055: Lucky Item Box

The main street leading to the exchange wasn't overly crowded, but it wasn't empty either. The atmosphere was quite pleasant. A light rain began to fall, and the sunlight dimmed slightly. Songs drifted from some of the shops, creating a warm and harmonious ambiance.

Tang Jian walked towards the Green Fox Exchange, observing its bright and grand three-story glass curtain walls and the large advertising paintings embedded high on the thick marble walls. These were mostly special scenes created by Illusion Cards.

From a distance, it felt like watching a 3D movie, but in person, the sensation was even more intense.

As Tang Jian approached, a seductive green fox woman immediately emerged from one of the billboards. Her graceful and delicate figure, like a truly living person, playfully leaned in and smiled at Tang Jian before returning to the billboard.

"So realistic, it must be a blue-quality Illusion Card."

Tang Jian thought, entering the main hall alongside another customer.

"Welcome."

A service attendant greeted Tang Jian as he walked in but quickly turned to another customer who seemed interested in making a purchase.

Clearly, Tang Jian's appearance, like that of a young student, didn't garner much attention.

Tang Jian casually looked around the ground floor hall, which was about two hundred square meters. It contained many glass display cases filled with a dazzling array of goods, all related to Cards—either Card Crafting materials or finished Cards.

In the center of the hall, there was also a circular sofa lounge area with green plants arranged in the middle of the circle, creating a refreshing sight.

Tang Jian glanced at the merchandise and then looked towards the staircase leading to the second floor.

Xu Nana, a female attendant dressed in a suit with her hair neatly styled in a short bob, noticed his expression and immediately approached him.

"Excuse me, sir, how may I help you?"

Although Tang Jian looked very young, like a student, Xu Nana observed that his demeanor was somewhat composed, lacking the awkwardness some young students displayed when entering large trading venues alone.

And just by looking at Tang Jian standing there, gazing at the second floor, she sensed he had a query. Xu Nana immediately stepped forward to ask; this was her professional instinct.

"Oh, I heard you have 'gambling cards' here. I'd like to try."

Tang Jian said with a smile, looking at Xu Nana as she approached.

"Ah? Sir, are you saying you'd like to purchase a Lucky Item Box?" Xu Nana asked in surprise, secretly scrutinizing Tang Jian again.

"That's right," Tang Jian nodded. "An upperclassman of mine recommended this place. I want to buy a Lucky Item Box."

"Oh, alright then, sir, please follow me upstairs."

Xu Nana quickly put on a professional, sweet smile, gesturing with her hand to invite him, feeling a little pleased inside.

Lucky Item Boxes weren't cheap.

Even the cheapest box, containing five Cards, cost two thousand Federal Currency.

As long as Tang Jian bought even the cheapest box, she would receive a tenth of the commission. For something entirely based on luck, the commission was incredibly high.

Lucky Item Boxes were, in essence, gambling with Cards.

Every day, new Cards emerged across Earth and the Federation, and new Cards flowed into the market daily.

Many Cards were purchased in a straightforward manner: you had the money, they delivered the goods, and that was it.

However, there was also a method of purchasing Cards invented by Master Tang of the Jiantang Group, based in Shanghai Base City of the Federation. He and Tang Jian even shared the same surname.

This method was highly innovative: a pile of Cards, in varying quantities, would be placed into a specially designed "lucky box" that couldn't be scanned or detected by any means.

Then, different prices would be set based on the number of Cards inside each Lucky Item Box.

The Cards inside a Lucky Item Box could be good ones, or they could all be poor-quality Cards, even Scrap Cards. No one knew what Cards were inside.

Not even the employees of the Jiantang Group knew.

This was because all Cards, whether good or Scrap Cards, were randomly placed into different Lucky Item Boxes by the group's machinery.

It was possible to open a Lucky Item Box and find it filled with top-tier Cards, or it could be full of only Scrap Cards.

This method of selling Cards was very novel and unique. Whether you got good Cards depended entirely on luck, just like buying a lottery ticket.

Initially, when the Lucky Item Box method of selling Cards first appeared on the market, many people were skeptical, believing there might be some hidden scheme.

But the world had too many greedy people, too many who wanted to get rich overnight, too many who harbored侥幸 psychology, or too many who simply bought for fun.

Scandals about certain lotteries were exposed every year, yet the number of people buying never decreased. This was entirely due to human nature's greed and love for gambling.

As soon as Lucky Item Boxes appeared, many people bought them. And indeed, many of them opened top-tier Cards that far exceeded the box's purchase price.

As a result, "gambling cards" quickly became prevalent throughout the Federation, and the Jiantang Group amassed considerable wealth from it.

"Sir, this is the display screen for the Lucky Item Boxes. At least thirty to forty Lucky Item Boxes are sold from here every day. Just yesterday, a customer bought a Tier 2 box and immediately pulled a blue two-star Card!"

Xu Nana led Tang Jian to a large light screen, smiling sweetly.

A Tier 2 box, which contained a set of 10 Cards, was worth 4,000 Federal Currency, yet it yielded a blue two-star Card. That was indeed a profit.

Even a blue two-star Energy Card was worth eight thousand Federal Currency, not to mention Cards with other functions.

Tang Jian looked up, surveying the various item boxes displayed on the screen.

The patterns on the surface of almost every Lucky Item Box were unique, whether they were lines, dots, pets, figures, or numbers—no two were alike.

These distinct patterns represented luck and served as a promotional tactic, also signifying the uniqueness of each box.

Some people preferred lucky numbers and would buy boxes with those numbers.

Others had a fondness for cats or dogs, believing pets brought good fortune, and would purchase those types of boxes.

Of course, there were also those who preferred designs featuring men, children, or the elderly; such patterns definitely existed.

It was this rich variety of imaginative designs that made the Lucky Item Box even more popular.

Tang Jian scanned the boxes on the screen, one by one, but couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Excuse me, do you have... um, a box with an underwear pattern?"

Tang Jian looked at Xu Nana beside him. Even with his thick skin, asking that felt a bit awkward.

Damn it!

He remembered that in his previous life, when He Xun was promoting the product, he held a black box with an underwear pattern on its surface.

From that box, he had unboxed the [Demi-human Beauty Girl].

That incident had sparked a craze, causing that type of box to sell out like hotcakes.

Unfortunately, each Lucky Item Box was unique and only appeared once.

While other boxes of the same type might contain good Cards, there was little chance of unboxing the same rare growth card, the [Demi-human Beauty Girl].