Chapter 47: Ten Billion Nether Banknotes, VIP Treatment

"Depositing one billion Underworld Notes in our bank grants you Junior VIP status. Ten billion gets you Intermediate VIP status, and one hundred billion qualifies you for Senior VIP status."

Manager Hu sat right next to Xia Tianqiong, detailing the criteria and perks of the bank's VIP tiers.

"I just took a look, and you possess approximately 1.12 million taels of Underworld Gold. Converted into Underworld Notes, that amounts to 11.2 billion. Once deposited into our bank, you will immediately attain Intermediate VIP status. Allow me to explain the perks of the Intermediate VIP tier directly!"

Upon hearing such a massive sum, Xia Tianqiong himself was somewhat astonished.

Previously, slaying a wild phantom yielded four to five hundred taels of gold, while killing a fierce phantom fetched eight to nine hundred taels. By that estimation, with each higher tier of haunting, the gold obtained roughly doubled.

Slaying a wicked phantom should yield around one thousand seven to eight hundred taels, and a calamity phantom roughly thirty-five hundred.

Yet, the cat demon phantom was merely a calamity-level entity, and yet it yielded over a million taels—a nearly three-hundred-fold increase.

This was hardly normal!

Upon closer reflection, however, Underworld Gold was transmuted from Nether Energy. At the time, the Nether Energy did not stem solely from the cat demon phantom, but also from the collapsing Nether Domain.

That Nether Domain had originally been a genuine, independent space, presumably maintained by the cat demon phantom for a millennium. Upon its collapse, it condensed into dense Nether Energy.

This constituted the primary source of the Nether Energy.

Furthermore, some sixty to seventy thousand people had entered the Nether Domain in total, including three Ghost Hunters and their respective contracted phantoms. Following their deaths, their physical bodies and souls had all been converted into Nether Energy by the domain.

Calculated thusly, acquiring over a million taels of Underworld Gold was actually quite reasonable.

"Sir, what are you pondering? Was my explanation insufficiently clear?"

Seeing Xia Tianqiong somewhat lost in thought, Manager Hu could not help but inquire.

Xia Tianqiong collected his thoughts. "It's nothing. I was just wondering—with a single glance, you could tell how heavy the gold was?"

"Naturally. That is merely a skill of mine as a bank manager. A mere glance is all it takes for me to discern the value of gold, silver, and copper coins."

Manager Hu spoke with a distinct sense of pride.

In truth, this was simply a ghost craft bestowed upon it by the bank, enabling it to perceive the exact monetary value of underworld currency through its eyes.

Additionally, it commanded another ghost craft capable of sensing the generation of colossal sums of underworld currency, which was precisely how it had managed to track down Xia Tianqiong.

"An Intermediate VIP enjoys numerous privileges. First and foremost is the exclusive teleportation channel. You can teleport directly here from any location, whether it be the Nether Realm or the mortal world.

The sole prerequisite, however, is that you must not have triggered any death rules; otherwise, the teleportation function cannot be activated. Secondly, Intermediate VIPs enjoy VIP status across seventy-two ghostly establishments within the Nether Realm, such as..."

Manager Hu chattered on endlessly, covering a vast amount of information, yet only three items genuinely piqued Xia Tianqiong's interest.

The first was the teleportation function.

This could be employed as a means of escape. Should he find himself trapped by a Nether Domain again in the future, or encounter an unsolvable phantom, he could teleport directly to the bank—provided, of course, that he had not triggered any death rules.

The second was the VIP status at ghostly establishments.

Alongside various phantoms descending into the mortal world were establishments with special functions, much like the Avici Restaurant, open simultaneously to humans and phantoms alike.

Such establishments included the Nether Realm Auction House, pawnshops, ghost artifact grocery stores, ghost employment agencies, and the like.

In his previous life, every time such ghostly establishments appeared, countless Ghost Hunters would flock to them in droves, acquiring fine goods unattainable under normal circumstances.

Possessing VIP status in these establishments granted advance notice, exemption from waiting in queues, and priority purchasing rights for restricted items.

This was a privilege Xia Tianqiong held in high regard.

The third was the summoning of phantom assistants.

Upon encountering problems or difficulties, one could notify the bank to dispatch a phantom to run errands, handle all manner of manageable miscellaneous chores, and even assist in combat and slaughter.

In short, it was the summoning of an all-around versatile little helper.

However, an Intermediate VIP could only summon one three times a month, with the maximum level capped at the wicked phantom tier.

This service proved exceedingly practical for Xia Tianqiong.

For instance, when clearing out the basement level of the Avici Restaurant, summoning a wicked phantom to assist would undoubtedly accelerate the process.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with the VIP privileges provided by our bank? If you have any feedback, please feel free to share."

Concluding its explanation, Manager Hu gazed at Xia Tianqiong with eyes full of anticipation.

"Not bad."

Xia Tianqiong's expression remained calm, though inwardly he felt quite thrilled, having already consented to making the deposit here.

For him, this was undeniably a favorable outcome.

Joy surfaced on Manager Hu's face as it hurriedly spoke, "Then let us sign the contract!"

In the Nether Realm, the contract signed between a bank and its client was a service contract, guaranteeing that the interests of both parties remained uncompromised.

Unlike the real world, where banks could arbitrarily transfer a client's funds or restrict withdrawals at will, such occurrences simply did not exist in the Nether Realm due to the binding oversight of contractual power.

Whoever dared violate the contract would meet immediate death!

Just as Xia Tianqiong was about to nod in assent, another matter crossed his mind.

"Manager Hu, depositing ten billion Underworld Notes is sufficient to secure Intermediate VIP status, is that correct?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "Underworld Notes."

Upon hearing this, a trace of inexplicable panic flickered in Manager Hu's eyes.

"Indeed that is the case, but what you possess is Underworld Gold. Depositing an equivalent value in Underworld Gold amounts to the exact same thing."

"Equivalent value? Manager Hu, are you trying to pull a fast one on me?"

Xia Tianqiong let his face fall, wearing an expression of displeasure. "The exchange rate between Underworld Gold and Underworld Notes is one to ten thousand; that is the established convention of your Nether Realm. In reality, however, no phantom would ever trade Underworld Gold for Underworld Notes, am I right?

Underworld Gold is scarce and aids greatly in cultivation. To my knowledge, many phantoms pay a premium to acquire it. If I were to take this million-plus taels of Underworld Gold and trade it with other phantoms, the Underworld Notes I would receive in return would undoubtedly far exceed ten billion.

How about this? You wait until I exchange it for ten billion Underworld Notes elsewhere, and then I'll come back to you to set up the VIP account."

With those words, Xia Tianqiong stood up as if to leave.

"Please don't go, it is simply that I failed to explain clearly."

Manager Hu scrambled to block his path, pasting on a flattering smile. "Underworld Gold is indeed more sought-after than Underworld Notes, but our bank has regulations—the exchange rate is fixed at one to ten thousand, and that cannot be altered. However, I can offer you a little extra compensation."

Its original intention had been to trick Xia Tianqiong into depositing the Underworld Gold, only to turn around and sell it for a sum of Underworld Notes far exceeding ten billion, pocketing the surplus in secret.

It simply had not anticipated that this human would be so thoroughly versed in the market conditions of the Nether Realm.

Xia Tianqiong gazed at Manager Hu with dissatisfaction. "What compensatory terms can you offer? If they fail to satisfy me, I shall walk out right now and never return."

Manager Hu hesitated slightly. Unwilling to lose such a major client, it gritted its teeth at last and offered the maximum compensation permitted within its authority.

"I can additionally gift you a fierce-ghost-tier phantom."

"Phantoms can be given away as gifts?"

"Naturally. Many phantoms take out loans with us and ultimately fail to repay them, leaving them with no choice but to mortgage themselves to our bank. We reserve the right to dispose of them as we see fit."

"Then may I make my own selection?"

Xia Tianqiong smoothly reclaimed his seat; he had merely sought to bargain for greater benefits and had never genuinely intended to leave.

Securing a fierce phantom constituted an additional windfall.

Seeing him sit back down, Manager Hu finally let out a sigh of relief. "No problem at all, feel free to choose. We have hundreds of phantoms in our inventory, spanning all types."

After negotiating a few further details, the contract was duly signed.

Xia Tianqiong retrieved all the gold from his mirror space and handed it over to Manager Hu, who in turn passed him a palm-sized "gold note."

The "gold note" strongly resembled the silver notes of ancient times, inscribed with peculiar runes and bearing the monetary amount written in formal characters across the center.

Yet this "gold note" was far more than a mere piece of paper; it was a multi-functional ghost artifact.

Clutching it in his right hand, Xia Tianqiong shifted his intent, and a ten-tael ingot of gold drifted outward from within.

Not only could gold be retrieved, but silver, copper coins, or Underworld Notes could be summoned as well, down to any denomination desired, rendering it remarkably convenient to use.

Beyond this, the teleportation function and the summoning of phantom assistants were likewise executed through the medium of the "gold note."

"What is this fruit called? It's quite delicious."

While testing the functions of the gold note, Xia Tianqiong partook of the various foodstuffs presented by the rabbit demon phantom.

The flavor was somewhat peculiar, yet he recognized that these were all fine goods, or they would not have appeared here.

"This is a specialty of the Nether Realm known as the Nether Soul Fruit. When consumed by humans, it strengthens the soul; when consumed by phantoms, it enhances their strength. If you are fond of it, you may take ten catties with you when you leave."

Manager Hu was in exceptionally high spirits. The Nether Soul Fruit, which was ordinarily served sliced, was now being gifted by the catty.

"This jujube is also quite good, and this honey as well—pack some of all of it for me."

Xia Tianqiong stood upon no ceremony; only a fool would pass up free gains, especially when these items could not be purchased with mere wealth in the mortal world.

"No problem at all. As for your VIP gifts, I guarantee they will all be prepared to the highest specifications. Shall we proceed to select the gifted phantom now?"

Manager Hu abruptly snapped its fingers, prompting a curtain of light to materialize out of thin air in the center of the service hall, appearing as though composed of water vapor.

Images of various phantoms flickered across it, accompanied by textual descriptions.

This method was unmistakably a ghost craft, yet it bore the appearance of laser projection, imbuing it with a sense of high technology.

The images upon the light curtain scrolled continuously, showcasing one phantom after another in rotation, numbering in the hundreds.

"Are all of these fierce phantoms?"

Xia Tianqiong was greatly surprised. "Does that mean there are countless phantoms of other tiers as well?"

Manager Hu explained, "This is merely a small fraction. Our bank sells upwards of a thousand phantoms to the employment agencies every single month. You ought to know that for us phantoms to advance, aside from personal cultivation, the absorption of underworld currency is essential.

Absorbing underworld currency constitutes taking a shortcut. Many phantoms lack funds of their own, so they come to the bank to take out loans, and failing to repay them in the end, they have no option but to mortgage themselves."

"Selling oneself for the sake of advancement?"

"There is no alternative; competition in the Nether Realm is excessively fierce, and recently things have become severely involutionary. Otherwise, we would never have invaded your mortal world."

"Can you sell some phantoms to me?"

An abrupt notion struck Xia Tianqiong—if he could purchase them in massive quantities with money, he would no longer need to exert himself striving against adversaries.

The phantoms purchased could either be slain in exchange for gold or retained for contractual purposes should they possess genuine strength.

Excitement flared within him at the prospect, but Manager Hu dashed his hopes with a shake of its head.

"Our bank maintains a contract with the ghost employment agency; phantoms may only be sold to them. Aside from being presented as gifts to clients, private transactions are strictly prohibited."

"Then can you gift me a few more?"

Refusing to give up, Xia Tianqiong flipped his hand to produce a hundred taels of gold. "Manager Hu, running about on this business has been exhausting. Consider this modest token a reward for your hard work."

A look of delight spread across Manager Hu's face; this human truly proved exceptionally generous in his disbursements.