Eighty-six, the Bank That Knew How to Make Money

I’ve given them all to you.

After counting twice and confirming that there were fewer than thirty ghost copper coins, Chen Sheng could not help but glance again at the headless girl, whose two eyes were practically glued to the pile.

“Really?” On Qian ShaoShao’s pale face, disbelief instantly bloomed. These were twenty-seven ghost copper coins! Added to the thirteen she had already saved, it would be enough to hire a fierce spirit for a simple favor once.

Not every fierce spirit, before its ascent, relied on wielding an execution implement.

There were many ways for a fierce spirit to rise.

But without question, those that first claimed an execution implement and then proved their worth to ascend were, without exception, terrifying beings among fierce spirits.

Take, for example, the ghost that had caused Gold Town to produce the derivative rule of “the living go in, the dead come out”; it had walked this very path, which was why its progress had been so arduous.

If some other fierce-spirit rite had been used that did not require an execution implement, this ghost town would likely have already given birth to a fierce spirit.

Even so, fierce spirits that had not claimed an execution implement were usually the weakest among them. Such beings often took on side work to earn ghost copper coins.

Money could indeed make ghosts turn the millstone; in this world, that saying was no empty boast. Only here, the “money” in question was not knife coins, but ghost copper coins.

“Of course it’s true. Why would I lie to you?” Chen Sheng found it rather amusing, because he had no real idea what ghost copper coins were truly worth in this world.

He simply used the copper coins of the real world as a point of reference.

In the real world, copper coins had some value as antiques and collectibles. But if one were to rewind time to the dynasty they came from, a single coin probably could not even buy a bundle of firewood.

So Chen Sheng had no interest at all in these few dozen ghost copper coins.

To him, these twenty-odd coins were about the same as the resources produced in an idle game by a level-one mine over the course of an hour at most.

“Thank you!”

Qian ShaoShao was overjoyed. Looking at Chen Sheng, the fear in her eyes vanished completely, and there was even a kind of fervent brightness there now.

Chen Sheng ignored the headless girl and turned to look at the town.

By now, there were no living people left in the town, nor that ghost who called himself the Lord God and tricked people into becoming reincarnators to work for free. The whole place had become a scene of restless, chaotic hauntings.

On the night he had first arrived, the town had been filled only with cold wind whistling through the streets, and ghostly figures were rare. The one he had finally encountered had even disguised itself under the name of “simps” and tricked him into becoming a math teacher.

But now, from time to time, one could see a ghostly shadow dart past in a flash.

“If I robbed every ghost in this ghost town, how many ghost copper coins would that be?” Chen Sheng mused. Dozens of coins did not interest him, but if there were several thousand, or tens of thousands, that would be a different matter.

If he could bring them out into the world of the dead, they would doubtless be of some use.

At the thought, Chen Sheng’s heart stirred. He remembered that in the world of the dead, “players” could create instances called Dreamnight Human World. If he had tens of thousands of coins, then exchanging them for things players could use as instance rewards should more than suffice.

And even if he did not make an instance, he could go find the mysterious merchant—the Return-to-Death Hunt Car—and buy things there. Surely he could purchase some good items.

After all, mysterious merchants in games were usually tiered.

Chen Sheng felt the reason the mysterious merchant he had met before did not sell execution implements was simply that he had only knife coins on him, and thus could not unlock the relevant game content.

“Rob the ghosts of an entire town? How are you supposed to do that...” Qian ShaoShao had just put away the twenty-seven ghost copper coins when she heard Chen Sheng muttering to himself, and she was instantly stunned.

After all, ghosts could run!

But then, thinking of the ghost copper coins held by all the ghosts in the entire town, she could not help becoming excited as well. If the robbery succeeded and she was given even a tiny share, she would likely end up with over a hundred ghost copper coins!

Wealth stirs the heart; it also stirs the hearts of ghosts.

“If we force it, the success rate will be very low, so...” Looking at the headless girl, whose emotions had suddenly become inexplicably agitated, Chen Sheng said with a full smile, “You go tell the ghosts in this town that a bank has opened here, one that serves ghosts specifically. If they deposit one ghost copper coin, they can withdraw two after three days. If they deposit two, they can withdraw four after three days... In short, the more they deposit, the more they get back doubled after three days.”

“Really?” the headless girl asked instinctively. “Then can I deposit too?”

Chen Sheng: “...”

Was he not being clear enough?

This kind of brain had absolutely deserved being tricked out of pocket money for days on end when she was still alive.

An idea flashed through his mind. Since the NPCs in this healing game were so intelligent, after suffering a loss, would they learn from it and become wiser?

Thinking of this, Chen Sheng smiled and said, “Yes.”

At once, Qian ShaoShao cheerfully handed over all forty ghost copper coins in her possession to Chen Sheng.

Only after handing them over did she remember that she still did not know what this stupid... no, what this money-making bank was called, so she hurriedly asked, “What is the name of this bank?”

“Yu Xin Bank,” Chen Sheng said indifferently.

Yes, he had made it up on the spot.

To be precise, he had taken someone’s name and removed one character.

“Then when I promote it, is there anything else I should say?” Qian ShaoShao asked again.

“Say whatever is most likely to suit the ghosts’ habits and make them believe it.”

“Can I say anything?” Qian ShaoShao instinctively glanced at the execution implement behind Chen Sheng. With an execution implement as guarantor, it was beyond doubt that ghosts would trust it unconditionally.

To ghosts, an execution implement could be said to be official backing, carrying extraordinary significance.

“Of course. Also, once this is done, you won’t be shortchanged.” Chen Sheng gave the headless girl a meaningful look.

Yes, once the ghosts of this town had sent over all their ghost copper coins, he would simply return those forty coins to her.

Qian ShaoShao, now brimming with excitement, heard that there was still a reward to be had and immediately seemed to have been injected with fresh vigor. She turned at once to find nearby ghosts and begin her advertising campaign.

Having stayed in this ghost town for several days, though she had not wandered far, Qian ShaoShao had once been a resident of Gold Town before death, and in these few days many ghosts had also learned that she possessed a strange item.

A blood-soaked fierce ghost bearing a strange item could make even great calamity spirits keep their distance.

And with strength, naturally came the right to speak.

Moreover, information passed among ghosts very quickly, so it was not long before a ghost came over,抱著 a try-it-and-see attitude, to make a deposit.