The More Knives, the More Victims

All three items are priced at... 1 million Psionic Points.

Li Shuyi realized what was going on. "No one would buy it at this price. Even the most expensive three-star Skill Book wouldn't cost more than 100,000 Psionic Points. Are you... showing off your wealth?"

Bai Xiaowen laughed and said, "You could call it showing off. When you run a business, you shouldn't try to hide your wealth; you have to prove your financial resources. It's just a pity that these three items aren't impressive enough. If we could display the Dark Gold Equipment we obtained from the previous world, the effect would be much more impressive, and it would be the best form of advertising."

The Virtual Hall features an appearance-masking design for each awakened individual. As long as Bai Xiaowen doesn't reveal it, no one will know that the "The More Knives, the More Victims" shop is his—unless the higher-ups of the Virtual Battle Platform use their privileges to investigate.

"Yes, exhibiting Dark Gold Equipment would create a sensation and quickly boost our shop's brand awareness..." Li Shuyi nodded and said, "Then why don't you do that?"

Bai Xiaowen pointed to the electronic manual and said, "Bind on Pickup equipment is an untradeable item and cannot be displayed on the exhibition stand."

"Hmm... My dad once told me that Bind on Pickup equipment can be traded through certain special means. I'll go ask about it."

"Let's go together." Bai Xiaowen chose to log out, leaving behind a lifelike image of himself in the store, which was the "robot" with the sign.

After logging out, Li Shuyi made a phone call, then smiled slightly and said to Bai Xiaowen, "My dad seems to be shocked again... It's hard to explain over the phone, he wants us to go to the guild headquarters."

Chen Chuan is a Level 3 Awakened One, Standard Class.

Standard Class have relatively low potential, and even if they sign with a guild, they generally don't get good treatment. Chen Chuan himself doesn't have any ambition to find a powerful backer to climb the social ladder; being content with modest wealth is a good choice for him.

Aside from occasionally venturing into the Wilderness Zone to hunt level 1 and 2 mutated beasts for expenses, Chen Chuan rarely leaves his house.

However, Chen Chuan had a hobby: browsing the shops in the Virtual Hall and looking at the valuable equipment, items, and Skill Book.

Although these things are basically out of his reach and he could never afford them, browsing and enjoying the sights isn't illegal...

Unfortunately, the shops in the beginner area of the Virtual Hall generally have very few valuable psionic items.

--Once you reach level 4, you can enter the intermediate zone, where there are many shops with B-Tier or even A-Tier credit ratings, and the psionic items in their display cases will definitely be even better. This was Chen Chuan's thought.

Chen Chuan opened the shop list, randomly selected a B-Tier shop, and the Virtual Hall instantly teleported him to the shop's entrance.

I glanced up and saw [Fully Armed]. I'd been to this shop twice before; it had a B2 credit rating, making it a fairly well-known large shop in the beginner area. I'd heard it had guild connections.

As usual, ignoring the robot clerk holding up the sign, Chen Chuan strolled around as if he were visiting his own home, looking at things and touching them... Of course, these psionic items in front of him were just holographic projections.

"The Disappearance Skill Book is actually two-star."

"Blizzard Scroll, an A+ tier item for area-of-effect damage and crowd control."

"Arcane Orb, off-hand item, increases area-of-effect spell damage by 10%... Tsk tsk, even though it's Blue Gear, it's still pretty good. B2-Tier shop, sure enough, has some good stuff."

At this moment, the shop assistant, who had been standing silently behind the counter, suddenly spoke up:

"Are you going to buy it or not? If not, don't touch it."

Chen Chuan was a little surprised; he hadn't expected the shop owner to be there too.

"They're all holograms, not real objects. How could they possibly break?" After his initial surprise, Chen Chuan's sensitive pride rose. "Isn't your attitude a bit excessive?"

"Come on, I've seen plenty of guys like you. I just saw two," the shopkeeper said, scoffing. "The beginner's section is full of penniless people. Are you going to buy it or not? Hurry up, I'm waiting to play cards."

"If you like playing cards, go ahead and play. Even if I buy, I'll just place the order directly and won't haggle," Chen Chuan said.

"You're making it sound so real..." the shop owner muttered impatiently. Actually, it was his guild's rule that during working hours, he had to stay in the shop to serve any customers who entered. If a customer didn't leave, he would log off without permission, and if the guild found out, he would definitely be punished.

The long hours spent sitting in the shop had honed the owner's keen eye; he could tell who wanted to buy and who didn't just by observing their behavior for a minute or two. He figured it was okay to make a few sarcastic remarks to those who weren't interested in buying, as it would give him peace of mind.

However, this person didn't consider a deeper reason: not buying this time doesn't mean not buying in the future. His attitude will cause him to lose a lot of potential customers.

Chen Chuan heard his mutterings and was annoyed, but dared not show it. He could only swallow his anger and leave the store.

"What a piece of junk! It'll go bankrupt sooner or later!"

Chen Chuan only started cursing after he stepped out of the store.

"Hey, when did this new shop appear here? Is it newly opened?"

Chen Chuan looked up and saw the shop across the street, number 8102, which was known for its "The More Knives, the More Victims" and walked over with a bit of curiosity.

"C5 rating, as expected of a new store. But with a name like that... are they trying to drive customers away?"

The thought had barely crossed Chen Chuan's mind when his gaze inadvertently fell upon several exhibits, and he was immediately captivated.

"Two B-Tier Silver Tier items! Wow, I've been to so many shops in the beginner area, and this is the first time I've seen Silver Tier items of B-Tier or higher. I heard they're just as good as, if not better than, S-Tier ordinary items!" Chen Chuan swallowed hard.

"Earth-Shattering Strike Skill Book, a three-star skill? It comes with a super hard CC knockback, and it's an area-of-effect control skill!"

Chen Chuan rubbed his eyes. "This new store is probably not simple either..."

Then look at the prices; they're all 1 million Psionic Points.

"...Okay, it really is a rip-off," Chen Chuan felt he understood the meaning of the shop's name. "I'd better look at other things first."

"Supplies and food?"

"Gold and silver from the Spirit Realm?"

"There are also bound-on equipment! It's a pity there are only gray and white equipment... Wait, something's not right..." Chen Chuan suddenly remembered something, his expression changed, he quickly exited the "The More Knives, the More Victims" shop, remembered the shop number, left the Virtual Battle Platform, and then picked up his phone to quickly dial a number.

"Second Uncle? I'm Xiao Chen..."

"Nothing much, I just saw some bound white and Gray Equipment in the Virtual Hall... yeah, and the prices were cheap too. I was thinking that Xiao Liang's total attributes are already close to 20 points, so if he had a set of equipment like this, his chances of a successful awakening would be much higher..."

"Yes, Second Uncle, that shop has a lot of goods, and the variety is very complete. They have short swords for One-Handed Sword Branch, crossbows for shooting, and most importantly, they have protective leather armor! Oh, and I also saw a lot of Rye Bread... Yes, the kind of food that restores Life Value during battle!"

"It's true, how could I dare to lie to you... You'll see for yourself when you come up, the shop number is 8102..."

After Bai Xiaowen opened a shop, left behind a robot sign, and became a hands-off manager, the beginner area of the Virtual Hall in the Huaxia Country version of the game gradually began to liven up.

"Have you heard? Shop number 8102 in the beginner area has a three-star crowd control Skill Book —it's top-tier!"

"Really? There are such good things in the beginner area?"

"Not only that, there are also Silver Tier items!"

"Let's go take a look."

Some intermediate and even Advanced Awakened were drawn to the beginner area specifically to see the "The More Knives, the More Victims" shops.

Seeing that crowd control Skill Book, especially the most powerful super hard CC, made many Awakened Ones, especially melee strength-based classes, drool. However, the sky-high price of 1 million Psionic Points also scared off many people.

Many people left messages through the listing robot:

"Boss, how much are the Skill Book? Give me a fair price!"

"I'll give you 30,000 Psionic Points along with a two-star Skill Book! What type do you want?"

"Bro, which guild are you from? Can we meet in person?"

These message boards are linked to the shop owner's mobile phone number, and the shop owner will receive a message when someone leaves a message... unless the shop owner blocks the messages.

Attracted by Skill Book and other items, intermediate and Advanced Awakened didn't just stand around waiting for replies; many began browsing other goods in the shop. The Bloodspear Horn and the Book of Revelation, both B-Tier Silver Tier items, also attracted considerable interest, prompting many to leave inquiries.

At the same time, items in the store intended for low-level awakened individuals and Quasi-Awakened also came into their view.

Some people ignored these low-end items, but many more became interested.

Some thought of their nephews, some thought of their younger siblings, and some thought of a junior relative of their guild leader...

"These binding equipment, Spirit Realm gold and silver, plus supplies and food, if I buy them for a Quasi-Awakened... the success rate will definitely increase greatly! And the price is cheap too, I'll get a set for my younger brother first!" A young Awakener, not yet twenty years old, went directly to the tag robot to place an order.

"Hey, the shop owner is from Jianghai Region, Jinghai City. Haha, I'm lucky, I can save some Psionic Points and buy two more sets!" the boy laughed after placing the order.

It should be noted that the Psionic Points a buyer needs to pay when purchasing items in the Virtual Hall consist of three parts.

Part of the cost is the seller's price, a small notarization fee from the virtual platform, and then there's the shipping cost.

Virtual platforms charge notary fees and shipping fees, and are not only responsible for ensuring a fair and fraud-free transaction process, but also for the delivery!

In the Psychic Energy Era, transportation costs are not as low as on Earth in another dimension. Due to the presence of mutated beasts and invading Spirit Realm creatures in the Wilderness Zone between different cities and regions, transportation routes are not safe, and depending on the level of danger, different levels of awakened individuals must be arranged to escort the goods.

This shipping fee is charged in Psionic Points, which are far more valuable to Awakened Ones than Earth's currency.

If the buyer and seller are in the same city, then you're in luck; shipping is free, and only a small notary fee is charged, usually 3% of the transaction amount.

Even if they are not in the same base city but in the same region, the shipping cost will not be much.

If the goods are not in the same region, the shipping cost will be high. Of course, the most critical issue is when the goods are in several different regions, one in northern China and the other in southern China. The amount of Psionic Points required to transport the goods will be an astonishing figure.

Therefore, experienced Awakened Ones, when wanting to buy psionic items, first consider local stores. If they don't have it in their city, they'll look in stores within their region. Only if they still can't find it there will they consider stores in other regions...

Unless the price of an item in a local store is outrageously high, exceeding the total price of other stores including shipping.

Awakened individuals from Jinghai Base City and the Jianghai Region flocked to place orders.

Across from the shop that boasts "The More Knives, the More Victims," the Fully Armed shop owner was dumbfounded by the bustling scene across the street.

"What's going on? There weren't any shops across the street before... How can a newly opened shop attract so many people?"

The shop owner set up a robot to monitor the store, while he himself walked out of the shop and quietly slipped into a place the More Knives, the More Victims.

After spotting the three-star top-tier Skill Book and two Silver Tier items in the most prominent display case, the Fully Armed shopkeeper seemed to understand.

"They actually pulled this trick, deliberately bringing out the best items and setting an impossiblely high price to grab attention and attract customers..." The Fully Armed shop owner logged off angrily, "Using such petty tricks..."

He returned to the real world, where his three card-playing friends were already getting impatient.

"Wu Guangming, are you done yet? Come and play cards."

Wu Guangming, the owner of the "Fully Armed" shop, waved his hand. "Let's stop fighting. Something happened at the shop, and I have to report it to the guild."

"What could possibly be going on in the shop?" said a skinny card player.

After Wu Guangming explained the situation, the skinny card player, who had a somewhat cunning and strategist-like air about him, immediately slapped his thigh and laughed, "What's the big deal? Reporting it to the guild will only make people say you're incompetent. If the other side can bring out good stuff, why can't our Jingwu Guild? Why don't you follow suit and bring out a few top-tier pieces of equipment to display?"

Wu Guangming shrugged. "As you all know, I have a Standard Class. I usually just mind the shop and don't go to the Spirit Realm or the Wilderness Zone often. Where would I find any good stock?"

"Wu Guangming, that's where you're wrong. Isn't your second uncle in the Guild Logistics Department? Just have him transfer a few good items from the guild warehouse for you to use in an emergency, that would be enough. You manage a shop under the Jingwu Guild, not your private shop. This kind of borrowing is a business-to-business transaction and doesn't violate any rules."

"That's right..." Wu Guangming's eyes lit up.

Jinghai Base City, Chihuo District, Chihuo Plaza.

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi were having dinner with Li Beihai.

"When Shu Yi called me, it really startled me. You guys launched such a huge surprise, why didn't you tell me you were coming back? Dark Gold Equipment!" Li Beihai said.

"Actually, I didn't mean to hide it, I just forgot to mention it. After all, Xiao Wen and I don't need this Dark Gold Equipment." Li Shuyi smiled apologetically.

Bai Xiaowen did remember, but he didn't say anything to avoid being seen as showing off.

"Where's that Dark Gold Equipment? Show me its stats," Li Beihai.