Wow, these maggots definitely weren't for breeding, they were being sold in bulk.
What Jing Shu hadn't expected was that, compared to all the high-maintenance feed bugs that required careful tending, the breeder's most popular items were actually a huge batch of high-quality maggots.
The moment they appeared, hundreds of kilos were pre-ordered. It turned out the wealthy preferred buying finished products outright. Breeding feed bugs was expensive, fussy, and high-maintenance, so it was much easier to just buy maggots and feed them directly.
So even though the live feed bugs were pricey, no one was competing with Jing Shu. She didn't hesitate—she just bought every single type.
Every single one, no exceptions. That was pure dominance.
For the bugs with the highest protein, Jing Shu planned to breed them carefully—yellow mealworms (tenebrio larvae), dung beetles, firewood bugs, earthworms, brine shrimp, white ants, and so on.
The easiest for her to manage were the red nematodes. They were excellent natural bait for fish, highly nutritious, recognized worldwide as one of the best live feeds for tropical fish. Just put them in the Cube Space, sprinkle some Spirit Spring, and they were perfect for any fish. They bred fast, almost as well as the red nematodes, didn't take up much space, and a single batch produced tons of them.
After Jing Shu cleared out all the live bugs, whispers started spreading, everyone guessing who this mysterious buyer could be.
"Just now I was wondering if this person would compete for our poultry. After all, poultry sales are dropping at the exchange. This year's breeding is terrible, like some kind of curse. The breeding rate is plummeting, driving up the value of every bird. And yet, she didn't touch a single one."
"But she cleared out all the feed bugs. Maybe she already has plenty of poultry at home."
"I already have seven or eight at home. How many could be too many?"
"Then why buy so many bugs?"
"Probably planning to breed them herself, like the pros. I heard she's from out of town. We can't control it anyway."
When crates of bugs, still mixed with soil, arrived one by one, even the usually expressionless Tang Tuoguan looked at Jing Shu with a strange kind of gaze.
Could you imagine spending hundreds of thousands just to buy bugs? Even though these bugs were worth it.
Usually, a few virtual coins were enough, and even someone with a stable job might only earn a few thousand a month. That made these bugs far more valuable than most things people could buy in a month.
That's the power of capital. Ninety-nine percent of wealth is in the hands of one percent of people. Sometimes it looks extravagant, but for them, it's just everyday life. They really weren't showing off.
The wealthy lived like that—plain, simple, and unassuming.
Because of this episode, Jing Shu ended up buying a complete set of freeze-drying equipment for three million, realizing that with all these feed bugs, she could spend the next year breeding them, making freeze-dried meat or powder without losing nutrition, taking up minimal space.
Next year's migration wouldn't need much feed. These compressed freeze-dried meals would take up less space, be easier to carry, and would be as efficient as just a bit of wood ear fungus. Add freeze-dried vegetables and fruits, and she could take far more supplies.
"Buy it! Buy it!"
Jing Shu quickly spent ten million trading coins, almost forgetting she was supposed to sell things here. As expected, the later items were in lower demand, and the accumulation grew, though the eighth-floor exchange still bought at market price.
Market price fluctuated daily, rising and falling, so it was always lower than sellers' asking prices. Some sold cheap, some didn't, and even canceled transactions still cost a 0.1% booth fee.
No matter what, the eighth-floor exchange never took a loss.
By the time Jing Shu was yawning, the crowd was growing more alert. Anyone familiar with this knew the hidden treasures were about to appear.
Normally, Director Wang would have the seller present the items, but this time he tugged his tie, excited, and went on stage himself:
"Up for sale now are ten one-kilogram jars of honey, plus a one-kilogram jar of royal jelly. This is top-quality pure honey. Professional appraisal confirms its absolute authenticity. Its flavor surpasses anything I've sold before! It never expires, supports a second inspection after purchase, and comes with a traceable code. Starting bid now, auction ends in two minutes!"
Jing Shu was a bit surprised Director Wang even gave an extra minute, giving bidders more time, which meant her honey could sell for a higher price.
Many buyers needed honey, and the price of pure honey shot up by the gram. Sugar was already expensive, refining it harder than salt, and honey was far more difficult than crops. It was rarer than poultry and highly nutritious, which made it extremely valuable in the post-apocalypse.
"This is the item, today's bonus. Lao Liu forced me to come."
"I never saw it being collected before. Lao Wang's honey production is tiny each year, and it's always pre-ordered."
"This one's from out of town."
Soon, the numbers on eleven virtual booths started climbing fast. Royal jelly, rare and unpredictable, skyrocketed. Even Wang, usually gentlemanly and calm, was furiously tapping the screen, wishing for extra hands and faster reflexes.
After ninety seconds, the rate of increase slowed. No matter how good the item, if it exceeded its true value or if buyers thought it wasn't worth it, the rise stopped.
Near the two-minute mark, there were small occasional spikes, but they were minor, saturation had been reached.
"This is the highest price I've seen honey sell for," Tang Tuoguan said.
Eleven jars went for a third higher than expected. One jar of royal jelly and five jars of honey were snapped up by a single big spender, spending millions without blinking. Apparently, money was no object for them.
Director Wang rubbed his hands. See? Good items always fetch good prices. "The bonus is about to appear."
"Huh? Wasn't the honey the bonus just now?"
Honey's value today was already among the highest per item. Poultry was pricey but not as rare, and honey was consumable, making it far more coveted.