by Tai Baiyang
Although at the beginning of the new era, he didn't need to worry about the possibility of losses, but compared to the Yellow River Carp whose selling price was only slightly higher than its purchasing price by only around 20% more, the Luoyang Peony Bud's selling price was twice its purchasing price.
So this time, he bought No. 37's Luoyang Peony Buds without hesitation. If the following four sub-merchants knew what he did and the profits of Luoyang Peony Buds, they would definitely curse at him in anger.
Although No. 37 wondered why Zhang Mu was so decisive, after all, he didn't tell Zhang Mu that he wouldn't lose in the first trade, he didn't ask anything. He was always conscientious in trading.
"Ok, your gold leaves have been deducted automatically. You can find the eight bunches of Luoyang Peony Buds in your Merchant's Ring. You can view them by concentrating your mind on the ring. However, you can't take the local goods out unless you are in an era merchant's shop. As for other goods... including the era goods, you can take out of them or store them two times per day. This is your welfare as a sub-merchant."
Zhang Yang cocked his head, trying to check inside the ring. As expected, his mind was immediately immersed in the ring. The space inside it was several times bigger than his original one.
In the central area of the ring, there were eight elegant Luoyang Peony Buds inside a golden cage, but Zhang Mu knew that they were not real buds. They were just the coagula of Luoyang City's Spirit Qi.
"Well, you should understand your task. As for the era goods... you should not be able to exchange for them now, so you don't need to think about them. I will keep my era shop open until I have five sub-merchants. Afterwards, every sub-merchant can only visit my shop once per month. You can try to collect as much crystals as you can during this period of time, then come to trade with me."
Zhang Mu quietly listened to No. 37's words. After a while, Zhang Mu cleared his throat, staring at No. 37 and asked, "Do you mean... If I have crystals, I can buy your era general goods now?"
Chapter 11: The First Reinforcement
After No. 37 heard Zhang Mu's words, he looked at Zhang Mu seriously and asked him with uncertainty, "How do you know of the existence of crystals?"
Of course, Zhang Mu wouldn't tell him the truth.
He just nodded and answered, "I was chased by several zombies. Fortunately, I was carrying a sword at that time, which I just bought for my collection, so I used it to kill them all. Accidentally, I cut off one of the zombie's neck and found this thing you call ‘crystal’ in its nape. I kept an eye on the crystals because I found similar pentagonal crystals in all of the zombies' necks. I thought that maybe I could use them in some way so I took off all of them and put them in my backpack."
A faint surprise surface on No. 37's face, but his expression immediately returned to normal.
He shook his head and laughed, "An accidental discovery? Your luck and courage are far beyond my imagination. The low prices on the first day of the new era plus the discount you get... Thinking that I have to give you such a low price, my heart hurts! However, the rules are the rules. You deserve it. Well, you can look at the list of goods and choose some now."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
No. 37 put his hands together, then the little stars between himself and Zhang Mu began to rearrange themselves and emit dazzling rays that rapidly scanned Zhang Mu's body.
Once these strange rays stopped moving, Zhang Mu saw the familiar list of goods again.
The familiar sound of system lightly, but clearly appeared in Zhang Mu's ears.
"Drip! Drop! Drop!"
"Verifying the merchant's authority: Trainee Sub-merchant No. 1."
"Trade Date: The first day of Paradise Era."
"Discount: All the goods bought today will be 50% off."
"The prices of the goods have been automatically generated."
The series of voices echoed in Zhang Mu's ears like the most beautiful music in the world. He quickly glanced over the list carefully.
None of the goods nor the introduction had changed, but their lowered prices made Zhang Mu’s heart pound with joy.
"Five thousand grams of dry food and a kilogram of water. 1 crystal for a hundred units. Ten thousand units are exchangeable."
"First-rank agility potion: It can increase 20% of an adult user's speed and flexibility. The exchange limit is 10 units at a time. One crystal for one unit. Ten units are exchangeable."
"First-rank strength potion: It can increase 20% of an adult user's strength and explosive power. The exchange limit is 10 units at a time. One crystal for one unit. Ten units are exchangeable."
"First-rank steel weapon: The merchant can choose the type. The exchange limit is 10 units at a time. One crystal for ten units. Ten units are exchangeable."
In Zhang Mu's past life, when he saw this list, the prices were ten times higher than now. For example. Zhang Mu had saved fifty first-ranked crystal at that time, but could only buy five units of agile potions. Now, there was only one voice in Zhang Mu's heart.
He wanted them all!
However, he knew that he hadn't seen the most important thing yet. If he could buy it with the current discount... he would buy it at any cost! If he could buy it, he wouldn't waste his crystals to buy foods and weapons, because he knew he could find them somewhere else with a little effort.
His eyes scanned through the list of good. As he thought, that "thing" was still there!
Seeing the object’s simple description on the list, Zhang Mu’s breath began to accelerate. As if it was a Pandora's box, it deeply attracted his eyes with irresistible temptation.
"Second-rank evolution potion. It can help a first-ranked human increase his probability to evolve to the second rank. Eighty first-ranked crystals for a unit. One unit is exchangeable."
In Zhang Mu's past life, he was scared by its price: 800 first-ranked crystals for a unit. At that time, he thought that the era merchant must be insane, because only that could explain that why it had such a high price.
However, several months later, after knowing that an ordinary person had evolved to the second rank and swept away all the forces in his city, all the sub-merchants, including Zhang Mu, immediately realized the value of evolution potions. However, their price had increased immeasurably by that time.
No. 37 noticed Zhang Mu's expression. He thought that Zhang Mu was scared by the price, so he explained, "Don't think that it's too expensive. Its actual value is far beyond your imagination. You..."
Zhang Mu's eyes suddenly brightened up. Under No. 37's surprised gaze, he drew out a bag from his backpack, poured out all the crystals he had collected and said, "I want it! Just take my crystals!"
After a few seconds, No. 37 finally realized what just happened. He couldn't keep his noble temperament and asked Zhang Mi with surprised, "Ten second-rank crystals? The debugging period had just started and you have killed ten second-rank zombies within the first few hours?"
"Yes, there are many monsters around my house, so I solved them together," Zhang Mu said with an innocent look.
"Since the evolving potion is the most expensive good, it must be unusual. Well, after purchasing it, No. 37, I will use the remaining crystals to buy 10 units of agility potions. It will be very exciting to be two times faster than anyone. Here are the ten second-ranked crystals. Please count them."
Zhang Mu said with a straight face and handed over the crystals to No. 37. He really wanted to have these goods as soon as possible.
No. 37 smiled as if he was deeply impressed by Zhang Mu's luck. He waved his sleeve, drawing a graceful arc in the air, then Zhang Mu's crystals disappeared instantly.
At the same time, the sizes of the two stars in front of Zhang Mu were reduced again. They turned into two lights and flew into Zhang Mu's ring.
"Check your ring. If there's nothing wrong, I'm going to send you out."
No. 37 said with a reluctant look. It seemed that he really didn't want to see Zhang Mu again, after saying that, he
turned around and didn't look at him.
Seeing this, Zhang Mu hurriedly concentrated his mind on the ring's surface, visualizing its inner space. As he imagined, he saw that ten small glass tube filled with light red liquid and a big glass tube of blue liquid had been put in a corner of the ring, just beside the local goods Zhang Mu had just bought.
Zhang Mu ordered the ring to take out the big glass tube and it instantly appeared in his right hand. His whole body trembled with excitement.
Finally, he got his hands on this thing! However, the second-rank evolution potion could only display its full effect when the user had reached the limit of the first rank. Zhang Mu was still an ordinary person that hadn't even reached the first rank, so he couldn't drink it now.
He carefully put the second-rank evolution potion back to the ring, then took out the ten first-rank agility potion, asking No. 37, "Can I use them first then go out here? Let me try the effect, otherwise, it won’t be easy for me to run away. Your shop has been surrounded by zombies."
"Well, in fact, it's not allowed, but... it's your first trade... Ok, you can drink them here."
No. 37 turned back and motioned Zhang Mu to be quick. After seeing this, Zhang Mu immediately unscrewed the caps and poured the liquids into his mouth. Each tube of liquid was about 50 ml. Zhang Mu drank them all at once.
One second later, Zhang Mu clearly felt that a warm stream was continuously melting in his stomach. The hot feeling gradually spread to all his limbs and bones. Five seconds later, A familiar, long-lost feeling of relaxation was released all over his body.
They deserved to be called "agility potions"! Zhang Mu's speed was two times faster than ordinary adults now!
Zhang Mu was too excited and only wanted to test his current physical quality as soon as possible, but No. 37 suddenly opened his mouth. His words were as cold as a basin of cold water in the winter.
"Number 001, remember your trainee sub-merchant's task. You have to strive to earn ten gold leaves within half a year. If not, your gold leaves will be taken back and there will not be any reward for you. I promise you wouldn’t want to know how many crystals you will have to pay to compensate the gold leaves you can't earn at that time. Oh, and if your crystals aren't enough to compensate your lose, your Merchant's Ring will automatically drain your life. So, don't try to escape. Also, after failing three times, your identity as a sub-merchant will be automatically lost... Of course, on the premise that you're still alive at that time. Remember, no one can owe the Era Trade Caravan even a single piece of crystal!"
After No. 37 finished, the space disappeared together with him. Dazzling lights suddenly appeared and forced Zhang Mu to close his eyes. After that, a moderate power firmly pushed Zhang Mu's whole body away.
After Zhang Mu opened his eyes, he found that he was standing about five meters away from the white light column.
Zhang Mu shook his head and smiled, trying to check his ring again, but he suddenly felt that he just forgot something.
Owooooah! Owooooah! Owooooah!
Hearing the familiar voices, Zhang Mu finally remembered what he just forgot. The zombies were still around the era shop!
Chapter 12: A Pure Girl
Zhang Mu looked around. As he thought, he had been surrounded by over 200 zombies. The closest one was only about thirty meters away.
If there was nothing out of the norm, these zombies should’ve already pounced on him to tear him to pieces without any hesitation. However, they only stared at Zhang Mu viciously, but none of them took a step forward. Zhang Mu thought that it was because the white light column behind him was gradually stabilizing. Being bound by the rules, they couldn’t cross the border.
Over 200 zombies with strength about three times stronger than common first-ranked zombie... Even though Zhang Mu had strengthened himself by using the potions, he didn’t dare to look down on them. He rapidly analyzed the best escape route in his mind.
Sigh. If he could hide in the Era shop till the end of the debugging period, that would be great.
But Zhang Mu immediately gave up this idea. The Era Trade Caravan didn’t need waste, whether it was of time or of resources. You must show your own potential of evolution or business ability to them so that you wouldn’t be eliminated by their rules.
Zhang Mu had a feeling in his heart that No. 37 was related to this. Perhaps he had made No. 37 lose too much profit, so No. 37 decided to let these zombies teach him a lesson.
Well, I did take away your most expensive goods, but why are you being so stingy? Zhang Mu remembered that in his previous life, No. 37 normally would clean up the nearby area, creating a security zone for him after each trade.
Zhang Mu scolded No. 37 in his heart, but now, he did not have a second choice.
Suddenly, the white light column behind Zhang Mu narrowed the range and reduced the pressure it put on the zombie. With that, the zombie immediately came closer. Zhang Mu could clearly see several zombies’ bloody faces and their dark yellow sharp teeth.
Oh, shit. It was really No. 37’s trick! Zhang Mu shouted all the filthy words he could remember in his heart.
Are you trying to kill me?!
Staring at the swarm of zombies, Zhang Mu looked back from time to time. The white column behind him flashed again. Taking this chance, Zhang Mu drew out the tailored Tang sword from his back and tightly held it in one of his hands. The cold sword handle made his impetuous heart quickly calm down. His eyes glanced around quickly.
Got it!
Zhang Mu had an idea. He moved while holding the sword aslant, the tip was close to the ground, but did not touch it. He ran with a normal speed towards the southwest, where it looked easy to break through the zombies’ encirclement.
Although the zombies didn’t dare to step forward due to the white column, since the delicious food was walking to them by himself, they naturally wouldn’t waste this opportunity. They opened their bloody mouths wide and waited for Zhang Mu to fall into their snare.
At the same time, the zombies at other places also saw this. They didn’t want their food to run away, so they all flocked to this direction.
Zhang Mu was getting closer and closer to the barrier of bodies.
Under three seconds, the distance between Zhang Mu and the zombie was already less than ten meters. If the other zombies also reached here and surrounded him, his escape plan would totally fail.
I hope this idea is successful.
Zhang Mu whispered in his heart.
Fortunately, the situation went exactly according to Zhang’s guess.
In zombies’ atrophic brains, they didn’t understand what “same kind” was. In their eyes, there were only two things in the world: food and obstacle. Other zombies were obvious obstacles in their eyes. The zombies in the southwest didn’t move. They were waiting for Zhang Mu to come into their mouths by himself. However, others of their kind just wouldn’t let it become true. They pushed away the zombies in the southwest. Some were even pushed to the ground and crushed by others.
The zombies in the southwest were lesser in number, but they naturally refused to be robbed of their food. They immediately stood up and shoved away all the other zombies they could see. Everything became a mess. In addition, the zombies also feared getting closer to the white column and this finally allowed a great opportunity for Zhang Mu to appear.
Zhang Mu suddenly sped up. He increased his speed by four times instantly, then ran towards the side of the encirclement.
The zombies were provoked by his actions. They formed a mighty torrent and flowed to Zhang Mu. Some zombies had been crushed by the flow even before they had realized what happened.
Zhang Mu ran at full speed along the circle of zombies, chopping down one zombie’s head after another. However, even though there were no zombies that could stop him, his speed was still slowed down due to that. The zombies were going to surround him again.
Two seconds later, Zhang Mu finally ran to the weakest point of the siege. There were only two l
ayers of zombies in front of him now. He brandished his sword, chopping down one of the monster’s head, then stomped and jumped on the headless body, kicking backward with his full strength. With the force he gained from the push, he leapt through the last circle of zombies and easily escaped from the circle.
The zombies immediately turned around and pounced at Zhang Mu. Naturally, he wouldn’t get caught by them. He increased his speed several times again. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
“Huff... huff...”
Zhang Mu couldn’t run at his full speed for too long. He found a direction that looked free of potential pursuers and kept running. Only when Zhang Mu had rushed into an alley did he finally stop. His face was red due to the strenuous activity. He gasped for air for a while, then gradually adjusted his breathing.
Zhang Mu walked through the alley and didn’t see any zombie. It seemed that this was really a remote place.
Right now, Zhang Mu was standing in front of an old, dilapidated bungalow. It should be a warehouse. The doors had been opened and looked like it had been searched by wandering zombies before. Zhang Mu hesitated for a while, considering whether or not he should go in and take a rest.
Zhang Mu looked around and sighed. There seemed to be no better choice than this warehouse. He held his sword in front of his chest, then pushed the broken wooden door open, stepping into the warehouse.
Once he walked into the house, the lights from the street were completely drowned by the darkness. In the gloom, Zhang Mu carefully tried to identify any sound that may be around.
Suddenly, with his approach, he heard a faint breathing sound.
Zhang Mu’s footsteps were steady. He walked forward step by step, listening to the breathing that gradually becoming hard.
It was a human!
Zhang Mu immediately stopped. He drew out a lighter from his backpack and lighted a white candle, observing his surroundings with the candle’s leaping flames.