Chapter 523.1: A Polite Bandit

Ample Time had been pondering a single question. What was the tolerance for players exploiting bugs?

Or rather, what exactly counted as a bug?

In a game that claimed to be fully realistic, if one profited massively by exploiting an NPC’s greed, was that considered a bug, or simply legitimate gameplay?

In the New Alliance, that kind of behavior was certainly not allowed.

The administrator had GM-level privileges, something the developers constantly reminded players of.

After all, according to the game’s lore, every shelter resident had sworn allegiance to the Federation, vowing to revive civilization before being permitted to return to the surface and rebuild.

If they didn’t want to work, the administrator might ignore them. But if one started causing damage, they would be thrown out without hesitation.

The New Alliance was a player faction, so having a GM-privilege figure was understandable.

But what about the other factions?

Previously, they had managed to bring back a Crawler from the Academy and an Orca transport from the Enterprise. Not only were they not punished, the mayor of Dawn City even rewarded them.

Clearly, the other factions were not protected by any GMs!

In other words, as long as the operation was discreet enough, didn’t spark a major diplomatic incident, and didn’t tarnish the New Alliance’s collective image, the administrator was essentially turning a blind eye to players fleecing other NPCs.

Ample Time had wanted to test this theory back when he was studying in Ideal City. Unfortunately, the difficulty of bug exploitation there was absurdly high.

The residents of Ideal City were sometimes overly naive, not because they were dumb, but because they were protected so well by rules that it was almost impossible to trick them out of their allowances through anything but legal trade.

Frankly, if the Moonlike Group hadn’t seen the growth potential in the New Alliance, he would never have gotten the chance to start his company with no background.

One only had to look at how hard it had been for Escaping Mole to launch a startup to understand.

If the New Alliance hadn’t sponsored his Skeleton Studio with some foreign currency reserves, he wouldn’t have been able to hire a single game developer, let alone rent that tiny windowless office.

But Boulder Town... That might just be the perfect opportunity.

He wasn’t particularly obsessed with money, but he was very interested in seeing just how realistic the game could get.

Standing at the front gate of the residence, Kishur was growing impatient.

Especially when he looked at the two-story house in front of him, it really didn’t look like the kind of place a rich man would live in.

He would bet that even if one counted the entire front yard, the total area wouldn’t exceed 400 square meters.

More likely just over 300.

And the plants in the yard? They were a total mess. They clearly hadn’t been tended to in ages. They looked more like weeds than flowers.

However, when Ample Time appeared at the door, Kishur immediately recalled the impression the man had left on the plane. All his impatience vanished, and a refined smile replaced it as he strode forward and shook his hand firmly.

"My dear friend, we meet again! I wanted to visit you right after we got off the plane, but you vanished before I could catch up, and you weren’t at home either. By the way, why are you living in a place like this?"

Clearly seeing what Kishur was thinking, Ample Time smiled calmly and addressed the concern casually. "This house was built by me and a few friends by hand. Don’t underestimate it, see that sanatorium over there? It’s one of the closest buildings to the shelter entrance. Our administrator lives there. In Boulder Town, if you have money, you can buy a place next to the mayor. But here? Even with money, you can’t buy your way in, because no player is willing to sell. This house carries too many memories. It’s like the first exoskeleton the administrator ever used."

In terms of economic value, it wasn’t that special. The respawn points had long been decentralized to all shelters, and in terms of prosperity, North Street outside the outpost couldn’t compare to North Street in Dawn City.

But Ample Time didn’t tell him any of that.

Kishur was visibly impressed.

Though he didn’t think much of the blue coats, he did know the basic fact that the administrator of the New Alliance was also the administrator of Shelter 404.

To live next to the administrator?

That meant the guy was a big shot in the New Alliance!

He tried to relate this to his limited knowledge. Perhaps Shelter 404 residents were the equivalent of inner city nobles in the New Alliance?

That has to be it!

Either way, buying land in such a prime spot to build a home for fun? That was definitely something a noble would do!

"My dear friend, don’t get me wrong. I would never look down on your house. In fact, I think building your own place has a certain charm. A refined taste, even. Maybe I’ll buy some land in the inner city and build something too."

Seeing his stupid face, Ample Time smiled faintly and gestured politely. "Let’s talk inside."

Once indoors, Ample Time led Kishur to his study and poured him a cup of hot tea brewed by Dori.

While Ample Time was still thinking of how to steer the conversation, the second son of Boulder Town Bank’s president couldn’t wait any longer and spoke up.

"I’ll get straight to the point, about the plan I mentioned on the flight..." Kishur lowered his voice and stared intently at Ample Time as he continued, "The latest decision from the Ideal City’s Highest Council is encouraging subsidiaries of major companies to expand beyond the Among Cloud Province. This is an opportunity for every survivor settlement east of the Great Desert! I plan to seize this moment and turn Boulder Town into the largest settlement in the southern River Valley! It will be on par with the Bugra Free State, or even the Great Rift Valley!"

Ample Time took a sip of warm tea, not mocking his lofty dream.

Objectively speaking, Boulder Town did have the potential.

They inherited postwar equipment left behind in Clearspring City, industrialized decades ago, had merchants across the south, and their factories sustained the slaveholders of the entire Brocade River Province. Economically, they had made the chips the hard currency of the southern corridor of the River Valley Province. From Red River Town to Garbage City to Baker Street, everyone catered to them, even though their city guards never left Clearspring City.

Deep down, the residents of Boulder Town were proud.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t look down on survivors outside the wall as country bumpkins. Only the distant and extravagant Ideal City was worthy of their respect, or rather, worship.

They could tell from Mr. House’s broadcasts, they fully believed they were the next utopia on the wasteland.

But Kishur was just a banker’s son. Even if his father, Malvern, was a big shot in Boulder Town, he was still nothing compared to the nobles living in the inner city.

Money was the trick people in power used, and Malvern was just their butler.

"Why must it be Boulder Town?" Ample Time set down his teacup and pointed to the newspaper on the table with a smile. "I think the New Alliance sounds nice. They call themselves the New Alliance of all survivors. Look, they’re planning to build a batch of corn, I mean, apartment buildings. If you want to make money, I could lend you a hand."

Ample Time wasn’t joking.

Mutually beneficial deals helped everyone. He could let Kishur taste a win, and he would easily trust Ample Time more. That way, Ample Time could profit too, legally.

The city hall of Dawn City would pay for it anyway!

Kishur waved it off. "You’ll pay me in silver coins, right? That stuff’s just toilet paper!"

Ample Time looked at him, surprised.

The guy really didn’t treat him like an outsider.

"Toilet paper? How so?" Ample Time asked.

Kishur looked him straight in the eye and snorted. "I’m not treating you as an outsider, and I hope you won’t be offended by what I say."

Ample Time nodded. "Of course. Let’s speak frankly."

He hadn’t expected the rude guy to be particularly tactful anyway.

Sipping his tea, Kishur started speaking about his lofty ideas. "The New Alliance’s economy is on the verge of collapse. The war cost too much. Your city lord... Sorry, I mean, your administrator has been patching fiscal holes with external loans and over-issuing currency. It’s like a house propped up with paper money. One kick and the whole thing falls!"

"If he were smart, he would pay down the debt immediately. But no, he’s wasting money building roads and houses just for show. At this rate, within two years, your debt will be unimaginable. Your trade profits won’t even cover the interest! When that happens, what do you think? Wouldn’t your currency be as worthless as toilet paper?"

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but exude an air of confidence. He stared at Ample Time without blinking as he continued, "Now, Boulder Town will be the greatest winner! Even though we didn’t join the war, we own the New Alliance and the debts owed! In fact, Boulder Town is an even more important creditor to the New Alliance than the Enterprise.”

“Debt isn’t all either. Your New Alliance borrowed money to buy stuff from Boulder Town. From your tanks, to the buttons on your shirts, they can’t be made without Boulder Town! The buying power of chips have never been higher. There is no doubt about it. Boulder Town actually already owns your New Alliance!”

“If your New Alliance wants to repay the debt, you’ll need chips. And to earn chips, you will have to accept our prices. As for whether the New Alliance will default? You won’t. If you even think about it, we’ll cut their supply lines. Sure, we’ll lose a little, but your New Alliance will crash like a train with its bolts unscrewed. It’ll be the end!"