Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After extensive searching and observation, Xu Yue had gained a general understanding of the prices in the auction house and the value system of the Reincarnation Space.

He also purchased some commonly used items.

Ninja Tool Bag ×1, Medical Kit ×1

Single-use Sealing Scrolls capable of carrying a large number of items ×5

D-Rank Illusionary Technique: Falling into the Nether, D-Rank Ninjutsu: Mist Technique

Seven-Day Training Cards (Basic) ×3

In one go, he had spent nearly all the rewards from his first mission. He had 1,142 Reincarnation Points and two C-Rank Plot Points left.

Afterward, Xu Yue also checked the newly unlocked Merit Shop privileges. The items sold in the Merit Shop were indeed interesting; they were not ordinary goods.

Drop Card (Staff Sergeant): 5 Merit Points. Causes a specified item to become a guaranteed drop in the current Mission Space. (Note: Contact with the item is required.) (Single-use item.)

Scout Card (Second Lieutenant): 5 Merit Points. Can scout a target's strength. (Single-use item.)

Tracking Card (Lieutenant): 10 Merit Points. Can track a specified target. (Single-use item.)

Designated Mission Card (Major): 100 Merit Points. Allows the user to designate their next Mission Space. (Usage interval decreases as military rank rises.)

Dwelling DIY Card, Production Line Card

Xu Yue had 50/50 Merit Points, and spending them would not lower his rank. After hesitating for a moment, however, he only bought two Scout Cards, leaving him with 40/50. The main reason was that he had seen the Designated Mission Card, which required 100 Merit Points at the rank of Major.

He had worked so hard building connections and farming favorability in Naruto. If he could not get in at a critical moment, that would be truly frustrating.

Once he had bought everything he wanted, Xu Yue prepared to leave his room and learn more about the Reincarnation Space outside.

When he opened the flimsy-looking wooden door, there was no indication that the ordinary, unremarkable little wooden cabin behind him was a shelter capable of resisting attacks at the level of a Special Jonin.

Outside the cabin, the broad street was bustling with crowds.

The smooth bluestone-paved road carried an air of historical weariness.

Street stalls lined both sides of the road, with vendors shouting their wares everywhere. The surrounding houses were all small wooden cabins identical to Xu Yue's.

Yet it was obvious that these cabins were not arranged neatly. Though they were all the same standardized size, gaps were often left between one or even several cabins, making them look like sparse, wind-leaking teeth.

After watching quietly, Xu Yue saw a wooden cabin vanish out of thin air while the people around it remained completely unfazed. He could more or less conclude that the vanished cabins belonged to people who had died, or who had gone to other areas by some other means.

By querying the Space's information, Xu Yue learned that he had emerged in "Huaxia Wu-03 District." However, more detailed information was beyond what the Space's basic information provided.

Judging by the designation, there were at least four preceding categories—Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. He just did not know whether they merely distinguished regions or also differentiated ranks.

"C4 Grenades! A lifesaving weapon and a trump card for turning things around! Only 200 Reincarnation Points!"

"A miraculous Medical Kit that can bring you back from the dead! Only 1,100 Reincarnation Points!"

"Cheap secondhand guns for sale! Swapped out from my own equipment, selling below cost!"

"..."

Amid the chaotic cries of vendors, Xu Yue vaguely understood that these people were likely stall owners who had yet to obtain access to the Public Auction House. Their prices were somewhat inconsistent—sometimes higher than the auction house's, sometimes lower.

Of course, anything sold in the Space Shop at a fixed standard price had to be cheaper than that price.

Moreover, transactions here charged no handling fees, making this an irreplaceable trading venue.

It simply required people to hunt for bargains themselves.

Looking around, Xu Yue also discovered that the auction house sold only "official" goods, while the stalls before him occasionally had "modified" goods that did not conform to the auction house's standards.

Since they had been privately modified and tampered with, they might have been improved—or ruined. It depended on one's discernment.

"So the Public Auction House only sells standardized items. In that case, even if the Mangekyō Sharingan really appeared, it could not possibly appear in the Public Auction House."

Xu Yue felt a faint realization. Yet based on the latest intelligence about the Ninja War in the Space, the odds of obtaining a Mangekyo were exceedingly slim. The only person who might have a chance was probably...

"Brother? Are you a newcomer?"

Just as Xu Yue was mulling things over, a hearty voice beside him interrupted his thoughts. A man with a square face and an air of upright righteousness patted Xu Yue on the shoulder from behind.

"How could you tell?"

Xu Yue turned around with interest. He did not think he had done anything unusual.

"Haha, your dwelling just appeared. Seeing you come out of it, I naturally knew you were a newcomer."

The square-faced man spoke with utter sincerity.

Xu Yue merely nodded at that and did not continue the conversation. But when he fell silent, the man who had approached him seemed unable to sit still. After coughing lightly, he said,

"Brother, my codename is Icarus. You know about codenames, right? Since we all come from the real world, and we fear bringing the Space's grudges back with us, most veterans use codenames to address one another. You should think of one too, so you do not expose yourself."

This righteous-looking man who acted as though he already knew Xu Yue seemed quite warmhearted, offering him this advice directly. When Xu Yue still did not react, the man's cheek twitched before he spoke again.

"Brother, I have a great deal of information and intelligence about the Space, as well as standard newcomer packages. The value for money is extremely high, especially for newcomers like you. They can be enormously useful..."

He kept talking endlessly, while Xu Yue simply watched him expressionlessly without saying a word.

Eventually, perhaps realizing that all his words were useless, Icarus gave another dry cough and continued after some thought.

"You must have met a beginner guide, and you must have paid for the information they explained. How about this? Just give me 200 Reincarnation Points, and I will tell you all the survival rules, regulations, and characteristics of the entire Space. Believe me, it will absolutely be worth every point. It will ensure that you can survive safely in this dog-eat-dog world."

Icarus spoke with a sincere expression. Combined with his square face and upright air, he was indeed very likely to inspire trust.

"How much did the plastic surgery cost?"

After listening for so long, Xu Yue suddenly blurted out a question.

The unexpected question made a trace of embarrassment appear on Icarus's face.

"What do you mean, brother...? Fine, how did you figure it out? And I still have not asked your name."

"You can call me Doctor."

Xu Yue spoke calmly, then looked toward the entrance of a concealed alley. Several stunningly beautiful, provocatively dressed women stood by the alley entrance. Their quality surpassed even the internet-famous streamers Xu Yue had seen online before his transmigration.

Yet the way beauties of such caliber flirted and posed, along with the coquettish voices faintly drifting over, made their profession obvious.

Under the immense pressure of the Reincarnation Space, the existence of such a special trade was only natural. But for there to be so many of them, all of such high quality, was clearly unrealistic.

They had naturally used some special method for cosmetic surgery or something similar. Xu Yue had not seen it in the Reincarnation Point exchange shop, but perhaps there were specialized cosmetic surgeons outside.

From the information revealed by the fellow beside him, aside from adopting codenames and changing names, many people likely chose to alter their appearance as well, lest they implicate their real-world identities.

Given the Space's characteristics, making someone possess one appearance in the Space and another in the real world did not seem difficult. Who knew what those flirtatious women really looked like...

And this square-faced man beside him, whose righteous appearance made him easy to trust and like, looked like the sort suited for grassroots work. Yet he had also undergone "plastic surgery"!

Though his direction differed from those alluring "fallen young women," their goals were clearly identical: using their own traits to make money. The only difference was that his targets were mostly newcomers.

That was why he had approached Xu Yue the instant he came outside.

Nowadays, no one did business at a loss. The information he was selling for 200 Reincarnation Points clearly had plenty of exaggeration in it.

"Ahem, brother, I can tell you are a discerning man. How about this? I will only charge you 100 points. Consider it making a friend."

After coughing for a while, the man quickly hid his embarrassment and still maintained that bold, righteous demeanor.

"No. I will give you 200 points, but you must answer several questions I specify and verify their truthfulness."

Although Xu Yue did not have many Reincarnation Points left after his shopping spree, he had already bought what he needed. He did not care about spending one or two hundred points. If it came to that, he still had C-Rank Plot Points to fall back on. As long as he got what he wanted and was not deceived or misled, that was enough.

The reason he had exposed the other man to his face was merely to give him a warning and apply some pressure.

Upon hearing Xu Yue's words, Icarus's expression finally lost that earlier look and became somewhat solemn...

A business trip over the weekend. Tears are falling. Please comfort me.