The person hurriedly said, "Yes, yes."
The person handed Sang Luoluo a black wristwatch. The words "Black market blank card" were written on its back.
Sang Luoluo examined the black market blank card. It contained no information; it was simply a wristwatch used to store points.
"You can go in now."
Pulling her suitcase and leaning on her cane, Sang Luoluo headed down, taking the elevator to the twentieth basement level.
People were everywhere. Everyone wore the same mask as hers and had a "black market blank card" identical to hers on their wrist. The designs were exactly the same, clearly mass-produced.
Sang Luoluo opened her wristwatch interface and edited her identity, changing her nickname to [Eating Expert].
Shops lined both sides of the street, with all sorts of small businesses. Naturally, payments also required a black market blank card.
Sang Luoluo spotted a general store and walked inside. It held all sorts of strange things unavailable outside. She asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any here?"
The shopkeeper also wore a mask. "Yes. What kind do you want?"
Sang Luoluo stated her requirements. "Things for surviving in the wilderness. If you have radiation suits, I'd like those too."
The shopkeeper said, "I don't have radiation suits, but I know somewhere that does. If you want to know, pay me twenty points."
Sang Luoluo didn't know the rules here yet and figured she might as well ask about everything here. "Can I trade food for the information?"
The shopkeeper was certainly willing. "Yes, of course."
Whatever food he couldn't finish, he could trade to someone else. He might even get a few extra points.
Sang Luoluo estimated that twenty points would be about two small strawberries. She took two strawberries wrapped in strawberry leaves from her pocket and placed them in front of him. Each strawberry weighed about 35-40 grams, and a jin was worth roughly 130 points, making the two together worth just about twenty points.
The shopkeeper scanned them with his wristwatch.
"Beep, beep, beep! Radiation level: 0. Low radiation. Recommended for consumption!"
Startled, the shopkeeper quickly calculated their price in his head. He had never eaten strawberries before, and their sweet fragrance instantly amazed him. He hurriedly put them away safely. "The authorities strictly control radiation suits, but every auction house in the black market has them. If you're lucky, you can catch one up for auction. They're scarce, so they aren't put up for sale individually. Whether you find one at an auction depends on your luck."
Sang Luoluo continued, "Where are the auctions?"
The shopkeeper said, "You're new here, aren't you? You can search for auction locations on your black market blank card. They'll send a message to your wristwatch a day in advance."
Reassured, Sang Luoluo said, "Shopkeeper, bring out your self-defense weapons and let me have a look." She had come today to buy some weapons that suited her.
The shopkeeper said, "Come with me."
Sang Luoluo followed him. Behind the door was a shooting room with fairly good soundproofing. The shopkeeper brought out a case. "These are ordinary pistols. They need bullets loaded into them. Bullets are consumables, and the guns and ammunition are sold separately. A pistol costs twenty thousand points, and bullets cost fifty points each."
The shopkeeper continued introducing the other weapons.
"Submachine gun, fifty thousand. Bullets are fifty points each."
"Iron rod, three hundred points each."
"Smoke grenade, one hundred points each."
"Hand grenade, two hundred points each."
These were much like the weapons Sang Luoluo knew, and she had a rough idea of their destructive power. But the laser weapons she had seen the Guard use while scavenging outside were more powerful.
Sang Luoluo settled on the hand grenades. "I'd like a hundred hand grenades."
That would cost twenty thousand points.
Chapter 35: Black Market 2: Congratulations to this customer on winning this C-grade Crystal Core...
Calculating in strawberries at 130 points per jin, twenty thousand points would require about 153 jin. What she had brought in her suitcase was about enough.
Sang Luoluo continued asking, "Do you buy strawberries here? The kind I just gave you. How many points per jin do they go for on the black market?"
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up. "I do. I can give you 155 points per jin. You should know, the black market has plenty of good stuff. You won't get that price outside."
It was higher than she had expected. "See how many jin I have in this case and convert it into points. Give me a hundred hand grenades, then pay me the remaining balance in points."
The shopkeeper thought he was in luck today, having met a big customer. He hurriedly said, "Yes, yes."
Sang Luoluo watched him weigh the strawberries in her suitcase: 154 jin.
That came to 23,870 points.
Account holder: [Eating Expert] Balance: 3,870.
Sang Luoluo took another two strawberries from her pocket and placed them in front of the shopkeeper. She asked gently, "One more thing I'd like to ask. Does anyone on the black market sell growth potions? The kind that can regrow lost limbs?"
The shopkeeper shook his head. "No. The base controls those strictly, and quantities are limited. Even the big shots up top can't get their hands on something like that easily. But an ordinary gene potion can be obtained for three hundred thousand. You have to reserve it, though. Treating a leg like yours wouldn't be a problem."
Sang Luoluo grew interested. "Are you sure three hundred thousand points can buy one?"
The shopkeeper looked at her. "More or less. They're expensive. Do you have enough points?"
"Where can I buy this gene potion?"
The shopkeeper gestured for strawberries.
Sang Luoluo took another two from her pocket and placed them in front of him. The shopkeeper immediately smiled even more broadly and gestured toward the pharmacy opposite. "You can buy it at that pharmacy across the street."
Sang Luoluo: "..."
Sang Luoluo left, pulling a suitcase containing a hundred neatly arranged hand grenades.
In an empty alley, she put the hand grenades into her space, then continued onward with her suitcase.
Sang Luoluo now desperately wanted to heal her leg. She kept walking through the night market that evening until she reached a general store farther away, then went inside to ask.
"Shopkeeper, do you buy potatoes?"
"Yes. How many do you have?"
Sang Luoluo asked, "How many points per jin for potatoes with a radiation level of zero?"
Realizing she was a major customer, the shopkeeper said, "The black market price is 140 per jin."
Sang Luoluo pushed her suitcase forward. "Weigh these."
The shopkeeper opened it to find it full of fresh potatoes, each the size of a palm. Seeing their excellent condition, he knew he could make a tidy profit reselling them. He hurriedly weighed them. "198 jin."
Sang Luoluo received 27,720 points.
Account holder: [Eating Expert] Balance: 31,590.
Since that was the case, Sang Luoluo thought that, having finally made the trip, her priority was to save enough points and buy the potion to heal her leg. She looked at the shopkeeper. "I have more potatoes. Will you buy them at the same price?"
The shopkeeper was stunned. "There's more?"
His shock was then replaced by delight, and he grinned from ear to ear. "Yes, of course. I'll buy however much you have. If you have more stock in the future, just bring it here. I guarantee I'll give you the highest price on the black market."
Sang Luoluo smiled. "Sure. This time, we'll stick to 140 per jin. Get a cart ready, shopkeeper. Come with me to the alley behind the shop to collect the goods in a bit."
Dragging a suitcase back and forth all by herself would not only be exhausting but also attract plenty of attention.
Sang Luoluo held out her wristwatch. "Shopkeeper, let's add each other as friends first."
He scanned it, and they were soon connected. He saw the other party's nickname: [Eating Expert].
Network Fallen Leaf saw his nickname: [Come Again General Store].
Sang Luoluo smiled. "I'll head out first. I'll message you when the goods arrive."
"Sure, no problem."
Sang Luoluo left the shop and looked around nearby, finding an alley very close by. With an outstretched hand, twenty large burlap sacks appeared, all filled with potatoes.
There were plenty of potatoes in her space. Moreover, new potatoes would grow in that mu of potato field, providing an endless supply in the future. There was still plenty of stock in the warehouse, too. Besides, she couldn't eat many potatoes herself. At most, she made stir-fried shredded potatoes or French fries; she rarely ate them prepared any other way.
Sang Luoluo messaged the shopkeeper.
[Eating Expert]: The goods are here. There's too much. Bring your scales and weigh them here.
[Come Again General Store]: Okay, on my way.
Within just a few minutes, the general store owner arrived pushing a cart. His eyes went wide at the twenty bulging sacks piled there. With this much stock, how powerful must the force behind this person be?
Sang Luoluo asked, "Can you handle this much stock?"
"Of course. My general store does good business."
The shopkeeper began weighing the sacks one by one in front of Sang Luoluo.
Each sack weighed around 240 jin, adding up to 4,851 jin altogether.
The shopkeeper no longer had any energy to be happy. After weighing everything, he was so exhausted that he sat on the ground and didn't want to get up. Moving those sacks onto the scales one at a time had been incredibly tiring.
[Eating Expert] wasn't even out of breath, which meant she must have other helpers waiting nearby. A man with a lame leg certainly couldn't move so much all by himself.
Sang Luoluo urged him, "Hurry and calculate the points. I have other things to do."
The shopkeeper hurriedly transferred 679,140 points. These points were practically his entire fortune: his savings from all these years, along with payments for goods that other business partners had left with him. While weighing the sacks, he had carefully checked that every sack contained potatoes, with no fake goods mixed in.
Sang Luoluo looked down.
Account holder: [Eating Expert] Balance: 710,730.
"Eating Expert, make sure you consider me first next time you have stock. Like I said, I can give you the highest price on the black market."