Lan Yuzai's eyes were as innocent as a primary school student's:
"I want to get a gun to take up there; things are a bit unsettled where we are."
Get a gun?
The few men said:
"Carrying a gun on the Thirteenth Floor? You got a death wish? You can't carry guns above the Twenty-Eighth Floor either, don't you go messing with the rules, kid!"
"I heard a big piece of news from the Thirteenth Floor, Big Mouth Hua from the Black Fire Gang got taken out! That guy was pathetic, I heard he wanted to play with a female physician, then she stole his gun? Is that true or what?"
"The Black Fire Gang has been sending people upstairs these past few days; that female physician seems to have some background, someone's protecting her. What exactly is going on?"
Lan Yuzai scratched his head: "I don't know the specifics, but there sure is something like that going on. The Black Fire Gang has even offered a lot of conditions, asking us locals to find those two people involved."
"What's wrong with your neck?"
"Got hit," Lan Yuzai chuckled awkwardly, "Came to get a gun, gotta take it back!"
"You really are something else, go on in."
"Hey, thanks, Zhang bro, thanks, Zhang bro!"
Lan Yuzai turned his head and glared at Wang Jixuan: "What are you standing there for, call Zhang bro!"
"Zhang bro," Wang Jixuan called out calmly.
"My newly recruited little brother is still a bit uptight," Lan Yuzai said with a smile, "I'm taking him in to have a good time."
"Off you go."
The gang members waved them off impatiently. Lan Yuzai joined his hands in thanks, shaking them non-stop, and with a smile plastered on his face, he led Wang Jixuan onto the colorful, mucky ground.
'He didn't cry for help.'
Wang Jixuan stepped forward and, without effort, steadied Lan Yuzai's elbow, his brow furrowed as he looked down the street ahead.
All around were buildings two or three stories high, with members of Joyful City's gang visible moving back and forth on the rooftops.
These men occupied the areas with the best vantage points, controlling the light sources on this street.
The street teemed with shadows; each person appeared so busy.
Sparingly dressed, skinny men sat on their rickshaws, waiting for the next business to come in.
The young servers either stood by the street waiting for customers or wiped the display windows. The windows showcased a variety of goods, the most common being scantily dressed men and women striking provocative poses under bright disorienting lights, luring passersby.
Quite a few well-dressed figures were visible on the street, among them the light blue uniforms of the Central City Security Team.
The air also turned heavy with choking, sweet scents.
The two streets, one after another, seemed to be worlds apart.
For an instant, Wang Jixuan thought he saw a giant five-colored python coiled in an underground space more than thirty meters high, flicking its tongue, watching him with cold eyes as if ready to swallow him whole.
"Boss... Boss! It really hurts like hell!"
Lan Yuzai called out in a strained voice.
Wang Jixuan came back to his senses and realized he had unconsciously squeezed Lan Yuzai's elbow too tightly, so he loosened his grip.
Lan Yuzai's face reddened with pain.
"Don't look anymore, we can't afford this place," Lan Yuzai murmured with watery eyes, covering his elbow.
"Find a sundries shop," Wang Jixuan ordered.
"Over here... Don't worry, I am not running. Black Fire Gang's territory is on the 49th Floor; this here is the 46th Floor, Joyful City, and Silver Party turf. Silver Party doesn't get along with Black Fire Gang... I really want to learn from you, become awesome!"
...
Crafting talismans requires two basic items:
Talisman paper, talisman liquid.
If one is particular, even a talisman pen made from high-quality demon beast fur is needed... At this moment, Wang Jixuan couldn't be picky.
What's called a sundries shop is actually a variety of storefronts ranging from ten to a few dozen square meters.
Some shop owners are more diligent, organizing a neat array of various items. Most shop owners displayed a spirit of neglect; the merchandise was haphazardly piled on the shelves, presenting a sense of chaotic beauty.
Inside, there were all kinds of items, a mind-boggling array, but there weren't many brand-new products.
Wang Jixuan quickly became disappointed.
Talisman paper was usually made from spirit wood tree pulp, and next to the cave where Wang Jixuan spent years in seclusion, there were several ancient trees from which spiritual liquid could be extracted, rich with spiritual energy.
In these shops on the 46th floor, Wang Jixuan found only a small amount of blank paper.
These papers were all recycled, having been reused countless times, and it couldn't be said they had no spiritual energy, only that they were utterly useless.
As long as he could find suitable talisman paper, he could actually create some emergency talismans.
Because blood was the most common talisman liquid.
Exorcism talismans mostly used chicken crown blood, while Five Elements Talismans used the corresponding attribute of spiritual beast blood;
At worst, Wang Jixuan could directly bite his finger to draw talismans, since his blood had already been tainted with a trace of spiritual energy.
"Big brother, what kind of paper are you looking for?"
Lan Yuzai asked somewhat bewilderedly:
"Are you really not here to buy weapons? If you want bullets, you have to go to another street."
Wang Jixuan asked, "Why should I buy weapons?"
"To deal with those... those people!"
Lan Yuzai nervously glanced around:
"Big brother, what do you need paper for? To write something? Don't they have paper in Middle City? Some here even come from what we scrounged up in Middle City."
Wang Jixuan gave him a glance.
That was his requirement; Lan Yuzai couldn't stray two steps away from him, or else Wang Jixuan would immediately take action.
Wang Jixuan said, "Don't ask too many questions."
"All right," Lan Yuzai looked toward the street outside, which was under the protection of the Silver Party; it was the third most prosperous area on the 46th floor, and he, too, wished to roam around.
—If only the big boss would let him free.
Wang Jixuan suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked down at a messy shelf, carefully moving aside some bone fragments of unknown origin.
Had he sensed it wrong?
Why was there a clear presence of spiritual power in these black bone fragments?
What was this?
He searched carefully and soon on a shelf set with similar black bone pieces, he saw a faded label.
Low-level Blade Beast Outer Bone·Scavenged Item.
—None of the labels here had prices.
Blade Beast?
That's right! This world did have demon beasts! And humans were driven out of the surface by Blade Beasts, constructing fortresses to struggle for survival!
A brighter light appeared in Wang Jixuan's eyes, and he quickly searched the nearby shelves.
Soon, he made another discovery.
In a dusty large glass bottle filled with a light pink liquid, the label read [Deactivated Blade Beast Blood], with the purpose specifically written as [Collectible].
Most of the spiritual energy within had dissipated, but some still remained.
'If I soak ordinary paper in this liquid, it can endow the paper with spiritual power! If I were to start alchemy in the future, demon beast blood would be indispensable! Good stuff!'
Wang Jixuan's thoughts suddenly became incredibly active.
He turned his head to look at Lan Yuzai, who was absent-mindedly picking his nose.
"Do you... have the coins used here?"
Lan Yuzai nodded dumbly: "Yes, yes, this is one of the most bustling layers of Lower City, and I've saved some Joy Coins from the Universal Casino. We can also barter with the food we brought; it's a rule in Joyful City to prohibit robbery."
Although Wang Jixuan tried to maintain his composure, he still looked away somewhat embarrassingly.
"Lend me some... I'll make it up to you later..."