This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 251: No Trickery, No Merchant

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: No Trickery, No Merchant

Gray Squirrel Clothing Store.

Two sticks of wood, nearly burned to ashes in the fireplace, wrapped in an old leather coat, Si Er dozed off with his feet propped on a moldy wooden table.

From the end of last September to now, this place’s business had been deserted for almost a whole four months.

Yet he wasn’t worried about going bankrupt.

It had always been like this in previous years.

Once winter came, only mice would frequent his closet, but that was okay because as soon as winter ended, the streets outside would be packed with people, and business here would quickly pick up.

Even Looters, who had regressed to Primitive Men, would look for a pair of pants to wear.

His shop was right at the entrance to the market, and this market was the closest to the main gate of Giant Stone City.

Any Waste Land Wanderers coming here would spot his signboard at a glance.

Those clothes that cost just two or three chips apiece were most popular, affordable even for workers from the neighboring factories, and some cash-strapped Waste Land Wanderers would consider them.

However, most of the sources of these clothes were not very particular—many were stripped from dead bodies, bearing stitched bullet holes and slashes; the cheapest ones were even left unsewn.

Guards from Commercial Teams or Mercenaries from other places tended to spend more generously. The leather jackets and jeans on the shelves were meant for them, some made in the industrial area’s garment factories, and some by tailor shops.

After all, for these Wanderers, it was uncertain whether they would come here next year, and nobody carried those plastic chips in their pocket.

Before leaving, they would exchange their chips for cigarettes, alcohol, bullets, or even Gold, Sterling Silver, or the Army’s Dinars.

Besides that, clothes were also a good choice.

As for now?

Winter had just ended, and the streets were full of poor beggars looking for Work. For him, who opened his doors for business, it was naturally the time to recharge and store energy.

Si Er was dreaming of being surrounded by beauty, but just then, a gust of cold air sneaking through the door crack startled him awake.

"Welcome to... visit, are you here to buy clothes?"

Si Er squinted his sleepy eyes and carefully scrutinized the five men who had come in from outside.

The one walking in front was not very old, about sixteen or seventeen, but he had probably been on the Battlefield, with a gunshot wound on his arm and an immature face that hid sharpness.

That was nothing, who here hasn’t seen a gun?

However, those four men behind him were impressive; they had the distinct aura unique to Awakeners.

It just so happened that their inexperienced and awe-struck demeanor somewhat shattered his stereotype of Awakeners.

Seeing that the fire in the fireplace had gone out, Night Ten, who couldn’t stay still, called out.

"Boss, it’s time to add some logs."

Si Er was taken aback, not understanding the dialect that had drifted in from who knows where.

"What are you saying?"

The man in front immediately said,

"He’s saying that your fireplace has no fire."

"No need to remind me, I know... Logs don’t cost money, this isn’t outside the city," Si Er muttered annoyed under his breath, straightening up from his chair, and addressing the man he could communicate with, "You all are Mercenaries, right? What are you planning to buy? A cotton coat? Or a leather jacket? Or perhaps... you want to stock up on some cheap goods?"

Xu Shun didn’t offer an explanation but instead looked back at a few guys who had rolled up their sleeves—looking at the "subtitles" on the VM were the old dudes.

Si Er’s eyes narrowed slightly, he indeed recognized the thing worn on those people’s arms.

He was distracted just now and hadn’t realized that those people were actually Blue Jackets?

How rare!

Those Blue Ground Mice had not only Awakened but even dressed up in the clothes of Waste Land Wanderers?

Weren’t their jackets supposed to grow on their bodies?

"We aren’t buying, we want to sell. We heard that you need clothes?" said Fang Chang in a broken mix of United Human language and his mother tongue in a long string.

The shopkeeper obviously didn’t understand.

But Xu Shun, who was used to dealing with players, did understand. He straightened out Fang Chang’s words, cleared up the grammar, and repeated them.

After listening to this sentence, Si Er immediately frowned.

"Sell?"

"Why come to me to sell clothes when there’s a shop next door that buys old clothes?"

Seeing that these people were not customers, Si Er’s expression instantly cooled, and he became visibly impatient.

Dead people’s clothes were usually sold in bulk by weight, and he did not have a scale prepared here.

"They offer too low prices there. We all agree that it’s an insult to art!" Xu Shun skillfully relayed Fang Chang’s words, this time even mimicking his indignant tone.

Si Er scoffed, thinking a bunch of bumpkins from the outside wouldn’t know what art is.

He was about to mock them and drive them out, but then he remembered the VMs they had on their hands and suppressed the idea.

Blue Jackets, huh.

They were Blue Jackets.

Si Er’s eyes rolled around.

Everyone knew that people from outside Giant Stone City were country bumpkins.

But that didn’t include the big merchants from Yunjian Province or those Blue Jackets from the refuges.

Though the latter might seem a bit dim-witted, any "civilized person" had to admit they were a group of lucky ones born in paradise.

Stretching out his wrinkled hand, Xi’er opened the drawer and took out a pair of brass-colored glasses, perching them on his nose.

"Let me take a look."

Xu Shun turned to Fang Chang, who moved his gaze away from the intermittent subtitles and immediately handed the package he was holding to the most reliable NPC.

Xu Shun walked up to the counter and placed the package on the table.

"Take a look and tell me how much you can offer."

Xi’er untied the package and reached inside, a flicker of interest flashed across his eyes.

"Devil Silk?!"

So, the goods that appeared on the market a few days ago were sold by the people in front of him?

He had heard that the ten rolls of fabric had barely shown up at the trade station before they were snatched up by a group of fast-acting people.

Xi’er was unsure into whose hands the Devil cloth had changed, but many tailor shops were inquiring where those exquisite materials had come from.

However, soon, the excitement in his eyes dimmed.

"You’ve already turned them into clothes? Are these all there is? Don’t you have any of the bundles of fabric?"

Xu Shun: "That’s all we have."

"That’s a shame," Xi’er said, with a regretful expression on his face, clucking his tongue in dismay, "What a waste of good material."

Xu Shun furrowed his brow.

"Aren’t the finished clothes good enough?"

"Even the best fabric needs to be used in the right way," Xi’er shook his head, "Yes, Devil Silk is rare and very durable. Whether it’s used to make luxurious garments or to make ropes or protective gear, it’s a fine material, but... "

Xi’er pulled a garment out of the package and, with a speechless look, shook it in front of Xu Shun.

"Can you explain to me what this is supposed to be?"

The garment, with its pristine and silky texture, adorned with delicately carved patterns on the hem and cuffs, truly emanated an indescribable sense of nobility.

However, the problem was, the garment had only a front, with the back merely symbolically stitched, and at the back, there were only a few ribbons.

The skirt was certainly long enough, but what was the point?

Xu Shun was taken aback and was about to speak, but the players behind him who were reading the subtitles had already begun to grumble angrily.

"Damn! This country bumpkin has no idea what’s valuable!"

"Exactly! Such a beautiful long gown!"

"Ah, I dream of seeing Crow wear it just once..."

"Forget it, even a tail wouldn’t make it possible."

A gown???

Xu Shun answered stiffly.

"This is a gown..."

"Too much is exposed in the back! Just a few strings, what’s the difference between that and being naked?" Xi’er scoffed, "The nobles in the Inner City would never fancy such revealing attire, it would embarrass them at a gathering!"

Xu Shun’s expression turned somewhat nuanced.

To be honest.

He too thought the garment revealed a bit too much.

There was only that one piece in the front, could it really cover the upper body completely?

Not to question the taste of the residents of the refuge, but he felt like if you could cut the piece from the skirt and sew it to the back, it would be perfect...

"It might be a cultural difference," Fang Chang mused, stroking his chin, his brows furrowed in thought, "I feel like the culture outside the city is more open, but maybe people in the Inner City are more conservative."

Wild Wind offered a guess.

"Maybe it’s a way for the Inner City folks to show they’re different from those outside?"

Fang Chang: "Possibly."

Night Ten sighed.

"Ah, Miss Teng Teng has had an unfavorable start."

Old White: "Speaking of which... these clothes didn’t sell at Outpost Base, did they?"

He had never seen anyone wearing them there.

After thinking for a moment, Wild Wind nodded, "True, I remember this dress hanging in Vine Cottage for some time now."

You can’t register alternate accounts in this game, and you can’t change gender, plus everyone knows each other online, so there’s an unexpected modesty once in the game.

In any other game...

Probably, it would’ve been worn by the big guys by now.

Night Ten: "Maybe it’s too cold? It’s not really appropriate to wear this thing in the dead of winter."

Wild Wind: "The refuge has heating, do you think that explanation holds up?"

Night Ten: "Uh, okay then."

Fang Chang sighed.

"Great, now the most promising candidate has been eliminated, setting aside those unreliable items, we are left with four... uh, three cards."

It seemed there was a reason this dress wasn’t selling; if even the players’ sense of shame couldn’t accept it, it was only natural that the NPCs couldn’t either.

It’s truly a shame.

I hope Miss Teng Teng isn’t too disheartened.

Just as Night Ten was pondering how to break this bad news to Teng Teng, the shopkeeper sitting behind the counter suddenly blurted out another question.

"What’s this?"

A glove?

Muttering to himself, Ciel pulled a white long sock out of the package.

After studying it for a moment, probably having never seen such a long and straight sock, he rolled up his sleeves and slid it right onto his furry arm.

The four little players in the clothing store almost spat out a mouthful of old blood when they saw this.

"Holy shit!"

"My eyes!"

"You have to tell him," Fang Chang urgently pulled Xu Shun, his voice so charged he nearly yelled, "that thing is a sock."

Xu Shun was momentarily stunned before hurrying to relay Fang Chang’s words.

"A sock?"

Ciel was taken aback, mumbling as he bent down to take off his shoes. The four little players couldn’t hold back any longer and rushed up to snatch the item off his hands.

"Get lost!"

"If you’re not buying, then don’t fucking touch!"

"Exactly! You’re defiling art!"

"?????"

Ciel’s face was full of question marks. He scratched his head, wondering what he had done to provoke such a strong reaction.

What a bunch of rude people!

Xu Shun’s toes almost dug a four-bedroom, one-living-room hole in the ground with embarrassment.

Honestly, he was just as confused, and even with VM assistance, he had no idea how to translate this properly.

Great Manager above!

Please, assign someone else to do this job.

He would rather fight the Looters with bayonets in the trenches, rather exchange fire with Mutants behind cover than continue working as a translator!

"Let’s go, we won’t find the person we’re looking for here."

"It’s time to end this charade, stupid NPC."

"Yes, what a waste of time!"

Night Ten bundled up the package and tossed it to Fang Chang, who smoothly slung it over his shoulder, turning toward the door.

Seeing the players were about to leave, Xu Shun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was finally over, and quickly followed them.

"Wait a minute."

Just as they were packing up to leave, Ciel hurriedly called out to them.

Everyone stopped in their tracks.

Seeing five pairs of eyes looking his way, Ciel cleared his throat and spoke.

"How about this? Since you’ve already asked next door and no one wants these... um, works of art, why not leave them here on consignment?"

Xu Shun: "Consignment?"

"Correct," Ciel nodded, "You set the price yourselves and then display it on the racks or in the window by the entrance."

"If it sells, I’ll only take a twenty percent commission. If it doesn’t sell, you can just take your items back before you leave here."

After all, these pieces were made of Devil Silk, and they were curious items from the Blue Jackets; despite the wasted material, the value was still there.

What if they actually sold?

Ciel wasn’t a stubborn man.

Anyway, he wasn’t doing any business at the moment, being idle. Having a gimmick in his display window might be good.

Moreover, if these people forgot the items they consigned to his store when they left, then those items would belong to him.

Such things happened from time to time.

There was once a Mercenary, an Awakener, who consigned a piece of Dead Claw skin to his shop, saying he would return in a week. When several months passed without his return, and after hearing from other Mercenaries that the guy had died, Ciel happily sold that piece of Dead Claw skin to a big boss in the Inner City.

Shoes made from Dead Claw skin were hugely popular in the Inner City—not just for their comfort and durability, but most importantly, for the status they conferred.

Xu Shun, however, wasn’t thinking that far. He just stared at him.

"How can we trust you?"

"My friend, this is Giant Stone City, and it’s not like the outside world! Agreements signed in black and white have to be recognized by everyone as long as they don’t leave the Enclosing Wall. Besides, my shop is right here; where am I going to escape to?" Ciel said confidently, "You four Awakeners, are you afraid of a mere ordinary person?"

It sounded somewhat reasonable.

Xu Shun looked back at the four players.

After a brief discussion, the four little players reached a consensus.

Treat a dead horse as if it were alive—better to try and fail than not to try at all.

Fang Chang stepped forward, took out the most tattered evening dress, placed it on the table, and knocked on it with his fist.

"Five hundred!"

Night Ten also moved closer, rummaged through the package, and precisely pulled out the white over-the-knee sock previously worn by this guy.

Pairing them up, he threw them disgustingly onto the table.

"One hundred! No, fifty!"

Xier: "..."

How much are you really selling for?

Communicating with these guys is too exhausting.

Impatiently, Xier tore a piece of paper off the ledger beside him, tore it in half, and wrote down some numbers.

"Windy dresses for five hundred, socks that can be worn as pants for one hundred... Alright, leave me an address, at least I have to know which hotel you’re staying at."

Xu Shun stepped forward to leave an address and signed his name on the document, not wanting to waste time here, and quickly pulled the players away from the place.

"Are these rags really selling for five hundred? And a torn sock for one hundred?"

"They must be crazy for money!"

Watching the group’s figures disappear at the door, Xier sneered, but still got up from his chair and hung the items in the display window.

After affixing labels with the prices, he then neatly placed a small blackboard beside them and wrote:

"[...Exclusive devil silk fabric technology, originating from the mysterious technology of the refuge, unique in Giant Stone City, this is a one-of-a-kind work of art.]"

Done!

Xier took two steps back, read the words on the sign, and nodded in satisfaction.

Although communicating with those Blue Jackets wasn’t pleasant, you don’t have to be on bad terms with chips, right?

As long as he could trade for those colorful plastic chips, he was willing to do business even with Eaters!

...

After leaving the store,

Night Ten looked towards his teammates.

"Is it reliable to let that guy shop for us?"

Fang Chang shrugged.

"We have no choice, it would be years before we could sell anything with your negotiating skills."

Night Ten wasn’t pleased.

"Damn! You have the nerve to critique me, if you’d just speak less Chinese in United Human, would it have confused people to the point of not understanding?"

Fang Chang glanced at him.

"Cut it out, at least my Dad can speak a couple of sentences, what about you? You can’t even recognize all the numbers!"

"I need to pass level four, when do I have the time to learn that stuff?"

"If you’re bad, just admit it, and learn from Brother Guang, who never makes excuses."

"@#%!"

Wild Wind: "..."

Listening to his teammates argue, Old White looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Ah, this game is damn hard..."

He didn’t understand at all.

It must be a matter of intelligence attribute!

Xu Shun silently followed the four.

Although he had seriously learned the language of the refuge, he only learned a few words and short sentences.

Once these people start talking fast, the variety intensifies, and without a prompter, it’s really hard to decipher what they’re saying; sometimes, even VM doesn’t know how to translate.

However...

The atmosphere seemed friendly enough, loud but not like they were fighting.

As Fang Chang and Night Ten were bickering, Wild Wind suddenly interjected a comment.

"Speaking of which, isn’t five hundred too expensive? The average salary here doesn’t even reach one hundred a month, does it?"

With room and board included, a day’s wage is two to three, which sums up to barely ninety a month, and some engineers could earn ten to a hundred times that, but they are as rare as pandas.

"You don’t understand, even if we sold it for fifty, ordinary people couldn’t afford it," said Fang Chang lazily, "Since that’s the case, why not just sell it for more? Those who can afford it will naturally buy, and those who can’t won’t even if you discount it."

The three looked at each other.

Damn?

That kind of makes sense!

But why does he sound like he learned it from a Mosquito?

He’s becoming more and more like a cunning merchant...

-

(Next Chapter before 12 o’clock)

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.