The sci-fi infused glass corridor was lined with aliens from different planets and races, most wearing expressions of relaxed pleasure. Lan Xue, however, puffed up her face and complained, "Hunting Planet is really terrible—the organizers clearly have the capability to let everyone bypass the queue and register through the data network, yet they insist on making us spend hours stuck here in line."
Bai Zhongqi was clad in a chestnut gray wool coat, his trousers cropped at the ankle, and a pair of Oxford shoes that were no longer in vogue on Earth, underlined by a discreet suit vest and a light coffee-colored high-collar sweater. Together with the Chancellor's currently slightly ascetic handso face, there were often flirtatious glances from the won of the Primate Clan sliding his way through the crowd.
Lan Xue was irked by those flamboyant tramps, grabbing Bai Zhongqi's sleeve, she cautioned, "Uncle, please don't fall into the seductive traps set by those flamboyant tramps. Hunting Planet is essentially a high-end place for spending ti, frequented by the nobility and dignitaries from various civilizations. Many peripheral ladies mingle here posing as socialites. When a magnate arrives, they approach to cozy up, and if they latch onto one, they are in luck. But who knows how many different planetary sexually transmitted diseases they might carry? So viruses might be tolerable on one planet but could be lethal on another. Their diseases might even cause severe harm."
Though Bai Zhongqi had no intention of finding female companionship, Lan Xue's alarming words yet left him sowhat helpless.
Sothing else occurred to Lan Xue, and she said, "Ah, my words might truly an nothing, uncle. That sweetheart of yours is so stunningly beautiful, she definitely would not fancy these flamboyant tramps."
Bai Zhongqi felt quite helpless toward this seemingly offbeat young girl who seed to have so connection with him, and he could only respond to the aspect she had criticized earlier, "Since it's a high-end consumption venue, it naturally creates an impression of being in demand. Look at the people here stuck in line, while the real VIPs probably have all taken the express route, which flaunts their sense of superiority."
Lan Xue blinked and acknowledged, "Uncle is indeed amazing. Actually, this is also my first ti visiting Hunting Planet. I have often heard about this place in the Wilds of the Galaxy. Hunting Planet is managed by a group of highly business-savvy folks who scoured the galaxy to gather many rare creatures and dumped them here, then opened it up for visitors to hunt these exotic creatures on their own. If successful, they could take them ho."
Bai Zhongqi had previously heard Lan Xue talk about this planet. Behind Hunting Planet was a notable business organization within the galaxy with dealings across multiple advanced civilizations and considerable strength. Otherwise, it would not have been possible to manage a planet for such a frivolous endeavor on its own.
Lan Xue continued, "The monsters on Hunting Planet, many of them possess dominant genetic traits. Once they arrive here, after breeding and hybridizing, they give rise to even more peculiar monsters. Of course, there are also so lovely pets, the smaller ones. However, since people co here to play, many aim to hunt creatures of the level of the 'Top Ten Evils'." Lan Xue wore an expression that scread 'ask anything, I'm quite knowledgeable'.
Bai Zhongqi obligingly asked, "What are the 'Top Ten Evils'?"
Lan Xue proudly explained, "They are the ten most dangerous and terrifying creatures ranked by Hunting Planet. The businessn behind Hunting Planet are truly cunning. They have announced a huge prize, offering ten billion Corporation Coins to whoever can capture one of these 'Top Ten Evils', enough to buy a luxury private spaceship!"
Through Lan Xue, Bai Zhongqi had indeed learned more about the affairs within the galaxy. Previously, as the Chancellor of the Star Alliance, he was not really a participant in major events and was more focused on managing his own affairs.
There are nurous civilizations within the galaxy, and nearly all have the need for trade. Within a single civilization, different units of currency might sotis be used, and trade between civilizations can only occur through bartering. The Galactic High Governance Council had once tried to implent a common currency used by many civilizations, but due to the large technological disparities, it easily led to exploitation, and both high-level and lower civilizations eventually abandoned it.
Later, hundreds of corporations, ard wealth groups, comrcial planets, and business organizations within the galaxy ford the Trade Alliance. With the support of the High Council, they began promoting Corporation Coins. This currency concept was fundantally primitive. It forcibly tied together the credit of hundreds of comrcial powers and their material supply to form a monetary financial system.
Corporation Coins are not actually currency but a unit of currency asurent. Due to the vast and distant galaxy market and the enormous disparities in the productivity between civilizations, even if a product is priced in one currency, the actual cost might vary greatly. Corporation Coins are essentially tied to materials; only after a civilization sells a batch of goods to a corporation can it earn Corporation Coins, which are effectively storage vouchers for held goods. The selling party can then use the Corporation Coins to repurchase the previously sold materials.
The clearing capability of these hundreds of corporations allows different civilizations to trade using Corporation Coins. Fundantally, every issuance of Corporation Coins is linked to the advent of goods (entering market circulation), and at any ti, the holder of the coins has the right to convert back to goods. Even if the goods were sold centuries ago, theoretically, they might have already decayed.
The substantial economic strength of the Trade Alliance also ensures they have enough goods for sale. This compels people to trade using Corporation Coins. Thus, civilizations' trade ships in the Trade Alliance sell their own produced goods in exchange for Corporation Coins, and then use Corporation Coins to buy other materials collected by the Trade Alliance from other civilizations.
The value of Corporation Coins itself is determined by several of the galaxy's most important commodities, primarily energy sources, crystals, rare earth elents, and basic organic materials. After complex mathematical modeling to set up weights, their price fluctuations then dictate the value of Corporation Coins.
It was precisely because of such clumsy storage capabilities and the backing of strength that Corporation Coins could serve as a general equivalent in many civilizations. Due to price differences, to prevent a run on these coins, the issuers even enlisted civilizations from the High Council to back them up and curb all runs on the bank.
Most civilizations refused to use Corporation Coins as currency within their own realms because it would lead to severe chaos. Only facilities operated by the Trade Alliance organizations, such as Hunting Planets, were allowed to handle transactions using Corporation Coins.
As a supersized financial monopolistic organization, the Trade Alliance itself would regulate commodity prices to stabilize its own currency. With different prices for goods in various Star Regions and areas, they aid to prevent other civilizations from purchasing goods in one place and then selling them back to the Trade Alliance in another place to profit from the price differences. Price differences could occur, but they had to cover the cost of transportation.
Of course, this system was not without its flaws, and issues would inevitably arise locally, but overall, this financial and trade-linked system was still viable.
Behind the Trade Alliance, there were actually many mbers from the High Council who had shares in it. On the surface, it was the Trade Alliance acting as a monopolistic organization, but in reality, the High Council was the primary shareholder of the Trade Alliance.
Planets like Bupinga, which Bai Zhongqi had visited early on, were actually minor players in the entire Galaxy's trade system, situated in its outer reaches and engaging in small-scale trade.
Now, Bai Zhongqi was truly penniless, even though he owned two Elder Race motherships and a planetary system on the scale of a stellar system; he might be the richest man in the Galaxy in terms of material wealth. Yet, he had not a single Corporation Coin to his na.
anwhile, Lan Xue, clutching a small piggy bank with a pained expression on her face, was the one truly suffering.
"Every year millions of people co to this planet for entertainnt, with each ticket costing 5,000 Corporation Coins, VIP tickets even more expensive, plus people's expenditures here—just one Hunting Planet alone makes hundreds of billions of Corporation Coins in gross profit annually. All together, from childhood to now I've only saved just over ten thousand Corporation Coins, all given to as New Year's money by my aunt and mom, and now it's all going to be spent," she said.
She looked on the verge of tears as she stared at Bai Zhongqi, who fully understood what this mischievous girl was up to, and could only helplessly say, "Once I sell a spaceship or a batch of weapons, I'll give you all the money I make."
"Long live Uncle!" Lan Xue burst into laughter through her tears.
At that mont, Bai Zhongqi truly felt like he was being swindled by his own child.
After waiting in line for a long ti, it was finally Lan Xue and Bai Zhongqi's turn. Even with Bai Zhongqi's promise, spending money still seed as grievous as losing her life to Lan Xue, who reluctantly pressed the button on the piggy bank's tail, and the piggy bank spit out a coin from its mouth.
It took Lan Xue ten seconds to hand the coin over to the cashier. The cashier, well-trained, maintained a professional smile on their face, making no signs of scoffing at Lan Xue, though Bai Zhongqi noticed that the cashier seed to want to snatch the money from Lan Xue a few tis.
The tiny coin was actually a currency counting device; Corporation Coins were intangible, but their movent in transactions needed a carrier, which in this case was the tiny coin—a complex counting device with its own network, capable of interacting with cashiers or transaction machines to facilitate circulation.
The power and wealth of the Trade Alliance were also reflected in such currency technology tools—they were freely provided by the corporation, simply to facilitate the circulation of Corporation Coins.
Lan Xue's piggy bank was also such a tool; however, while the coin-shaped device served only to store and trade, the piggy bank could transfer money into an account after swallowing a coin and then spit back an emptied coin. When it ca ti to spend, it would spit out a coin that had completed counting.
Naturally, this was the thod used by the poorer folk. Truly large dealers and the wealthy used more secure cards or other devices for transactions. The piggy bank device, once stolen, ant that the money was lost.
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