Chapter 414: The Yin-Yang Emporium
Upon entering the Underworld, its streets were still bustling, though perhaps a little less lively than when they had visited last year.
Of course, this was merely relative; even outside of year-end, the Underworld was always quite vibrant, given the astonishing number of Ghost Officials who lived there, along with countless souls temporarily unable to reincarnate for various reasons.
However, at the end of the year, a massive influx of Underworld Officials from the mortal realm would pour into the Underworld, turning its bustling streets into a congested throng.
Passing by Yuan's Skinsuit Shop once more, Yang Haoran paused.
Since Xu Meijing had never custom-ordered a skin in the Underworld, she wasn't sure how much Underworld Currency it would cost. So, Yang Haoran decided to enter Yuan's Skinsuit Shop to inquire about the price.
Knowing the price would give him a clear idea, so when he exchanged Underworld Currency with Xu Meijing later, he would know if he had enough.
When faced with such a situation, it was always better to exchange too much Underworld Currency than too little, to avoid the hassle of a second exchange.
Arriving at Yuan's Skinsuit Shop again, Yang Haoran didn't see the same attendant from before. According to his guess, that attendant might have already been fired.
Of course, whether or not the attendant was there didn't affect Yang Haoran; after all, he wasn't there to catch up with old acquaintances.
Just as the two entered the shop, welcomed by the sweet voices of two receptionists, a female attendant approached them.
This female attendant was just as beautiful as the previous one—or rather, the skin she wore was beautiful. But compared to the attendant Yang Haoran had encountered last time, this one was far sharper and possessed incredibly keen insight.
Yang Haoran glanced at the female attendant and asked with a smile, “How did you know I was an Underworld Official and not a Ghost Official? ”
While Ghost Officials were indeed a type of Underworld Official under the Underworld Office, and calling a Ghost Official an Underworld Official wasn't technically wrong, Ghost Officials lacked physical bodies. Therefore, in common parlance, "Underworld Official" typically referred to Emissaries of Death from the mortal realm who possessed physical bodies, whereas Underworld Officials in the Underworld without physical bodies were customarily referred to as Ghost Officials by those in the know, to distinguish between the two.
The fact that this female attendant could instantly tell Yang Haoran was an Underworld Official from the mortal realm, and not a Ghost Official from the Underworld, surprised him with her keen observation.
“I could tell that both Esteemed Sirs possess bodies of flesh and blood, and are not merely wearing skins, which is how I determined that you are Underworld Officials from the mortal realm, rather than our Ghost Officials from the Underworld,” the female attendant explained with a smile.
“Heh heh, keen eyes indeed,” Yang Haoran responded, chuckling.
In truth, discerning this was not difficult. No matter how well crafted, a skin remained merely a skin, not a true physical body. Even if it was made to be incredibly lifelike, one could still perceive the subtle differences.
Especially for a professional like the female attendant, who dealt with various skins all day long, recognizing this difference would be no challenge at all.
From this alone, it was evident that the female attendant before him was far more professional than the one Yang Haoran had encountered last year.
“You’re here for business, not to flirt. Hurry it up,” Xu Meijing said, frowning slightly in displeasure.
Yang Haoran let out an awkward laugh, then, not daring to delay or utter another superfluous word, he hastily asked the female attendant, “How much does it cost to custom-order a skin here? ”
“To answer your question, Esteemed Sir, a custom-ordered skin costs ten thousand,” the female attendant replied, then kindly added a reminder, “However, that is in Underworld Currency, not your mortal realm's New Beginning Coins. ”
Yang Haoran’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was quite surprised. The last time he bought a skin for Xiujuan, it only cost one thousand Underworld Currency. He hadn't expected a custom-made skin to be ten times more expensive.
Seeing Yang Haoran fall silent, the female attendant seemed to guess his thoughts and quickly explained, “Custom-ordered skins are more intricate. They must be specially crafted and refined to match the target’s appearance, stature, and body type, which takes significantly more time. That’s why their price is much higher than our mass-produced skins. ”
Yang Haoran nodded in understanding, then continued to ask with a smile, “If I were to custom-order four skins, would there be any discount on the price? ”
The female attendant responded with a smile, “Of course there would be a discount. If Esteemed Sir custom-orders four skins from us, I will provide a satisfactory discount within my capabilities. ”
After a pause, the female attendant continued, “Esteemed Sir, we not only accept Underworld Currency for payment but also Pure Yin Qi. You may choose your preferred payment method based on your inclination. ”
The attendant offered this information to Yang Haoran because she considered that he was an Underworld Official from the mortal realm, not a Ghost Official from the Underworld, and thus might not carry much Underworld Currency, so she kindly reminded him.
However, she wasn’t so foolish as to directly ask if Yang Haoran had Underworld Currency. Instead, she offered the reminder subtly and tactfully, careful not to cause him to lose face.
Yang Haoran nodded, indicating his understanding.
He did not press the female attendant further about whether other items could be used for payment or exchanged for Underworld Currency. From her words, it seemed that besides Underworld Currency, Yuan's Skinsuit Shop only accepted Pure Yin Qi as payment.
Of course, this was merely his speculation. Perhaps the attendant hadn't fully clarified, but given her shrewdness, the likelihood of an oversight was low. The greater probability was that they simply didn't support other payment methods.
There was also another reason: Xu Meijing had already stated she would take him to exchange for Underworld Currency. If Yang Haoran were to press the female attendant here about exchanging other items for Underworld Currency, or using other items as payment in lieu of it, he feared it would displease Xu Meijing. Such a foolish thing, he would naturally not do.
Though it was merely a detail, oftentimes, a single detail could determine success or failure.
“Alright, I’ll be back shortly. I have a few matters to attend to first,” Yang Haoran stated.
The female attendant knew that Yang Haoran was likely going to find a place to exchange for Underworld Currency, but she didn’t pry. Instead, she saw the two off with a respectful demeanor and a wide smile.
“May you both proceed safely, Esteemed Sirs. ”
Under the attendant’s respectful words, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing departed Yuan's Skinsuit Shop.
Stepping out of Yuan's Skinsuit Shop, Yang Haoran wore a wry, slightly helpless smile. He still hadn't decided what to use to exchange for Underworld Currency.
To be honest, Yang Haoran did possess some collectibles, though not a vast quantity, and he was reluctant to part with any of them.
Since they were collectibles, it was natural that he wouldn't easily exchange them with others. How could something be called a collectible if it could be easily traded away?
Among Yang Haoran's collection, many items, while currently useless to him, might prove useful in the future.
As for the kind of valuable treasures Xu Meijing mentioned—things he had no interest in himself—Yang Haoran racked his brain for a long time but couldn't think of a single suitable item.
Yang Haoran, who hadn't worried about money in a long time, now found himself plagued by monetary concerns once again. What he found both helpless and amusing was that he wasn't just worrying about money; he, a living person, was worrying about the currency of the dead.
“Forty thousand Underworld Currency. . . that’s no small sum. This feeling of worrying about money, it’s truly been a long time since I experienced it,” Yang Haoran murmured with a wry shake of his head, a look of lamentation on his face.
“What are you panicking about? Don’t I exist? Can you not be so pathetic? Don’t you dare embarrass me! ”
Xu Meijing rolled her eyes at Yang Haoran, then threw out a rapid-fire barrage of four questions, which silenced any further lament from Yang Haoran.
Following Xu Meijing, they walked through several streets, passing an unknown number of shops, until they finally stopped before a sundry shop. Its name was the Yin-Yang Emporium.
Yang Haoran had also once run a sundry shop for several years, so upon seeing that this establishment was a sundry shop, he felt a certain sense of familiarity.
However, his former sundry shop only sold ordinary sundries from the mortal realm, catering solely to the living.
This sundry shop before him, however, catered not only to the living, but primarily to the dead.
“This Yin-Yang Emporium is quite good. It has a wide variety of goods, and the prices are fair,” Xu Meijing explained from beside him. “The reason it’s called the Yin-Yang Emporium is because it sells items from both the Underworld and treasures from the mortal realm, and it also buys them. ”
Comments