Chapter 51: Trading Market
At first, only a few people sold things here. But gradually, as more and more sellers and buyers arrived, it turned into a large-scale marketplace.
Before entering the marketplace, Moira Lynch saw a sign posted at the entrance listing the rules that everyone had to follow.
1. A fee is required to set up a stall: five hundred yuan or half a catty of rice per person, per day.
2. Theft, robbery, and other such acts are forbidden within the market. Violators will be responsible for their own consequences.
3. All transactions within the market are strictly voluntary...
4. ...
Moira Lynch still had some money on hand, so she figured she might as well spend some of it.
She wasn’t short on food, so she wouldn’t be competing with others for it. Instead, she could see if she could find any hidden gems here.
Unlike a supermarket or a mall, there was no need to queue for the marketplace. Moira Lynch followed the crowd and gradually made her way inside.
Once she got a closer look, she saw that all sorts of things were being sold—everything except food.
’It makes sense,’ she thought. ’Food is so precious now. Rice has already hit one thousand yuan a catty, and you still can’t get your hands on it.’
Moira Lynch scanned the items at the stalls. There was a mix of new and used goods.
Most of the old items were secondhand—people bringing out unused things from their homes, hoping to trade them for something useful. These were mostly clothes, bags, and the like.
The new items came from mall vendors. Because the first three floors of the malls had been cleared out, or because they couldn’t afford the exorbitant rent, they had simply taken their merchandise out to sell from street stalls.
This way, they could at least make a little money to supplement their income, which was better than letting the goods gather dust in a warehouse.
Moira Lynch walked from one end of the market to the other but didn’t find any of the hidden gems she was hoping for.
’Sure enough, finding a hidden treasure is just something that happens in novels.’
But Moira Lynch wasn’t discouraged. She bought some pots, bowls, and other kitchenware, then decided to buy a few pairs of shoes at a stall specializing in footwear.
There were several shoe stalls nearby, but she couldn’t be bothered to squeeze through the crowds, so she picked the one with the fewest people.
Besides, after a quick look, Moira Lynch noticed that among all the shoe stalls, this one had the best quality. The reason it was so empty was also simple: the prices were high, and the owner didn’t bargain.
No matter what customers said, even if they talked themselves hoarse, he wouldn’t lower the price by a single penny.
"Sir, how much are these shoes?"
The owner glanced at Moira Lynch and said, "Five hundred a pair. No bargaining."
Having already witnessed the owner’s stubbornness, Moira Lynch didn’t waste any time with him. She took out her money and bought all the pairs she had her eye on.
Watching her pull out the money, the owner was clearly taken aback.
After all, plenty of people had asked for the price, but every single one of them complained it was too expensive and then tried to haggle. This was the first time he’d seen someone pay so readily.
Moira Lynch picked out five pairs of dark-colored shoes. The last round of the game had made her keenly aware that white sneakers get dirty far too easily and become difficult to clean over time.
As he was bagging the shoes for Moira Lynch, the owner offered a kind reminder. "Young lady, you shouldn’t be so quick to pay for things in the future. It’s easy to get targeted by the wrong people."
Hearing this, Moira Lynch glanced at him. ’The only reason I’m like this is because you gave me absolutely no room to bargain.’
’I was just trying not to waste time. If I could have haggled, I wouldn’t have been so quick to hand over the money.’
Moira Lynch opened her wallet and said nonchalantly, "It’s no use targeting me. I’ve already spent all my money."
As she spoke, the number of furtive glances on her indeed lessened significantly.
As for the few that remained, Moira Lynch paid them no mind.
A few days ago, a criminal gang had been rounded up, and many of its members were even executed to deter other criminals lurking in the shadows.
Although the city was still somewhat chaotic, public order was relatively good—countless times better than in foreign countries.
The news showed that many players abroad with awakened talents had already established themselves as self-proclaimed kings.
As she was riding her electric scooter home, Moira Lynch saw a garbage truck cleaning up trash on the street.
She took a closer look and saw that there was no one inside the truck. Looking even more closely, she realized the garbage truck seemed awfully familiar.
’Isn’t that the interstellar machine I sold before? They actually fixed it and even modified it into a fully automated garbage truck!’
’What a bunch of geniuses.’
’It really was the right decision to sell that machine. After all, in my hands, it was just a pile of scrap metal.’
Back home, Moira Lynch plugged in her electric scooter to charge, then put all the things she bought today into her dimensional space.
A mosquito was buzzing near her ear. The mosquitoes nowadays were nasty; a single bite not only drew blood but also left an incredibly itchy welt. Moira Lynch had no intention of suffering through that.
Even with her spiritual power preventing the mosquito from biting her, the constant BUZZING in her ear was still annoying.
She took out a mint leaf, blended it with water to make a juice, and sprayed it around the room with a spray bottle. The effect was even better than insecticide.
Plus, the air smelled fragrant, and she didn’t have to worry about toxins.
Once the mosquito buzzing in her ear finally quieted down, Moira Lynch went to the sofa, sat down, and opened the game forum.
The hottest topics right now were the Water-cooling Stones and the deaths of several players.
The twenty-some players who had previously shown symptoms had all died. Their bodies were incinerated.
[Eldest Master Miller: I saw that lake too, but I thought the water smelled weird, so I didn’t go near it.]
[Hahaha: You’re so lucky, person above. You had a brush with death.]
[SpringBreeze: SoySauceDrunkard, are you there? Please reply if you see this. I’m willing to offer you a luxury, move-in ready flat in the Imperial Capital. I can guarantee you a lifestyle just like before the extreme heat.]
[EatingIsABlessing: Give it up. Lots of people are looking for SoySauceDrunkard right now. They probably won’t even bat an eye at the terms you’re offering. Don’t make a fool of yourself here.]
[WildRose: I heard someone refused to believe the warnings and insisted on carrying a Water-cooling Stone on their person. They ended up in the hospital with severe frostbite.]
[ILoveHotpot: When something like this happens, shouldn’t SoySauceDrunkard take some responsibility?]
[JustLaughing: Are you blind? The instructions clearly said not to carry it on your person. What does it have to do with SoySauceDrunkard when someone decides to court death on their own?]
Exiting the game forum, Moira Lynch checked her backend messages. Many people were trying to contact her, asking her to list more Water-cooling Stones. The most prominent among them was Redlight.
This guy was messaging her at a frequency of once every five minutes. As long as she didn’t reply, he kept sending them, each message followed by a pitiful-looking emoji.
[Redlight: How many Water Wood Stones do you have left? We want to buy them in bulk.]
[SoySauceDrunkard: Same as the Water-cooling Stones, no bargaining.]
[Redlight: No problem. But I’d like to ask, do the Water Wood Stones have a time limit like the Water-cooling Stones?]
[SoySauceDrunkard: They’re fine as long as they stay near vegetation. Once they’re away from it, they only last for half a month before turning into regular, non-restorable stones.]