Chapter 48: Private Shop
Zhou Ning was instantly gripped by a profound sense of unease.
The Alchemy Council member from the Life Alchemy Society, frequently mentioned in the series, had yet to make an appearance. Now, it was abundantly clear that the school teacher Elvis was one of them. There was no reason he wouldn't know that Holwig was already dead—he might even know about Holwig's habit of keeping a diary.
This was a real world. One must never underestimate the enemy's intelligence. So was it possible that even Holwig's death was part of their plan—that the diary had been deliberately planted as bait?
…This is so damn messed up. Even in a game, there's no escaping scheming and mind games.
If things really were as he suspected, then this could be much more serious than it looked.
Zhou Ning looked around but didn't see Sherlock. What he did see was Ian's blazing, reverent gaze fixed on him. Even John, standing a short distance away, was looking at him with eyes glistening faintly, as though some incredible talent had just awakened.
A chill ran down Zhou Ning's spine. Had he maybe gone a little too far with his performance…?
When Ian noticed Zhou Ning's gaze on him, he hurried over and even used honorifics, speaking with careful politeness: "Mr. Wayne, are you alright?"
Zhou Ning shuddered. Waving his hand to show he was fine, he asked, "Where's Sherlock? I have something important to discuss with him."
"Mr. Sherlock is in communication with the school administration. Please wait a moment."
Ian didn't hesitate and immediately headed into the school. He hadn't expected that at the most critical moment earlier, it would be this young man—whom he'd once underestimated—who proved the most dependable.
Single-handedly repelling Elvis, killing the mutated coachman, and dismantling the bomb—it was no exaggeration to call it a last-minute save. In an era where supernatural power was only just beginning to emerge, this guy was a walking golden ticket. Running a simple errand for him was nothing.
Zhou Ning had no idea what Ian was thinking. He simply stood there and waited for Sherlock.
Roughly two minutes later, Sherlock hurried over, his expression tense. "Ian said you needed to speak to me urgently? Thank goodness for your help today. Without you, I fear there would've been many casualties."
Zhou Ning didn't respond to the thanks. He got straight to the point and voiced his suspicion: "I want to know—what nation was involved in today's state visit at the Withershire Cathedral Square?"
Sherlock paused, face darkening as he blurted out in alarm, "Ruins... Damn it!"
He immediately summoned a few members of the Sunwatchers and rushed toward two carriages waiting at the corner of the street. "Wayne, come with me. We need your help!"
A system prompt appeared:
[You have triggered the follow-up plot for B-Rank mission "Conspiracy." The mission "Conspiracy" has been upgraded to A-Rank.]
At last, it was all lining up. Zhou Ning exhaled with relief and nodded. Just before getting into the carriage, he turned to XB. "You come too."
"He might be of use," Zhou Ning explained to Sherlock.
"I can come too?" XB had heard him and was overwhelmed by a sense of honored surprise. After Sherlock nodded in approval, he quickly followed Zhou Ning into the carriage.
Zhou Ning smiled as he looked out the window. Taking XB along had nothing to do with usefulness—he was completely useless. Sure, XB had potential in the arena later on, but that was a long way off. The real reason was his popularity. Things were probably going to get dangerous soon, and having a glorified live-streamer and part-time commentator on hand was a good investment.
With that, the mission wrapped up, and XB received a prompt:
[D-Rank mission "Terror Attack" complete. You've gained 2,000 EXP.]
[Wayne Sturwell's favorability toward you has increased by 5 points. Current level: Indifferent.]
[Would you like to grant XB access to your Private Shop?]
Zhou Ning chose "Yes" without hesitation.
A trade interface, similar to those in common online games from his past life, popped up in front of him. It had two tabs—one for items and the other for skills. On the item tab, Zhou Ning could list anything he owned, including goods obtained from the simulator. The skill tab allowed him to selectively list skills he had mastered.
He tried putting up a few items, and a prompt appeared immediately:
[Please write a description for the item and set a price.]
[You may also configure purchase conditions, including but not limited to favorability, level, faction, nationality…]
Even favorability could be set as a restriction? Zhou Ning's eyes lit up. That gave him much more flexibility. In this game, the most time-consuming things were grinding favorability and reputation. Back then, when he played as a mage, he had to run over seventy fetch quests and spend an absurd amount of money just to raise Royal Court Mage Elan's favorability enough to learn the Fire Dragon Spell.
Now the tables had turned, and it was his turn to set the favorability requirements… Talk about poetic justice.
Zhou Ning quickly configured and published his shop.
[Ding! NPC Wayne Sturwell has granted you access to his Private Shop.]
XB received the prompt immediately.
The main character's private shop? Time to go full whale mode!
XB wasn't about to let this opportunity slip past. He opened the Private Shop at once.
Items were neatly arranged according to rarity and price. The moment XB laid eyes on it, he was completely transfixed, momentarily dizzy from the sheer array of choices. All his emotions boiled down into a single word:
"Holy shit…"
At this point, his livestream viewership had surged to a staggering 12 million and was still rising. The chat was a blizzard of comments, but the most frequently repeated line was also two words:
"Holy shit…"
"The Stone Mask—my god. Even though it's just a usage license, it can turn someone into a hidden vampire race and drastically increase combat power. I'd stop being human in a heartbeat!"
"Sure, vampires are strong, but there are drawbacks. Sunlight will burn you to ash. That's like lighting a lantern just to look for death."
"We're players, what's there to fear? Just wear a hat and bundle up! Besides, it's not like you can't respawn. You'd be unstoppable at night. The early-game advantage would be insane!"
"Did nobody notice those guns? They look like the same model Wayne uses!"
"I'd go for a Devil Fruit! Even though it says 'out of stock,' that doesn't mean it can't appear. You could gain all kinds of powers. Sounds amazing."
"Who is my husband? How does he even have all this stuff?"
"He's the main character, duh! It's not weird for him to have some treasures."
XB was practically drooling. Stone Mask, out-of-stock Devil Fruits, Mini Mechanical Warrior Cards, Browning M1906 pocket pistols, M1 Garand rifles… Every single one was god-tier in his eyes!
Just getting his hands on a few would instantly make him the flashiest player in the game—leagues ahead of everyone else.
Then he looked at the prices.
XB: …
They were completely beyond his means. Those awesome guns started at 15 Vecktas. The Mini Mechanical Warrior Card was 50 Vecktas plus 10 favorability. The Devil Fruit? A staggering 500 Vecktas.
Are you messing with me, Fat Tiger? XB couldn't help but shed the tears of poverty.
The item shop made him feel the cruel disparity of life. Then he clicked over to the skill shop—and was ready to cry again.
Everything was amazing.
Just in the general skills category alone, there was Marksmanship Mastery, Occultism, and Mechanical Expertise—each one looked incredibly powerful.
Scrolling further, he was left dumbfounded.
What even are these?
Throwing Techniques! Armament Haki! Ripple Breathing! Mozambique Drill! Rapid Pursuit!
Ripple Breathing especially—just learning it passively increased Strength and Agility, and regular training could permanently boost both stats!
"This has to be a protagonist-only skill, right?! It has to be!" XB howled internally.
But the one that truly stole his heart was a knowledge book for a hidden class: [Wandering Gunslinger]. Priced at 30 Vecktas—not too expensive—but it required 30 points of favorability with the main character!
A hidden class! XB stared at Zhou Ning in shock.
Zhou Ning saw right through him and gave a mysterious smile. That knowledge book was just some random junk with an altered description. He'd set the favorability requirement himself. The goal was to bait players. Sure, it was a bit scammy now, but the payoff would come eventually.
"So the main character's class is Wandering Gunslinger!"
That revelation sent not just XB, but also his viewers, into a frenzy. A class that screamed mystery and coolness—of course it belonged to the protagonist!
Though he couldn't afford it yet, XB wasn't discouraged. If anything, he was more determined than ever—he had a goal to strive toward now.
He checked his cash and EXP. Just enough to buy Marksmanship Mastery. Without hesitation, he bought and learned it.
Wandering Gunslinger—it's mine, no matter what!
…
[Skill "Marksmanship Mastery" learned. You gained 2,000 EXP and 10 Roshens.]
Player skill purchases automatically funneled the cost to Zhou Ning as tuition.
According to Apocalypse's rules, teaching a skill didn't consume it. No matter what XB learned from him, Zhou Ning only stood to benefit. It was far more efficient than grinding Alchemy like a peasant.
After harvesting his first little leek, Zhou Ning stretched and opened the simulation panel.
The Vick University was east of Darkland City. It would take about 20 minutes at full speed to reach Withershire Cathedral Square. That gave him just enough time to run a simulation and strengthen himself.
He was dead set on claiming that A-Rank mission reward.
He checked his balance. The Hall of Curiosities had given him 19 Traversal Coins, and he'd received 1 from the overnight allowance. Zhou Ning spent 50 Vecktas to recharge 5 more coins—then chose to Traverse once again.