Chapter 5: One Million!

Upon mentioning Prince Rui's Mansion, Uncle Lu's originally irritated expression couldn't help but change, gradually turning serious.

After a pause, Yang Ning continued, "A thumb ring of this chicken-fat yellow hue could only be worn by nobles like Beile and Gege, or imperial relatives. Which commoner would dare flaunt such a thing? Considering this, not only is it an antique, but it also originates from Prince Rui's Mansion, exclusively supplied to the imperial family, and was crafted by a master imperial carver. Tell me, if you price it at just a hundred or two hundred thousand, and it’s not a steal or a lucky find, then you’re truly blind to its value."

Yang Ning's embellished words were so logical and convincing that the onlookers were utterly stunned. Even Lin Manxuan instinctively covered her mouth, a glimmer of admiration flickering in her gaze toward Yang Ning.

Little Loli, though usually mischievous, wasn’t clueless. She picked up on the implications and, pursing her lips, muttered under her breath, "Dumb luck! It’s definitely dumb luck!"

Uncle Lu gave Yang Ning a deep look, sighing with emotion, "The young are to be feared, truly to be feared! It’s just as the saying goes, the waves behind drive the waves ahead. I’m old, truly old, and I can’t deny it even if I wanted to."

Yang Ning felt a bit embarrassed. The only reason he could say all this was thanks to the Supreme System.

In truth, he hadn’t done anything himself. It was pure sleight of hand, blatant plagiarism.

"One million!"

Lin Manxuan raised a slender, jade-like finger. The crowd, already dumbfounded, now fell into a deathly silence.

One million?

Yang Ning’s face twitched fiercely. He hadn’t expected Lin Manxuan to be so bold as to offer such a high price.

Lin Manxuan, with her doctorate in psychology, instantly deduced that one million far exceeded Yang Ning’s expected price, and by a wide margin at that.

"One million, are you sure?"

"I’m sure."

Yang Ning pinched his nose, grinning as he said, "Deal!"

Little Loli rolled her eyes, sneering from the side, "What a character!"

"Hold on, I need to clarify something. One million isn’t just for buying this thumb ring. You also have to agree to do something for me," Lin Manxuan said thoughtfully.

Yang Ning frowned. If he sold this amber thumb ring directly to the Supreme System, it would only fetch 380,000. Even if he sold it elsewhere, it likely wouldn’t exceed 500,000.

Given that, earning an extra 500,000 just by helping out—why not?

Yang Ning’s frown eased, and he smiled brightly, "Sure, as long as it doesn’t cross my bottom line. Even if you ask me to marry you and make you my wife, I’d seriously consider it."

This time, it was Lin Manxuan’s turn to roll her eyes. Little Loli, on the other hand, bared her teeth and claws, "You? Marry my sister? She is way out of your league!"

"Oh, is the little girl jealous? How about coming home with me and being my child bride?" Yang Ning teased, looking at Little Loli with a half-smile.

"Dream on!"

Little Loli, on high alert, hid behind Uncle Lu, peeking out half her head to make funny faces at Yang Ning.

Lin Manxuan pulled out a bank card, "There’s one million in this card. The password is six sixes. I’ll take the thumb ring with me for now." After a pause, she added, "Be here at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late."

One million!

Not a hundred bucks, but one million!

A sensation!

An absolute sensation!

This was a major event happening right before their eyes!

The vendors on Guhan Street were going crazy. The news of an amber thumb ring selling for a million was spreading through the street at breakneck speed.

Who could have imagined that a small thumb ring was an antique from two hundred years ago? And that it came from a prince’s mansion, once used by Beile, Gege, and imperial relatives?

Especially those vendors who had come into contact with or even considered buying the thumb ring—their faces turned green with regret. They pounded their chests and stomped their feet, glaring at Yang Ning with eyes full of hatred, as if he had killed their fathers or stolen their wives.

If Uncle Lu hadn’t been there to keep things under control, Guhan Street might have erupted into chaos.

"I hate this! I could’ve bought it for just five hundred!"

"One million! One million! My money!"

"I was half a step away from becoming a millionaire, and now I’m worlds apart."

"That thumb ring should’ve been mine, and so should the million!"

"Damn that lucky brat! Buddha, I’ve never skimped on offering you incense money!"

Similar complaints and laments echoed endlessly. These people were destined to be losers because they never reflected on themselves. When they saw others succeed, they naturally assumed it was luck, while their own success would be due to skill.

They seemed to forget that if Yang Ning hadn’t pointed out the inner carving of a carp leaping over the dragon gate—a hallmark of Prince Rui’s Mansion from the Renzong Era—they’d still have no clue about the amber thumb ring’s origins.

Of course, Yang Ning couldn’t care less about what these people thought. Now that the amber thumb ring had sold for a million, he’d made a fortune. Under Uncle Lu’s guidance, he calmly left Guhan Street.

He couldn’t return to Guhan Street anytime soon. A tall tree attracts the wind—he understood that principle. Some saw him as a god of wealth, while others viewed him as an enemy. Wasn’t it all just envy, jealousy, and hatred at play?

Not to mention, as he was leaving, Yang Ning even heard the sound of hearts shattering—literally, a sound of something breaking.

Main Quest: [First Pot of Gold]

Task Description: Courageously dig out your first pot of gold, and you’ll have the chance to become tall, rich, and handsome, marry a fair, rich beauty, become a CEO, and reach the pinnacle of life.

Current Progress: 500,000/500,000 (Completed)

Task Reward: Energy +5

You have gained 5 Energy Attribute Points.

After a trip to the bank, Yang Ning transferred the million to his own card, then checked the [Character Interface].

[Host: Yang Ning]

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Title: [Ten-Thousand-Yuan Household]

Strength: 49

Skill: 46

Speed: 51

Energy: 53

Body: 42

Evaluation Rank: E

Available Free Points: 63

Wow!

Sixty-three attribute points!

Awesome!

Huh?

Wait...

Sixty-three?

Holy cow, shouldn’t it be a hundred?

Yang Ning was dumbfounded. Wasn’t it supposed to be one attribute point for every ten thousand earned?

Just as Yang Ning was racking his brain, the System sent a notification.

"To reach a C-Rank Evaluation, you need to earn 100,000 for one attribute point?

To reach B-Rank, you need to earn a million for one attribute point?

What? A-Rank Evaluation requires ten million? S-Rank requires a hundred million?"

Yang Ning’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Calming himself down, Yang Ning began to study this so-called Overall Evaluation.

It turned out that an average attribute of 60 meant a C-Rank Evaluation; reaching 70 meant B-Rank. At 80 and 90, it would be A-Rank and S-Rank, respectively, with each attribute’s peak at 99.

Currently, his total attributes were 241, with an average of 48, giving him an E-Rank Evaluation.

Once his total attributes reached 300, averaging 60, his Evaluation Rank would be C. Crossing that threshold meant earning 100,000 for just one attribute point.

This time, with the million he earned, the first 590,000 got him 59 attribute points. The remaining 410,000, since his total attributes had reached 300 and his rank hit C, only netted him 4 attribute points per the rules.

Calculating it this way, 63 attribute points was indeed correct. Still, Yang Ning felt his heart bleed. A hundred attribute points had shrunk to 63. Saying he didn’t mind would be lying to himself, but since these were the game rules, there was nothing he could do.

At that moment, the System sent another notification:

Main Quest: [Millionaire]

Task Description: In this materialistic era, people can only live in reality. Money isn’t everything, but without it, nothing is possible. Work hard to earn money!

Current Progress: 0/1,000,000

Task Reward: Title [Millionaire]

Yang Ning glanced at the task requirements and rewards, then set it aside. Right now, he was pondering how to allocate his attribute points.

He definitely needed to boost his Body attribute, but the question was how much. After much hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth and maxed out his Body attribute.

"Huh? It can’t be this bad, right?"

After waiting a full minute with no reaction in his body, Yang Ning started to panic.

Just then, the System sent a prompt: Due to the excessive attribute value increase at once, the Host is advised to find a comfortable, quiet place for Attribute Fusion.

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Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶