There were many places in the Buffer Zone where people could exchange Contribution Points for supplies.
For example, at the supply exchange beside the Big Meat Canteen beneath the Staff Residential Area where Cheng Ye lived, you could buy all kinds of scarce, regulated goods.
But when it came to buying Transcendent Ore for forging Melee Weapons, there was only one place in the entire Buffer Zone.
'Xingfu Great Wall Station!'
The Station Announcer sounded, and Cheng Ye's eyelid twitched. He followed the crowd off the bus.
As the place closest to the Xingfu Great Wall, it had, without a doubt, become the very heart of the Buffer Zone.
He looked up.
The Giant Wall, over thirty meters tall, was like a natural chasm, cutting off the countless probing gazes from the Buffer Zone.
Under the sunlight, the wall's surface was riddled with pits and bumps. Dark-brown patches had congealed in some places; it was impossible to tell whether they were dried bloodstains or corrosive marks left by an Infected's surprise attack.
At the foot of the Giant Wall stood rows of ten-meter-tall metal watchtowers, evenly spaced fifty meters apart.
And in the center of those watchtowers stood the place that hundreds of thousands of Buffer Zone residents dreamed of entering.
The Gate of Happiness!
A huge alloy gate, about fifteen meters tall and seven meters wide.
No wonder the original owner had been so frightened after passing through that gate that he'd taken his own life with pills within a day.
Standing in the middle of the street directly facing the gate,
Cheng Ye peered through the smaller door at its base, used for daily foot traffic, and caught a glimpse of the Inner City beyond the passage.
It really did look like two worlds, cleaved apart.
The Buffer Zone was steeped in the ancient atmosphere of the Old Era, while the Inner City was a technological metropolis straight out of humanity's imagination.
Whether it was the spotless Alloy Floor or the Skyscrapers glowing with neon even in broad daylight, everything made him want to rush inside and explore.
Unfortunately, the strict rules governing Contribution Points had already barred 99.9% of the Buffer Zone's population from the Inner City. Inspectors like Cheng Ye were no exception.
Perhaps one day, if he managed to take Ding Yishan's position as Station Chief, he might have the chance to return to the Inner City from time to time.
Turning his gaze from the Giant Wall, Cheng Ye saw shops packed along both sides of the street. They sold everything from weapon modification services to secondhand Protective Suits. The air was a mix of machine oil, rust, and the faint smell of disinfectant.
As the safest place in the Buffer Zone, it saw nine-tenths of all Contribution Point transactions take place each day.
Cheng Ye scanned the area and soon found his destination: an inconspicuous two-story building wedged among the shops.
[Transcendent Ore—Buffer Zone Branch]
It was the only place in the Buffer Zone where you could buy Transcendent Ore, and the only place that offered a weapon-forging service using the material.
After a customer placed an order, it would be sent to the Inner City, where a blacksmith would make the weapon. It would then be driven back to the Buffer Zone for the transaction.
"Are you looking to have a weapon made to suit your hand, sir?"
The greeter standing outside the shop brightened at the sight of Cheng Ye heading straight for the entrance and hurried over to welcome him.
"Yes."
"Will you be bringing your own materials for us to forge, or would you like to buy materials from the shop?"
"I'll buy."
Cheng Ye kept it brief. He didn't want to reveal his intentions in front of the busy shop entrance. He knew better than to flaunt his wealth.
The greeter immediately understood and ushered Cheng Ye inside, gently closing the door behind them.
"Hm?"
"Not to boast, but our shop caters to rare customers. We might go three years without a sale, then make enough in one day to last another three."
He continued, "The ore in the shop is all for display. Once you pick what you want, we place a remote order, and a craftsman in the Inner City forges it. If you need a weapon in a hurry, we also have finished pieces you can choose from. Place your order now, and it can be delivered to you this afternoon!"
"Let's look at the Transcendent Ore first."
"Of course. Please follow me upstairs."
Following the greeter, Xiao Cui, up to the second floor, Cheng Ye finally noticed how few people were in the shop.
One person on the first floor, one on the second.
Including Xiao Cui, there were only three people in the whole shop. It really did deserve to be called a place that catered to rare customers.
"Master Liu, this customer would like to see the Transcendent Ore. Sorry for the trouble."
After introducing Cheng Ye, Xiao Cui nodded and hurried down the stairs, leaving them plenty of privacy.
Master Liu, meanwhile, was a burly, broad-shouldered man, around seven feet tall.
His face was covered in a thick beard, and he looked rather unkempt.
"We've only got three kinds of Transcendent Ore in stock right now. What kind of weapon are you looking to make?"
"A short blade. I only need a little mixed in."
"Of course. If you used nothing but Transcendent Ore, the price would start at tens of thousands of Contribution Points."
Master Liu laughed casually. "And Transcendent Ore isn't better just because you add more of it, despite what people say. At the end of the day, it's one of the Infection Sources created by Transcendents' misdeeds. The more you add, the more likely it is to harm the person using it."
"There's really something to that?"
Cheng Ye's interest was piqued. He hadn't realized there was so much more to Transcendent materials.
"A short blade is all about delivering a burst of force to the throat, getting in close and drawing blood. Add too much sharpness-enhancing ore, and you lose agility. As it happens, we recently got a fine piece of material that's perfect for forging a blade—"
As he spoke, Master Liu crouched and rummaged beneath the counter for a moment before taking out a clear glass bottle.
A bright-red stone lay at the bottom. It was about the size of a gold bean, and fine, visible lines rippled across its surface, glimmering faintly like flames.
Was this ore infused with a Transcendent's power?
Cheng Ye's eyes widened. It was the first thing he'd seen since crossing over that had no equivalent in the modern world.
Through the glass, the ore looked beautiful and mysterious, but he couldn't make out anything else about it.
"Fire Hidden Iron. You only need to add three grams to gain its basic property: the first strike gets a boost in speed and power. The size of the boost depends on the user's striking technique. It's at least five percent, and tops out at around ten."
"That incredible?"
Cheng Ye's interest surged, and he blurted out, "How many Contribution Points?"
"Fifty points per gram. If we add three grams and pair it with suitable auxiliary materials, it'll come to two hundred Contribution Points, labor included."
"H-How much?"
It was like having cold water poured over his head. Cheng Ye froze.
Fifty Contribution Points for a single gram?
Good grief. At the Buffer Zone's purchasing power, ordinary people couldn't even afford to look at this stuff.
"Please understand. Mining this ore comes at a heavy cost. Who knows how many lives have been lost? And once it's gone, it's gone. You can't mass-produce it."
Master Liu had said the same thing Liu Bi had said earlier.
Many Scavengers tirelessly combed the Wasteland because they hoped to find materials like this and strike it rich overnight.
If the price were ordinary, who would risk going out there and leaving their corpse to rot in the Wasteland?
"All right. Could you give me a discount, or let me pay some of it later?"
Cheng Ye took out his Identity Badge and introduced himself. "I'm a new inspector at the Checkpoint. I haven't been on the job long, so I don't have many Contribution Points yet. Could you make an exception?"
Master Liu instinctively wanted to refuse, but paused when he heard the word "inspector," looking uncertain.
After a moment's thought, he stood up. "Please wait. I'll check with the main shop and see what the manager says."
"Of course. Sorry for the trouble."
Putting the glass bottle back under the counter, Master Liu headed into the only room on the second floor and took out his Defense Communicator to make a call.
"Master Su, here's the situation."
After briefly describing Cheng Ye, Master Liu added, "The inspector looks young, but he doesn't seem like all show. He's got some ability."
"Is that so?" A doubtful reply came from the other end of the line, but the speaker didn't press the point.
"Then give him a discount. Deduct the labor and basic materials, and charge him only for the ore."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Master Liu came out and gave him the new price.
Cheng Ye, however, was dumbfounded. Even if he only had to pay for the Transcendent Ore, it still came to 150 points.
He could only ask, "Could you make one more exception? I only have 143 points right now. Could I borrow the remaining seven?"
"Seven points?"
Master Liu could decide on that much himself. He nodded at once. "No problem. Come with me and choose the shape of your short blade."
Inside the room, blueprints covered the table, showing dozens of different short-blade designs.
There were common reconnaissance daggers and tactical straight knives, as well as more versatile bayonets and folding knives—
Cheng Ye looked through them one after another. Suddenly, his gaze settled on an unusual shape that went against the principles of ancient weapon-making and resembled a modern United Blades design.
"The Whirlwind Stab. It's a vicious weapon," Master Liu explained. "The tip is sharp as an awl, and it has a false edge. When you thrust, the force twists open the wound. If you hit a vital spot, the two twists at the back of the blade make it absolutely terrifying."
"Also, this Whirlwind Stab has a quick-connect threaded fitting. You can attach a steel pipe in reverse as a spear shaft, turning it into a three-edged short spear for mid-range use."
"Then I'll take this one!"
Cheng Ye made the decision almost without hesitation.
Transcendent Ore was so expensive that he wouldn't be able to save up enough Contribution Points to forge a second weapon anytime soon.
So choosing a Whirlwind Stab that could protect him at close range and transform into a mid-range spear at a moment's notice was like saving 150 points outright.
"A wise choice."
A flicker of surprise crossed the corners of Master Liu's narrowed eyes, but he quickly hid it in the wrinkles around them.
After more than ten years in the trade, he could usually tell a user's temperament from the weapon they chose.
For example, anyone who chose a tactical knife with an extended handle and still worried it wasn't secure enough was sure to be a coward.
And someone who came in asking for a Three Inch Piercing Thorn was likely to have spent years living by the blade.
An inspector choosing a Whirlwind Stab, a weapon made to kill people rather than fight Infected?
Interesting!
In the past, anyone who used this thing was a ruthless sort who staked his life on every fight.
"Forging will take three days. You can come pick it up anytime after one in the afternoon on July 1."
P.S. Modern United Blades have a lot more functions than ancient knives, and thanks to advances in materials science, their killing power is only greater. So this time I didn't use the overdone swords and knives.
P.P.S. Please vote, bookmark, and keep reading! Original worlds have such a hard time getting started. They can't compete with fanfiction at all. Please show your support~
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