Chapter 141: The Beginning of the Dimensional War (1)

Obena, a merchant in a low-grade Sci-Fi Series dimensional plane, had a gloomy expression. He lifted his arm and repeatedly smoothed his already sparse hair with his palm.

His mood had been terrible lately, for a simple reason: the business he relied on for survival had become impossible to run.

For an ordinary merchant, being unable to run a business meant bankruptcy at worst. But Obena knew that if his business failed, the consequence would be the loss of his life.

Because he was no ordinary merchant. He was a ‘Dimensional Merchant’.

“It’s just terrible. How did so many Magic Fruit suddenly flood the market?” Obena slammed his fist onto the metal counter in front of him, making a loud bang.

In the dimensional trade, Obena mainly traded a kind of fruit imbued with magical energy. These fruits were popular in some Fantasy Dimensions, and there was consistent demand for them; demand was often greater than supply.

So Obena survived, and avoided System Eradication, primarily by selling these Magic Fruit.

But recently, his regular customers had vanished one by one. None of them came to him to buy Magic Fruit anymore. This worried Obena greatly.

Contacting his old customers, Obena learned the reason. A new merchant had suddenly appeared in the market. He was also selling Magic Fruit.

And this merchant sold them for half of Obena’s price, and the quality was better than Obena’s Magic Fruit. This sent Obena into a panic. He had absolutely no competitiveness left.

His goods were inferior, and it was the reality.

Obena could do nothing about it. To make things worse, the time to pay the System fees was almost here. If he couldn’t sell those Magic Fruit and earn Credit Points soon, he would definitely be eradicated by the System for failing to pay the tax.

Thinking about this filled Obena with burning anxiety.

But if others didn’t want to buy his, he couldn’t force them, could he?

That was impossible. So now, besides sighing deeply, Obena had no solution at all.

“Why did another competitor have to appear all of a sudden?!” Obena muttered bitterly.

Actually, within the Dimensional Trading System, there was more than just Obena selling Magic Fruit.

Counting roughly, there were about seven or eight merchants involved in this trade. The quality of their Magic Fruit was all about the same, and the price was tacitly maintained around twelve thousand Credit Points.

Even though they never met, every merchant selling Magic Fruit had this unspoken agreement.

But this unknown newcomer suddenly shattered this harmony. He caused heavy losses for the merchants in this trade. Like Obena who was at his wits’ end, the others also found themselves in dire straits.

Most merchants selling Magic Fruit were low-level traders. Their rankings weren’t high; the second tier was the peak for them.

These merchants didn’t have huge supply volumes either, as their worlds weren’t blessed with the same unusual environment as Lei Yaotian’s world.

“Beep beep beep!”

A sharp System Notification Sound rang in Obena’s ears. He looked at the metal display screen in front of him and tapped a key on the keyboard.

“Magic Fruit Commerce Alliance?”

Seeing the message transmitted through the System, Obena was stunned for a moment. Then he realized: this Commerce Alliance was a cooperative organization formed by all the other merchants in the trade besides himself.

Through this alliance, they unified prices. Together, they monopolized the sale of Magic Fruit to rake in massive profits.

Obena knew about this Commerce Alliance because he was part of it. His volume was simply too small, so insignificant it was beneath their notice.

So he was essentially just there to fill a spot, paying his periodic dues and listening to the higher-level merchants to control his selling price for Magic Fruit each time.

Overall, Obena was just a small fry. The merchants in the alliance were the real big players.

But compared to that sudden newcomer, their entire alliance wasn’t worth one hair of his.

Neither the quantity nor the quality of their goods could compare.

But today, what did these senior merchants want with him?

Obena opened his communicator and connected to their signal.

“Beep beep!”

A handsome man wearing silver armor appeared on the video screen.

“Hello, Lord Tad.” As the man appeared, Obena quickly offered a respectful greeting. Obena recognized this armored man. He was the head of this alliance, a merchant from a Fantasy Dimension world.

“Obena, I contacted you without additional motive. Your situation is bad. Only a few days remain to pay the System tax fees. I expect you cannot afford those Credit Points now, can you?”

Upon appearing, Tad went straight to the issue distressing Obena.

Obena pulled a long face and nodded. “Lord Tad, you know my circumstances. My main income is from selling Magic Fruit to pay the Tax and buy necessary items to keep growing Magic Fruit, while also trying to upgrade my level and rank. Naturally, I can’t possibly have many spare Credit Points.”

“This guy who suddenly appeared on the market stole all the customers. My Magic Fruit won’t sell. What can I do?”

Obena poured his troubles out to Lord Tad.

“So, respected Lord Tad, are you reaching out because you have a solution?”

Obena looked at Tad with hopeful eyes.

Under Obena’s hopeful gaze, Tad slowly shook his head. “There is no solution we have found yet. Unless that man suddenly dies, or stops producing Magic Fruit altogether. That’s the only way to resolve our issue. But do you think that’s possible?”

Andrew suddenly dying? That seemed highly unlikely. Andrew was no longer that little Magic Apprentice. After earning vast Credit Points and gaining Magic Fruit for himself, his power now neared that of an Archmage.

That rank, in Andrew’s Plane World, placed him at the pinnacle.

Naturally, he couldn’t compare to Demigods or Deities, but among mortals, Andrew was invincible.

Moreover, an Archmage was extreme military deterrence for an Empire. Back in his original world, Andrew moved with guards everywhere and a large entourage.

So dying wasn’t that easy for him.

Unless he offended a Deity or a reclusive Demigod.

But Andrew wasn’t a fool. He’d have no reason to provoke such overwhelming forces.

Besides, becoming an Archmage significantly extended his lifespan. Living a thousand years or more was possible. He might even break the shackles of humanity to become a Demigod or a Deity.

Tad and Obena, however, were unaware of these possibilities.

So when Obena heard Tad’s words, his expression became one of deep disappointment.

“Lord Tad, it’s only days until the tax payment is due. If there’s no improvement in my situation, I know I will be eradicated by the System.”

Obena was almost kneeling before Tad and weeping.

Seeing Obena like this, Tad was truly distressed. Yet at this point, he couldn’t be harsh. Because Tad and others had a plan. If successful, not only would their current troubles be over, but they could also seize a world abundant with Magic Fruit.

“Do you think you’re the only one at risk?” Tad took a deep breath, suppressing his sense of annoyance, and forced a friendly tone as he addressed Obena.

Obena looked at Tad in the video, puzzled.

Tad continued, “Don’t assume you’re the only one facing System Eradication. Every merchant in the Magic Fruit Association is threatened by this crisis right now. So we must confront this problem together and solve it with our combined strength.”

A light flashed in Obena’s eyes. His hope for the future reignited.

If even Tad faced such danger, it was surely better than facing it alone. After all, Tad was much stronger than him in power and resources.

And weren’t there the other merchants too?

Maybe their joint effort could see them through this crisis.

Besides, Tad’s words seemed to hint they already had a plan. Executing it required manpower.

Which was likely why Tad came to him.

“Lord Tad, speak plainly. Are you asking me to contribute something? If you need me, just say it. I’ll do anything to avoid System Eradication.”

Life was the most important thing. Without it, what meaning was left?

He would truly do anything to survive.

Tad looked stern and earnest, his eyes fixed on Obena. “Before contacting you, I had finalized a plan. If successful, we will not only survive this crisis but also secure a valuable world producing enormous quantities of Magic Fruit.”

Obena’s expression became grave. “Lord Tad, are you proposing… war?”

Although Obena had guessed Tad’s plan, he couldn’t help but voice the question.