It wasn't long after dawn.
Chen Miao took Hungry Monkey and arrived at Seventh District of Fengtian City. This district mainly deals in materials and Occupation Inheritance Books as well as other Supernatural Props, most of which originated from secret realms or were produced by major events.
Supernatural professionals brought out materials they didn't need from secret realms, which they then sold to merchants. These merchants increased the prices slightly when reselling to others, earning a small profit.
A very simple business model.
By this time, the line of light above the city had already changed to—
"Time remaining until the next major event 'Coward's Special' begins—154 hours."
Less than seven days.
Today is November 15th, Friday. There are quite a few people in the district, many of whom got up early to visit the morning market, hoping to find a bargain.
Chen Miao didn't waste time wandering around; he went straight to a shop called 'Haina Supernatural Store' and passed a cigarette to the owner who was wiping the doors and windows, casually saying,
"'Fox-Tail Grass' Grade F material, 'Saltpeter' Grade F material, four sets of each."
He had long calculated the right timing.
Both sets of materials were available at this store, and the prices were fairly reasonable. The owner appeared to be a serious businessman who didn't discriminate among customers, offering the same price to everyone. Although this approach might not maximize profits, over time it builds a good reputation, especially in an industry that relies heavily on repeat customers from familiar faces.
"All right!"
The chubby owner, with a smile on his face, placed the cigarette Chen Miao handed him behind his ear, "Fox-Tail Grass, 4000 for one, Saltpeter, 2000 for one, a total of 12,000. But since you're my first customer of the day, it's your lucky doorbuster deal—I'll charge you 11,888."
"For good luck."
"Deal."
Chen Miao didn't bother to haggle, simply gesturing for Hungry Monkey to pay. He had already got the hang of the pricing over the past few days—12,000 was indeed the lowest, leaving little room for bargaining.
The transaction was completed.
He received a paper bag from the owner, reminiscent of one used for coffee, made of kraft paper and without any logo. It was plain, lacking even a handle.
Looking inside,
Two plants approximated three inches long, crimson in color, lay quietly. This was the Fox-Tail Grass. The surface of the reed was covered with a layer of crimson fluff, which made it resemble the tail of a fox.
Next to it lay two items similar to lumps of coal; these were the pieces of Saltpeter.
This prop was extremely simple to verify, and there was never any need to worry about buying fakes. Simply by touching its surface, a translucent panel would pop up.
For example—
'Prop Name': Fox-Tail Grass.
'Prop Level': Grade F.
'Prop Effect': Can be used for forging, promotion, etc.
"Let's go."
Chen Miao nodded contentedly with the paper bag in hand, ready to turn around and leave. He was eager to find a quiet place to craft his Grade F Occupational Weapon, the 'Python R6 Revolver', to gain some ability to defend himself.
"Hey, young man, wait a second."
Just then, the owner of the Supernatural Store stepped out of the doorway and stopped Chen Miao and his company, whispering mysteriously, "Is this young man a Supernatural Professional with the 'Gunman Profession'?"
"Oh?"
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Chen Miao did not deny it, but he subconsciously glanced up above his head, "Could it be that you see some kind of box that I can't see?"
"There's nothing like that, young man jests," the shopkeeper shook his head, explaining, "Although my shop has just opened, I've been in this line of work for quite a while now, and fox-tail grass with saltpeter is the essential material for crafting F-grade weapons for the Gunman Profession."
"In the past, the Gunman Profession was incredibly popular in Fengtian City, with a significant reputation throughout the entire federation, mainly because Fengtian City's city-state effect is well-suited for the Gunman, a Supernatural Occupation. However, as time went on, the Gunman Profession gradually declined, and those who could changed their professions and retrained."
"Fox-tail grass is still quite common, useful for many professions, but saltpeter is less so. This has led to the decline in the price of saltpeter. The combination of two portions of fox-tail grass and two portions of saltpeter is a formula I'm so familiar with—I've heard it countless times—so I guessed that you might belong to the Gunman Profession."
"Of course, don't worry, young man. I mean no harm. It just so happens that I've received a prop that only a Gunman can use. Would you like to take a look?"
Having said that.
The shopkeeper didn't hide anything, inviting Chen Miao and others into the shop, then partially rolling down the shutter before pulling out a prop from his chest and activating its panel in the air.
「Prop Name」: Gun Forest Bullet Rain.
「Prop Level」: E-grade.
「Prop Effect」: Each bullet has a 10% chance to automatically shoot an additional bullet, which does not consume magazine capacity or affect the firearm's firing rate.
「Prop Restriction」: Only usable by "Gunmen" and their advanced professions, and Player Level must be above lv.2.
「Prop Description」: "Sometimes, a single bullet can change the tide of battle."
"What do you think?"
The shopkeeper stared into Chen Miao's eyes with a hint of anticipation in his voice, "This is an E-grade prop, not something you find on every street corner. It came from a recent major event. But you can rest assured, props for the Gunman Profession are much cheaper than those for other professions. It won't be expensive."
"What's the price?"
"This much!"
With a serious look, the shopkeeper held up two fingers firmly, "20k credit points, fair and square, no deception. E-grade props for other professions start at least at 50k credit points, and you can ask around about that."
"20k?"
Chen Miao's eyebrow slightly furrowed as he calculated in his mind without speaking; he had 20k credit points in his pocket last night, but after purchasing those materials and last night's barbecue, there was only a little over 7000 left.
He definitely couldn't afford to buy it.
But the item was somewhat tempting.
After a moment of contemplation, he finally said, "I'll take it, but I'm a bit short on cash right now. Keep it for me, and I'll come back in a few days to get it from you."
"Okay."
The shopkeeper didn't rush the sale but instead repacked the prop, looking at Chen Miao in good spirits, "I'll hold it for you for seven days. You can come to me anytime during these seven days, and don't worry, I won't sell it to anyone else."
In fact, it would probably not sell at all.
How many people in Fengtian City would choose the Gunman Profession nowadays?
Very few. The remaining ones were Gunmen from before and retraining in a new profession now carries too high a cost. There's hardly any new blood, and an obvious newbie prop like this would probably lie in the warehouse for several months if it weren't for Chen Miao.
"By the way,"
Chen Miao didn't leave right away but walked to the door, lit a cigarette, and put it to his mouth, lighting one for the shopkeeper as well, before he casually broached the subject, "With Fengtian City's city-state effect being so suitable for the Gunman, a Supernatural Occupation, didn't you choose it back then?"
He hadn't seen any information about Fengtian City's city-state effect in the city library.
Hungry Monkey had never mentioned it either.
If it weren't for the shopkeeper bringing it up, he wouldn't have known about it.
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