Shen Qingqiu led Jiang Lan through several turns and into a shop.
The shop was small but tastefully decorated, with bottles and jars lining its shelves.
The owner was a middle-aged man with a goatee.
At the sight of Shen Qingqiu, he immediately came over with a broad smile.
"Well, Captain Shen! What brings you here today?"
Shen Qingqiu pointed at Jiang Lan beside him. "Selling a Beast Core for my nephew."
Only then did the owner notice Jiang Lan. He looked him up and down and smiled.
"A new face! Welcome, welcome."
Jiang Lan nodded, took the Beast Core out from inside his clothes, and handed it to the owner.
The owner took the Beast Core, examined it carefully in his palm, then studied it for a while through a magnifying glass.
"A tier-one Ironback Wolf Beast Core. Good condition, few impurities. One thousand Credit Points."
A thousand credits was a fair price. Shen Qingqiu had said the same yesterday.
Naturally, he had no objections. He nodded.
"Deal."
The owner took out a card and swiped it over the watch on Jiang Lan's wrist.
With a ding, the Credit Points arrived in his account.
The watch was linked to his resident card, and practically everyone in the base city had one.
The resident card essentially combined the functions of an ID card, a bank card, and a transit card from his previous life.
Banks existed in this world too, but only two remained: the World Bank and Huaguo Bank.
It was ironic, really. Before spiritual energy returned, countries large and small had been embroiled in constant wars. Yet once the ferocious beasts awakened, the world united against an outside enemy, and national borders no longer mattered.
Credit Points were issued and distributed centrally by the World Bank and could be used worldwide.
As for prices, they varied between the base cities of different countries, but not by much. Things were simply a little more or less expensive.
Once the transaction was complete, Shen Qingqiu stayed to chat with the owner instead of leaving.
"How's the market been lately?"
The owner sighed and shook his head.
"Not great, Captain Shen. The Ferocious Beasts have been more active lately. We're getting more materials, but prices have dropped quite a bit."
Shen Qingqiu frowned. "How much?"
Old Zhang said, "Ironback Wolf hides have dropped from six hundred to five hundred, and Bloodfang Tiger scales from ten thousand to eight thousand. Other materials are down about ten percent too."
Shen Qingqiu nodded. "What about blood essence?"
Old Zhang said, "Same prices as before. Two thousand for tier one, twelve thousand for tier two. Demand's high, so prices are stable."
Listening beside them, Jiang Lan recalled the shopkeeper he had met before.
Two thousand five hundred. That bastard really had been trying to rip me off.
But even at two thousand, his savings were nowhere near enough.
Buying blood essence to level up would still be a struggle.
It was no big deal, though. He could hunt Ferocious Beasts now, after all.
After chatting with the owner for a while, Shen Qingqiu took Jiang Lan out to browse the market.
The stalls offered all sorts of goods.
One of them displayed a variety of Ferocious Beast materials.
The stallholder was a burly man. Seeing customers approach, he immediately called out.
"Fresh Ironback Wolf hides, five hundred each! Bloodfang Tiger fangs, three thousand apiece!"
Jiang Lan inwardly marveled at the prices.
Even hides and teeth sell for that much?
Doesn't that mean I missed out earlier?
If he had brought the whole Ironback Wolf back, he could have earned nearly another thousand Credit Points.
But there was no point regretting it now.
He would consider it next time, if circumstances allowed.
Shen Qingqiu led Jiang Lan around a little longer before stopping outside a medicinal herb shop.
"Come have a look."
Jiang Lan followed him inside.
The shop stocked all sorts of medicinal herbs and pills, and a faint fragrance filled the air.
Shen Qingqiu walked up to the counter and addressed the clerk.
"Two bottles of healing medicine and one bottle of qi-replenishing pills."
The clerk nodded and turned to fetch the medicine from the shelves.
Jiang Lan glanced at the price tags.
Healing medicine cost five hundred Credit Points a bottle, while qi-replenishing pills cost two thousand.
Hold me, sugar mommy!
That's my aunt for you. Spending three thousand Credit Points without even blinking.
If you encounter ads such as "Are you a real person?", simply ignore and close them. Do not scan any codes or send text messages!
Still, Jiang Lan knew his aunt probably had no use for any of these things.
So they were all for him.
The thought warmed Jiang Lan's heart once again.
Noticing Jiang Lan's expression, Shen Qingqiu smiled.
"Don't overthink it. I needed to buy these anyway. They're essentials for trips outside the city."
Jiang Lan nodded, even more certain of his conclusion.
If Shen Qingqiu really had been buying them for himself, he would have had no reason to explain.
I can't just keep living off him.
I need to get stronger, fast.
After buying the pills, Shen Qingqiu led Jiang Lan out.
He looked around the street before finally setting his sights on a bookstore selling cultivation manuals.
"Grand opening sale! Body Tempering Realm cultivation methods from just five thousand Credit Points! Meridian Opening cultivation methods from just one hundred thousand Credit Points!"
Holy shit!
Jiang Lan sucked in a sharp breath.
Seriously, man.
Wouldn't robbery be faster? Why bother selling cultivation methods?
One hundred thousand Credit Points was only the starting price, which meant they cost even more than that.
Converted into yuan, that would start at a million.
No wonder there are so few martial artists.
Who the hell can afford this?
Noticing where Jiang Lan was looking, Shen Qingqiu spoke.
"Cultivation methods on the open market have always been expensive, and they might not even suit you. That's why people usually join an organization or an academy that provides them."
Jiang Lan nodded.
No wonder everyone wants to join the city guard or a Warrior Academy.
"All right, we've pretty much finished looking around. Is there anything else you want to buy? Don't worry if you're short on Credit Points. Your aunt has plenty."
Jiang Lan shook his head repeatedly.
"No, nothing."
You've got to be kidding.
I'm a grown man. Am I really going to live off someone else?
My stomach's perfectly healthy. I can chew on a few bones.
As he pondered this, Jiang Lan's gaze drifted across his aunt's chest.
Though something soft might not be so bad.
No, no, no!
What am I thinking?
Shen Qingqiu did not notice Jiang Lan's little glance. Seeing that he had nothing else he wanted to buy, he spoke.
"Then let's head home."
Jiang Lan nodded and followed Shen Qingqiu back.
Once they were in the car, Shen Qingqiu started the engine. After driving for a while, he suddenly asked a question.
"We're heading outside the city the day after tomorrow. Do you still want to come?"
Jiang Lan answered without hesitation.
"Yes!"
Obviously. Of course I have to go.
Where else would I get Fierce Beast Blood Essence?
Something flickered in Shen Qingqiu's eyes, but he still nodded.
"All right. Make sure you stay safe."
By the time they got home, it was already afternoon.
Perhaps tired from shopping, Shen Qingqiu ordered takeout instead of cooking himself.
It was worth mentioning that this world had the cute little yellow kangaroo too.
Grow bigger, grow stronger, reach new heights!
After they ate, Shen Qingqiu brought several small bottles out of his room.
"These are Collection Vials. They're for you."
Jiang Lan took the Collection Vials, his eyes lighting up.
The bottles were small, with a sharp spike at the front that could be driven straight into a Ferocious Beast's heart to collect its blood essence.
With these, he could finally say goodbye to drinking blood like a savage.
Now all he had to do was wait for their trip outside the city the day after tomorrow.
Get a couple of bottles of blood essence, then keep leveling up.
Things are looking up, aren't they?