Chapter 2: Mysterious Buyer
John stepped out of Wanmin Hall and rattled the bag of Mora; coins collided with a crisp, metallic "ding-ling."
That sound was his favourite, giving him a sense of accomplishment and relief.
After what he had been through, he understood the importance of money clearly.
In the past he was so rich, who regarded money as dung, now become so mercantile.
If his former friends knew, would they laugh?
John thought to himself, self-mockingly.
The moment his family bankrupted, they alienated him, ignoring him in the streets.
"Who was John? Truly, I don't know such name"
He promised himself, he would take revenge for himself
——————
Returning to his temporary resting place, a small tent he set up temporarily in a secluded alley.
He began counting today's harvest.
Besides getting enough Mora to make a do for several days, he showed Xiangling his new geo archon figure.
With her broad connections and many friends, it wouldn't be long before someone buys it.
Indeed, Xiangling had an interested friend. In a few days, she would ask her friend for help.
And with that, he finally gets rid of that figure who made him sad.
Incidentally, Xiangling also told John to stay low for a few days, not going out hunting Slimes anymore, because she heard some people were asking for his whereabouts.
John knew these were his 'creditors' who lost patience.
The moment they catch him, they would force him to commit crimes and jobs he didn't want to do.
John touched his face. Apart from other things, his appearance in Liyue City was rare—few could compare.
Calling him a male model would not be an exaggeration.
This appearance who was a plus in the past, now became a source of disasters
After all, Liyue was large, the population vast; having a few perverts was normal.
If he lowers himself and compromises a little, his debts will be repaid quickly, right?
But he was unwilling to do that, you can take everything from a human, except his dignity!
It was the only thing his parents left him; he had to protect it.
Oh, and right—it was a huge debt.
John's gaze darkened slightly. If it really didn't work… then the only option was…
Thinking of this, reaching his backpack given by the mall, packed full of weapons.
Of course, he didn't want to be treasure hoarder, but to sell them for money.
If it were that simple, he wouldn't have been reduced to going out every day to hunt Slimes just to feed himself.
Without proper permissions, selling weapons violated Liyue's laws, he didn't even have money to hire a lawyer!
He would definitely end up in prison!
Indeed, all the ways to make money were written in that book!
If it weren't absolutely necessary, John was unwilling to go that far.
After all, with the gacha mall, his future was bright.
The mall not only provided a card-drawing service, but every time he drew a card, he received stardust according to its quality.
This stardust could be exchanged in the mall for many items:
Mora, weapons, rare materials, and various knowledge.
It was just a bit expensive. At present, he couldn't afford it; he only saved less than a thousand stardust, far too little to exchange for Mora.
Mora was common; stardust was rare.
——————
Early in the morning, as the sky turned dimly bright, John was already standing in front of the bun stall, helping the boss sell buns.
As payment, John would receive a tray full of buns. In that tray, only four were enough to fill him for the day.
The rest sold for Mora. The boss's cooking was excellent, so there was no problem selling them.
These days, John was doing small jobs in Liyue every day, while gathering information about Yanshang Tea House.
Yanshang Tea House was currently his biggest creditor.
Xiangling had previously warned him that someone intended to cause him trouble, likely the tea house's boss.
After all, everyone knew that Liyue's Yanshang Tea House didn't actually sell tea.
Those people were dealing with shady things.
John's research over the past few days allowed him to glimpse part of it, that was enough to keep him on alert.
He also knew the tea house would eventually fail!
After all illegal dealings, Liyue authorities could not be unaware.
They were simply observing, waiting for enough evidence so they threw him straight to prison.
John's only worry was whether he could survive until the authorities made their move.
"Let's take one step at a time" John sighed, finding the delicious bun in his hand tasteless.
Feeling his fate was not in his hands was truly uncomfortable.
He patted his face and tried to organize his thoughts.
Today, Xiangling arranged a meeting with a client interested in the archon figure. He couldn't show his unhappiness to him.
Because business would fail!
No matter how uncomfortable he felt, he must show a sunny side to the client.
Earning money required steady nerves.
John went to Wanmin Hall. Since it wasn't mealtime yet, there weren't many guests, making the hall feel somewhat empty.
Entering the private room—the place he and Xiangling agreed upon.
He saw Xiangling sitting there, opposite to her sat a hooded figure, purple hair visible from the back, likely a girl.
"Sorry, I'm late." He didn't expect that, even though he arrived ten minutes early, he was the last.
Xiangling's eyes lit up seeing him. Waving at him she said, "John, you came? Come sit quickly. You're not late, we came early."
"After all, it's been a long time; we need to catch up." Xiangling smiled.
John sat to her left side, facing the hooded girl.
The hood masked her face completely, blocking him from seeing her face.
He assumed she didn't want to show it, which was common for people he met.
But… this should count as a proper transaction, right? Nothing shameful.
Speaking of shamefulness, John couldn't help thinking of weapon trading again.
"This is…" Xiangling began to introduce them.
"Just call me Ai." A raspy girl's voice came from the hooded person—definitely a girl.
Xiangling paused, then understood, nodded, and said to Ai: "This is John. You two get to know each other first; I'll go get some snacks for you."
After speaking, Xiangling stood and left the room, leaving the two alone.
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