A Major Shopping Spree

In truth, the market in Crescent Bay was not called a market; the residents of Crescent Bay called it the Super Hypermarket. That was because the place was truly colossal, and the beast meat sold there was similarly gigantic. Behemoths taller than mountains were butchered into slabs four to five meters thick, making buyers and sellers alike seem utterly insignificant before them. There were large numbers of Giant-race workers here. They were responsible for dismembering and transporting the beast meat, moving along dedicated lanes so they would not trample customers underfoot. When Yu Xian and Nora stepped into the hypermarket, a troll salesperson promptly came forward to attend to them. There was little to say about the shopping process itself. Yu Xian had just received fifty million Star Coins from Aska—virtually all the disposable funds Aska had on hand—so he was loaded with cash and ready to spend. And so, Yu Xian, Nora, and Little Nora dove straight into a buying frenzy. Whether they recognized the meat or not, they took it all. In the end, because they bought such a staggering quantity of meat—conservative estimates putting it at nearly five million Star Coins—the merchant even threw in over a dozen giant storage pouches as complimentary gifts. Those storage pouches were by no means cheap, which showed just how enormous a profit Yu Xian had brought them. With meat secured, Yu Xian and the others moved on to buy other provisions. Fortunately, Sea City was a port city home to virtually every race imaginable, so naturally, every kind of food could be found. Rice, flour, vegetables, and more—Yu Xian bought them all by the ton. Along the way, he also purchased plenty of artificial plasma. In fact, Nora no longer needed to drink blood; after forming their contract, she could eat normal meals by sharing Yu Xian's abilities. Even so, both Yu Xian and Nora were vampires, and their blood-drinking capabilities had certainly not degenerated. Furthermore, many of Nora's abilities were tied to blood, requiring it as a medium to cast. Following the philosophy that it was always better to be safe than sorry, Yu Xian bought several hundred tons of artificial plasma for ten thousand Star Coins. As a chronic hoarder, what Yu Xian feared most was a shortage. He had always been the type who believed, "I might not use it, but I cannot be without it." Whether it was skills or supplies, he welcomed everything without distinction—the more, the better. After stocking up on food reserves, Yu Xian and Nora set off to purchase energy reserves. Aska's warship was a martial-type Star-rank vessel measuring 10,280 meters long and 1,300 meters wide, outfitted with a vast array of anti-ship weapons, with a hull capable of being enveloped in energy to serve as a ship-cleaving blade. A Star-rank warship's motive power generally relied on a hybrid system. Mana cores, spirit stones, plasma spark energy cores—it needed all of them. At the same time, the warship was equipped with dozens of small thermonuclear fusion power units and dozens of mana pools. It was worth mentioning that mana pools had originally been built inside magic towers by wizards to tap into background space-time energy. Nowadays in Crescent Bay, however, that technology was commonly applied to spaceships and warships. Moreover, every single one of those energy systems required daily maintenance. One could safely say that if the warship itself did not have an artificial intelligence commanding maintenance and repair robots, operating a vessel of that scale would have required at least ten thousand crew members. "Welcome! What kind of energy are you esteemed guests looking for? Our humble shop has ample reserves of every variety. Please step inside and take your pick!" "Distinguished customers, our shop not only has abundant energy and a wide selection, but our discounts are enormous! Make a single purchase of over a hundred thousand Star Coins in energy, and we'll throw in another hundred thousand worth of energy for free!" "Honored guests, we may not offer discounts, but our energy has the highest purity! One of our mana stones easily matches three from their shops. Please, step right inside!" When Yu Xian and Nora arrived at the energy market, dozens of salesclerks swarmed forward at once, clamoring over one another with their pitches. "Hold on. We'll check the shops one by one and compare," Yu Xian said to the clerks after glancing at Nora. At the same time, he briefly released an aura of Star-rank pressure. The salesclerks finally cooled down, retreating to their respective storefronts and gazing at Yu Xian with eager, expectant eyes. "Word sure travels fast among them," Nora whispered. Yu Xian sighed. "It's only natural. Crescent Bay is a cultivation civilization, destined to be ruled by the law of the jungle. If you don't want to end up as meat for the strong, your only choice is to climb relentlessly, doing everything you can to secure more cultivation resources." In Crescent Bay, every post was strictly one person to a spot. The stronger one was, the more likely they were to land a good position. When everyone else was advancing, standing still was practically a sin. Once you fell behind, your fate would be miserable. Over the next while, Yu Xian and Nora compared shop after shop, ultimately choosing the one with the highest quality rather than the cheapest prices. In any case, the funds had been sponsored by Aska, so Yu Xian did not feel the slightest sting spending them. After buying a massive quantity of energy, Yu Xian used his Star Ring to check what else was available to purchase. Watching a few recommended videos, his eyes suddenly lit up as an item caught his attention. Abyss Battle Armor. A suit of battle armor specifically manufactured for combat in the Abyss. This kind of armor was exorbitantly expensive. Though called battle armor, it was actually closer to a mecha: nearly five meters tall, it allowed an operator inside to channel their own power into the frame to pilot it in combat. It could fight in the Abyss, and if necessary, it could even serve as an escape pod. The more Yu Xian looked, the more tempted he felt. In the end, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind: he would buy it. *** Helick's Great Trove. Yu Xian and Nora walked through the main doors together and headed straight for the top floor. As an exceedingly expensive piece of gear, Abyss Battle Armor was sold only on the highest floor of Helick's Great Trove. But as soon as Yu Xian and Nora reached the top, they saw Niman stepping out of a shop. All three froze for an instant. Then Nora smiled, stepping forward to greet her. "Shopkeeper Niman!" "Hello, Ms. Niman," Yu Xian said, offering a polite nod. Niman looked in surprise at the golden armor worn by Yu Xian and Nora. "The two big spenders clad in gold that everyone's buzzing about in the twenty-sixth floor's Merchant Alliance channel... it couldn't be you two, could it?" "Merchant Alliance channel?" Yu Xian asked, surprised. Niman explained with a smile, "The Merchant Alliance channel is an internal chat channel for our alliance. Whenever there are business opportunities or news, the merchants on the twenty-sixth floor share information there. Of course... usually, people only pass along convenient tips when it doesn't harm their own interests." "No wonder those clerks were looking at us with such burning gazes," Yu Xian muttered dryly. Curious, Niman asked, "Yu Xian, why did you buy so many supplies? What are you preparing for? My personal strength might not be much, but I'm fairly experienced. Perhaps... I could offer you some advice." Advice? Nora felt a spark of interest upon hearing that, but said nothing, looking at Yu Xian and waiting for him to decide. In truth, Yu Xian hesitated. If Zhenwo Changjing were still around, he would have declined Niman without hesitation. But without Zhenwo Changjing accompanying him now, venturing into the Abyss on an expedition with Nora, Little Nora, and Little Huangquan left him feeling genuinely uncertain. Yet the problem was that he could not see through Niman, nor did he trust her. Should he tell her, or not?