Chapter 374 - 346: "Restaurant
"Th-then, should we still trade for it?" Zhang Meng hesitated.
"Trade? Of course we’ll trade. But she doesn’t get to set the price—we do." Qin Ziwen paced back and forth, then looked up. "Zhang Meng, when you go back, tell her the price is three Aquatic Marvels for one Heaven-Reaching Fruit. I don’t care about the grade of the Aquatic Marvels; even Level 1 Marvels will do.
If she insists on a lower price, that’s not out of the question, but she’ll have to trade information for it. You can ask her these questions..."
Qin Ziwen picked up his cup and took a sip of water. "Got it?"
Zhang Meng shook his head in shame. "I remember the last part, but I’ve already forgotten the first."
"It’s fine. I’ll just go over it a few more times." Qin Ziwen set down his cup.
After several more repetitions, Zhang Meng’s brow was tightly furrowed, but he indicated that he had memorized it.
"As long as you’ve got it."
In the forest, by the campfire, the Unicorn seemed to sense its master’s mood and stomped its hooves impatiently.
The Single Claw Dragon watched the Unicorn with a hint of fear.
This Unicorn looked a bit like Red Hare. Back at the Home, it had been bullied by Red Hare quite a bit.
"Is this your tamed Single Claw Dragon?" The woman bent down. The moment her scabbard was about to touch the Single Claw Dragon’s back, the little critter let out a yelp and scurried away.
She raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Acts more like a mouse."
Shi Hu glanced at the Single Claw Dragon cowering in the shadows of the campfire but said nothing.
He felt a prickle of annoyance, however.
’No matter what, it’s one of ours. We can’t just let some outsider mock it.’
Just then, the Teleportation Gate behind them rippled open like the surface of water.
Zhang Meng strode out purposefully.
The woman said, "Finished your discussion? What’s the verdict?"
Zhang Meng, who had been silently reciting his script, flinched at her words and blurted out instinctively, "A transaction is not the work of a single day. In the hopes that our two parties may cooperate for a long time, my master wishes to befriend you, but the price requires greater sincerity..."
"..." Shi Hu wanted to beat this oaf to death. ’What are you doing? Are you reciting scripture, for fuck’s sake?’
Xie Ya was also taken aback for a moment. Then, a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Meng with a smirk. "The lines your master taught you... you’ve got them mixed up, haven’t you?"
"Impossible!" Zhang Meng, sweating profusely in his panic, craned his neck and argued, "I recited it over a dozen times! I didn’t miss a single word!"
Shi Hu secretly studied Xie Ya’s expression. Seeing no anger in her eyes, but rather a bit of interest, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
’This oaf... he’s probably stumbled into the right approach by complete accident.’
Just as Shi Hu suspected, Xie Ya came from a mountain stronghold. Growing up, she was constantly surrounded by and influenced by crude warriors.
What she hated most was indirect scheming.
Zhang Meng’s nonsensical spiel, in contrast, made him seem sincere to her.
"Fine." She straightened up. "One Heaven-Reaching Fruit for two portions of Level 1 Aquatic Marvels. To be honest, I’m just reselling these to someone else. I have to account for some overhead in the middle. You can’t expect me to take a loss, can you?"
Zhang Meng thought that made sense, but he remembered his master’s instructions and stubbornly refused to give in.
After holding it in for a long moment, he suddenly slapped his thigh. "Right! The intel! My master said a lower price is fine, but we need to trade for information! We’re not going to run into each other on the same map anyway, so exchanging intel isn’t aiding the enemy!"
Hearing this, Xie Ya shot him a knowing, unsmiling glance, her eyes deepening. "That’s not necessarily true. This world beneath our feet is my stronghold’s second map. Since we were able to meet here, it means there’s a possibility of being matched to the same map. Right now, you’re only being matched with the same batch of Tuiyuan. Once you’ve experienced more worlds, that might not remain the case.
Besides, your master was wrong about one thing. Between Homes, information has always been crucial. Whether it’s intel on resources, maps, or Marvels, everything has its price."
She paused, her fingertips tracing the jade pendant at her waist. Her tone was casual as she said, "But, I’m in a good mood today. After the trade is complete, I can answer two of your questions for free. Remember, goods first, then questions. Don’t even think about getting a freebie."
Zhang Meng said in a low voice, "I need to inspect the goods first."
Xie Ya didn’t get angry. She reached into her clothes and pulled out a small, yellow-skinned pouch about three inches long. With a flick of her wrist, several large, perfectly round and plump pearls came rolling out, gleaming with a lustrous sheen under the moonlight.
She picked one up and tossed it to Zhang Meng.
"Take it back for your master to see." Xie Ya stood with her arms crossed, a smile playing on her lips. "See if it’s usable. If it is, we’ll trade for these."
Clutching the pearl, Zhang Meng returned to the Home. He went before his master and recounted the entire conversation truthfully.
Qin Ziwen took the pearl and examined it in his hand.
[Level 1 Marvel] Lychee Jade Pearl (Can be socketed into orchard-type buildings to improve the texture and flavor of fruit)
He sensed it for a moment and confirmed it was an Aquatic Marvel.
This thing... it was useful, in a way, but also of very limited use. Ordinarily, one would be enough; any more would be a waste.
But it was a Marvel nonetheless. As long as the Miracle Card recognized it, that was all that mattered. Qin Ziwen didn’t care about the rest.
Qin Ziwen said, "Alright. Take this bag with you. There are nine Heaven-Reaching Fruits inside.
We’ll trade at her rate: two Marvels for one fruit.
As for the two questions, for the first one, ask her exactly how many types of Cards there are.
"For the second question: there’s an inherent physical gap between us humans and monsters. Even as Extraordinary beings, our bodies aren’t a match for many large beasts. Ask her what methods can be used to close that gap."
...
"Here are the pearls, eighteen of them. You two count them." Xie Ya tossed over a small bag. Zhang Meng and Shi Hu huddled together, warily watching her and her people as they carefully counted the contents.
"You, go inside quickly and give these to the master," Shi Hu said in a low voice.
"Mm." Zhang Meng nodded, clutched the cloth bag containing the Heaven-Reaching Fruits, and turned, disappearing into the rippling Teleportation Gate behind him.
Shi Hu cupped his fists respectfully, his posture neither servile nor overbearing. "Now that you have received the fruits, I hope you will provide the answers to those two questions, so I may relay them to my master."
"First question," Xie Ya said, holding up one finger. "The types of Cards are as vast as the ocean; I wouldn’t dare claim to know them all. However..." Her tone shifted as she offered a key piece of information. "What I can tell you is that all Cards are divided into three tiers: Basic, Advanced, and Ultimate. Take Building Cards, for example. They correspond to Basic Buildings, Advanced Buildings, and Ultimate Buildings."
"The answer to your second question is actually related to the first. A tiger is born a tiger, and a monkey is born a monkey. It’s an innate difference carved into the bloodline that is nearly impossible to change. As far as I know, not even an Ultimate Building can do it.
"But a monkey can use tools. We can forge weapons and build things. The biggest difference between humans and beasts is that we can use our brains.
Of course, if you’re really talking about improving one’s fundamental constitution, there is one place I know of. It’s called ’the Restaurant.’ As long as you can get a ticket to it, you can go there. I’ve heard the meals inside can enhance one’s innate foundation, turning a monkey into an ape, or even a giant ape.
But it’ll be a bit difficult for you to get to the Restaurant. Tickets are priceless and nearly impossible to find. They say the Restaurant itself is a Miracle Building. Miracle Buildings are one of a kind; only one can exist across all the Tuiyuan at any given time. They’re even rarer than Ultimate Buildings, so you can forget about it."
...
...