NOVEL WEB Chapter 759: Expensive Shop
Shane quietly watched them and saw how they checked their BidLink Device for any changes. He was confused seeing this, but he remained silent.
Soon, the two of them heaved a sigh of relief.
"You're only deducted 200 points. Stop speaking now, mother. Just go back to your store…" Zach said.
"R-right… Hahaha… I'll return now." She then turned to Shane and nodded. You have to cook them properly. They taste really good."
With that said, the old woman finally walked away, leaving Shane unsure of what had just happened.
Still, after a few moments, he replied enthusiastically. "I'll make sure to cook them properly. And… your skewers will be a hit for sure."
The old woman then waved her hand without looking back.
Although her skewers may be unpopular right now, Shane knew that if more and more Survivors learned about them, it would surely attract attention.
'Rift, huh…' Shane thought to himself as he recalled their conversation.
It didn't take that long before he realized that these people couldn't talk about their situation to a certain degree.
Then, after asking Zach a few more questions about the farming method of the shrimps, Shane finally left the area and reached the food district.
As he continued walking, he saw various shops mentioned by his Clan Members…
Knowing that they don't have decent items inside and they were also too pricey, he decided to ignore them for now.
There were hundreds, if not thousands, of stores in the Market Bazaar, and he couldn't just visit them all.
As he moved around to look for other interesting shops, he noticed an old man tending a massive brass pot, ladling out thick soup that looked so creamy and delicious…
Although Shane wasn't hungry after taking three skewers a while ago, the steam curling upward was just too attractive.
A placard claimed it was Luminroot Stew. It was further noted that it was supposedly good for boosting stamina regeneration for six hours and improving virility!
Seeing Shane stop in front of the stall, the old man winked as he offered him a bowl… He seemed to be confident in his product.
Furthermore, a bowl was only worth 3 Points each.
With the System Inventory, he could purchase a lot of them without worrying about their expiration.
After some consideration, Shane purchased 10 stock pots filled with Luminroot Stew worth 1,000 Points. It wasn't much, but it could bring some change to their menu.
After that, he found food vendors with their stalls dedicated to drink—frothing mugs of fermented cactus brew, bottles of some berry fruit wine, and flasks or cups carved from animal bones and other stuff.
Just past the food line, the crowd thickened again around the group of performers.
A pair of street magicians were locked in a playful duel to attract attention and to get more donations.
One conjured ravens to dive and scatter, while the other countered with colorful ribbons that wrapped the birds mid-flight and burst them into harmless flashes of light.
Some of the audience, who were Survivors and probably residents of this realm, enjoyed the performance and applauded each display.
Shane wryly smiled, seeing this. He shouldn't be wasting his time watching such performances.
There was simply no benefit aside from entertainment.
On the corner, there was even a young boy strumming a battered guitar-like instrument…
It wasn't as good as Jillian's, but he was still doing well…
A small plaque at his feet read: "Songs for the Wandering – Tips Welcome."
Interestingly, some actually dropped a vial of potion into his tip jar alongside a scattering of coins.
He was accepting items and not points. It was quite an interesting scene, and Shane even thought that the boy was a Foreign Survivor like him.
However, Shane decided not to think too much of it and moved further…
He passed through various stores before he finally started slowing down.
He arrived at a sector that wasn't too crowded...
This wasn't the same frenzied push-and-shove atmosphere of the weapons and food district…
The people here seemed to be a bit more relaxed, with children darting between stalls, clutching fried dough or roasted nuts.
Still, his eyes were always scanning. Even in a place like this, opportunities hid in plain sight. The small, cluttered stalls sometimes sold the strangest things…
'Right… There's also the Secret Shop… I wonder if I could find it again.' Shane mused.
Shane slowed his steps as he soon found an interesting shop.
The storefront was between a pottery stall and a dimly lit bookstore.
There were no banners or flashing signs, just a single wooden placard above the door carved with the words: "Mariner's Vault."
The window display was… peculiar.
No racks of weapons, no trays of jewelry, no food barrels. Instead, there were glass bottles of varying shapes and sizes…
As Shane took a closer look, he realized that each of them was holding a tiny, exquisitely detailed ship inside. Some were lustrous single-masted sloops; others were massive multi-decked warships with rows of cannon ports.
'Well, they're good decorations in my office.' Shane thought to himself.
But what surprised him wasn't just the craftsmanship—it was the utter emptiness of the place. No customers. Not one.
'Strange… With ten thousand Survivors here, even the dullest store should have a few people lurking around' Shane thought as he pushed the door open.
A faint bell chimed as he entered.
Soon, he saw more wooden shelves, each holding dozens of ship-in-bottle displays…
Every one was tagged with a small bronze plate listing its name, tonnage, and—most importantly—its price.
Shane's eyes widened.
20,000 Points for a "Harbormist Cutter – 12 knots – Light cargo capacity."
75,000 Points for a "Sea Fang Raider – Armored hull – 14 broadside cannons."
300,000 Points for a "Azure Sovereign – Luxury-class flagship – Grand Hall, reinforced hull, mana-shielded sails."
At first glance, it was like an overpriced collector's shop. But the level of detail in these models was almost unsettling—they looked too real.
"W-wait… Don't tell me…"