Chapter Forty-Nine: Second-Level Shop

The Level Two Shop was situated above. There was hardly any difference between it and the Level One Shop; even the octopus was identical, though the guards had changed to Night Sentinels. It was clear these two Night Sentinels were not the same as the previous one.

Fang Tang rushed forward, heading straight for the familiar counter. The octopus let out a throaty laugh and slid a blue liquid across the table toward him. Without hesitation, Fang Tang tilted his head back and drank it all. The octopus extended a tentacle, gently tapping the hourglass beside it, setting the sand inside to fall.

Fang Tang raised his brows and produced his Warrior-grade credit card.

"Ho ho ho... Welcome, my old friend. You may have an extra minute to shop," the octopus chuckled as it saw the card, tapping the hourglass again—more sand appeared within.

Fang Tang swiftly laid out all his previously acquired loot. "How much is all this?"

The octopus’s pea-sized eyes gleamed, and it stroked the beads with a tentacle.

"Honored customer, you have a total of 1,358 credit points."

"So much?"

Even Fang Tang was startled. He hurriedly said, "I'm pressed for time. Where’s the item list?"

"Ho ho ho... A straightforward customer. Here is the current inventory. I hope you find what you seek."

It was the same parchment scroll, though this time it had several more pages. Resources, food, elemental stones, blueprints—and… sequence talents.

Fang Tang’s breathing quickened.

He opened the sequence talents section; there were barely more than a dozen entries.

Sequence 566: Moment of Fury—All attributes are greatly enhanced for one minute; when time is up, attributes sharply decline, then gradually recover over the next two hours. Price: 4,800 credits.

Sequence 623: Ironclad—Greatly increases defense, effectively blocking bullets and blades, but not elemental damage. Price: 4,300 credits.

Sequence 656: Eagle Eye—Improves distance vision, allowing scenes up to five kilometers away to be seen. Price: 4,200 credits.

Sequence 666: Sixth Time’s the Charm—The sixth attempt always yields the best option, refreshed at any moment. Price: 4,200 credits.

Sequence 689: Quickstep—Greatly increases speed. Price: 4,100 credits.

Sequence 700: Calm Focus—Minimizes emotional fluctuations to the greatest extent. Price: 4,100 credits.

Sequence 736: Audio Capture...

Fang Tang skimmed through them quickly. His first impression was: damn, they’re expensive.

His second thought: these are incredible!

He felt like a country bumpkin entering the city, dazzled and longing to snatch up all the sequence talents on offer.

Fang Tang blinked, hoping his eyes would give him a clue.

But for some reason, they did not. He would have to choose himself.

He sighed quietly and analyzed his current shortcomings. His mechanical claw arm was already maxed out for attack; what he lacked was defense. He still had Yue Yue, so speed wasn’t a concern.

Thus, any speed-boosting options were ruled out.

Vision and hearing enhancements, frankly, weren’t much use in the underground world; it was more cost-effective to boost his current strength.

Emotional stabilization—no need to consider that.

After filtering, only three options remained.

Sequence 566: Moment of Fury; Sequence 523: Ironclad; Sequence 666: Sixth Time’s the Charm.

In truth, Fang Tang didn’t really need Moment of Fury. That sort of short-term burst might seem life-saving, but on reflection, it wasn’t all that useful. Most importantly—it was too expensive, 4,800 credits.

That left Ironclad and Sixth Time’s the Charm. One for defense, one for luck.

It was a tough choice; he wanted both, but lacked the funds!

Fang Tang scratched his head, resolve hardening in his eyes.

He chose Sequence 666—Sixth Time’s the Charm.

From the description, every sixth attempt would yield the best outcome. What counted as the best at this stage? Gold or higher treasure chests, elemental stones, blueprints. In other words, every sixth try would net him one of these resources.

The pickaxe had thirty uses, meaning five times he’d get the best resources, allowing him to accumulate even more.

As for Ironclad… he’d have to regretfully set it aside and wait for the next Level Two Shop.

He took out nineteen elemental stones and set them on the table.

"I want this one!"

Fang Tang indicated Sequence 666.

"Ho ho ho... A clever choice, esteemed customer."

The octopus laughed, touching Fang Tang’s head lightly with a tentacle. He felt a rush of information enter his mind—it was Sequence 666.

"Is there any way to acquire higher-level sequence talents?"

Fang Tang asked the octopus.

The octopus waved its tentacles. "A more advanced shop, my customer. This is but a Level Two Shop; I can only offer talents above Sequence 500."

Fang Tang suddenly understood, glancing at the hourglass—four minutes remained.

He flipped to the blueprints section, hoping for a blueprint for eco-copper solution. If he found it, he could craft the Frost Rifle.

This truly was a Level Two Shop; the variety of blueprints far surpassed the Level One Shop. Fang Tang even saw a wealth of elemental weapon blueprints—blades, spears, swords, halberds, and even the Explosive Bow were listed. But he did not see the blueprint for eco-copper solution.

He thought for a moment, pointing to his claw arm. "Why isn’t there a blueprint for the mechanical claw arm?"

The octopus replied, "Ho ho ho… Surely you jest, customer. This is only a Level Two Shop, selling lower-grade weapons. The metal claw arm on your back can only be obtained from the Techno-Sanctum."

"The Techno-Sanctum again," Fang Tang mused, continuing, "How many factions are there in the underground world? Can you tell me?"

So far, Fang Tang only knew of the Underground Shop, Techno-Sanctum, and the Gate of Evolution. Beyond that, he was unclear.

"Ho ho ho, that information costs, customer. The credits you have left aren’t enough!"

The octopus tapped the credit card on the counter. Only eight credits remained.

Fang Tang’s expression stiffened. He touched his nose, saying nothing.

Last night, crafting the mechanical claw arm used nine stones, buying materials took another nine, and he’d given one to Willow Fluff. His wallet had shrunk considerably.

He’d just spent nineteen elemental stones, leaving him with only eighteen—he’d need to use them wisely.

After pondering a moment, Fang Tang asked, "How many credits for news about the underground world?"

The octopus replied, "Five hundred for a brief overview, nine hundred for a more detailed account, and fifteen hundred credits for information including sequence talents."

Fang Tang: "..."

So expensive—no wonder this octopus was a profiteer.

He gritted his teeth, spent ten elemental stones, and bought the underground world details that included sequence talents. Only two minutes remained.

Fang Tang had no intention of leaving; he still had eight elemental stones and decided to spend them all.

He browsed the blueprints, calculated carefully, and selected an electromagnetic gun. Price: 1,000 credits.

After purchasing, Fang Tang looked at the octopus. "I’ve spent so many credits here. Aren’t you going to throw in something extra? Any good merchant knows how to take care of their customers."

The octopus cackled, "Ho ho ho... Crafty customer, your suggestion is excellent; I’m starting to like you. I’ll throw in a free tidbit of information..."