Chapter 299 Pricing Model
The next two opportunities were no exception; Lu Cheng and Zhang Yan locked in their options and chose to split the gold coins equally each time.
Even more coincidentally, the three new players who join the team each time always choose to "split the score"!
Therefore, compared to Meng Qingyin and the others, Lu Cheng and Zhang Yan could be said to have only managed to get a basic living allowance.
But both of them maintained an optimistic attitude.
Lu Cheng looked at Zhang Yan and sneered: "As long as I didn't let you gain any advantage, I won't consider myself to have lost!"
Zhang Yan gave the same cold smile: "Likewise."
Meng Qingyin was speechless. Well, these two were arguing again.
Ignoring the childish duo, she left the group and returned to the original road, trying to save up as much [extra-target distance] as possible.
The others ignored the two and went back to their own homes.
Only they themselves remained oblivious, staring at each other and both coldly scoffing, "Hmph!"
...
In the following days, more and more players entered the new map.
When the number of people was close to two-thirds, Hanmei finally arrived.
As soon as she arrived, she transferred the profits from the collaboration to Meng Qingyin and returned the mutated bean sprouts.
Meng Qingyin was pleasantly surprised to see the number the other party had sent.
A full 3000 gold coins!
This was the first time Meng Qingyin had ever seen so much money; it was an enormous sum!
She wouldn't be this excited on any other map.
But this map is a "money pit," a map where money is everything, and you have to pay for every resource!
This money came at just the right time!
Hanmei: "The money has been transferred to you. Have you found any new business opportunities on this map?"
Jiang Hanmei is not short of money.
But she was anxious.
Everything is brand new when you arrive at the new map. If you don't make money, you'll get an electric shock.
Mengmeng was among the first to come in; she might have already discovered some business opportunities.
Mengmeng: "This map hasn't really started yet, and I haven't found a way to make money."
Upon seeing this message, Jiang Hanmei's heart sank to the bottom.
Fortunately, she entered just before the two-thirds mark, so the new map should be available soon.
Then she'll look for any business opportunities.
Jiang Hanmei felt somewhat relieved.
Meanwhile, Meng Qingyin looked at Hanmei with admiration.
Look, this is what a businessman's self-awareness looks like!
They start looking for business opportunities as soon as they enter the map; no wonder others make money!
The two collaborations with Hanmei were quite pleasant, especially since she was very ambitious, which was exactly what this map needed.
Meng Qingyin decided to include Hanmei in the partnership, and would consider Hanmei first whenever there was a need for cooperation to make money.
As soon as this thought crossed my mind, a system notification rang in my ears.
[Announcement: Two-thirds of the players have entered the "Palace of Extravagance," and the remaining players have also been teleported here. The "Palace of Extravagance" is officially open!]
[Current Map Status: Paid Mode (All survival resources are paid for)]
Today's target mileage: 300km.
The three consecutive notifications indicate that all players have entered the "Money-Making Pit" map, officially entering the paid mode.
The vehicle suddenly braked sharply, followed by a notification from Little Ai the Elf:
[Master, you have not paid the "road usage fee" yet, so you cannot pass temporarily.]
Meng Qingyin took a deep breath; the fee-charging item was about to be introduced.
"How exactly do I pay?" she asked.
Below are the payment details: Road usage fees are charged daily, at 1 silver coin per day. Players can pay daily or in a lump sum (lucky pay offers a discount!). Lump sum payments are available for seven days (10% discount, discounted price: 6.3 silver coins), one month (20% discount, discounted price: 24 silver coins), and one year (50% discount, discounted price: 1.825 gold coins). Of course, you can also choose not to pay, but then you won't be able to move an inch.
I didn't expect there to be a discount; the more you pay, the lower the discount you can enjoy.
It seems like a good move, but in reality it is not.
For example, a one-year subscription can enjoy a 50% discount, reducing the usage fee by half. But in this unpredictable game world, who can guarantee that they will survive a year?
Moreover, the toll items are definitely not limited to "road usage fee".
Sure enough, the series of notifications that popped up quickly confirmed Meng Qingyin's guess.
[Friendly reminder: To breathe fresh air, you need to pay an "air usage fee," which costs 1 silver coin per day. Discounts are available for larger payments! Details of the discounts are as follows: ... Of course, you can also choose not to pay, in which case there will be no fresh air.]
[Friendly Reminder: Enjoying sunlight requires a "Sunlight Usage Fee," which costs 1 silver coin per day. Discounts are available for larger payments... Of course, you can also choose not to pay, in which case you won't be able to enjoy sunlight.]
[Friendly Reminder: Enjoying the beautiful scenery requires a "Scenery Appreciation Fee," which costs 1 silver coin per day. Discounts are available for larger payments... This is a mandatory fee; please pay.]
They're blatantly asking for money.
Meng Qingyin looked at them and found that the pricing standards for each item were the same, and the discount rates were also the same.
Charging for each item individually might not seem like a large sum, but when all the items are added together and accumulated over time, it can become a huge expense.
and……
Meng Qingyin's gaze was fixed on the "Scenery Appreciation Fee" item.
No wonder the scenery on this map is so beautiful; it turns out it's designed to charge a fee.
However, why is it that other items allow users to choose whether or not to pay, but this one is the only one that cannot be chosen?
She doesn't need to appreciate scenery like roads, sunshine, or air; she can completely ignore it.
However, the system did not give players a choice.
Moreover, there are too many places to spend money on this map, so how can players make money?
If there are no more ways to make money, but countless places to spend money, then players will soon find themselves in debt.
When they one day don't have enough money to pay these fees, there will only be one outcome.
Meng Qingyin's expression turned serious. She thought that after paying all the fees, she would immediately look for a way to make money.
Although she has a lot of gold coins, she still needs to find ways to continue making money.
This map needs a lot of money to make her feel safe.
In order to take advantage of the system, Meng Qingyin chose a one-year term for every option—as for whether she could actually live for a full year, Meng Qingyin was too concerned.
If she can live for a full year, that would be ideal; she could then take advantage of the system and get a lot of benefits, which would be a win for her.
If she doesn't survive... then what's the point of having so many gold coins?
After all the fees were paid, the train was finally able to run as usual.
Meng Qingyin had accumulated nearly 2,000 km of "mileage exceeding the target" some time ago, which is more than enough to cover today's target mileage of 300 km.
But instead of using it to offset the loss, she continued driving.
[Exceeding the target mileage] Let's keep this as a trump card for now and not use it for the time being. Maybe we'll need it someday.
Meng Qingyin glanced at the chat area; no one was chatting, and no one was sending messages in the group chat.
She felt something was off.
Whenever the system makes a big move, players are always very active in the chat area, so why is no one talking in the chat area this time?
Moreover, the group chat was unusually quiet; neither Lu Cheng nor Zhang Yan sent any messages.
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