Eldritch Horror Theatre

In any case, it wasn't the time to act rashly.

After Ji Yicheng left, Fu Qian quickly decided on a strategy.

Although he had drawn the attention of various factions, he had managed to avoid exposing himself too quickly. Now, he had the chance to quietly observe the changes.

At the same time, his delicate status meant that valuable information would naturally come to him.

All things considered, it wouldn't be a bad idea to experience the local customs on his first visit here.

He wondered if a place this deeply steeped in martial culture would have an auction house—the legendary strategic battleground for all factions. If so, he could exchange for a few High-Grade Mercury Bullets.

...

As it turned out, such a place actually existed!

Fu Qian followed the winding roads and soon found what he was looking for.

As he drew closer to the massive structure belonging to the Siren Group, that familiar feeling of being watched returned. The negligent tail from before had finally caught up.

Fu Qian ignored it and shifted his gaze to a building beside the main tower.

The Trident Emblem on its facade proved that it also belonged to the Siren Group.

Compared to the main tower, however, its design was much more low-key.

What caught his eye was the sheer crowd. At a glance, it had the highest density of people he had seen so far, aside from the bars.

"Is there anything you'd like to see?"

He had barely spent five seconds looking around after stepping inside before a sweet and pleasant staff member approached him.

"Just browsing."

Fu Qian delivered the classic line of an uncommitted customer.

"If this is your first time here, I can give you a brief introduction."

The staff member was clearly well-trained, her smile unwavering.

"Are you looking for weapons, tools, or consumables?"

"The goods are divided into several main categories. We have a compiled catalog over there."

"If you don't find what you need, you can make a specific request, and our specialists will match it for you."

They're this accommodating?

Fu Qian evaluated the staff member. Though healthy and energetic, she was unequivocally an ordinary human.

The Siren Group truly lived up to its reputation, daring to place someone completely defenseless in such a savage land.

He wondered how many times her normal salary she was making.

Then again, it was a subtle display of power. Placing a fragile, ordinary human right here was a way of daring anyone to cause trouble.

Replacing her with a burly transcendent would actually undermine the confidence of a top-tier conglomerate.

"You can take a look at this."

Seeing that Fu Qian was paying attention, the staff member seized the moment to retrieve a booklet, opening it to the catalog for him to browse.

Fu Qian scanned it quickly. Just as she had said, the available selection was incredibly rich.

It included, but was not limited to, various weapons, prepared specialty potions, and highly specialized arrows and ammunition.

"Are these all strictly exchanged via points?"

Fu Qian asked with slight curiosity, casually flipping to a new page.

"It essentially operates on barter."

The staff member patiently explained.

"You can trade in various materials from your hunts, converting them into points based on their quality, and then use those points to exchange for goods."

What an inexplicable sense of déjà vu!

Fu Qian shook his head.

The staff member was clearly adept at reading people.

"If you don't have any materials right now, we also accept certain goods for recycling."

"Weapons and tools you no longer need can also be exchanged for points."

"Of course, their specific value will need to be appraised by our specialists."

"Is that right? Then how much can I get for this?"

Fu Qian immediately pulled out his gun.

"While I'm no specialist, this weapon appears to be of quite high quality."

The staff member's eyes instantly lit up.

"I personally estimate it could fetch at least three digits."

Three digits?

Fu Qian thumbed through the booklet and found the same type of bullets he had used before. They cost five points per round.

So a high-quality handgun is only worth twenty bullets?

He flipped further toward the front and discovered that even the cheapest firearms were priced in the four digits.

"What a scam!"

The depreciation was worse than reselling diamonds.

Fu Qian couldn't help but sigh.

"All our prices are clearly marked!"

Hearing his complaint, the staff member merely covered her mouth and chuckled.

"If you look around, you'll see that our customers are quite satisfied."

"True enough."

Fu Qian had already noticed. Ever since he walked through the door, there had been an endless stream of transcendents bringing in all sorts of goods and materials for exchange.

He actually understood why. Even though the Siren Group's pricing was harsh, they had an advantage that bordered on a dimensional strike—efficiency.

Before this place existed, the transcendents of the Wasteland likely relied on direct bartering as well.

But in primitive, small-scale trading, setting aside the issue of trust, the efficiency of finding a match was predictably dismal.

Many people probably held onto materials they had risked their lives to obtain, clutching them until they rotted, without ever finding the gear they truly wanted.

A massive conglomerate like this, relying on its vast stockpiles, could provide almost anything a transcendent needed.

While the transcendents suffered a layer of exploitation, their efficiency increased by several to dozens of times.

To put it simply: a person could grab a few dozen bullets from here, march out, and blast a few transcendent creatures to pieces.

Then they could harvest the materials from the corpses and exchange them for even more bullets.

They might take a slight loss on the margins, but after a few rounds, it would all pay off.

Over time, they could save up enough materials to upgrade their gear, swapping out their pea shooters for cannons to boost their efficiency even further.

And if they ran into competitors trying to steal their business, they could just blow their heads off.

Under these circumstances, few would have the patience to sit around leisurely searching for a buyer.

What an absolute rat-race accelerator!

Fu Qian marveled at the thought, suddenly reminded of one of those classic "come slash me if you're my brother" online games.

At the same time, he completely understood why the Ji Clan had their sights set on the Siren Group.

After all, who wouldn't want to be a capitalist in the transcendent world!

Cough, cough!

He cleared his throat the next second.

"Regardless, your recycling prices are a bit too outrageous. I'll have to consider seeking out the Ji Clan."

"You must be joking, sir."

"While they are doing something similar, I can assure you that the rates the Ji Clan offers will be no different from ours."

The staff member seemed entirely accustomed to this line of questioning and replied with calm composure.

They have that kind of tacit agreement?

Fu Qian didn't exactly doubt her claim.

It seemed that as two mature organizations, they fully understood that the essence of competition wasn't offering high quality at low prices, but doing everything possible to blow the opponent's head off.

Especially in a place like this, the likelihood of a price war was definitely much lower than that of a physical brawl.

"Take your time browsing. Let me know whenever you'd like to learn more."

Realizing that Fu Qian truly didn't have his eye on anything in particular, the staff member didn't bother him further. She left the booklet with him and stepped back.

Fu Qian casually flipped through a few more pages, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone observing him from a distance.

They don't look very friendly, either!

Frowning slightly, Fu Qian pondered the reason and realized that pulling out his gun a moment ago might have caused the trouble.

Not bad, not bad. Since there's an auction house, murder and robbery are naturally par for the course.

Amid his musings, Fu Qian simply snapped the booklet shut, stood up, and walked out the door.

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