This monster merchant really did provide the news that players needed most!
Whenever the upgrade of the Abyss Ring was mentioned, Cheng Shuili would feel a sense of urgency.
Now, that feeling finally had a place to settle.
Her gaze was fixed on the monster merchant's exposed teeth, waiting to see what would come out of that mouth.
“Shadow Essence comes from the Abyss Stone.”
He only said these ten short words, seven of which were just item names.
Cheng Shuili waited patiently for a while, and upon realizing that the guy truly didn't intend to continue, she finally couldn't help but ask: “That’s it?”
The monster merchant grinned, “That’s it.”
It was a very normal expression, but appearing on this guy's face, Cheng Shuili couldn't help but feel it was incredibly punchable.
It was like being provoked.
She remained silent for a moment, carefully savoring the meaning of those words.
The description of the Abyss Stone was very clear; cracking it open would yield a seed.
If Shadow Essence came from the Abyss Stone... could Shadow Essence be that seed? Or perhaps it needed to be planted, and was a product of the seed?
In this way, the source of the Shadow Essence was finally clear.
It was just that she was originally short of two Abyss Stones, and now she was short of three.
She couldn't help but ask again: “Then how do you obtain the Abyss Stone?”
The monster merchant smiled even more brightly, “One hundred thousand game coins per question~ Pay first, then ask.”
One hundred thousand game coins?! Might as well just rob me!
Cheng Shuili stood up to leave, then hesitated and asked: “If I know how to obtain it, am I guaranteed to be able to obtain it?”
The monster merchant smiled without a word, clearly unwilling to say a single unnecessary sentence.
Cheng Shuili was speechless; there was absolutely no way she would spend those one hundred thousand game coins!
The Heart of Creation to evolve the workstation was only seventy thousand game coins! This guy dared to ask for one hundred thousand game coins for a few words, or even just one sentence!
This guy was making money a bit too easily...
Cheng Shuili would absolutely not admit that she was a little jealous.
Besides, didn't this guy offer one free piece of news?
She would know next time she came to the gas station.
No rush...
Cheng Shuili repeated this three times in her mind before finally suppressing the urgency in her heart.
Choosing this way wasn't entirely because she couldn't bear to part with the game coins; the bigger reason was that the last Abyss Stone had come from a Gold Supply Crate.
If she spent one hundred thousand game coins only to get the answer that it could only be obtained from a Gold Supply Crate...
Cheng Shuili knew exactly how furious she would be without needing to think about it.
She was rich now, but that didn't mean she could spend money like this!
The two looked at each other, and Su Rui knew the negotiation had collapsed just by looking at Cheng Shuili's expression.
It just so happened that she didn't want this monster merchant to earn any more game coins either; while Cheng Shuili was talking to him, Su Rui's gaze had been scanning the gas station.
Just like when Cheng Shuili came here before, there were three chests neatly arranged here.
But unlike back then, these three were all silver chests; their quality had been upgraded.
Cheng Shuili took one last look at the monster merchant. If he could guarantee the information led to a way to obtain them, she would have been very willing to trade.
Unfortunately...
She sighed, walked up to the three silver chests, and lifted her hand to open one.
【Obtained: Eight-treasure porridge x6, large bags of marshmallows x2, iced black tea 500ml x3!】
This...
Opened a snack gift pack, huh?
Cheng Shuili wasn't very interested in these, and Su Rui, lacking a sense of taste, was even less interested.
Cheng Shuili simply and neatly sent the items to Liang Shanbo.
She was currently driving when several snacks suddenly appeared before her. Before her brain could react to what had happened, her mouth was already smiling.
Seeing from the logs that it was sent by the boss, she immediately opened a private chat with Cheng Shuili.
【Liang Shanbo vs. Pig: Thanks boss, I love it!】
As long as she liked it.
Here, Cheng Shuili reached directly for the second chest.
Just as her hand lifted the lid, a black shadow suddenly darted out from the box!
Su Rui reacted extremely quickly, grabbing Cheng Shuili by the collar and dragging her backward.
A creature that was pitch-black and leopard-like leaped out of the chest. Its body was composed of flowing shadows, and its scarlet eyes were particularly striking in the darkness.
The monster let out a low growl, its sharp claws carving deep marks into the ground. Cheng Shuili staggered a few steps to steady herself and quickly drew the Night Hunt from the Abyss Ring, her gaze locked on the enemy before her.
Just as she was about to use Insight, the monster merchant at the side suddenly spoke up.
“Scarlet Shadow Beast~” the monster merchant leaned against the counter and added leisurely, “A very ferocious monster. I offer monster-slaying services here, you know. It’s cheaper than buying information, only 99,999 game coins!”
It was indeed slightly cheaper, and coupled with the guy's expression of enjoying the show, Cheng Shuili couldn't help but curse him under her breath as a profiteer.
But she would absolutely never use this service.
Cheng Shuili’s palm brushed lightly over the blade. Ever since she bought the Night Hunt, it seemed to have acknowledged Cheng Shuili a little bit.
The added attribute points were now 5!
All three attributes increased by 5.
It was already much better than the long blade from before.
Now... let’s test this new weapon.
The Shadow Beast pounced, its speed so fast it almost left an afterimage.
Cheng Shuili’s eyes sharpened. As the Shadow Beast pounced, she dodged to the side, the Night Hunt’s blade tracing a cold arc.
The blade precisely sliced into the monster’s throat. The body formed of condensed shadows dissipated like smoke, and the scarlet eyes extinguished before they could even flicker.
Dead?
Cheng Shuili hadn't expected this monster to be such trash.
She didn't even have to use Insight.
The monster merchant’s smug smile, which had been stretched to his ears, suddenly froze. Even his mouth, filled with sharp teeth, hung slightly open.
His torso behind the counter leaned forward involuntarily, and his bone fingers dug into the wooden countertop with a “click”.
“Oh?” His voice glitched for a rare moment, the tail end of it rising strangely, “One strike?”
Cheng Shuili shook the non-existent blood off the Night Hunt, turned to look at him, and deliberately raised an eyebrow: “What?”
The monster merchant’s skull turned slowly, his gaze moving from the dissipated Shadow Beast corpse on the ground to the blade in Cheng Shuili’s hand, and then to her smiling face.
He suddenly let out a cackle, the laughter sounding as if it were being squeezed out of a leaky chest cavity.
“Quite capable, human.” He tilted his head, his neck letting out a crisp “crack” sound, “It seems I won’t be earning any game coins from you this time.”
He slowly retreated into the shadows behind the counter, but those hollow eyes stared fixedly at Cheng Shuili, as if seeing her clearly for the first time.
The monster didn't even leave anything behind. Cheng Shuili was a bit speechless, and as she placed her hand on the third chest, she suddenly heard the monster merchant say: “I’ve always liked capable friends. Are you willing to be my friend?”
Rate on N.U.
