Dimensional Tycoon: I Make Trillions in Every World-Chapter 34: City Without Rice

"Rice?" Noa repeated, surprised.

Though the only evidence of his emotions was the brows he lowered slowly.

"That’s an interesting idea," he mused, rubbing his hands together. "Can you elaborate?"

Qing Xuan inhaled before starting.

"Rice isn’t just food. It’s the foundation of our sect’s cultivation, and even though we can live without food for a while, it’s a completely different matter with rice."

Her expression became even more earnest as she leaned in slightly.

"The sect grows its own grains, and they are infused with spirit essence that can nourish our body and qi. Without it, our meridians weaken, our progress stalls, and even our spirit beasts will suffer."

Hue Xanly was nodding this entire time.

But when her senior completed her sentence, she chimed in.

"The long-lasting effect is losing at least one stage in our cultivation, and though the effect isn’t permanent, it is still scary."

"Hmm," Noa thought for a while in silence.

The idea of leaving an entire city without rice played in his head, and the more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

"That’s exactly what I need," he said inwardly for the system to hear. "You took every point I had, so my plans would be stalled. Now you can eat my shit when you are going to provide our favorite meal for free."

The system groaned silently.

If Noa couldn’t buy the product from the store, he couldn’t have used the service for a little while.

The discount was a gamble the system took to mess with him.

Now that its plans had fallen into shambles, while also leaving it burdened with the unchanging responsibility of providing unlimited rice to Noa, the system knew it would be punished by void creatures.

The punishment would be something the system had once threatened Noa with at the beginning of his journey, and ironically, now it was its turn to linger in fear.

Noa, however, had no idea about that.

He was simply happy with how the situation turned out, and all he wanted was to set his plans in motion.

"Thank you," he said to the girls.

His voice was casual as always, but Qing Xuan and Hue Xanly bowed simultaneously.

"Glad to be in your service," the latter said.

Meanwhile, Noa was already looking at the system panel, about to set his plan in motion.

"You know what to do," he muttered.

The system groaned again, but it could never go against the principles it was bound by.

[Regional Manipulation]

Description: Vanishes rice from the city for an entire day. Demand shifts to alternative food.

Target: Jade Hollow City.

Effect: Increases urgency in buyers; +500% customer flow increase for 2 days.

Risk: Will attract investigation from local sects.

Just like that, everything was ready.

No one could imagine what would happen in the city as Noa concluded his choice and vanished an entire rice supply.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Noa heard just a faint ding sound from the system that strangely sounded more emotional than ever.

Slowly, the streets grew louder.

It was a gradual process, yet noises still reached Noa’s ears.

People walked faster, while some shouted to vendors demanding the rice.

A few merchants shut down their businesses for the day, while others began displaying signs with rice alternatives.

Noa didn’t move.

He was watching this chaos from the window, his eyes calmer than ever.

"What’s happening?" Xue Hanly also noticed the commotion, concern evident on her face.

Noa remained silent.

For the increased emotional effect, he chose to stay still and say nothing.

"Why are these people shouting?" Yun Qiqi asked beside him. "Are they angry about something?"

Qing Xuan, however, said nothing.

Standing behind the counter, her breathing quickened, ideas surfacing in her mind.

Meanwhile, the system announced something.

[Rice has been removed from the city. Demand increased a thousandfold, and passive draw towards this store is already in progress.]

Noa stood like a villain and looked at the chaos he had caused.

No other feeling could beat this.

He felt proud, accomplished, and most of all, he felt powerful.

It was his first time experiencing something like this, as this world was controlled by pure strength.

Now, even Noa could trample over others.

But when he saw a mother dragging her own child through the street, her arms clinging to a bag of bread she had just bought, his smile vanished instantly.

This power came with a big responsibility.

Rice was the most common and affordable food option in the world.

So, before making any big moves, he had to respect and consider how they would affect others.

Still, knowing that it would only last for a day, and he could just provide them at a cheaper price, calmed his nerves.

An alert came from the system as well.

[City patrols and sects have deployed investigators.]

’That’s what I like to hear,’ Noa thought, waiting for someone to look inside his store.

However, before that, the girls realized what had just happened.

They were conversing about how important rice was for the sect, and only moments later, something completely unexpected happened.

Based on how people acted and demanded rice from every shop, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what had caused this chaos.

"D-Did... Did the entire supply..." Hue Xanly tried to ask, but the shampoo bottle slipped from her trembling hand.

Qing Xuan had the same reaction.

Her lips parted, but no words escaped.

They both looked at Noa as if he had rewritten the rules of the universe. It happened before their own eyes, yet they still had a hard time believing.

There was a weight in the room that no one could explain.

Even Yun Qiqi realized what was going on.

"Big Brother?" she said, looking at Noa’s figure with her round eyes.

The girls stayed silent.

Xue Hanly thought about her own emotions.

Was it respect she was feeling, or perhaps it was something else?

Fear?

Excitement?

She wanted but didn’t dare to ask what else he could erase.

Just then, the entrance door creaked open, revealing desperate, terrified people.