Brick by brick, we’ll have it all.

Mosquito: Damn, you’re ruthless! (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Ample Time: Ruthless? Please, it’s just a game. Besides, we’re all descendants of the Federation. Letting these people waste all that technology is the real crime. Better we use it to grow strong. (¬_¬)

Quit Smoking: Ample Time, you’re a legend.

Night Ten: I call it efficient. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

...

In the Dawn City’s City Hall.

While discussing the budget for the Corn Tower project with Luca, Chu Guang suddenly sighed, "Honestly, I think Boulder Town's problems are worse than I expected. I underestimated them."

Luca looked surprised. "Boulder Town? I thought we were talking about the Corn Tower project?"

Chu Guang nodded. "Yes. They’re related. The newly developed Corn Community is, to a large extent, intended to house refugees from Boulder Town."

Luca was stunned, then grew serious. "... How many are you expecting?"

He didn’t know what the administrator had planned, but he never doubted that whatever the administrator said would come to pass.

Chu Guang thought for a moment before replying. "My original estimate was just over 40,000. That was within our capacity to house. But now... It could be more than that."

There was no helping it.

Things never developed entirely as he expected, and he hadn’t anticipated that the nobles in the inner city would go so wild.

Originally, Chu Guang had planned three cards to play.