Chapter 131: Transaction
Joo Joowon’s intention in obtaining another pet was entirely practical and utilitarian.
Naturally, he did not want to create unnecessary trouble for himself.
Combined with his complete lack of trust in the breed itself, he could not help doubting how much of the seller’s description was actually true.
Of course, he knew that purebred Huskies were not stupid.
Their obedience was simply low.
However, truly purebred Huskies were actually quite rare domestically.
The blue eyes and the three flame markings shown in the picture were exactly the stereotypical image of Huskies most people had in mind.
After thinking it over, Joo Joowon still decided against purchasing it immediately.
The zombie core in his possession was more than enough to directly create a Level 1 Mutated Dog.
Although there was still a chance of failure, he also possessed medicine that drastically reduced the probability.
In reality, he was not particularly desperate or urgently in need of another pet.
Compared to animals, plants remained his preferred option.
Plants were easier to manage, harder to move, and generally simpler in terms of thinking.
Besides, there was no guarantee that cats and dogs would get along from the very beginning.
If they ended up disliking each other, what was he supposed to do then?
Joo Joowon still had thirty full days before the mission deadline expired.
There was no shortage of time.
There was no need to rush.
Although Joo Joowon suspected that completing the mission beyond its requirements might result in additional rewards, rewards often came hand in hand with risks.
What if the system judged the current mission as being too easy and increased the difficulty of future missions as a result?
At the same time, the submission interface only provided four slots, so Joo Joowon wasn’t even certain whether hidden scoring truly existed in the first place.
In the end, whether it existed or not, he had already decided to simply let things happen naturally.
He had no intention of deliberately trying to increase any hidden score.
However, if he happened to encounter a suitable mutated beast with a relatively gentle temperament, he certainly wouldn’t mind raising it.
After all, he wasn’t lacking that little bit of food and supplies.
Considering that humans were social creatures by nature, even people who disliked forming deep relationships with others would occasionally appreciate a lively atmosphere.
In the end, Joo Joowon clicked the reservation option.
If he eventually managed to establish his territory and found it too quiet, perhaps having a small pet around would help liven the place up a little.
Beneath the product listing were four options: [ Purchase / Comment / Private Message / Reserve ]
Perhaps because the seller had already died, only the Purchase and Reserve buttons remained brightly colored.
The remaining two options had become completely gray.
Joo Joowon clicked Reserve.
A pop up window immediately appeared.
[ Apocalypse Finance reminds you: Short on cash flow? This item supports installment payments. After approval, you can immediately receive a credit limit. Interest is only 0.01% per day. ]
Joo Joowon: "..."
Although HighlyCultured had already informed him that installment payments existed within the game, he had never expected the feature to actively advertise itself the moment he clicked reserve.
The entire thing gave him an indescribably strange feeling.
It felt exactly like shopping apps before the apocalypse, where every checkout page aggressively pushed installment services and credit payment options as the default choice.
He clicked Skip, causing another notification window to appear.
This one, at least, seemed normal.
[ System Notification: After reserving this item, it will be locked. Please select a delivery time: Within 7 Days / Within 30 Days / No Time Limit ]
Choosing delivery within seven days incurred no storage fee.
Choosing thirty days required a system storage fee of five copper coins.
Selecting an unspecified delivery date required one copper coin every seventy two hours as storage fees, which would all be deducted on the day of delivery.
Joo Joowon carefully examined the details.
Since reservations could not be repeatedly stacked to exploit loopholes, he directly selected No Time Limit.
Although it was more expensive, with the amount of copper coins he currently possessed, he could afford to let the system hold onto the item for seven or eight years without any issue.
After exiting the page, Joo Joowon continued browsing the remaining listings, gradually forming a rough understanding of this so called Trading Platform Black Market system.
One purpose of it was clearly an effortless business operated by the game itself in order to recycle currency.
Since every item listed there belonged to dead players, all money spent on purchases ultimately flowed back into the system.
For players, the benefits extended beyond the advantages that HighlyCultured had already mentioned.
Another major advantage was the lower prices.
The game only accepted equipment with quality grades and the game’s own currency.
Therefore, if a trade included additional requirements such as food, materials, or other supplies, the system would automatically remove those requirements from the payment amount.
Instead, it would display a message: [ This item is too worthless. The system does not accept it. ]
Under those circumstances, anyone willing to patiently search through the "black market" sections of the equipment category and other areas had a fairly high chance of finding bargains.
Joo Joowon guessed that this situation only occurred when players had not chosen inheritance distribution options before their deaths.
Otherwise, this system would directly conflict with the inheritance mechanics.
Most players who listed items simply waited for the listings to expire automatically.
Very few people deliberately took their items down while the marketplace was closed.
After all, listing an item did not actually place it inside the marketplace.
The item remained in the player’s possession.
If they wanted to use it, they still could.
The only difference was that the listing would automatically disappear after the item had been used.
How many people had discovered this feature already?
Joo Joowon did not spend much time thinking about that question.
Neither did he immediately change direction and start searching through other categories looking for bargains.
Instead, whenever he found a pet that seemed acceptable enough, he simply clicked the reservation option.