Chapter 346: "The Restaurant" (5/5) |
Chapter 346: "The Restaurant" (5/5)
"Then... then should we still go and trade it?" Zhang Meng hesitated.
"Trade, of course we trade. But the price can't be set by her; we set it." Qin Ziwen paced back and forth, then looked up. "Zhang Meng, when you go there later, you say three Aquatic Rare Treasures in exchange for one Sky-Touching Fruit. I don't require a specific grade for the Aquatic Rare Treasures; even a Level 1 Curio is fine. If she insists on lowering the price, that's not impossible, but make her pay for it with information. You can ask these questions..."
Qin Ziwen picked up a water cup and took a sip. "Did you remember that?"
Zhang Meng shook his head in shame. "I remembered the later part, but forgot the earlier part."
"No problem, I'll repeat it a few more times." Qin Ziwen put down the cup.
After repeating it several times, Zhang Meng's brows were tightly knit, and he indicated he had remembered.
"Good that you remember."
By the bonfire in the forest, seemingly sensing its owner's mood, the Unicorn Horse impatiently stamped its hooves on the spot.
"Is this a Mononykus you tamed?" The woman bent down. Just as the scabbard in her hand was about to touch the Mononykus's back, the little beast chirped and kicked out.
She raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. "More like a mouse."
Shi Hu glanced at the Mononykus shrinking in the shadows of the bonfire and said nothing. But he felt a bit displeased inside. Regardless, it was something they raised themselves; how could an outsider mock it?
Just as they were speaking, ripples like water patterns spread from the portal behind them.
Zhang Meng strode out with large steps.
The woman said, "Negotiated? What's the deal?"
Zhang Meng, who had been silently reciting his prepared speech in his heart, shuddered upon hearing this and subconsciously opened his mouth: "A transaction is not the work of a single day. Hoping for a long-term cooperation between our two parties, my Master wishes to make friends with you, but the price needs to show more sincerity..."
"." Shi Hu wanted to beat this idiot to death. What are you doing? Are you reciting scriptures, for heaven's sake?
Xie Ya was also taken aback for a moment, then a trace of amusement flickered in her eyes as she looked at Zhang Meng with a half-smile. "The lines your Master taught you... you probably recited them wrong, didn't you?"
"Impossible!" Zhang Meng was so anxious he broke into a sweat, stubbornly defending himself with his neck stiff. "I recited it over a dozen times, not a single word was missed!"
Shi Hu secretly observed Xie Ya's expression. Seeing no anger between her brows, but instead a hint of interest, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. This idiot probably stumbled onto the right path by accident.
Just as Shi Hu expected, Xie Ya came from a mountain stronghold. Since childhood, she had been immersed in that environment, surrounded by rough and straightforward warriors. What she hated most was roundabout scheming.
Zhang Meng's disjointed, nonsensical speech actually made her feel he was being genuine.
"Alright then." She straightened up. "One Sky-Touching Fruit in exchange for two Level 1 Aquatic Rare Treasures. To be honest, I'm also just reselling these things. There's always some loss in the middle. You can't expect me to do business at a loss, right?"
Zhang Meng felt this reasoning made sense in his heart, but he also remembered his Master's instructions and stubbornly refused to give in, his neck still stiff. After holding back for a long time, he suddenly slapped his thigh. "Right! And information! My Master said, a cheaper price is possible, but it needs to be paid for with information. We won't end up in the same map anyway, so exchanging information doesn't count as aiding the enemy!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Ya gave him a meaningful, half-smiling glance, her eyes deepening a few degrees. "That's not necessarily true. The second map for our stronghold is this very world beneath our feet. Since we could meet, there's a possibility of being matched to the same map. At this stage, you are only matched with the same batch of Shedding Abysses. Once you've experienced more worlds, that might not remain the case. Moreover, your Master is mistaken about one thing. Among Homes, information has always been very important. Whether it's resource information, map information, or Rare Treasure information, each has its own price."
She paused, her fingertips playing with the jade pendant at her waist, her tone casual as she said, "However, I'm in a good mood today. After the transaction is complete, I can answer two of your questions for free. Remember, deliver the goods first, then ask questions. Don't think about getting something for nothing."
Zhang Meng said in a low voice, "I need to inspect the goods first."
Xie Ya wasn't annoyed either. She reached into her bosom and pulled out a small yellow leather pouch about three inches long. With a flick of her wrist, several perfectly round, plump large pearls tumbled out, gleaming with a soft, lustrous sheen under the moonlight.
She picked one up and tossed it to Zhang Meng.
"Take it back and show it to your Master." Xie Ya stood with her arms crossed, a smile curling at the corner of her lips. "Whether it's usable or not, if it is, use this for the trade."
Zhang Meng held the pearl, returned to the Home, came before his Master, and truthfully recounted the entire conversation.
Qin Ziwen took the pearl and toyed with it for a while.
[Level 1 Curio] Lychee Jade Pearl (Can be embedded in Orchard-type buildings to enhance the taste and flavor of fruit.)
Sensing it for a moment, he confirmed it was an Aquatic Rare Treasure.
This thing... it's useful in a way, but also quite a niche item. Under normal circumstances, one is enough; more would be pure waste. But regardless, it's a Rare Treasure. As long as the Wonder Card recognizes it, that's all Qin Ziwen cares about; the rest doesn't matter to him.
Qin Ziwen said, "It's acceptable. Take this pouch. There are nine Sky-Touching Fruits inside. Trade according to what she said: two Rare Treasures for one fruit. As for those two questions... For the first question, ask her to clarify exactly how many types of cards there are. For the second question: We humans and monsters have an innate racial gap. Even if we both reach the Superhuman level, our physical bodies still can't compare to many Large Beasts. Ask her, what methods exist to bridge this gap."
...
"The pearls are all here. Eighteen of them. Count them." Xie Ya tossed out a small pouch. Zhang Meng and Shi Hu gathered together, warily eyeing the others while carefully counting.
"Go in quickly, hand them to the Master," Shi Hu whispered, his voice low.
"Mm." Zhang Meng nodded, tightly clutching the cloth bag containing the Sky-Touching Fruits, then turned and disappeared into the rippling portal behind him.
Shi Hu clasped his hands together in a salute, neither subservient nor arrogant. "Since you have accepted the fruits, I hope you will honor the answers to those two questions, so I may relay them to my Master."
"The first question," Xie Ya raised one finger. "The types of cards are as vast as the sea. I wouldn't dare claim to know them all. However..." She changed her tone, offering a crucial clue. "What I can tell you is that all cards are divided into three grades: Ordinary, Advanced, and Ultimate. Taking building cards as an example, they are Ordinary Buildings, Advanced Buildings, and Ultimate Buildings."
"The answer to the second question is actually related to the first. A tiger is born a tiger; a monkey is born a monkey. This is an innate gap etched into their bloodlines, almost impossible to change. To my knowledge, not even Ultimate Buildings can do it. But monkeys can use tools. We can forge weapons, build tools. The biggest difference between humans and beasts is that we use our brains. Of course, if you're talking about compensating for foundational potential... to my knowledge, there is one place that can. It's called 'The Restaurant.' As long as you can obtain a ticket to The Restaurant, you can go there. I've heard the dietary supplements inside can enhance innate foundations, turning a monkey into an ape, or even a giant ape. But you wanting to go to The Restaurant... that might be a bit difficult. Tickets to The Restaurant are incredibly hard to come by, worth ten thousand pieces of gold. It's said that restaurant is a wonder building. Wonder buildings are unique. Among all Shedding Abysses, only one wonder building exists at any given time. They are even more precious than Ultimate Buildings. So... you'd better not get your hopes up."