After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar] – CH124

Chapter 124

Roder thought for a moment, then ultimately accepted Xie Xingchen’s invitation.

His squad had originally been a rapid-response unit specially assigned for Trade Day. He’d assumed they wouldn’t need to step in until later. He hadn’t expected that the moment Trade Day started, they’d already be needed.

And not only were they needed—his rapid-response unit had effectively been reassigned into Earth Trading House’s exclusive “traffic controllers.”

Sure, Xie Xingchen was a friend of the insectfolk and a holder of the Insect Crest, but the order still made some of them feel uncomfortable.

They could already imagine how their colleagues would mock them after today’s Trade Day wrapped up.

But now Boss Xie was inviting them into the Earth Trading House booth for an unlimited eat-and-drink session?

Roder’s lips curved into a genuinely pleased smile.

Sure, they couldn’t beat anyone and got forced into coming here to direct traffic—but the benefits for traffic duty were great!

At minimum, they had food, drinks, and a place to rest—unlike other colleagues who could only choke down awful nutrient solution. Tsk.

Roder gave a small nod and thanked him with restrained politeness. “Then thank you, Boss Xie.”

Xie Xingchen lifted his eyes, laughter shining in them. “Not at all. I’m the one who should be thanking you. I’m truly grateful you still made time to look out for Earth Trading House despite being so busy. I’m just doing what little I can.”

After a few more polite exchanges, Xie Xingchen formally invited them to station themselves inside the Earth Trading House booth.

Roder’s unit had six members in total. He left two nearby to keep foot traffic flowing, while the remaining four followed Xie Xingchen inside, plopped onto the sofa, and happily drank milk tea and ate snacks—making passersby so jealous it physically hurt.

Once Earth Trading House finally quieted down, Xie Xingchen pulled out a small blackboard and wrote:

“Due to production capacity limits, Earth Trading House is not selling products for now. All items inside the booth are samples for display only.”

He placed the blackboard outside the booth, in a highly visible corner beside the couplets, then switched it on.

Instantly, the plain blackboard began to glow softly—nothing blinding, but impossible to ignore.

Satisfied, Xie Xingchen clapped his hands and prepared to leave.

Seriously—if this unexpected mess hadn’t happened, he would’ve left ages ago.

It had already been an hour since Trade Day began. If he didn’t go now, the pre-stocked inventory at other booths might be gone.

And if the energy-stone stock he urgently needed got cleared out, he’d only have two options:

1. buy overpriced energy stones to survive for a while, or
2. shut the machines down.

Both options were terrible. If he could avoid choosing, he absolutely would.

So… he had to move. If he was late, he’d be screwed.

“Time’s tight. I need to go restock. You guys remember to properly host the insect patrol officers inside, okay?”

Before leaving, Xie Xingchen seriously reminded his employees—who had been wide-eyed and glowing ever since the patrol walked in.

Whether they heard him properly was questionable. They “mm-hmm’d” everything he said, but what they actually understood was probably known only to themselves.

Xie Xingchen pinched the bridge of his nose, helpless.

He added two more reminders, then stood up to leave.

But as he walked, he suddenly felt like he’d forgotten something.

Only after he’d gone about fifty meters did he suddenly remember.

He spun around and hurried back.

The moment he spotted Get-Rich, Xie Xingchen’s eyes lit up.

“Get-Rich! Hurry—come with me to buy stuff!”

Buying things!

How could he go without his bargaining ace, Get-Rich?

Back when his mom was still alive, even she only dared to haggle prices down by half.

Get-Rich?

Get-Rich would hack it down until there was practically nothing left!

His bargaining skills could make the shop owner’s blood pressure explode… while making Boss Xie laugh so hard his face hurt.

Seeing Xie Xingchen happily run back and then happily drag a robot away, even the normally calm, outwardly indifferent insectfolk couldn’t help feeling curious.

One younger soldier—who looked like he’d just enlisted—couldn’t resist asking, “Why is Boss Xie bringing that robot to buy things?”

Why is Xie Xingchen bringing Get-Rich?

Everyone: [delighted.jpg]
Oh, we know this one!

These people had already discussed Get-Rich’s legendary haggling feats countless times. They smiled and answered as if it were obvious:

“Because Get-Rich is amazing at bargaining.”

Bar… bargaining?

The four insectfolk didn’t show it on their faces, but inwardly they were stunned.

A robot can bargain?

It’s not even a mechanical lifeform!

“Get-Rich’s bargaining is insane!”

“He can turn something that costs 1,000 Star Credits into 400.”

“And not only can he get it down to 400—he can also make the owner throw in freebies.”

The insectfolk: “……”

Every time they encountered Earth Trading House people, their worldview got reassembled from scratch.

From the employees’ descriptions, they had to admit this robot named “Get-Rich” really was frighteningly good at haggling.

And they also realized something even stranger—

These humans genuinely believed that one day, Get-Rich would awaken into a mechanical lifeform.

The insectfolk were isolationist and cold toward other civilizations, sure—but that didn’t mean they knew nothing.

For example, one of the most entrenched conflicts in the Alliance: the tense relationship between humans and mechanical lifeforms. They knew plenty about that.

Precisely because they knew, they couldn’t help thinking:

Since when did humans have such a good relationship with robots?

Had they been out of social contact for too long, so their thinking fell behind?

Weren’t humans the ones most afraid of robots awakening into mechanical lifeforms?

That was exactly why so many humans bought low-intelligence “light-smart” robots—models with limited intelligence and an extremely low chance of awakening.

So how had everything flipped when it came to Boss Xie?

If Xie Xingchen were here, he could’ve produced a whole set of persuasive “logic” to convince (brainwash) them.

But he wasn’t here—he was busy restocking.

Not gonna lie, he truly was here to buy things!

Once he left the Earth Trading House booth—without any disguise at all—Xie Xingchen walked under constant stares.

Fortunately, most attendees with the qualifications (and budget) to do bulk deals were experienced veterans. Some were fans, sure, but compared to younger fans, they were much more mature and restrained.

The earlier stampede at Earth Trading House happened because a few overenthusiastic fans set off a “celebrity-chasing” atmosphere. Plus, nobody knew Earth Trading House wasn’t selling—people assumed they could buy goods, so those hoping to profit also swarmed over.

As the crowd grew, people got shoved into a pile. Someone asked what was going on and—oh boy—turns out Earth Trading House was here, Boss Xie was here, Earth Trading House goods were still being sold, and their booth was gorgeous…

At that point, why hesitate?

Of course you squeeze in first!

Everyone knew Earth Trading House had limited stock.

If you’re late, someone else buys everything!

So the crowd became a messy stew of true and false information. Nobody bothered verifying. They just shoved their way forward.

By the time they finally understood the truth, they’d already been squeezed all the way there—so backing off felt like a loss.

Might as well at least take a look at the booth, right?

So nobody wanted to retreat, and the crowd jam became inevitable.

Only when the insect patrol arrived and forcibly cleared the area did everyone’s rationality return.

And once their rationality returned, everyone blushed—because it was embarrassing. They didn’t dare approach Boss Xie anymore.

Because the moment they saw him, they’d remember the dumb things they’d just done.

Xie Xingchen felt great about this!

No one bothering him was perfect.

Even shopping felt peaceful.

Following his plan, Xie Xingchen arrived at the energy suppliers’ section.

The bigger the supplier, the better their booth location—and the more people stopped to browse.

But Xie Xingchen walked straight past the two largest booths and headed for the third-largest:

Cosmic Energy.

Cosmic Energy ranked third in the Alliance’s energy industry. It was a new brand—only about ten years old.

But its growth was fierce, because its owner came from one of the Alliance’s smallest civilizations: the Stonefolk.

The Stonefolk and their employees had a unique racial talent that could be applied to minerals, improving the quality of energy stones.

Their stones were more expensive than average, but they lasted longer—so overall, it was still cost-effective.

If Earth Trading House had the warmest, most beautifully arranged booth in the whole venue, then Cosmic Energy probably had the most “rough-and-ready” booth.

Unlike other booths with neat displays, their energy stones were simply piled on the ground in a giant heap.

A mountain of energy stones in every shape and size made Xie Xingchen swallow hard.

Wait…

If he wasn’t mistaken, weren’t those special-grade energy stones on the outer edge?

They were just tossing special-grade stones on the ground mixed with low-grade ones?

Stonefolk really did live recklessly on the strength of their natural ability to distinguish quality.

That said—while Cosmic Energy’s booth looked crude, their service was surprisingly attentive.

The moment Xie Xingchen stepped in, a tall, powerfully built man with an honest-looking face walked over to greet him.

“Hello. Are you here for energy stones?”

He looked simple, but he was sharp. Seeing Xie Xingchen staring at the pile, he went straight to the point.

Xie Xingchen didn’t want to waste time. He nodded, then said:

“I’m a planet lord. My planet is currently under construction, so I need a lot of energy stones—and it’ll be long-term purchasing. Can you make the price cheaper?”

Today’s bargaining strategy was: first Xie Xingchen goes in, then Get-Rich finishes them off.

Online shopping was different—behind a screen, nobody cared if you were human or dog.

But in-person? Xie Xingchen was only afraid of one thing: running into sellers who refused to deal with robots.

So he’d show serious purchase intent first, then let the robot negotiate. Anyone who truly wanted business would talk.

The Stonefolk man considered briefly, then nodded decisively.

He handed Xie Xingchen an electronic tablet showing the price list.

Discounts varied by quantity, and if you signed a long-term contract (over three years) for large-volume purchases, the best discount was 30% off.

Seventy percent of the price.

Honestly, that was already cheaper than Xie Xingchen expected.

The official Trade Day price list said Cosmic Energy’s maximum discount was only 20% off wholesale pricing.

But… since he was already here, not trying to bargain felt like betraying his own soul.

So—

“Can it be cheaper?”

He said it, ready to send Get-Rich in.

But the man shook his head immediately, blunt as a hammer.

“No. We Stonefolk don’t lie, and we don’t do fake nonsense. The prices are all on that chart. Unless you can buy all our energy stones, we won’t go lower. If you think it’s not suitable, you can look elsewhere—maybe you’ll find a better deal.”

His tone was casual, like he truly didn’t care whether Xie Xingchen bought or not.

If it were another civilization, Xie Xingchen would’ve pushed harder—because saving even one credit per stone could mean saving millions.

But these were Stonefolk.

He remembered people online constantly complaining that Stonefolk were “stubborn,” “rigid,” “boring,” and “never joke.”

So Xie Xingchen didn’t argue.

After a short silence, he nodded.

“Fine. I’ll take your price. But can I choose the batch first? Also—when can you ship? Today or tomorrow?”

The man paused, then answered:

“You can pick, but our current stock all comes from the same small mine, same batch. The energy content varies, but not by much. If you don’t understand it, you probably can’t pick ‘better’ ones anyway. I suggest you don’t waste time. Also, we have plenty of stock left. If you’re in a hurry, we can ship some tomorrow.”

Xie Xingchen’s mouth twitched.

Stonefolk really were brutally honest.

Not pretty, but Xie Xingchen liked it.

Since the man said that, Xie Xingchen didn’t bother “picking.” He laid out his needs directly.

He bought mostly mid-grade energy stones, then high-grade. He took only small amounts of low-grade and special-grade.

The total cost was over one hundred million Star Credits. Based on the chart, he’d normally only qualify for about a 15% discount.

But because he signed a long-term stable purchasing contract, this batch got the full 30% off.

Final cost: 75 million Star Credits—saving him over 10 million.

Xie Xingchen was satisfied.

He stowed the contract in his storage button, confirmed a phased shipping schedule, then messaged the robots back on Earth to collect the first shipment from the courier hub tomorrow.

For bulk orders, shipping by starship is usually cheapest.

But since Xie Xingchen wasn’t on Earth, he didn’t dare casually open Earth’s protective shield.

So he could only have them courier a few crates of energy stones first—enough to keep Earth operational—then arrange full delivery after Trade Day ended.

Because Earth’s location was remote, large-scale delivery would likely be slower. Cosmic Energy wouldn’t be delivering just to Earth—they’d compile all Trade Day orders, then design an optimal route.

And in that route, a remote place like Earth would probably end up near the end.

Xie Xingchen didn’t care.

The crates arriving tomorrow were enough to power Earth for a month.

And Trade Day lasted only seven days.

Once it ended, delivery would begin. No matter how slow, surely it wouldn’t be so slow that nothing arrived by next month… right?

Smiling, Xie Xingchen said goodbye to the Stonefolk man and wandered toward the robot vendors’ section.

Everyone knew: humans and the mechanical civilization had a strange conflict.

It was rooted in long history.

In Xie Xingchen’s view, the origin could be summarized like this:

“I built you. You worked for me. You were low-status. Then one day you awaken—now not only did I lose a working robot, but you want to stand as my equal?”

In short: unbalanced resentment.

That framing was a bit harsh, but a large portion of humans really did think that way.

Some robot companies seized on this mindset and launched “light-smart” robots—limited intelligence models with extremely low awakening probability.

They sold like crazy and made a fortune.

But Xie Xingchen disliked light-smart robots.

Because to him, the very existence of that product line carried an insult toward mechanical lifeforms.

Not an open insult—an implicit one.

So Xie Xingchen never bought light-smart robots. If he bought robots, he bought fully intelligent ones. If he didn’t want intelligence, he bought pure machinery.

So really… what was the point of light-smart robots?

The mechanical civilization had strict bans on directly selling robots, so most robot vendors were from other civilizations—especially humans.

And maybe it was his imagination, but ever since he stepped into this section, he felt like a lot of people were looking at Get-Rich strangely.

But every time he turned to check, they were “busy” with their own things, making him wonder if he was being paranoid.

Until he stopped at a robot booth and tried to let Get-Rich negotiate—and the vendor replied with:

“We refuse to bargain with robots.”

Xie Xingchen’s brows immediately knit together.

At first he tried to explain that Get-Rich wasn’t like ordinary robots, that he was capable and understood robots better than Xie Xingchen did, and so on…

But the staff member’s smile faded. He spoke awkwardly:

“Mr. Xie… what you’re describing might just be your illusion. It’s only a machine running its programmed routines. It doesn’t have its own thoughts.”

The smile vanished from Xie Xingchen’s eyes.

He stared coldly at the staff member, and his entire aura shifted—from approachable warmth to something genuinely intimidating.

A gentle person suddenly turning icy can be terrifying.

The staff member was rattled.

Even though he still didn’t want to deal with robots, under Xie Xingchen’s oppressive gaze, he reluctantly started talking with Get-Rich.

And Get-Rich—sweet, clueless Get-Rich—nearly gave Xie Xingchen a heart attack.

The guy had just looked down on him, and Get-Rich didn’t even notice. He just started chatting like nothing happened?

Xie Xingchen: [angry explosion on the spot.jpg]

Feeling like he’d detonate if he stayed any longer, Xie Xingchen grabbed Get-Rich, shot the staff member a cold glance, and left.

His obvious displeasure immediately sparked discussion among those nearby.

Some said the vendor was disgusting for discriminating against robots. Others said Xie Xingchen was being dramatic—“They didn’t say anything rude, they just didn’t want to negotiate with a robot; and look, they still talked in the end, so why storm off like that? No gentlemanly manners.”

People said everything imaginable. Whether they sided with Xie Xingchen or not, everyone had an opinion.

And some of those “opinions” were so sharp they left Xie Xingchen in a foul mood.

He’d always known humans and mechanical lifeforms had issues.

But after transmigrating, he quickly went to Earth and stayed there, never really going out.

This was the first time he’d directly faced this absurd conflict.

Maybe to others, Get-Rich was “just a robot,” not even a mechanical lifeform—so what was there to be angry about?

But to Xie Xingchen, Get-Rich, Prosperity, and Long-Life weren’t “just robots.”

They were companions who had been with him for a full year—who helped him build everything from nothing.

“Boss, don’t be mad. I’m not mad either,” Get-Rich tried to comfort him, all honest and foolish.

That only made Xie Xingchen angrier.

This idiot didn’t even realize the shop staff was looking down on him.

He used to think his robots were smart.

Now he felt like they were dumb as rocks.

The more he thought about it, the more it clogged his chest. He didn’t want to browse robot booths anymore.

Forget it.

That small vendor he’d cooperated with before was pretty decent. He’d just buy from him in the future. More expensive was fine. He’d treat it as supporting an ethical business—because imagining this huge market controlled by trash like that was suffocating.

Still carrying that lingering anger, Xie Xingchen walked fast, head down, “shopping bitterly.”

Without realizing it, he wandered into the territory of planters, plantation owners, and planting-planet lords.

This area was completely different from everywhere else.

Other sections were bare, metallic booths.

But here?

It was an ocean of plants.

Planters displayed countless plants on shelves.

The tiered shelves were filled with different colors and forms. From far away it was soothing; up close, every plant looked exquisite.

So… so beautiful.

Xie Xingchen felt like he didn’t have enough eyes.

It was like they’d brought the most gorgeous plants from every corner of the galaxy and turned this place into a paradise.

Unable to help himself, he stepped inside.

Breathing in the faint botanical fragrance, Xie Xingchen’s mood finally settled.

Walking along the aisle, he saw more and more rare plants.

At a corner, he even spotted Yu Cheng’s booth—and on it, surrounded by people trying to buy it at a sky-high price—

Edelweiss.

After Waking Up I Inherited the Earth [Interstellar]