Everyone Is A Lord: My Talent Is A Little Too Strong Chapter 3 - 3: Red Face and White Face Alternately Taking the Stage_1

Nearby, Taylor effortlessly set down the carcass of the demon beast and approached Leo Ray’s side.

He offered a formal salute and reported, "Lord, the reconnaissance within a one-kilometer radius of our camp is complete. I discovered no dens for demon beasts nor any other signs of hostile forces."

After a brief pause, he remarked casually, "Oh, I did run into these two bothersome insects blocking my path, so I dealt with them."

Leo Ray looked down at the "tiny insects" Taylor had mentioned and couldn't suppress a wry smile.

Sprawled on the ground was a massive black hexagonal cattle, roughly the size of a young elephant, alongside a blue python that was thicker than the trunk of a century-old tree!

The blue python was particularly striking; even in death, its shimmering, dense scales and half-meter-long fangs made it clear that this demon beast had been a terrifying predator when alive.

"Lord, do you have further instructions?" Taylor inquired.

Noticing that Taylor wasn't even breathing heavily—as if he had just returned from a light stroll—Leo Ray didn't hesitate. He immediately commanded, "Widen the search perimeter. I want a comprehensive understanding of our surroundings."

"As you command!" Taylor struck his fist against his chest in salute, then blurred into a shadow and vanished into the distance.

Once he was gone, Leo Ray rolled up his sleeves and dragged the wooden storage chest out of the log cabin.

This particular chest was reserved exclusively for the Lord.

Access was restricted to Leo Ray and those he specifically authorized.

Effectively, it served as a storage space containing its own pocket dimension.

While it currently offered only 100 slots, identical items could be stacked within them.

Furthermore, the chest possessed a unique auxiliary function: it could instantly and perfectly dismantle selected items.

This capability extended to the two demon beast carcasses. With a mere thought from Leo Ray, the bodies dissolved into white light and were automatically pulled into the storage space.

"Dismantle!"

Leo Ray initiated the process without a second thought.

[You have dismantled a Tier 1 Five-Star Demon Beast: Hexagonal Cattle. You obtained 1400x Beef, 50x Tendons, 20x Hides, and 6x Horns!]

[You have dismantled a Tier 1 Eight-Star Magical Beast: Greenstone Python. You obtained 1600x Snake Meat, 30x Snake Skin, and 2x Hypertoxic Fangs (Rare)!]

A satisfied grin spread across Leo Ray’s face as he felt his storage space swell with resources.

This marked his very first harvest in this new world!

Beyond the 3,000 portions of meat, the other materials were vital components for crafting equipment that would surely be needed later.

The two rare hypertoxic fangs, in particular, held the potential to be forged into high-tier weaponry.

After testing a few things, Leo Ray realized his Golden Finger didn't trigger for basic food or raw materials.

"It appears this talent is only applicable to functional items..."

"By that logic, weapons and armor should work. I’m curious to see what kind of transformation will occur when the time comes."

Lost in thought, Leo Ray pulled up the system interface again. Skipping the Chat Channel, he navigated directly to the Trading Center.

This feature allowed Lords to trade in real-time, regardless of how far apart they were, to acquire necessary supplies.

At the moment, a vast number of Lords had already posted their demands.

Predictably, every single listing involved offering basic resources like wood, stone, or thatch in exchange for food.

Even the rare listings of fruits or vegetables were incredibly sought after, vanishing the moment they were posted.

However, no one had put meat up for trade yet.

Noting this, and recalling the earlier conversations in the chat, Leo Ray’s expression became pensive.

Because of their weak combat capabilities, most people were currently huddled within their Safety Zones, unable to secure a steady food supply.

"Does this imply I can use my surplus food to monopolize other people's resources?"

Leo Ray followed this train of thought further.

He possessed 3,000 portions of meat, each weighing roughly a pound.

Furthermore, Taylor could be dispatched to hunt for more whenever necessary.

"Food is a consumable that disappears, while resources are permanent assets used for building and upgrading the Lord's Mansion."

"If I have enough food, aren't all these early-stage players essentially working for me?"

Having reached a decision, a faint, predatory smile touched Leo Ray's lips, making him look like a seasoned capitalist. Earlier, while monitoring the chat, he had calculated the average resource gathering efficiency of most Lords.

A summoned Tier 1 farmer equipped with tools could gather roughly 5 units of stone, 10 units of wood, or 20 units of thatch per hour.

Using this data as a benchmark, Leo Ray thought for a moment before anonymously listing 1,000 portions of snake meat in the Trading Center.

His plan wasn't just a simple trade!

[Trader: Anonymous]

[Trading Item: 1000 portions of Snake Meat (1 portion per trade, 0.5kg each)]

[Requirement One: Stone (50 Units)]

[Requirement Two: Wood (100 Units)]

[Requirement Three: Thatch (200 Units)]

Since countless Lords were hovering over the Trading Center desperate for food, the news of this listing caused an immediate explosion across the chat channels.

"1,000 portions of snake meat?! Am I hallucinating? This anonymous bigshot is insane!"

"The bigshot is powerful, sure, but that price is daylight robbery! Who has that many resources?"

"Exactly! My farmer only gets 5 stone an hour. This guy wants 50 stone for a single pound of meat? That’s pure greed!"

"Are there no other bigshots out there? Working ten hours for one pound of meat? I'd rather starve!"

"I'm with the guy above me. If it were five hours of work per pound, I might consider it."

"I hope someone else steps up to help us. Let this greedy dog’s listing rot!"

...

Watching the outrage in the chat, Leo Ray felt a sense of satisfaction.

This was the exact reaction he was angling for.

By first acting as the "bad cop" anonymously, he set an impossibly high price floor, which lowered everyone’s expectations.

Now, he would step in as himself to play the "good cop." By creating this contrast, he could maximize his profits while keeping the price within a range people would actually pay.

This strategy would also earn him the gratitude of the masses, securing both wealth and a good reputation. He knew the food-for-resource window wouldn't stay open forever, so he had to prepare for the future.

Building a positive image among the other Lords was a perfect starting point.

Moreover, among a billion Lords, there were bound to be geniuses. By creating a powerful, anonymous "imaginary enemy," he could divert their scrutiny away from himself and keep his true strength hidden.

A moment later, once the chat was sufficiently filled with indignation, Leo Ray smiled and opened the trade interface again to test the waters.

It was time for the long-awaited savior to make his entrance.

[Trader: Leo Ray]

[Trading Item: 100 portions of Beef (1 portion per trade, 0.5kg each)]

[Requirement One: Stone (20 Units)]

[Requirement Two: Wood (40 Units)]

[Requirement Three: Thatch (80 Units)]

The moment this new trade was posted, the chat channels hit a boiling point once again!

"Brothers! Look! The savior we were waiting for is here! The price is actually reasonable! Get to the Trading Center now!"

"Thank you, Bigshot Leo Ray! I just got a pound! My starving farmers can finally get back to work!"

"Hahaha, me too! My farmer’s loyalty was down to 30, and they were looking at me like they wanted to kill me. This bigshot is a lifesaver!"

"Fantastic! We finally have meat! Leo Ray is incredible!"

"Bigshot—no, Legend! Please accept my respect!"

"Save some for me! I only need one more unit of wood to... damn, it’s already sold out?"

"Leo Ray, we’re behind you! Lead us against that greedy anonymous bastard!"

...

Just as Leo Ray had predicted, all 100 portions of beef were snatched up in seconds.

In exchange, he successfully hauled in 2,000 units of wood, 1,600 units of thatch, and 600 units of stone.

The resources needed for the first upgrade of his Lord's Mansion had been gathered with zero effort.