Su Ze followed the driver's directions and, after just a short walk, spotted a shop with a simple yet elegant, high-tech design. Above the entrance, the two words "Evolutionary Technology" were spelled out in silvery-white metal that glinted with a peculiar luster.
Through the glass display window, Su Ze could see vials of extract, each glowing with the light of evolution, arranged in the shop's display cases.
Su Ze's eyes lit up. He had come here not only to sell the fourth-tier extract he possessed but also to buy a first-tier extract for his own use.
After absorbing one more vial of extract, he would be able to attempt his first evolution.
Su Ze walked into the store and first scanned the merchandise. Evolutionary Technology primarily dealt in extracts, and this shop was no exception. Two-thirds of the display cases were filled with extracts, while the remaining third held various tonics and a few curious objects.
As soon as Su Ze entered, a beautiful, sophisticated woman in a blazer and a short skirt approached him with a smile. "Hello, sir," she asked. "Are you here to purchase an extract?"
As she spoke, she made sure to size Su Ze up from head to toe. He was young, with a bright, handsome look, but he lacked the awkward shyness typical of boys his age. His eyes were calm and his demeanor composed; he was clearly worldly. Although she couldn't make out a brand name, his clothes were made from high-end fabric and fit him so perfectly they had to be custom-tailored.
'He must be from a wealthy family…' The sophisticated woman made an instant judgment. Customers Su Ze's age usually came to their store to buy first-tier extracts or tonics.
But to her surprise, what Su Ze said was not what she expected at all.
"I'm here to sell a vial of extract."
The sophisticated woman froze for a moment.
"What? You don't buy extracts here?" Su Ze asked with a frown.
"Ah... we do. Please, follow me." The sophisticated saleswoman smiled apologetically and led Su Ze toward an office behind the cash register marked "Appraisal Room." Halfway there, she suddenly stopped and added, "If you don't mind me asking, what tier is the extract you're selling?"
The saleswoman had just remembered that their store's appraiser and manager absolutely detested low-quality, first-tier extracts and offered insultingly low prices for them. If Su Ze was selling that kind of item, a deal was practically impossible.
'And Su Ze looks so young,' she thought. 'Even if he comes from a good family, his personal strength can't be that high. The extract he's selling is probably nothing special.'
At this thought, the saleswoman stopped in her tracks. She decided that if Su Ze produced a low-grade, first-tier extract, she would just talk him out of the sale to avoid angering their short-tempered manager.
Su Ze had nothing to hide and replied, "It's a fourth-tier extract."
"Fourth... Fourth-tier?" The saleswoman's eyes widened in disbelief. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. To confirm, you just said you want to sell a fourth-tier extract, right?"
Without wasting any more words, Su Ze opened his bag for her to see. Inside, a vial of extract was emitting a mysterious green glow.
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple. The green light of evolution corresponded to a saint-level lifeform that had evolved four times.
Without a doubt, this was a fourth-tier extract!
The saleswoman's breathing grew ragged, and her ample chest heaved violently. A button on the white blouse beneath her tight blazer popped off under the strain, revealing a glimpse of snowy-white cleavage.
A fourth-tier extract! Even the lowest-grade fourth-tier extract was worth a fortune!
If she could close this deal, it would mean an incredible performance bonus and a huge commission.
The saleswoman's attitude shifted from polite to downright reverent. She gave Su Ze a slight bow. "This way, please."
She suddenly recalled seeing a few small, square foil packets in Su Ze's bag. She couldn't help but blush, and her gaze toward him turned a little strange.
'Rich kids really do grow up fast.'
Su Ze, still oblivious to the fact that the "human cub inhibitors" Zhao Lingxiao had left in his bag were causing the beautiful woman before him to misunderstand the situation, followed her into the Appraisal Room.
The Appraisal Room was quite spacious, but it was so cluttered with various instruments that there was little room to move. A slightly overweight, middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses sat at a computer, completely absorbed in whatever was on the screen, seemingly oblivious to their arrival.
The saleswoman shot Su Ze an apologetic smile, then cleared her throat to get the man's attention. "Manager, a customer is here to sell an extract."
Without looking up, the manager asked, "What kind of evolved beast is it this time? A Burrowing Mouse or a Water-Spraying Frog?"
Burrowing Mice and Water-Spraying Frogs were the most common evolved beasts in the Black Rock Mountain Range, ranking at the very bottom of the first tier. Their extracts contained minimal evolutionary power, offering negligible physical enhancement to the user, and their skills were pretty useless.
The Burrowing Mouse's two main skills were "Burrow" and "Eat Dirt." They allowed one to dig tunnels at a decent speed and to eat soil for sustenance, saving a bit on food costs.
The Water-Spraying Frog possessed the "Absorb Water" and "Spray Water" skill combo, which wasn't bad for washing cars—provided one mastered both skills at the same time.
Because Heiyan City was situated next to the Black Rock Mountain Range, its extract production was plentiful. However, almost ninety percent of it consisted of low-grade, first-tier extracts, with those from Burrowing Mice and Water-Spraying Frogs making up more than half of that. In its early years, Evolutionary Technology had stockpiled a massive amount of these extracts, and a considerable inventory remained unsold to this day.
And that backlogged inventory of Burrowing Mouse and Water-Spraying Frog extracts had been acquired almost entirely by the Heiyan City branch. This had cost the branch manager any chance of promotion for several years, so it was no wonder he got ticked off at the mere mention of them.
Afraid her manager's attitude would offend Su Ze, the saleswoman quickly interjected, "Manager, this distinguished guest is here to sell a fourth-tier extract."
"What?!" The manager shot bolt upright, his gaze finally tearing away from the monitor. He scrutinized Su Ze from head to toe before turning to the saleswoman. "Are you sure?"
Su Ze was in a hurry, so he simply took the fourth-tier extract out of his bag. "You're... the manager, I presume? Please give me an appraisal."
The manager's gaze shot through his gold-rimmed glasses like a laser, locking onto the fourth-tier extract in Su Ze's hand. To him, that wasn't an extract—it was his hope for a promotion!
The manager shot to his feet and, with an agility that defied his build, zipped over to stand in front of Su Ze.
"And you are... sir?" The manager's smile was a mixture of fawning and flattery.
"Su Ze."
"Ah, so it's Mr. Su. I'm the manager of this store, Xu Sheng. You can just call me Mr. Xu," Xu Sheng said, trying to sound familiar. "What a coincidence! Both of our names are two words long."
Su Ze gave him a strange look and chuckled. "You don't say. We're also both men. What a coincidence."
Xu Sheng remained perfectly composed, not the least bit embarrassed. He turned to the saleswoman behind him and ordered, "Xiaoli, go brew a pot of tea. I have some Evolutionary Tea Tree leaves in my drawer. Remember to use mountain spring water, not the purified water from the dispenser."
"There's no need for tea," Su Ze said. "I'm in a hurry, so the faster this goes, the better."