001: In Another World, How Much Is a Conscience Worth per Pound? One Copper Coin
Saint Ann was a small city in the southern part of the Loren Continent. It was June, and the oppressive summer heat had become unbearable. At last, a gentle, persistent rain brought some relief to days upon days of stifling weather.
[Name: Li Cha]
[Occupation: None]
[Level: 1]
[Attack Power: 10 (5+5)]
...
Li Cha stood beneath the eaves, sheltering from the rain, and quietly closed his personal status panel.
“I’ve transmigrated.”
Li Cha had spent two whole hours confirming this fact.
“This is the world of the game ‘Goddess Covenant.’”
“Goddess Covenant”—a game where you begin by forging a contract with a goddess, receive her blessing, become a hero, fight monsters, level up, snip-snap, snip-snap.
But Li Cha had only just finished creating his character when he found himself here.
As an orphan, he was not particularly upset by the idea of transmigration.
But now, aside from a set of cloth armor and a beginner’s sword with an attack power of five, he owned nothing—not a single coin to his name.
This forced Li Cha to confront a very practical problem: what would he eat?
Some fifty or sixty meters away, an old beggar in a ragged hooded robe stood in the same posture as Li Cha, sheltering from the rain. The difference was, the beggar held a battered little iron can, inside of which lay a dozen or so copper coins.
Sensing Li Cha’s gaze, the old beggar, his beard unkempt, glared savagely back at him, baring two rows of yellowed, blackened teeth.
“Forget it. There’s a city patrol here, and at level one, I might not even be his match.”
Li Cha loosened his grip on the sword in his hand.
Having only just arrived in this world, he couldn’t bring himself to commit robbery, even if he considered it.
Li Cha took a deep breath and continued pondering how he might survive, when suddenly, a clear “ding” sounded in his mind. A brand-new, translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes, followed by line after line of text.
[There’s no such thing as a free lunch; fate has already marked the price of every gift.]
[Host: Li Cha. Divine Trading System has been fully installed.]
[This system is dedicated to helping the host dispose of useless items and save valuable time.]
[Everything can be traded—with clear prices and honest dealings.]
...
Li Cha: ???
“A trading system, to dispose of useless items? ...I only have this beginner’s set, though.”
He’d already asked around; no one wanted his beginner gear, not even for scrap metal.
“Ding~”
Current tradable items—
[Beginner Sword: 1 copper coin, Beginner Cloth Armor Set: 3 copper coins, Life: 1 gold coin per life, Stamina: 0.5 copper coin per hour, Eyes: 1 silver coin each, Arms...]
...
“I can actually sell quite a lot of things, damn!”
With a quick scan, Li Cha couldn’t help but complain.
A life for a gold coin—that wasn’t cheap. The common folk of this world might never see a gold coin in their entire lives.
But if you’ve already sold your life, what use is money?
And selling your eyes or limbs? Cutting off your own hand just for a meal—Li Cha wasn’t that desperate.
However, “Selling an hour’s stamina for half a copper coin might work. I’m not sure how the system manages it, but it’s worth a try.”
Is selling to the system undignified?
---
Who cares about dignity when you can’t even eat?
Wait a second!
Just as Li Cha was about to sell some stamina, he paused and scrolled to the next page.
[Dignity: 0.1 copper coin per point, up to 100 points may be sold.]
[Conscience: 1 copper coin per point, up to 100 points may be sold.]
...
Li Cha closed the trading interface.
At the bottom, there’s no such thing as human rights.
In his previous life, people joked that the richest man wouldn’t bother to pick up a hundred dollar bill because he could earn far more in a single second.
Ordinary people, on the other hand, could only trade their time for money.
And so could Li Cha, now.
“I’ll sell two hours of stamina first.”
“Ding~”
Prompt: Sell two hours of stamina?
Li Cha selected “Yes.”
Immediately,
With a clink, a round coin appeared in Li Cha’s pocket.
Transaction complete.
But in the very next moment, he collapsed to the ground, utterly drained of strength, unable even to speak!
[So... this is what it’s like to sell stamina? Not a shred left!]
A fair trade, indeed.
He’d seen it for himself: money in hand, stamina gone.
Li Cha slowly moved his eyes, glancing again at the spot where the old beggar had stood.
The figure was gone.
Li Cha let out a breath of relief in his heart.
He was now barely stronger than a vegetable—any child could have ended his life.
[Selling stamina is feasible, but next time, I must find a safe place.]
The drizzle continued,
The wind swept rain beneath the eaves, soaking Li Cha’s clothes.
Some drops landed directly on his face, cold and persistent.
His first day in this world—utterly miserable.
---
Two hours later, night fell.
Li Cha’s fingers gradually regained movement.
With the transaction over and his stamina restored, Li Cha quickly wiped his face.
“Damn, I’m soaked through! I need to find somewhere to dry my clothes!”
He hadn’t forgotten his poverty.
If he let his clothes stay wet, he’d likely catch a cold.
And he had no money for a doctor, which could easily worsen the illness.
In a world without advanced technology, even a cold could be fatal.
“Well, I’m broke...”
---
Lodging cost money too—if Li Cha had enough, he wouldn’t still be out here.
With that in mind, he decisively opened the trading panel again.
Curiously, a “Purchase” tab had appeared next to the “Sell” section.
He scrolled through the two pages of items he could sell—most of them were absurd.
But in the purchase tab, there was only [Stamina].
[Stamina]: 10 copper coins per hour, up to 2 units purchasable.
...
Damn!
Li Cha couldn’t help but curse.
What a lousy system—it bought his stamina at half a copper coin and resold it at twenty times the price, all while calling it a fair deal!
But thinking about it, it was no different from the wages in his previous life.
If you didn’t earn the boss twenty, fifty, or a hundred thousand, you could forget about getting five thousand yourself—such was reality.
“No time for this today. Once I get through this, I’ll study the system’s mechanisms thoroughly!”
“Ding~”
Prompt: Sell 100 points of conscience?
Li Cha selected “Yes.”
How much is conscience worth?
One copper coin.
More than dignity.
Such is reality.
“Clink, clink, clink!”
Li Cha’s pocket instantly became heavy, and he didn’t feel any physical discomfort.
One hundred copper coins in hand—enough to exchange for a silver coin.
Now, in this new world, there was no equipment bag.
But once his wealth exceeded 101 copper coins, the trading system unlocked a new option.
Money could be traded as well.
Li Cha could now deposit or withdraw funds with the system at any time, free of charge.
---
Old Shook Tavern.
In stark contrast to the damp and deserted streets outside, the tavern bustled with life.
Two adventurers in leather armor were arm wrestling at a table—the loser paid the winner a copper coin.
Next to them, three dwarves were locked in a drinking contest. Despite their small statures, their capacity was impressive—they’d already drained two large barrels.
“Ten to the right!”
“Ace!”
“Haha, I win!”
A group was engrossed in a card game.
On a small stage by the bar, a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl in a bright red dress danced gracefully to the music.
“Madam, do you have rooms here?”
Li Cha inquired.