Meanwhile in the real world.

At the top floor of TENZ building, the main headquarter of Tenkawa Zaibatsu (Zaibatsu (財閥) : Financial Clique). Tenkawa Ouma sit in the chair, looking at the round table in front of him he just bought a hour ago.

Express delivery truly very convenient, the goods already delivered less than 30 minutes after he pressed the purchase button.

Mercury Corp was one of the company that Ouma has invested in shares. It was only given that he received a VIP treatments and enjoyed various premium services.

As a young master with golden spoon, the only thing that Ouma never lacks was money.  But even such young master who had the power of money in his disposal, he still couldn't comprehend what was on the mind of the table craftsman.

Fletcher Capstan Table, made by Rucien!

"Real...This is real sandalwood! This fragrance, this texture...I would not mistake it."

Ouma murmured in a low voice, inaudible to hear.

His hand continues to play the table's automatic transformation function, and he quietly watched the table rotated itself, expands to twice its size. Then he pull the table plank to the opposite direction and the table rotated back and shrink to its normal size.

 

After the guild meeting a few days ago, there was an unwritten agreement regarding the free period of everyone in that meeting room. The free period lasts for 1 week and during this period, everyone free to do as they wish. Thanks to Black Phantom, many members have to replace their lost equipment and some members also want to go hunting to take back their lost level.

Fortunately, ever since the spider breakout, there was bountiful targets of EXP everywhere.

The Adventurer Guild also issues quests to clear these spiders in their surrounding territory, earning the Players a bunch of EXP as well as few bucks of gold coins. Killing two birds with one stone.

Ouma, or Leon also did the same. He purchased a lot of EXP Potions and keep killing spiders these few days. It was then he received the notification from Mercury about Rucien's new goods. He has included Rucien in his following list so he would be instantly notified each time Rucien released a product.

 

At first, he couldn't believe what was written on the product description.

Using sandalwood to craft Fletcher Capstan Table?

"Isn't sandalwood one of the most expensive woods in the world? Why did Rucien use this kind of wood?"

Ouma had seen the real sandalwood in his grandpa's house. This kind of wood have some distinctive texture and fragrance, and there were many of the furniture in the house that made of this wood. It can be said that his ancestor was quite a collector in their era.

The reason why sandalwood priced so high thanks to this pleasant fragrance. In the Global market, sandalwood prices are currently over $3200 / lb and these prices will continue to rise over time.

However, even if you have the money, that doesn't mean you can buy it like buying cabbages in the supermarket!

Due to its nature as hemiparasitic trees, cultivating sandalwood trees is not an easy task. Furthermore, they are also slow-growing trees. It takes roughly minimum of 15 years to produce commercially valuable sandalwood with high levels of fragrance oils. Hence, each batch purchase requires reservation in advance and obviously people on the top of society is prioritized.

This is a wood that can't be bought without any connection.

Yet it was sold to him for just ¥4 millions.

"Even a normal Capstan Table's price is about 5 million. Was Rucien selling for a loss?"

Ouma shakes his head with incredulity. In his calculation, this table at least worth about 10 millions. If he resells this table to an auction, the price could soar again by several fold. This is really a huge profit!

But then he silently thought again.

'No... It makes no sense if Rucien to sell his(?) stuff cheaply for no reason.
If he can craft a Capstan Table, then he should know its worth.'

The same can also be said with the sandalwood, which is quite famous. Even movies, animes and novels often linked this kind of wood with the wealthy. Like how they describe Kings, Emperors and Sultans using this type of wood to make their furniture, like their bed and throne chair.

Who in this day doesn't know about it's value?

'Which means... Profit was not Rucien's primary aim!'

With that thinking, Ouma typed a comment on the table's product review on the Mercury site.

In his writing, he praised the table and expressed his inclination to buy another table, without mentioning about his estimation of the table's price. He didn't forget to add five star to the product's rating.

He really want to see what Rucien's response.

"In an unlikely situation, if Rucien was completely ignorant of prices and sold the sandalwood table cheap, I wouldn't mind either."

Five minutes later, Ouma's review got replied by Rucien himself. It seems he(?) was online.

Ouma nodded.

Sure enough, the table's cheap price was just a bait to attract customer. Not only that, this table also was Rucien's way to say, "I have obtained a connection with a sandalwood supplier too."

"So, Rucien also has access with sandalwood, not just titanium. This person's background is really deep."

He quickly compose a private message to Rucien.

His finger slowly typed the message.

The first time he think of is replacing his bed frame with sandalwood. The fragrance of this wood was so pleasant. This could help him to relax his nerve after intense leveling time in the game.

He posted his requirement for the bed frame. It should be 76×80 king-sized bed, with storage drawers, sturdy, and foldable.

The design... Let's leave that to Rucien.

Done with that, he quickly sent the message. Then, a few moments later Rucien replied.

Ouma was satisfied with Rucien's reply.

"A day? Did he mean he can complete my order in just a day? That's quite fast!
Three million is quite expensive for a bed frame, but considering it's made of sandalwood, then it's worth the price."

Not to mention, it can be completed in just a day. Tomorrow, he could say goodbye with his insomnia!

He quickly sealed the deal.

As whether Rucien would scam him out, Ouma didn't worried at all. They did the transaction via Mercury, which TENZ has a few shares in it. If there are evidence that someone has committed unscrupulous acts, they have to be prepared to face lawsuits.

♠♠♠

 

In other place.

After received nearly ¥4 million, Hecate quickly bought 78.000 and used it to purchase some cash items before logging out.

• Elixir ×1 - 200
• Exp Potion ×7 - 350
• 30 Condensed Hi-Potion Box ×10 - 900
• 30 Condensed Hi-Ether Box ×10 - 1500
• Life Insurance Scroll ×8 - 600
• Crime Scroll ×2 - 1000
• Amnesia Stone ×1 - 300

Total: 4850 (¥ 242.500)

If not because of purchase limit, she might have used all of the gems in the spot.

Ruri got up from the capsule while sighing in satisfaction.

She remembered about an article that says spending money also can relieve stress. It seems that article speaks some truth. With each footstep ringing the bell on her ankle, she walked to the bathroom.

It was then she received a notification about Ouma's review from her T-Bracelet.

"Oh, you want to buy another table? Well, I don't mind... But this time I will charge you a lot."

It was nonsense to sell sandalwood cheaply. She only did that as a water test. But now that she confirmed there are buyer for it, of course the water test is over.

She also read Ouma's private message about his commission.

"A king-sized bed frame, huh... well, not a problem."

Ruri quickly decided the deal and turned off the holo-screen.

With her ability, she can basically procure anything from Ascension. In the real world, sandalwood can be considered one of the most expensive wood in the world. But in the game, it was just a kind of material that can be grown like weeds.

Anyone with the Farmer Subclass can grow one from sapling to mature in less than a week. And with various game skills, it only takes a few minutes to process all the materials, and another few minutes to craft them. Everything can be dealt in less than a hour.

Making a sandalwood king-sized bed frame is not a problem at all!

After Ruri finished her business in the bathroom, she went straight to the bed.