Chapter 14: Manipulating the Market, Financial Harvesting

You paid no mind to Xu Hai’s praise.

What truly concerned you was why the price of refined gold had soared twelvefold.

Through your subtle questioning, Xu Hai revealed the full story.

According to the January 20th evening report from Extraordinary Finance, the Federal Third Battalion suffered a defeat at the Abyss front, resulting in the largest refined gold vein under the Federation’s control being overrun by abyssal monsters.

This caused a sharp drop in refined gold production, triggering market panic and prompting many factions to rush to purchase refined gold in advance.

That was why the price of refined gold had surged so dramatically.

Finishing his explanation, Xu Hai’s gaze grew resolute, as if he had made a firm decision.

In his estimation, the defeat of such a colossal force as the Federal Third Battalion was no trivial matter.

Therefore, the gold veins would be unrecoverable for the foreseeable future, meaning refined gold prices would continue to rise!

They might even multiply several more times in the coming days.

Having grasped this, Xu Hai began making moves. He intended to invest in refined gold, hoping to use the profits from trading it to offset losses from mithril.

He even wanted to rope you in, to share the thrill of making a fortune together.

After feigning contemplation for a moment, you showed a reluctant refusal.

You candidly admitted that you were a straightforward professional, and that dabbling in futures with sums ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions was not something you wished to touch.

This time, you certainly would not get involved.

But in the future, you would definitely seize the opportunity to profit handsomely.

Such extraordinary futures fluctuations presented the best chance to make money for someone like you, who held knowledge of future events.

To pass up such a chance would be downright foolish.

Bearing this in mind, you began flattering Xu Hai at the table, urging him to share recent trends in futures and stock price movements with you, a novice investor.

Flattered by your praise, Xu Hai eagerly obliged, and through his narration, you realized how many opportunities you had missed.

On August 5th, Year 125 of the Extraordinary Calendar, Mingxiu Group announced that its battalion had discovered a secret realm suitable for cultivating the rare extraordinary material Snowbell Flower, causing Mingxiu Group’s stock to surge.

Soon after, the price of Snowbell Flower plummeted rapidly.

On October 15th, Year 125, Longling Research Institute issued a statement revealing a breakthrough in the technology of inscribed armor, which would reduce production costs by seven percent once implemented.

That same day, Longling Research Institute’s stock hit the daily limit increase.

On December 8th, Year 125, due to a new blockade by the White Eagle Empire disrupting energy trade, the price of the extraordinary material Blaze Oil instantly skyrocketed ninefold.

Following that, fierce volatility shook both the stock and futures markets, particularly affecting mithril and refined gold.

You paid little heed to the minor fluctuations.

After all, in this extraordinary world, the Intelligence Network regulated all data.

Occasional investment gains were attributed to luck.

But if one profited every time, it would likely draw the network’s scrutiny or even an investigation by the Federation.

“These pieces of news are definitely positive,” Lin Xia’s eyes gleamed. “First, save some money to buy Mingxiu Group’s stock.”

“Next, buy shares in Longling Research Institute, then Blaze Oil.”

“Accumulating through these three should net a tidy sum.”

“Then you can use that money to buy mithril on the dip or stockpile refined gold early.”

“If this goes well, the profits could buy many divine-gifted crystals.”

Lin Xia paused thoughtfully. “Why didn’t you gather any stock or futures info before the first simulation?”

“Well, the first simulation was so brutal, forcing us out of the safe zone for wilderness survival—there was no chance to get such information.”

After obtaining several authoritative financial newspapers from Xu Hai, you began secretly following this matter.

Xu Hai’s boasts likely carried his personal bias and deviated somewhat from the real financial data.

However, after cross-referencing the authoritative sources, you found the discrepancies minimal and acceptable.

By March 5th, Year 126, over a month’s time, refined gold prices had been crazily rising at a daily rate of 25%, with increasing numbers of investors entering the market, driving gains to absurd heights.

During this period, Xu Hai repeatedly urged you to invest, claiming that with such growth in refined gold, even borrowing from unscrupulous lenders would yield profits far exceeding interest.

“It’s not too late to jump in now!”

“Delaying just one day means missing out on two million!”

Enticed by such tangible gains, many professionals took on various loans to invest heavily.

Yet you felt the rise was excessively inflated. Though lacking deep financial expertise, you knew such a massive refined gold bubble would burst eventually.

When that happened, many professionals would pay with their very souls.

On March 18th, Year 126, just as you predicted, after refined gold reached an unimaginably high price, the market’s refined gold reserves suddenly swelled at a visible pace.

Within minutes, the price plummeted to rock bottom.

Behind this appeared to be an invisible hand orchestrating the whole affair.

Winners entered!

Retail investors were crushed!

That very night, according to Extraordinary Finance, the Federal Third Battalion’s abandonment of refined gold vein defenses and the reported defeat at the front were merely a smokescreen to mislead the White Eagle Empire.

In truth, the Federal First Battalion had discovered two massive, connected refined gold veins during their Abyss operations.

Now, monthly refined gold output exceeded the previous annual yield.

The stock and futures markets erupted in wails of despair.

By then, everyone knew that the sharp refined gold price surge was a financial trap.

But what could be done?

Such bitter defeats could only be swallowed alone.

On May 12th, Year 126, when you next saw Xu Hai, his hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and his entire demeanor transformed utterly.

Given Xu Hai’s background, losses in mithril were trivial.

But he had thrown everything into refined gold, even recklessly dragging family and friends into the market to borrow funds.

As a result, his once well-off family was ruined—forced to liquidate all assets and burdened with unimaginable debts.

After a brief greeting, you hastily took your leave.

You had returned to school because your direct mentor, Wang Guang, had plunged into debt from refined gold speculation and had gone missing shortly after leaving the safe zone.

Now, two choices lay before you.

First, if you were very close to Wang Guang, you could continue with a missing person as your mentor.

Second, and what the school administration hoped for, was that the school would assign you, a student without a mentor, a new instructor filled with “responsibility.”