Chapter 78: Underground Market
"The ingredients for Devil Fruits are very rare. At best, I can only make one every two days," Zhou Ning said with a shrug. "Besides, school starts the day after tomorrow, so I probably won't have time to come to the Xilin Grocery Store for a while."
What Zhou Ning said was the truth. Making Devil Fruits required a massive amount of herbs, more than the Golden Oak Herb Shop could supply. He had to pace his production carefully.
"I want all the Devil Fruits you make during this period. We'll trade every Saturday; I'll send someone to pick them up. Is that acceptable?" Qi'en asked, looking at Zhou Ning expectantly.
"No problem," Zhou Ning nodded.
"A pleasure doing business with you." Qi'en extended his hand, and the two shook on the deal.
After some negotiation, Zhou Ning and Qi'en finalized a purchase agreement for a recurring batch of Devil Fruits. Zhou Ning was selling fruits that cost him less than 200 Viktar for 700 Viktar each—a net profit of nearly 300%.
Such were the benefits of a monopoly.
He wasn't being too greedy, either. In fact, Qi'en's willingness to pay 700 Viktar had exceeded his expectations. He was worthy of the nickname "Brother Scale" that future players would give him. He really was fair in his dealings.
In the eyes of NPCs, the fruit's value was comparable to a high-grade super-power potion of the same level, which would sell for 600 Viktar at most. While selling to Qi'en was a temporary loss compared to its true potential, it was the best he could do until he found a more reliable sales channel. In a few days, Zhou Ning planned to visit an extraordinary gathering to try his luck there.
Qi'en even paid a 500 Viktar deposit upfront, which pushed Zhou Ning's cash flow over 2,000 Viktar, giving him a considerable amount of funds to work with.
After the two discussed the transaction details for a while longer, Qi'en changed the subject. He took an invitation from his pocket and said with a smile, "Wayne, this Sunday is Alan's coming-of-age ceremony. He'd like to invite you to the dinner. Are you free?"
"I should be," Zhou Ning said after a moment's thought.
After all, Alan had been through thick and thin with him, and Zhou Ning had a good impression of the young man. This was also a good opportunity to get acquainted with the nobility of the Kingdom of Bryston. Zhou Ning was still very curious about the noble in blue he had encountered that night.
Seeing Zhou Ning accept, Qi'en smiled. "See you on Sunday. Alan will be very happy you're coming."
…
After leaving the Xilin Grocery Store, Zhou Ning didn't head back to his dormitory. Instead, he took a public carriage to the other end of the old city.
There was a blacksmith shop there called the Steel Forge, which was quite famous in the game.
He had been thinking about it. During his fight with Elvis in the mirror world, he'd lacked a reliable sword. Although he usually relied on long-range attacks, there were many combat scenarios, and the game world had ways to counter ranged fighters. For example, certain water magic could induce a form of amnesia, making the target forget how to use ranged attacks.
This meant Zhou Ning needed to buy a sword as a backup so he wouldn't be caught without a melee weapon, forced to just wait for death.
Pushing open the door to the Steel Forge, Zhou Ning felt the banknotes in his pocket and walked in.
The layout of the blacksmith shop was exactly as it was in the game. A row of swords lined the left wall, guns, bullets, and daggers were displayed in a glass cabinet in the middle, and a rack of rifles stood against the right wall.
"The weapons here are all quite ordinary, lacking a certain... spirituality," Jasmine's voice suddenly popped into his mind, complaining.
Zhou Ning's mouth twitched, but he didn't bother to respond. Easy for you to say. Of course these weapons lack spirituality. Anything with spirituality would be at least Epic-grade. Why would it be on display in a common shop?
He scanned the swords on the left but didn't see anything particularly noteworthy. Just then, a male clerk approached him and asked politely, "Sir, what can I help you find today?"
The shop was run by a Northman, and the clerk was one as well—at least by appearance. He had red hair, stood two meters tall, and looked incredibly tough. In the game Apocalypse, the Northerners were famous for two things: forging and piracy. Two of the game's three great pirate kings had Northern ancestry.
Zhou Ning thought for a moment before answering. "I'm looking for a one-handed sword, around 11 pounds, and sturdy. Do you have any recommendations? Price isn't an issue."
The clerk nodded, led him further into the shop, and pointed to a one-handed sword hanging in a corner. "This one was forged by Master Malian himself. It has meteoric iron folded into the steel. 49 Viktar and 9 Roshen. Would you like to try it?"
Nearly 50 Viktar… Zhou Ning was taken aback by the price, but he had the money now and could afford it.
He gave the clerk a slight nod. "Okay."
Zhou Ning took the sword and gave it a few test swings. It was surprisingly smooth in his hand. A message popped up on his panel:
[Rare Item: Meteorite Thorn Sword]
[Quality: Purple]
[Damage: 18-36]
[Attack Speed: Very Fast]
[Attributes: Agility +2]
"A rare item?" Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes, stroking the blade. He instantly made his decision. "I'll take it."
"Very good, sir. Please follow me to pay." With the deal made, the clerk's smile became much more genuine as he led Zhou Ning to the counter.
After painfully parting with 50 Viktar, Zhou Ning walked out of the Steel Forge with the Meteorite Thorn Sword. He crossed several streets and arrived at a downward-leading staircase.
In the game, this was an entrance to a large underground market, one of several scattered throughout the old town. While most stalls sold common herbs and materials, the market's real draw was its selection of strange and mysterious items. Many elderly citizens and collectors who had fallen on hard times came here to sell antiques from various eras.
The strange, unknown object he was looking for had first appeared in a place like this.
Without hesitation, Zhou Ning descended the stairs.
He pushed open the door at the bottom and was met with the dazzling light of gas lamps.
Once his eyes adjusted, he took in the scene. Just like in the game, it was a massive underground market. A maze of small, interconnected stalls stretched for over a thousand meters. The market would stay open until around 10 p.m., and this was peak time, with people constantly streaming in from all directions.
The market was already packed, mostly with young people drawn to the esoteric and mysterious atmosphere. They moved with the flow of the crowd, weaving between the stalls, stopping from time to time to browse and explore, creating a lively buzz.
After adjusting his hat, Zhou Ning stepped into the market.
In his past life, the object he sought had appeared some time after the game's launch, purchased by a nobleman from Bryston. A player had witnessed the transaction and posted about it on the forums. Therefore, the probability of it appearing tonight was low. Zhou Ning didn't expect to buy it right away; he was here simply to try his luck.
Rather than immediately searching for what he wanted, he decided to just follow the crowd. The mystical atmosphere was indeed potent. Stalls were overflowing with cheap moonstones, citrines, crosses, talismans, and other trinkets in large quantities.
But in Zhou Ning's expert opinion, none of it was useful.
However, the herbs at one stall gave him a pleasant surprise. They were incredibly cheap, especially the snake grass used to make Fuling potion, which was less expensive than the stock at the Golden Oak Herb Shop even after a 20% discount.
Though the quantity wasn't large, it was an unexpected find. In high spirits, Zhou Ning paid for the bag of herbs and moved on to the next stall.
A short while later, he stopped in front of a stall selling used books.
Because, among the dusty old tomes, he had spotted a familiar name: Windgun.
The legendary alchemist who created Puppet Alchemy.
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