There were many rules listed on the light screen, but the one pinned at the very top contained only eight words:
1: Mutual consent, free trade.
The second was even simpler:
2: Fighting and conflict prohibited.
As for the rest, none of them were overly strict, yet they could ensure the basic order of the entire Market Ruins, as well as Song Chi's own profits.
3: A transaction tax of 10% of the transaction amount must be paid for every trade conducted in the Market Ruins.
4: If there is a language barrier, the Universal Translator at the Market Ruins entrance may be used for a fee of one Zero-Rank Life Core per use.
100: This Market Ruins trading session will last for 24 hours. Remaining time: 23:58:27.
After arranging everything, Song Chi entered the Market Ruins himself. Rather than presenting himself as its owner, he pretended to be a curious young man who had stumbled into the Market Ruins through sheer luck, looking around here and there.
Before long, a faint spatial ripple suddenly came from the entrance. A vigilant creature with a human body, an ox's head, and a thick spiked club stepped out of one of the spatial gates.
As the master of the Market Ruins, Song Chi immediately received a notification from it.
However, he did not turn around. Instead, he continued browsing the various shops. Since it was the first time the Market Ruins had opened, he naturally needed to set an example himself, lest the creatures entering later have no idea what to do.
As expected, after the ox-headed humanoid read through the string of rule notifications on the light screen at the entrance and saw Song Chi wandering among the shops, it quickly understood. It immediately followed his example and began rapidly examining the goods sold in each shop.
While discreetly observing the other party, Song Chi consulted the Encyclopedia of Star Sea Civilizations and Lifeforms stored in his communications wristband. Before long, he found its origins.
Race Name: Ox-Headed People
Description: A common half-beast race in the Shattered Star Sea. The vast majority of this race still lived in a tribal, primitive civilization era.
Racial Strengths: They revered martial strength and possessed astonishing individual combat power.
Racial Weaknesses: Their technological development was virtually nonexistent, and they relied far too heavily on their physical bodies for everything.
Song Chi raised a brow, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief.
"Looks like at least one of the ten spatial gates landed on a Star Sea Floating Continent of unknown rank. Not bad. At least I won't come up empty-handed."
According to the information he had obtained about the Myriad Heavens Market, the deployment platform for the spatial gates was completely unpredictable. The gates would not necessarily be placed on a Star Sea Floating Continent; they could also appear in silent starry space, uninhabited asteroid belts, and other such places.
Therefore, during previous Market Ruins openings, there had been awkward cases where no creatures entered at all. This was especially likely during the Zero Rank Market Ruins stage, when there were only ten spatial gates.
As his thoughts wandered, the Zero-Rank Ox-Headed Person entered the shop displaying the Basic Gene Optimization Potion. After glancing at the light screen in the center of the shop that described the effects of the Gene Optimization Potion, its expression immediately turned ecstatic.
Yet its face soon returned to a wary expression.
"%@%]/@"
It suddenly spoke, and Song Chi, who was in another shop some distance away, heard its voice as well.
No confusion appeared on Song Chi's face. What it had spoken was not Kindling Human Language, but Star Sea Common Tongue. Having received more than twenty years of higher education, he naturally understood it.
The meaning was simple as well: "How can I be sure these Gene Optimization Potions are effective?"
Song Chi pondered for a moment, then moved his mind. The information on the light screen in the center of the Gene Optimization Potion shop quickly changed into a complete sentence in Star Sea Common Tongue.
"A deposit may be paid for a personal trial."
Seeing the words displayed on the light screen, the Ox-Headed Person's expression hardened. As an elite warrior of the Azure Ox Tribe, it valued its life. Naturally, it was unwilling to personally consume this unfamiliar potion. Who knew whether this so-called Gene Optimization Potion was real or fake, poisonous or harmless?
As it hesitated, a commotion suddenly rose outside the Market Ruins. The Ox-Headed Person immediately grew anxious, knowing that other creatures had entered this Myriad Heavens Market.
In its urgency, it could no longer afford to hesitate. It directly took out fifty Zero-Rank Life Cores from its body as collateral for the shop, then picked up a potion and gulped it down in one swallow.
The next second, it felt a massive yet gentle current of heat continuously spreading through its body. The heat flowed through every inch of its flesh and blood, constantly repairing and transforming every cell in its body, while intense pain surged from all over.
Two minutes later, when the Ox-Headed Person opened its eyes again, the sharp gleam in them could no longer be concealed. Feeling the seemingly inexhaustible strength within its body and its physical qualities nearly doubled, it had never felt so powerful.
Coming back to its senses, it spoke rapidly.
"I'll take all ninety-nine remaining Gene Optimization Potions."
As it spoke, it was about to take out more Life Cores. As an elite warrior of the Azure Ox Tribe, it carried quite a few Life Cores on its person.
However, footsteps sounded from behind it, followed by a fluent voice speaking in Star Sea Common Tongue.
"Wait. I want to buy these Gene Optimization Potions too."
Turning around, it saw that the creature entering the shop had an enormously oversized head. Two antennae supported a head that accounted for more than 90% of its body weight, giving it a bizarre appearance.
This creature's attitude was very clear: it also wanted to purchase the Gene Optimization Potions. Although it had yet to test their effects, the Ox-Headed Person's urgency made it obvious that the effects of these Gene Optimization Potions had to be extraordinary.
At that moment, a new message appeared on the virtual light screen in the center of the shop.
"Each customer may purchase a maximum of ten potions at a time."
On the street not far away, Song Chi had failed to find any information on the big-headed creature in the Encyclopedia of Star Sea Civilizations and Lifeforms. He immediately understood that this was an entirely new species never before discovered by the Kindling Human Civilization.
However, that was not the important part. Song Chi was somewhat regretful now. Had he known the Basic Gene Optimization Potion would be so popular, he would have bought another batch. A fivefold price difference—was there any faster way to make money?
Helplessly, he could only add the rule that each person could purchase no more than ten. There were only so many in stock anyway. Rather than sell them all at once, it was better to use them to attract more customers.
Just as he had expected.
After learning of this purchase restriction, the Ox-Headed Person and the big-headed creature each bought ten potions, then hurried out of the Market Ruins. Clearly, they were going to summon their own kind.
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