Underworld Player Chapter 43 - Profit of Fifty with Crocodile Tears

Bai Zhi weighed his options, then asked the information broker, "How much?"

"For this piece of info... at least 500 Coins." Astolfo extended a hand, palm up...

And Bai Zhi promptly turned to leave without another word.

"Wait! Waitwaitwait, don't you know the principle of 'shoot for the moon, haggle after'?" Astolfo called out in a panic, afraid to lose the only customer that he had managed to attract in a while. "At least hit me with a counteroffer, right? If 500 is too high, name a price, I'm willing to negotiate!"

Bai Zhi stopped in his tracks and turned back. Extending a single finger with great aplomb, he said, "One Coin."

Astolfo froze, the struggle between his pride and business sense seeming to play tug-of-war with his face as he wrestled with his decision. Finally, he managed a stiff nod.

"...Fine! One Coin it is. Consider it a token of goodwill, and remember me, Astolfo, as a friend!"

"Sure. Now, tell me about Sanity."

With a quick nod, Bai Zhi sat back down at the stall and slid the card he had just received from Astolfo across the table. "There, that's worth a Coin. Now we're even."

The fact that, here, the faces of the Players were obscured notwithstanding, Bai Zhi had a strong feeling that Astolfo was staring at him in marked disbelief.

Astolfo sighed, then pocketed the card. "...All right. What Sanity is will become clear when you reach Level 10. Your Sanity right now should be about 10 to 13, right?

"You must have noticed how Sanity behaves differently from the other attributes. Unlike the six core attributes, Sanity automatically increases as a Player levels up. A high Sanity allows you to survive an encounter with terrifying, unspeakable horrors without losing your mind and going completely hysterical."

Bai Zhi glanced at the "???" that was displayed for his Sanity attribute and chose to offer no comment.

Astolfo continued, "Our world is like a sandcastle on the beach, at risk of being swallowed by the sea with each wave that comes at it, and we, the Players, are the bulwark that stand

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