Transaction Complete, Am I the Bad Guy? (3K Fifth Update, Today’s Bonus Update Complete)

At first, no one understood what Bai Cangshu meant. The Flame Demon was about to roar in anger, but Bai Cangshu sent him away with a snap of his fingers.

He would never accept such a threat.

That guy called the Moon Demon had already been tracking him before. In Bai Cangshu’s eyes, this Flame Demon, whose strength and temperament were both inferior, was ridiculous for trying to threaten him with his reputation.

Among Reincarnators, the law of the dark forest had always prevailed. Reincarnators had no way to truly trust one another.

Because nearly every rule of the Space encouraged Reincarnators to kill each other.

Weak Reincarnators could not place their lives in the hands of a powerful Reincarnator’s supposed morality, mercy, or contracts. They could only pray they would never encounter one.

And once they did, they had to use every means at their disposal to survive!

There was no other choice.

Only idiots would threaten other Reincarnators in a peaceful public space, and only idiots would listen.

If you met a Reincarnator you had frightened in a mission world or the real world, would you spare them just because they were docile?

At the very least, Bai Cangshu would not.

Conspiracy, who had apparently been running errands for someone, also took the initiative to leave. Bai Cangshu guessed that he was probably someone of equal standing to the Flame Demon in a faction opposing the Flame Demon and the Flower Immortal.

Crimson Lotus Mage · Luoxi frowned. She clearly carried herself with far more grace, but she was also puzzled by Mercenary Tao’s arrangement.

Bai Cangshu looked at them and smiled.

"I plan to split the ten vials into two transactions. One vial will be traded separately with Show in exchange for one B-rank Anomaly Point."

"The remaining nine vials of Compound V will all be sold to Rose Tiger in exchange for Shun Goku Satsu and Satsui no Hado. Of course, I’ll also add one B-rank Anomaly Point, along with the contract you mentioned."

As soon as Bai Cangshu finished, Rose Tiger was nearly angered into laughter.

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

This offer not only reduced the number of vials he could obtain, but also limited the terms of his supplementary agreement.

In return, only Mercenary Tao would benefit personally.

Bai Cangshu shrugged.

"Of course, we can still adjust the details, but the overall idea won’t change. I’ll split the potions into two transactions, and you will definitely get nine of them."

He looked at them, the smile on his face making that Visage of an Ancient God all the more detestable.

Bai Cangshu looked at them and chuckled.

"I’ll sell you nine vials and sell one vial to Show."

"Show gets the potion he wants, I get the greatest benefit, and you… ensure that the Flower Immortal cannot obtain even a single vial, don’t you?"

Lastly, Bai Cangshu looked at Crimson Lotus Mage, the strongest among them.

"And you ensure that Rose Tiger can continue joining your ranks with a stable team. You might even… gain an extra helper in me, in a sense."

Clap, clap, clap…

Bai Cangshu nodded and applauded himself, as though he had just delivered some exquisitely clever speech.

In fact, Crimson Lotus Mage · Luoxi, Rose Tiger, and the Flower Immortal had all fallen silent.

Even Black Butler seemed to be meeting Mercenary Tao, whom he had previously viewed as a beast, for the first time.

He kept revising his assessment of Mercenary Tao. The potential of this newly risen vicious man was raised dramatically in his mind.

Savage, perceptive, clever to the point of cunning…

He had not provided much information, yet Mercenary Tao had clearly made perfect use of the conflict between the Flower Immortal and Rose Tiger. With only a few words, he had sorted out the situation and understood the true issue behind this transaction.

He had also accurately grasped every trader’s bottom line.

That was right. The most sinister part of this deal was that Rose Tiger, who had offered the highest price, did not actually need that much Compound V. His demand had always been simple: ensure that the Flower Immortal did not obtain this batch of Compound V.

Show and the Flower Immortal, on the other hand, wanted to obtain Compound V for themselves.

With that, Mercenary Tao placed them into their respective camps and easily arrived at the best possible trading plan for himself.

First, Rose Tiger and the Flower Immortal were the most desperate. Their interests were the most directly opposed, so Bai Cangshu could definitely pressure both of them on price. If one side refused, he would trade with the other, and the one left without a deal would be unable to accept it.

That supply-and-demand relationship determined that Bai Cangshu could force down their price.

Then there was Show, whose transaction was the purest. His presence brought Bai Cangshu the most direct profit. Since Show only needed one vial, his share could be separated out, and neither the Flower Immortal nor Rose Tiger would object.

Bai Cangshu ignored the silent group and completed the transaction on his own.

You accepted II67855510 (Show)'s trade

You lost Compound V ×1

You obtained B-rank Anomaly Point ×1

The man carrying black-and-white twin swords had clearly not yet recovered from this complicated transaction when he discovered that the trade had somehow been completed.

His face was as calm as a poker card, but his eyes revealed a clear sort of "wisdom."

In the end, he opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but no words came out. He turned and left Bai Cangshu’s Private Space.

Bai Cangshu turned toward the Flower Immortal and Rose Tiger without any hurry.

He knew that these two would definitely trade with him. And the one to make concessions would most likely be…

Bai Cangshu raised his chin slightly and looked at Rose Tiger from beneath his lowered eyelids. It was an unconscious gesture that showed he had already decided, psychologically, that he had the other man completely in his grasp.

The next moment, Rose Tiger glanced at Luoxi and agreed to the trade.

"Hmph. You really know how to pick your timing, Mercenary Tao."

Though he said it viciously, the meaning behind his words was already one of submission.

The Flower Immortal closed her eyes and sighed. After contacting that person to send support, only for the Flame Demon—a brainless fool—to arrive, she suddenly no longer held much hope for the faction she had once favored.

Perhaps she should find a way to protect herself and wait for the two sides to determine a winner.

A conflict between two Supreme Experts with mental attributes could not possibly last long.

Such a matter would cause massive Reincarnator losses. There were reports that top gatherings such as Destiny, Throne of Illusion and Reality, and Azure Sky had already begun communicating with Supreme Experts.

She turned and left the Private Space, but not before sowing discord between Mercenary Tao and Rose Tiger.

"Mercenary Tao, if this tiger doesn’t complete the trade with you, remember to contact me. My terms will always stand."

Bai Cangshu nodded pleasantly and let her leave.

Rose Tiger knew that the Flower Immortal was deeply dissatisfied with what he had done, but there was no turning back now.

"Mercenary Tao, you should understand that the value of these two items far exceeds those potions."

Bai Cangshu still nodded.

"That’s right. But business is business. Sometimes you buy low and sell cheap. Nothing unusual about that."

Rose Tiger looked at Crimson Lotus Mage · Luoxi before finally speaking.

"I can accept the part where you only subsidize one B-rank Anomaly Point, but in exchange, you must join Crimson Lotus Mage · Luoxi’s ranks!"

The beautiful woman revealed a satisfied smile.

Bai Cangshu smiled as well. Rose Tiger was not stupid either. From beginning to end, his goal had been to join this woman’s ranks and gain her regard and resources.

Now that he had forced the Flower Immortal to back down, and could not obtain more compensation from Bai Cangshu, he naturally turned his attention to Luoxi. By binding Mercenary Tao to the woman’s faction, the investment of those two abilities would no longer be a loss.

Rose Tiger almost wanted to applaud his own quick wit.

But Bai Cangshu’s smile was strange.

"You want me to join your ranks, Miss Luoxi. Are you sure?"

"I’m very good at causing trouble."

Luoxi looked at Mercenary Tao’s strange smile and recalled the series of things he had done. Though unconventional, among Reincarnators, the more unconventional someone was, the more outstanding they tended to be.

"That isn’t causing trouble, Mercenary Tao. Only mediocre people cause trouble."

"Someone like you is trouble for everyone else!"

She gave Bai Cangshu a very high evaluation. Bai Cangshu did not argue, only thinking, If you knew that Kalpa, whom I killed, really was under the command of some Supreme Expert’s follower, I wonder if you’d still be this happy.

"I can join your ranks, but I won’t join anyone else’s team, nor can I guarantee that I’ll form a team. I’ll only… well, act under the identity of someone serving under Crimson Lotus Mage · Luoxi, and in missions that do not involve life or death, I may choose to provide assistance. No problem?"

The beautiful woman readily agreed. Mercenary Tao had only recently risen to prominence, his mission stage was different from everyone else’s, and his background had not been fully investigated. She could not rashly place such a vicious man into someone else’s established team.

As for missions involving life and death, she could not have arranged for Reincarnators to undertake certain-death missions in the first place. Reincarnators were, in essence, the Space’s property.

The Space would not allow Reincarnators to enter missions where death was certain.

And besides… if she merely had Mercenary Tao eliminate some teams belonging to hostile Reincarnators of the same tier, that would not count as violating the agreement.

The woman smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, and Rose Tiger finally showed a smile as well.

You accepted PW21322548 (Rose Tiger)'s trade

You lost B-rank Anomaly Point ×1

You lost Compound V ×9

You obtained Ability Scroll: Shun Goku Satsu

You obtained Legacy Crystal: Satsui no Hado

Amid the string of notifications, everyone obtained an outcome they considered satisfactory.

Crimson Lotus Mage · Luoxi invites you to join gathering · Crimson Lotus. Accept?

"Accept"

You have joined gathering · Crimson Lotus

Note: After joining a gathering, when Reincarnators battle, information about your affiliated gathering may be obtained. At the same time, you may directly enter the gathering's public space from your Private Space. The size and functions of the gathering's public space are linked to the gathering's level.

Crimson Lotus (57/88): Level 2 Gathering

Gathering Position: Ordinary Member

Affiliated Team: None

When Luoxi saw Mercenary Tao join her gathering, even his ugly face seemed more pleasing to the eye. She still had no idea how much trouble Mercenary Tao had truly stirred up. At the moment, she only felt that she had secured a promising talent.

Before leaving, she specifically reminded him.

"If you aren’t the type whose mental attribute has exceeded the limit, don’t touch Satsui no Hado before reaching Strong-tier."

Then, after thinking for a moment, she added.

"Your Private Space is pretty big. You could decorate it a little. It’s ugly as hell right now."

With that, she left on her own. Rose Tiger departed soon after.

Bai Cangshu realized that this woman truly seemed to regard him as one of her own. Thinking of everything he had done, as well as the milestone, Betrayer, triggered after killing Mercenary Tao…

Then he thought of Homelander, who had died in the previous mission world.

Tch, could I really be a bad guy?