057: Mature Graphic Symbol "§"

"Um, sir, are you looking for the kind of lucky box with those specific patterns?"

Xu Nana, barely suppressing her almost-contorted expression, still asked with a professional, smiling demeanor. Is he messing with me? she wondered, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Tang Jian cleared his throat, feigning indifference, and nodded seriously. "Yes, exactly. And if possible, could you narrow it down a bit further? I'm looking for a deep purple box, ideally."

Xu Nana's eyes scanned Tang Jian's nonchalant expression. Once she was sure he wasn't teasing or flirting with her, she smiled and nodded, saying softly, "Of course, sir. I'll filter them out for you right away."

With that, Xu Nana no longer wished to engage in further conversation with Tang Jian. In her mind, she'd already categorized him as another "rich second-generation."

Tang Jian felt a mix of guilt and awkwardness. He glanced at Xu Nana's back as she turned to adjust the screen, then swallowed hard.

Mmp!

Back in the day, when I was his age, I was definitely a pure and innocent boy.

My face always wore a naive, clueless look.

Knife, knife, knife.

What kind of knife was that?

Time is a butcher's knife.

Speaking of which, what kind of mindset did He Xun have when he bought that specific type of lucky box back then?

"Sir, I've filtered out the lucky boxes you requested. Currently, at our Green Fox Exchange, there are only these five of that style."

After operating on the large screen for a while, Xu Nana interrupted Tang Jian's musings, pointing to the top of the screen.

Tang Jian immediately looked up and saw that only five lucky boxes remained on the screen, all adorned with clothing patterns.

As some customers passed by and saw the scene, they couldn't help but shoot strange glances at the callow-faced Tang Jian before shaking their heads and walking away.

"There are actually five purple ones."

"Let me see... this one doesn't look quite right... this one's a bit similar, uh, and this one..."

Tang Jian meticulously scrutinized the lucky boxes on the screen for a while, looking as if he was agonizing over which one to buy.

But the more he looked, the more conflicted he became.

All five lucky boxes were of similar styles. Two of them could probably be eliminated; their forms were slightly dissimilar and looked rather crude. However, the other three looked very familiar.

Tang Jian racked his brain, yet he couldn't be sure which of these three lucky boxes He Xun had bought in his previous life.

He felt like all three were somewhat similar, yet none of them were quite right.

This feeling of familiarity mixed with slight unfamiliarity was giving him a headache.

"Sir? Have you made your selection?"

Xu Nana looked at the conflicted Tang Jian, feeling curious and a little annoyed inside, but maintained her smile.

Tang Jian let out a soft breath. "What are the prices for these three lucky boxes?"

Tang Jian pointed out the three lucky boxes he wanted to buy.

Xu Nana immediately lowered her head to check the product models and prices on her handheld device. Then, smiling, she pointed them out to Tang Jian one by one. "This lucky box contains one hundred cards and costs forty thousand. The one in the middle contains twenty cards and costs eight thousand. And this last one contains five cards and only costs two thousand. If you buy all of them, sir, I can give you a 2% discount!"

Xu Nana smiled brightly.

A 2% discount meant she'd only be giving up 0.2 points of commission. If Tang Jian really bought all of them, she'd make a significant profit.

"Shit! There's even a lucky box with a hundred cards."

Tang Jian felt frustrated.

He had no idea what specifications the box He Xun had opened in his previous life had been; He Xun hadn't mentioned it at all.

As long as a lucky box contained fewer than one hundred cards, its physical size was the same.

Only lucky boxes containing over one hundred cards, like two hundred or three hundred, had different sizes.

Now, these three boxes were almost indistinguishable in size, and he couldn't determine which lucky box He Xun had opened to get the Demi-human Beauty Girl in his previous life. The safest bet would be to buy all of them.

But buying all these boxes would cost fifty thousand yuan. Even with a 2% discount, it would still be forty-nine thousand, which was a huge expense.

Moreover, what if the Demi-human Beauty Card He Xun had in his previous life wasn't opened from a lucky box at all, but was just a lie to promote the merchant, a deliberate deception that went against his conscience? Then wouldn't he, this reborn fool, be thoroughly scammed?

The Demi-human Beauty Card starts as a white five-star Growable Card. Even though it's only white five-star, its power and function among pet-type cards are comparable to white seven-star cards. And the initial few star levels are easy to find materials for and re-create to upgrade.

Tang Jian weighed the pros and cons in his mind, finally gritting his teeth.

I'll gamble!

Wobble wobble, bicycle turns into a motorcycle, non-European to European Emperor.

"This... if I really buy these three, can I get a better discount? How about a 5% discount?"

Even though Tang Jian had decided to buy, he still wanted to haggle.

A fifty-thousand-yuan deal—in his previous life, as a Three-Star Card Master, he wouldn't have batted an eye. But now, this fifty thousand was truly hard-earned money.

Making money is like eating shit, difficult. Spending money is like having diarrhea, easy. A crude but true saying.

"A 5% discount?" Xu Nana looked troubled. "I can't give that much. I don't have the authority to offer such a high discount."

Actually, she could have offered a 90% discount, even if it meant no commission, just to hit her sales targets.

But she wasn't lacking in sales right now, and Tang Jian wasn't her husband, so why should she give him such a big discount?

"Don't be like that, pretty lady! This is 50,000 yuan we're talking about. A 5% discount should be negotiable, right? Look at me, I'm so young and able to spend so much. If I become a regular customer, your commission and sales will skyrocket. Can't you give me just a little more off?"

Tang Jian immediately started negotiating with his glib tongue.

Although businesswomen are shrewd, even she found it a bit hard to resist haggling with a fresh-faced young man like Tang Jian.

Xu Nana was swayed by Tang Jian's persistent pleas and began to waver.

Indeed, Tang Jian was so young and spent so much. If he became a long-term customer, she wouldn't have to worry about her monthly sales, and she could even make a decent profit.

While Xu Nana looked down on Tang Jian's hobbies and taste, she was very welcoming to a wealthy customer like him.

"Sir, your persuasive skills are truly impressive. I've certainly learned a lot today."

"Alright, how about this: if you buy this other box of five cards as well, along with the four Lucky Item Boxes, I'll give you a 5% discount. Let's be friends, and I hope you'll visit us often in the future."

Xu Nana smiled like a wild chrysanthemum blooming brightly on a mountain.

"Is that so?" Tang Jian looked at the other Lucky Item Box, which had slightly thicker fabric. After a moment of calculation, he nodded slightly. "Alright, that works. Oh, and you accept card trades here, right? I have a card I want to sell to you."

Since Green Fox Card Exchange dealt in card transactions, they naturally acquired cards as well.

The profit margins were quite good.

For example, for a card with a market price of 30,000 yuan, they would only offer a maximum of 25,000 yuan for it, or even just half the price.

Then, after maintaining and beautifully packaging the cards, they would sell them at market price.

Even so, there were often people who were short on cash, or who had extra, useless cards, who would come here to sell them.

"Beep—"

Tang Jian's White Jade Flying Serpent Card was swiped on the card reader.

Immediately, the card reader lit up, displaying a bunch of evaluation data.

Card: Pet-type Auxiliary Healing System: White Jade Flying Serpent Card (White Quality Seven-Star)

Performance Evaluation: Medium-low;

Maintenance Evaluation: Excellent;

"Mr. Tang, based on the evaluation data for your card, our exchange can only offer 18,000 yuan to acquire it."

A professional appraiser, dressed in a suit and wearing leather gloves, said to Tang Jian with a smile.

Although Tang Jian's Life Force didn't feel strong to him, perhaps not even reaching that of a Three-Star Card User, and he himself was a Four-Star Card User, wealthy customers were always respected. This professional appraiser showed no hint of disdain.

"Only 18,000? Can't you offer more?" Tang Jian frowned.

The appraiser shook his head with a smile. "18,000 is already the highest price. You should also be aware that cards are priced based on their performance, and your card's performance is only medium-low; it cannot be improved further.

The healing effect of this White Jade Flying Serpent Card is about 20% worse compared to a card with excellent performance.

And even an excellent-performance White Jade Flying Serpent Card only sells for 25,000 yuan on the market. If your card hadn't been so well-maintained, it wouldn't even sell for 18,000."

Cards also varied in performance. Cards of the same quality and star rating didn't necessarily have the same functions and effects; the difference in performance also mattered. Those with higher performance naturally had higher value.

Tang Jian sighed, having no choice but to give up.

After selling the White Jade Flying Serpent Card, and including the 32,600 yuan he already had, Tang Jian had a total of 50,600 yuan.

He paid directly, buying four Lucky Item Boxes, which cost him 49,400 yuan. All his money instantly dwindled to just 1,200 yuan.

"Mr. Tang, these are the Lucky Item Boxes you purchased! Please take them! And this is a membership card for our Green Fox Card Exchange. You can get this card simply by purchasing over 50,000 yuan worth of items at our exchange. With this card, you'll receive a 5% discount on any future purchases at our exchange."

Xu Nana was beaming, and after completing all the payment receipts for Tang Jian, she handed him a leather pouch with both hands, her voice so sweet it could melt hearts.

Regardless of Tang Jian's peculiar hobbies, the customer was king, and money talked. Xu Nana had initially thought that a naive young man like Tang Jian would at most spend a few thousand yuan.

Who would have thought he would instantly splurge nearly fifty thousand yuan? Even though she gave a considerable discount, she still earned over two thousand yuan in commission, which immediately elevated her mood and attitude.

"Nana is so lucky!"

"Yeah, I actually noticed that young man too just now. I thought he was just here to look around, but who knew, sigh."

"That's why rich people don't care about age, or whether someone is old or young, male or female. What's wrong with him being young? He's rich!"

"Hmph. I still prefer someone more mature."

Some of the staff watched Xu Nana and Tang Jian, whispering amongst themselves. Some were quite envious, while others curiously observed Tang Jian, secretly committing his appearance to memory.

"This is my business card. It has my WeChat number on it. Mr. Tang, feel free to contact me anytime if you have any needs in the future."

Xu Nana handed Tang Jian a business card as he was leaving.

Tang Jian nodded, accepting it casually.

Keeping her business card wasn't a bad idea. If he had needs in the future, he could contact her. After all, gathering materials was a troublesome task, and having an industry insider take care of it would save him a lot of running around.

Tang Jian checked the Lucky Item Boxes in the leather bag, ensuring they were the four he had chosen, and then immediately left the Green Fox Card Exchange.

He was incredibly excited at this moment.

Although he had almost spent all his money, he had obtained the [Demi-human Beauty] Card.

Demi-humans are a miracle born from Interstellar Humans' genetic technology. They've transcended the processes of aging, illness, and death, becoming a new race with eternal life and exceptional physiques.

Some of the more powerful among them possess incredible superpowers.

For example, resurrection, or the ability for their mental will to release a substance called "Invisible Black Matter" (IBM). This allows them to achieve a state of near invisibility, intangibility, and physical damage immunity, though they can be affected by liquids.

Tang Jian knew that the Demi-human Beauty Girl pet card He Xun once acquired seemed to be the best. The beauty summoned by that card possessed such powerful abilities, making it an extremely formidable pet card.

Imagine summoning a pet that is inherently immortal and even possesses superpowers.

As long as the Card Master maintains the necessary energy, this pet essentially cannot be killed by enemies. There's no need to repeatedly summon it and expend more energy if it dies.

Such a powerful pet card is incredibly rare and valuable.

Tang Jian couldn't help but walk with a lighter step.

He had originally planned to sell the large gold chain he got from Mosquito today as well, but now all he wanted was to quickly open the Demi-human Beauty Card. So, he didn't idle on the streets anymore. Instead, he found a hotel that looked quite decent and booked a room by the hour.

Returning to Jiangbei University's dormitory to open the cards would be too conspicuous. Tang Jian decided it was better to avoid attention outside and open all the Lucky Item Boxes first.

The hourly room was decorated very comfortably and elegantly, with rosewood furniture, soft sofas, and carpets. The windows were open, so the air in the room wasn't stuffy.

Tang Jian used his experience from his past life to inspect the room.

After confirming that the hotel had no illegally installed cameras or other monitoring devices, he closed and double-locked the door, opened his bag, and pulled out five iron boxes that varied in weight but were identical in size.

He shook the iron boxes, but not a sound came from inside, as if they contained nothing at all.

However, Tang Jian knew this was because the iron boxes were filled with a kind of foam wood, similar to floral foam. Each card was placed within the foam wood, so shaking the boxes made it impossible to detect any movement inside.

Tang Jian took a deep breath.

His gaze first fell on the Lucky Item Box containing one hundred cards. The purple lingerie pattern on this box was slightly mature, giving off a seductive vibe, and displayed this symbol: "§".

Tang Jian reached out and caressed the box's surface, his fingers trembling slightly.

There was a high probability of getting a Demi-human Beauty Card from a Lucky Item Box containing one hundred cards.

Even in his previous life, as a Three-Star Card Master, he had never owned such a card. How could he not be excited?