socalfunplaces Chapter 64: Pulling a small group
Chapter 64: Pulling a small group
Lynn created a new small group chat, whose members were all players from the first closed beta test.
He typed in his head, adopting the tone of an official verification officer: "The higher-ups are urging us for the test data of the new version of the physiological engine, as well as a summary of Rainbow Village's current industrial output and logistics load parameters."
This opening remark, which resembled an official room check-in, sparked the players' desire to share.
The little snail typed quickly, his excitement palpable: "Linzi, you've come at the perfect time. We're planning to start a trading business. The intercity teleportation hub is repaired, and we're ready to carry all the iron ingots we got from Rainbow Village and the potatoes we stockpiled in Pearl Harbor over there. As long as the price difference is big enough, we're sure to make a fortune in the game!"
"This game doesn't have a recharge option, so we can accumulate our initial capital by running trade routes," the agent added.
Lynn shattered their illusions when he saw this group of players trying to monopolize the Treasure Island economy by manually moving bricks.
"The plan is rejected. You lack a basic understanding of the game's physics engine and economic barriers."
Lynn bluntly pointed out: "First, there's a physiological limit to the endurance of human skeletal muscles. Carrying 50 kilograms of weight across a wilderness map will not only multiply your fatigue level, but the accumulated lactic acid will also paralyze you halfway through, and the calorie consumption for a single trip will exceed 3,000 kcal. Second, the four major cities have well-established barriers created by the indigenous merchant guilds. If you few outsiders carry a bunch of raw materials to dump, the other side only needs to engage in the usual coordinated price-cutting, and the money you make won't even cover your food expenses for the round trip."
The group was silent for half a minute.
Several expert players realized that the traditional online game trading strategies wouldn't work in this hardcore world.
"So how do we play?" the agent asked. "We can't just squander all the initial advantage we've built up, can we?"
Lynn revealed the real direction: "Let me give you a sneak peek. The company's suggested approach is to set the rules. Last night, Bolton's storyline came to a close, and the system backend has unlocked a large amount of physical hard currency. In a while, the one hundred additional slots announced on the official website will be released."
"Don't become a low-level laborer. Utilize the existing native NPCs and the hundred new players who will be added in the future; this is your massive labor force. Pearl Harbor is about to abolish the egalitarian system and officially introduce a wage system. You should use your technological patents and pricing power over resources to hire them with the official-released physical currency, thus completing the transformation from laborers to capitalists."
In front of the computer screen, the mental barriers of several top players from the first test were broken down.
"Holy crap!" The little snail realized, "Fleecing new players? Making them log in to mine and farm gold for the old players, then we sell our stuff to them at a high price?"
"This is called providing jobs and promoting domestic economic circulation." Lynn went along with it, throwing out the next political cover mission, "But to establish this financial order, we need a legitimate official identity as cover. After the side quests of roasting the whole lamb and carrying the bucket in Rainbow Village are over, bring old Lucas back to Pearl Harbor. Push him to the position of manager, and use him as a political buffer."
"After old Lucas takes over, you will use the legitimate merchant caravans of Pearl Harbor as a front to travel to the four major cities in batches via the teleportation array. Your primary task is to conduct surveys: collect basic price fluctuation curves, currency purchasing power anchoring standards, and the rotation cycle of city garrison troops. Compile these into a table and send it to me; I need to hand over the data to the company."
After arranging this batch of free commercial labor, Lynn closed the group chat.
…………
The game world, Pearl Harbor.
Inside Bolton's ransacked luxury villa, the magical array that maintained the temperature had long since failed. The damp sea breeze of early spring poured in, and the indoor temperature was only twelve degrees Celsius.
Lynn opened his eyes.
The door hinges made a scraping sound as Xiaoyu walked in, carrying a hemp paper account book.
"Boss." Xiaoyu opened the ledger and got straight to the point, "The current wartime rationing system is showing obvious diminishing marginal effects in the data."
The distribution of large fried dough sticks and fresh water stabilized the workers' vital signs, but widespread work stoppages began to occur. Regardless of how much they worked, they received a fixed calorie allowance, and most workers kept their physical exertion to the minimum necessary to avoid punishment. The project's progress was significantly slower than on the first day.
Diminishing marginal utility? Dude, are you even treating me like an NPC by using such a stilted term?
Lynn strongly suspected that this was something Xiaoyu found online, because Xiaoyu didn't seem very bright.
"Don't resort to coercive supervision or corporal punishment." Lynn stood by the window; the view from here was far better than from the shipwreck area. "They just shed their blood for us. It's wrong to discard them after they've served their purpose; it's the behavior of inferior rulers."
He walked to the mahogany table and lifted two heavy, metal-trimmed wooden chests. Inside were neatly minted gold coins confiscated from Bolton.
It's more like a copper coin than a gold coin. It's clearly made of copper, with maple leaf patterns printed on it, yet it's called a gold coin.
"Abolish the wartime rationing system. Reconstruct the operational logic of Pearl Harbor."
Lynn looked at the hard currency and explained the plan to Xiaoyu: "The first step is to reward those who have contributed. Distribute this money based on their contributions last night and the amount of work they did today. Abolish their status as slaves and establish them as free laborers. Let them truly experience wealth."
Xiaoyu's mind raced, pointing out the obstacle to implementation: "Boss, once the rationing system is abolished, they will have metal in their hands but no equivalent goods circulating in the market. If the hunger accumulates for a long time, the situation will still get out of control."
"Supplies will be available soon." Lynn pointed towards the sea. "Once the whole roasted lamb and the bucket-carrying Lucas return, they will have built heavy trawls and iron plows. The output from deep-sea fishing and agriculture will quickly fill the food gap."
"The second step is to set up an official resource exchange center." Lynn picked up a maple leaf coin. "We'll recycle this money. The high-protein seafood we catch and the filtered drinking water we use will all need to be purchased with their money."
Xiaoyu seemed to be deep in thought, having clearly seen through this economic closed loop.
"Whether they want moldy bran or fresh fish depends entirely on the money in their hands. To keep earning money, they must sell more labor in the reconstruction project." Lynn tossed the gold coins back into the box with a crisp clink. "The desire for a better living environment is the best driving force for them. To maintain a high level of consumption, they will unleash a much higher level of work efficiency than they do now."
"Hmm, a perfect positive cycle." Xiaoyu quickly jotted down the instructions. "I'll work through the night to calculate the contribution list and develop salary standards and price anchors. Tomorrow morning, I'll take the first batch of spoils to the docks to post notices."
Lynn nodded.
The Pearl Harbor system has already begun to take shape, and perhaps a new economic system will replace the egalitarian system in the future.