Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 706

706: The Billion-Gold Money Pit 706: The Billion-Gold Money Pit Ethan’s eyes gleamed as he collected the staggering sum of 536,941 gold from his mailbox.

A wide grin spread across his face as the coins vanished into his inventory.

He turned his attention back to the video feed with the portly broker.

“Put the word out to your network,” Ethan instructed.

“I want you to keep buying gold.

Don’t worry about the price, I’ll make sure you turn a profit.

The more, the better.

But… this stays between us.

No one can know I’m the one buying.” Through the screen, he saw Trusty007’s eyes light up with avaricious glee.

For a gold broker, the biggest fear was getting stuck with a pile of currency during a market crash.

Ethan’s request was a dream come true; a guaranteed buyer who would take all the gold off his hands at a locked-in profit.

Trusty007: “You got it, boss!

I’ll send you an update every three hours.” NotADruid: “Good.

Don’t be shy.

Money isn’t an issue.” Ethan ended the call and took a moment to get his bearings.

His first stop was his own shops.

For the upcoming Fortress Wars, he would need his secret weapon; the Mad Engineer, to be ready.

He arrived at the central plaza of Harmony City.

The place was, as always, a bustling hub of activity.

His three shops formed a perfect triangle around the main square, and the sight made him smirk.

Back during the land rush, he’d used his level advantage to brutally snatch up all the prime real estate.

The value of these plots now was astronomical compared to the paltry dozens or hundreds of gold he’d paid the system.

Conservatively, each one was now worth tens of thousands of gold.

In a few years, they’d be worth billions in cold, hard Dollars.

He glanced around.

The All-You-Need Auction House was a constant stream of players flowing in and out.

Over at All-You-Need Potions, long lines snaked down all three adjoining streets, leading to the sales windows.

But when he looked at his engineering shop, All-You-Need Engineering, he saw something odd.

All three service windows were shuttered.

A sign hung prominently: “Temporarily Closed.” ‘What the hell?’ He strode to the entrance.

As the owner, locked doors were no obstacle.

He pushed inside to find the first floor completely deserted.

“Did they just… take a vacation?’ A flash of anger surged through him.

His mind immediately jumped to the last time he’d seen NoPaperOnTheBigOne-the guy had been slacking off, all dressed up and chasing tail.

Fuming, Ethan was about to pull up his friends list and give the slacker a piece of his mind-he’d seen the engineer was online-when a sudden sound stopped him.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rattled from the floor above.

“Goddammit, not again!

You useless morons!

How many times a day can you blow something up?

The boss is rich, but he’s not made of money!” The voice, dripping with fury, was unmistakably NoPaperOnTheBigOne’s.

Ethan’s anger instantly cooled, replaced by burning curiosity.

He started up the stairs.

The upper floor was supposed to be a series of sound-proofed individual workshops.

An explosion inside one shouldn’t be audible downstairs.

That had been a big one.

He reached the top of the stairs and froze, his jaw going slack.

‘What in the actual fuck?’ The entire second floor had been gutted.

Gone were the individual workshops and dividing walls.

It was now one vast, open hall.

If this were a real building, tearing out all the interior load-bearing walls like this would have sent the whole structure crashing down.

Thankfully, this was the world of Ethereal, and the building’s integrity was magically maintained by its outer shell.

But that wasn’t the shocking part.

A hundred or so engineers were swarming around a single, colossal machine.

And when Ethan’s eyes landed on it, his heart began to hammer against his ribs.

“Holy shit… a Demonic Siege Engine?” he breathed out, the name coming to him in a rush of stunned recognition.

His voice cut through the industrial din.

Every head in the room swiveled towards him.

NoPaperOnTheBigOne, who had been standing on a high platform directing the assembly, also spotted him.

The engineer’s scowl of frustration vanished, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated panic.

“Boss!” he exclaimed, his face instantly morphing into an obsequious smile.

He scrambled down the ladder so fast he lost his footing halfway, tumbling the rest of the way down with a series of thuds and grunts.

He landed in a heap on the floor, groaning.

The other engineers watched the spectacle, their faces twitching, but not a single one dared to laugh.

Ethan couldn’t help but crack a smile.

It seemed the guy had built up quite a reputation for himself down here.

“Boss!

You’re back!

I’ve missed you!” NoPaper yelped, scrambling to his feet and making a move to hug Ethan.

“Stop.” Ethan put a firm hand on the man’s chest, holding him at bay.

“Talk.

Now.” It had been a while since he’d logged in, sure, but this level of desperate enthusiasm was suspicious.

This kind of greeting always came with strings attached.

“Uh…” NoPaperOnTheBigOne scratched his head, his expression turning sheepish.

“Heh.

Hey, boss… can I get some more funding?

We’re… running a little low.” He looked at Ethan with puppy-dog eyes, clearly bracing for an explosion.

Ethan was taken aback.

He quickly pulled up the shop management interface and checked the collective balance for all his stores across the Northern Frontier.

Balance: 120 Gold.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Ethan muttered, his eyes widening.

This balance represented the income from all his shops in all three major cities.

While the stores in Springhaven and Blackridge were less profitable-especially after kicking a cut to the City Lord of Harmony City as per that old, unbreakable contract he’d signed, it was still a massive revenue stream.

For it to be drained down to a measly 120 gold was insane.

No one but this guy in front of him had access to these operational funds.

Then, his eyes drifted back to the half-constructed behemoth looming behind the nervous engineer.

The pieces clicked into place.

‘You beautiful, expensive bastard,’ he thought, a mix of awe and financial pain washing over him.

This thing was a money pit on wheels.

But a bigger question began to form in his mind, overshadowing the monetary shock.

This Demonic Siege Engine… it wasn’t supposed to exist yet.

According to his knowledge, this was endgame tech, something NoPaper should only have been able to design after the Nation Wars expansion launched and he’d gained dozens more levels.

How the hell had he managed to build it now?