Chapter Twenty-Five: The Heart of Mithril

“Anything at all can be purchased in our shop,” the octopus declared, making a rather extravagant claim.

Fang Tang considered for a moment before asking, “For instance?”

“Special abilities like this one,” the octopus replied, letting out a bubbling laugh. It gently tapped the iron ingot.

The ingot transformed into a dagger, gleaming coldly.

“Hiss!” Fang Tang sucked in a sharp breath, shock written all over his face.

Wasn’t this the power of a creator?

“You mean… that kind of ability can also be bought in your shop? Do you have it here?” he asked.

“Sorry, brave one. My little shop only has first-level clearance. What I can offer are things like blueprints and elemental stones. If you want that sort of power, you’ll need to visit a more advanced shop,” the octopus explained, spreading two tentacles in a helpless gesture.

Fang Tang nodded thoughtfully and continued, “Can you tell me what the world of the catacombs truly is?”

The octopus shook its head. “Sorry, brave one. My clearance isn’t high enough to sell that kind of information.”

Fang Tang’s mouth twitched in exasperation.

He realized that no matter what he said, the octopus would turn it into a transaction.

Was there nothing free in this shop?

Well, there was—the cup of language water.

The hourglass had two minutes left.

After a moment’s thought, Fang Tang asked, “What is the purpose behind the existence of the catacombs?”

“Uh… you’ll learn that in time. There’s no use knowing it now,” the octopus replied, uncharacteristically slipping into the role of a riddle master.

Fang Tang: “…”

Damn, I knew it would be like this.

“Your shop is first-level. What’s the highest level a shop can reach?”

“One, two, three—above the third-level shop is our headquarters. There, you can buy absolutely anything you desire.”

[A merchant’s greatest trait is exaggeration. If you actually believe him, I might need to find a new partner,] the Eye piped up, appearing on cue. Clearly, it seemed to look down on the shop a little.

But that was the Eye’s view.

For Fang Tang, the shop was the first power he’d encountered in the catacombs.

Naturally, there was some curiosity.

He asked, “Are catacomb creatures ranked by level?”

“Brave one, you found a loophole,” the octopus said, tentacles waving. “I suppose I can reveal a little. While there are strong and weak beings in the catacombs, none are strong enough to warrant a distinct ranking.”

Fang Tang’s mind raced, grasping the implications.

“So you mean, there exists a clear hierarchy of levels. However, the creatures here are too weak to be ranked. In other words, while the catacombs have passed their rookie phase, for some places it’s still a beginner’s village. There are other worlds outside the catacombs! If that’s the case, then the catacombs must have an end. Why has no one found it? The rules! So, it seems you must surpass the rules to leave the catacombs. Or rather, it’s not about leaving the catacombs, but about leaving the beginner’s village for a higher, wider world.”

Fang Tang watched the octopus calmly, searching its face for any subtle change.

Unfortunately, an octopus is just an octopus.

Other than its ugliness, there was nothing to see.

“Clever hero, you’ve guessed a few things. I’m curious to see how far you’ll go,” the octopus laughed, patting the hourglass. “Today’s transaction time is over. I look forward to seeing what treasures you’ll bring me next time.”

With that, a flash of light—Fang Tang found himself in a strange new catacomb.

This was a fresh chamber, with no tunnels in any of its six directions.

“The ability to relocate someone—what kind of power is that?” Fang Tang wondered, sinking into thought. He was utterly intrigued by the many abilities the octopus possessed.

[So ends a transaction full of regrets. Anything you want to say? …No? Well, never mind,] the Eye muttered, making Fang Tang laugh.

“What kind of world exists outside the catacombs?” he murmured.

[You’ll find out eventually. How long that takes depends on how quickly you grow. Hurry up and get stronger—there’s plenty of fun to be had out there,] the Eye chattered on, but Fang Tang only shook his head.

There was no point asking the Eye; it would never give a straight answer.

Better to focus on improving his strength.

He shook out the mithril blueprint, a blue sheet depicting a strange, six-pointed metallic star.

He stowed it safely away, and the synthesis tree for the Heart of Mithril appeared.

Heart of Mithril: Silver ingot ×50.

Fang Tang: “?”

A single Heart of Mithril required fifty silver ingots?

And the mechanical claw arm needed twenty Hearts of Mithril.

No wonder this was technology that shouldn’t even exist in the catacombs.

Expensive as hell.

He’d scoured sixty catacombs and only managed to gather about seventy silver ingots.

Who knew how long it would take to reach a thousand.

He chuckled bitterly and rubbed his face, glancing at the surrounding walls.

“Let’s keep going!”

[Time to get to work, laborer. This is a new catacomb. There’s a silver chest above, but you can’t reach it, not even with a ladder—the ladder won’t be tall enough. On your left, there’s a fire spirit stone; at least that will help you recover some losses. Don’t bother with the other directions.]

Fang Tang nodded, drew his pickaxe from his pack, and headed in that direction.

Because there was already light in the catacomb, the fire spirit stone’s glow was less distinct.

He pocketed the fire stone and was about to continue forward when he suddenly remembered something and pulled out his newspaper.

He found Xie Ling’s private chat.

“I found a shop in the catacombs. If you ever come across one, let me know.”

Xie Ling replied, “Huh? What shop?”

Fang Tang: “There’s an octopus in the shop—it’s easy to recognize. Don’t panic the first time you go in. There’s a cup of green water on the counter; drink it and you’ll be able to talk to the octopus.”

Xie Ling: “Wow, that’s amazing! The octopus can talk?”

Fang Tang: “…”

Woman, your focus is completely off.

He sighed and continued typing, “You can only stay in the shop for five minutes. Try to get a membership card—it’s basically a credit card, but it can’t be swiped. If you find the shop, help me look for blueprints for an intelligent motherboard or memory metal. That’s important.”

Xie Ling: “Okay, got it, boss! Anything else?”

Fang Tang: “Hmm… You need a lot of credit points in the shop, and the octopus is a real scammer. Don’t trade elemental stones. If you give me a fire spirit stone, I’ll make you a decomposition hammer. With that, you can get items from catacomb creatures—those are very valuable.”

Xie Ling: “That sounds amazing! I’ll put the fire spirit stone up right now.”

Soon, Xie Ling sent him a link.

Fang Tang sent her his own decomposition hammer, then crafted a new one for himself.

They looked identical; Xie Ling wouldn’t mind.

Once the trade was done, Fang Tang contentedly put the newspaper away.

Xie Ling was incredibly lucky—finding a shop was only a matter of time. By planning ahead, he might just get the last two blueprints for the mechanical claw arm.

That way, he could build it as quickly as possible.

[Hey! We just ran into an interesting fellow. So, what do you say—should we mess with him?]