He Xi figured that, in plain terms, the shop had been hit by market competition and was just trying to survive.
Its target customers used to be all adventurers. Now it had been forced to focus on the lower end of the market—like switching from Taobao to Pinduoduo.
But selling on Pinduoduo didn't necessarily mean a shop was no good. He planned to test the waters there first. If it didn't work out, he could always go back to Four Seas General Goods. Comparing prices was never a bad idea.
He'd sell the crystal core first, then decide which purchases to prioritize based on how much money he got for it.
Of course, the ideal outcome, in his opinion, was that the crystal core turned out to be worth far more than he'd imagined, letting him stop worrying about what to buy first and what to put off.
He passed through several increasingly narrow alleys. The ground grew more uneven, and the faint musty smell of old wood hung in the air.
Copper Nail Alley lay in the southwest corner of town, and it lived up to its name.
The first shop at the corner of the alley entrance was a little store with a crooked sign that read "Copper Horn Enlightenment House."
The copper horn painted on the sign had faded and peeled away. A thick layer of dust covered the window, making it almost impossible to see inside.
When he pushed the door open, the wind chime hanging above it rang out with a clear jingle. The smell of dusty, long-neglected goods washed over him, making He Xi cough twice.
The shop was dimly lit, and the shelves were piled haphazardly with all sorts of oddities: chipped pottery, a few old books with faded covers, several daggers with