Era of Mist

Chapter 281: Chapter 280: Jingtuan Is My True Benefactor

The owner ambled over, beaming. ”Young man, looking at Heart Skills? This one’s on special, a real bargain. Only three copies left. Better grab one before they’re gone!”

A bargain?

”Wait, um, five thousand?” Shi Tiexin pointed at the special offer display case, unable to believe his eyes. ”This thing... five thousand?”

”That’s right, five thousand!” The owner wore a ’you’re getting the deal of a lifetime’ expression. ”How about that? Shocking, isn’t it? Our shop is just that generous and affordable.”

”Is it some kind of special modified version?”

”Modified version? You’ve got to be kidding. Modified Heart Skills are ridiculously expensive. There’s no way one would sell for only five thousand.”

”Then how many layers does this one include?”

’Could it be that one book contains the entire set? If that’s the case, then I could almost understand the price.’

”One layer. Driving four-wheeled ground vehicles.”

”Oh, and by the way, even though it’s just one layer, it’s actually the second layer, split off from the classic edition of the Basic Driving Skill.”

Shi Tiexin was astonished. ”You can just split off the second layer and practice it as a single layer?”

”Of course. This copy has been specially modified by a master’s hand. You can cultivate it directly as a standalone Heart Skill layer, or you can use it to continue your training as the second layer of the classic version. It’s incredibly convenient, an amazing value!”

”Hey, kid, now that you mention it, I’m starting to see you have a real insightful way of looking at things.” The owner pinched his chin, his eyes glinting with the eager light of an impending price hike. ”A Heart Skill this potent... Five thousand does seem a little too cheap...”

Shi Tiexin stared wordlessly at the owner, then at the Heart Skill Secret Manual glittering under the lights. After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice dry. ”Boss, I’m just curious. Do a lot of people buy this manual?”

”They sure do.”

”Why? What’s the appeal?”

”Think about it. You buy this manual, you practice with it, and once you’re qualified, you can go take your driver’s test. If you don’t buy the manual, you have to learn to drive the hard way, and you’re forced to go to a driving school. A driving school, kid! A driving school! You’ve never been to one, have you?”

Shi Tiexin quickly shook his head.

”If you’d ever been to a driving school, you’d know just how valuable this manual is. Never mind the difficulty and expense—it takes forever. Time is money, my friend! The number of vehicles in Tumu Castle is huge, and they’re about to start restricting license plates. Get your license a day sooner, and you get a plate. A day later, and you’re out of luck!”

Warmed up by his own pitch, the owner waved a hand, and the number on the sign instantly changed to 6666.

”Grand promotion, huge discount! Driving skill for only 6666!” the owner bellowed out to the street. His voice was resonant and full of power; from the looks of it, his physical condition was even better than that of Shi Tiexin’s Black Venerable Incarnation.

Shi Tiexin fell silent.

He silently circled the counter, and the prices of every manual he saw made his stomach clench.

The most eye-catching item was a Nourishing Essence Technique called the ”Essence Qi Well Gate Technique.” It was placed in a prominent spot, so high up that even a man of Shi Tiexin’s height had to look up to see it.

”My young friend, this is our shop’s crown jewel, an excellent Nourishing Essence Technique.” The owner slung an arm around Shi Tiexin’s shoulder, gesturing with his free hand as if mapping out a grand future. ”Practice this, and you’ll be able to drill a motorized well right in your gut. A motorized well, you know what that is, right? An old piece of equipment, antiquated but very effective.”

”Just practice this!” SLAP, SLAP. The owner patted the manual. ”And your essence qi will surge forth endlessly, just like water from a motorized well! You’ll be able to fill up your reserves even in your sleep. You’ll enter the Sharp Qi Realm with ease!”

Shi Tiexin asked seriously, ”How much faster is it than the basic Essence Nourishment Technique?”

”Twice as fast.” The owner, equally serious, held up two fingers. ”Two! Times! If it’s even a fraction slower, you can hold me personally accountable.”

’The owner’s expression was so earnest it was hard not to believe him.’

”My young friend, a book holds a house of gold. An investment in knowledge is the one with the highest return. No matter how expensive it is, you’ll always earn back multiples of what you paid. The future, your dreams... they’re all inside this book.”

’I didn’t know what level his art of persuasion was, but it had to be incredibly high. He made you feel like everything he said was the absolute truth.’

’He was right. An investment in a Cultivation Technique was always the most profitable one.’

’Especially for someone like me. I cross through countless possibilities, unable to bring anything with me or take anything away. The only thing that stays with me is my Cultivation Technique. If I had a Nourishing Essence Technique that was twice as fast as the basic one... wouldn’t the Black Venerable have become a damn Sharp Qi Realm master ages ago?’

Shi Tiexin was immediately captivated by the thought. He glanced at the Cultivation Technique’s price—

’2. Okay.’

’8. Still acceptable.’

’Followed by a lot of zeros...’

’Then a little dot.’

’And then a lot more zeros...’

”That dot...” Shi Tiexin pointed to the little dot. ”Is that a decimal point?”

”Kid, you’re hilarious!” The owner roared with laughter, gasping for breath.

Shi Tiexin immediately turned away from the display case, silently taking out his own Heart Skill Secret Manuals. ”Boss, are you buying?”

”Oh? Oh—oh... I get it.” The owner’s enthusiasm vanished in an instant. No more talk of grand futures. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and pulled out a calculator.

He put on the expression of a wealthy city merchant buying garlic from a country bumpkin. ”The second-layer manuals for the Six Basic Heart Techniques, right? Let’s see the quality... hmm, standard classic edition. And the condition... a recent printing. Okay, I’ll give you six thousand for the lot.”

’Six thousand?’

’In the past, he would’ve considered that a fortune. But compared to the 6666 for that *special offer* manual, six thousand seemed pathetic.’

”A book holds a house of gold, Boss,” Shi Tiexin said, futilely trying his own hand at rhetoric. ”That driving skill of yours is just an applied Heart Skill. It doesn’t increase your mind-force at all, and it’s still 6666 on sale. These manuals of mine are for genuine mind-force training. *This* is the future, *this* is the dream! Are six books full of dreams worth only six thousand?”

’Shi Tiexin felt his eloquence was on another level.’

It was, however, completely fucking useless.

”These are the mass-produced versions from the Student Union. The condition is decent, but they’re high-volume items. They don’t fetch a high price.” The owner didn’t even look up. ”Six thousand. I’m not paying a copper more.”

After a round of haggling, Shi Tiexin ultimately did not sell the books.

The simulated sun set, and the sky-canopy darkened. The streets flowed with an endless stream of people. Shi Tiexin clutched his few manuals, like a farmer from the countryside clutching the money he’d brought to the city for a doctor, and walked onward, one step at a time.

Amidst the decadent, neon-lit streets, Shi Tiexin thought that this was probably the only way he could have entered the city.

For a boy from the Mu Yuan District Orphanage to come to a high-end consumer district like the Upper City, this was the only way it could be. As for the Black Venerable’s exploits—conquering the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, dominating the Central Star Metropolis—all of it now felt like memories from a past life.

In the distance, he suddenly spotted a familiar, enormous yellow sign, glowing intensely against the black sky-canopy.

JING!

What a warm, what a flashy, what a recognizable word!

After wandering around the Upper City for a day, Shi Tiexin had a firsthand understanding of its prices. When he recalled the prices at Jingtuan, he suddenly understood just how important, and what an incredible value, Gang Contribution points were.

Shi Tiexin quickened his pace and walked into the Jingtuan reception hall.

The row of smiling hostesses was as sweet as ever.

”Welcome back, Jingtuan member. How may I help you?”

”Can I redeem a spot in the members’ dorms?”

”Of course. That will be twenty Gang Contribution points a month. Your account has exactly twenty points remaining, so I’ve already completed the transaction for you.” The hostess raised her hand in a practiced gesture, her smile revealing a set of small, perfect white teeth. Her eyes were soft and lovely. ”Please follow me. I’ve already prepared some hot water for you.”

Shi Tiexin was so moved he could have wept.

’Jingtuan,’ he thought, ’you are my true saviors!’