[Host has met the conditions for leveling up. Initiating upgrade procedure program…]
[Trash Can Defense upgraded to Completely Unobservable. Unlocking contents: Living Biological Content. Today's supply: Nineteen ordinary Trash Cans, One Bountiful Trash Can.]
[Rules for unlocking the Bountiful Trash Can are as follows: "View Details"]
A stream of electronic sound shattered the morning's calm. Sylvester, just enjoying his breakfast, jolted upright at the voice.
At last—the Bountiful Trash Can was here.
He shoved the last piece of flatbread into his mouth, barely swallowing before rushing to the counter. With a swipe of his finger, twenty Trash Cans appeared neatly stacked.
In the very center sat one gleaming gold Trash Can. A crown lay fixed on its lid, and two muscular arm-shaped handles extended from its sides for convenient lifting.
Excessively luxurious. Extremely eye-catching. And… a serious question mark on the system's sense of aesthetics.
Wouldn't people mistake me for some shady character with something like this?
Hmm… probably not. After all, I'm the picture of righteousness.
Still… what a pity.
A pity that he couldn't open the Bountiful Trash Can himself—and at present, nobody else could either.
Only after at least fifty ordinary Trash Cans had been opened could this one be unlocked. And the price of each would need to exceed five million credits to count toward his total sales, helping him unlock further Trash Cans.
On the other hand… perhaps that would only stoke buyers' enthusiasm further, pushing them to purchase more ordinary ones.
The thought brightened Sylvester's mood considerably.
He was about to open up shop when something struck him as odd.
Why was it so quiet today?
Thanks to Xianzhou's thriving network, his little shop had been bustling nonstop these past days.
Though a few unlucky souls had never returned, many still came daily to open one or two Trash Cans, hoping for a miracle single-draw.
Some even camped out early, desperate to secure one of the ten daily slots.
And although he had announced yesterday that he'd stock twenty today, that still shouldn't mean everyone would get one. So why was it deserted?
Could it be that the negotiations between the Xianzhou and the IPC had concluded? Maybe they'd cleared the streets on purpose?
But given his current hype, there was no way they'd ignore him so blatantly.
Strange. Very strange.
Puzzled, Sylvester pushed open the shop door—and froze.
Three women stood at the entrance. His pupils contracted sharply.
No wonder there was nobody outside.
That was… Jingliu?!
Though her face was veiled, for those who knew her it was hardly a disguise.
Her cold beauty, her aura sharp as ice, and the silver hair shading into frosty blue at the tips—unmistakable.
She wore no eyepatch, but her crimson eyes themselves were the most unforgettable marker of all.
Though she radiated no outward force, her honed, blade-like presence kept everyone at least ten paces away.
Sylvester's shock quickly melted into a broad grin. He truly hadn't expected to see Jingliu now of all times!
This was perfect timing. He'd been wondering where to find a master of arms to—borrow, ahem, learn some techniques. And now, the technique had walked straight to him.
O Lightning-Lord, your enhancement plan is now canceled!
Now he had only one goal: get Jingliu to cut him down.
"Ahem. Little brother, staring at a beauty so openly is not a very good habit, you know."
Feixiao teased, amusement in her gaze.
Ah, the youth… Seeing a beauty, he lost himself completely.
Yet somehow, his look didn't seem like a man bewitched by charms, but more like… he was beholding a supreme weapon.
If it were just Sylvester, she'd almost believe he wasn't admiring her beauty at all.
Could it really be pure appreciation? How puzzling.
Then she glanced at Jingliu, then at Topaz, and felt a subtle pang of disappointment.
Why don't we have that kind of effect?
Did he simply like the icy-beauty type? But Fu Xuan also…
Hmm. Yes, that fits too. So, I've uncovered one of your preferences, haven't I?
Sylvester watched Feixiao's expression shift—then settle into a look of "I've discovered your secret."
He was baffled.
What did she figure out? Did I expose myself somehow?
Hiss~ Don't tell me she thinks I'm some shady character because of this?
Great. There goes my carefully built persona.
"Ahem, so—which of you three is going first?" Sylvester coughed lightly, steering away from dangerous topics.
Feixiao turned toward Topaz. "Lady of the Interastral Peace Corporation, since you arrived first, please go ahead."
"My thanks." Topaz entered first.
Feixiao sighed softly. She had always avoided IPC people, and now she'd bumped right into one. To gain an edge against the Abundance faction, the Xianzhou Alliance had long kept close cooperation with the Company—but that had earned plenty of internal resentment and snide remarks aimed her way.
But those petty tongues? They couldn't achieve anything. Why should she care?
Turning back to Jingliu, she quipped, "So, how does it feel, being looked at like that?"
But Jingliu's tone was unshaken. "Strange. From his gaze, I felt eagerness. Not anything else."
"You felt it too?" Feixiao frowned.
So, it wasn't just a boy dazzled by beauty? Could he already know of Jingliu beforehand?
Bizarre.
Unable to untangle it, Feixiao dropped the matter. She smirked instead. "Still, his taste is impeccable. Don't you think?"
"Hmph." Jingliu shook her head with a wry smile. Such things never concerned her. "Thank you."
The two of them entered and took seats in the lounge.
Topaz pointed at the most conspicuous Trash Can, hesitating. "Boss Sylvester, why does this one look so… unusual?"
Feixiao and Jingliu turned to where she indicated—and froze.
That blinding gold sheen. Those absurd decorations.
Jingliu, who had come with expectations of seeing a hidden master reveal some peerless sword, felt her reverence shatter to pieces.
Feixiao, after a long pause, stared at Sylvester.
Extraordinary men must have extraordinary ways; those of great virtue, live long lives. Truly, masters conceal themselves in the strangest manners. I am humbled.
What a desecration of Curios. If I were a supreme Curio, I'd be ashamed to crawl out of that thing.
What inscrutable taste…
Sylvester, unfazed by their skeptical stares, drew a deep breath and declared solemnly: "This is the Bountiful Trash Can. Its treasure pool surpasses the ordinary ones, making it my shop's newest product. To highlight its value, I crafted it with a forward-thinking artistic design."
What am I even saying?
How do I save you, oh system, from your wretched sense of style…
"Art… I see. Hahaha. Truly avant-garde." Topaz smiled awkwardly but politely.
Is he serious? Selling Curios inside trash bins was bad enough—but deliberately making one so gaudy, and then offering it publicly? Has social death ceased to exist?
"Humph." Numby turned its snout away in disdain.
Even the piggybank disapproves of this taste?