Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 294 - 60: Mirror of Illusion and Reality, Realm of Trade (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 294: Chapter 60: Mirror of Illusion and Reality, Realm of Trade (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Not all milk claims to be naturally pure and pollution-free.

Not all Lighthouse Inns are five-star hotels either.

The lighthouse here at coordinates (19,6) is extremely modest.

This building, established as a supply point with the Astronomy Association’s ’Black Star Flag’ on the roof, is situated next to a bamboo grove; it was a farming settlement before the catastrophe.

It’s about a kilometer away from the border, originally a local sanatorium, but the inscriptions have long peeled off and are unrecognizable.

The inn has only four usable floors, and the rooms resemble those of a special apartment building from a particular era—a long corridor with more than a dozen rooms along the way.

The downside is that not every room has hot water (actually, none does), so Xu Shu’s request was only half met—the forty-something receptionist, whose face was covered in low-quality foundation and lipstick, prepared no less than five kettles of hot water for him.

"Handsome, this much water should be enough for a bath, right? If it’s still not enough, I have more here."

"Thank you," Xu Shu said, placing his backpack on the bed. Although the room was simple, the bed was clean, clearly well-maintained, and the space was reasonably large, which was not bad.

"You can rest now. If you need anything, just come to the front desk, hehe." She said as she walked out of the bathroom after placing the kettles.

"Okay." Xu Shu nodded, preparing to get to business as soon as the auntie left.

However, as she was about to shut the door, she intentionally bent over and winked at Xu Shu, "Young man, want to see a thrilling show?"

Because her neckline was extremely low, a pair of ample ’northern hemispheres’ was squeezed into a round shape, almost escaping from the black lace bra.

"..."

Xu Shu was taken aback, wondering what thrilling show she was talking about. Did she also want to say, ’You don’t appreciate aunties when you’re young, mistaking the young girls for treasures’? But your face is caked with powder, big sis~

"Cough, not for now!" Xu Shu politely declined.

The auntie wasn’t annoyed and softly said, "That’s fine, just call me if you need anything. Everyone here calls me Sister Qin, you can do the same."

"No problem, definitely next time."

After some persuasion, he finally managed to send the still-charming Sister Qin away.

His room was on the third floor. After locking the door, the entire room became Xu Shu’s private space—not necessarily secure, but definitely private.

"Now that I’m here, let’s upgrade first."

Stripping down to a pair of elegant men’s underwear, he swallowed a green-quality Erosion Crystal as if popping candy.

Blood spurt, sit-ups, swallowing crystals.

Continuous, non-stop, enhancing the Curse Seal within him by letting more human strength flood in and deepen the curse power’s erosion.

Hours later, he had swallowed all the newly acquired four green and one blue crystals.

His body felt warm and full.

Fortunately, the shower system was still operational, and although it was only cold water, combined with those pots of hot water, it was enough to wash away the blood without making the place look like a crime scene.

After completing all this, Xu Shu finally had time to clean himself up.

It was now the end of November, with December approaching. The winter temperatures changed swiftly, with drastic differences between day and night. During the day, the fierce sun could make one sweat profusely.

But by night, the bone-chilling wind made one want to curl up in bed and not go out.

Luckily, as a "Warrior," his robust physique and vigorous blood made such cold weather manageable for Xu Shu.

After a refreshing cold shower, he nestled into his bed—using two blankets, one shaped into a human form on the bed and the other dragged under it.

He also took out the Narrow Sleeve Guanyin and positioned it towards the door.

There are many paths to take, but safety comes first. Naturally, Xu Shu couldn’t afford to let his guard down at such a remote supply point.

One advantage of this sparsely populated spot was the silence at night, free from the constant noise of beds creaking.

"It seems Sister Qin has no business tonight, hehe."

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xu Shu lay on his side. As he adjusted the waistband that locked and triggered the Promotion Drive, a sizzling current circled through his body before opening a light screen interface in front of him.

—Promotion Network

—Gu Pan (Tai Chu), First-tier Warrior

—Contribution: 32

—[Curse Seal: Warrior (Legend) // Level: 17/20]

—

"Great, I’ve gone up a level."

Xu Shu clenched his fist.

Even though it seemed like only one level, he could feel that the "Level 17 experience bar" was already more than halfway filled. With four more green level-10 Erosion Crystals, or one or two blue level-16 crystals, he might have a chance to level up.

Of course, consuming the level-17 Vampire Baron’s purple Erosion Crystal would also suffice, but obviously, that would be a luxury.

"Hehe, 32 contribution points, but it will soon break 200."

Not to mention afar, the local Astronomy Association still owed him 50 contribution points in bounty from Lu Bingwei, yet to be paid.

Additionally, picking the heads of Demon Chosen in the safe zone was 100 points, plus this week’s 20 points from the Qingyun List weekly rewards.

All together, that made up another 170 points.

Lying under the bed, 18-year-old Xu Shu at the pinnacle of Great Perfection in his 11th month viewed his "balance," smiling wistfully as he recalled his journey.

This time, without hesitation, with suffic

Xu Shu hesitated.

Pop! A notification window sprang up on the screen saying:

"Gu Pan (Tai Chu), you’ve entered the trading channel for the first time. You’ve reached level 17 and have automatically gained Lie Zhenzi’s authorization threshold."

"You need to purchase a ’Mirror of Illusion and Reality’ for the first time you enter the trading channel, which is being automatically purchased for you now..."

"Payment Successful"

"Notice: In the trading channel, possessing the ’Mirror of Illusion and Reality’ can protect your location information and enable you to view the merchandise on others’ shelves. The ’Mirror of Illusion and Reality’ is an essential item for your personal use. You only need to pay Lie Zhenzi 20 Contribution Points to own it, as restoring human glory requires everyone’s effort. Thank you for your contribution and support."

"Your remaining Contribution Points: 12"

Then, Xu Shu felt as if there was a peculiar eye in front of him, layered, without a pupil:

[（""◎""）]

It didn’t seem real, but he definitely felt its presence.

"No pupil? Why does it feel like a camera?"

Xu Shu fiddled with it and discovered he couldn’t control its position, but he could freely choose to turn it on or off.

"Notice: You now own the Mirror of Illusion and Reality, and you can freely view product information on other people’s public shelves in the trading area. You also get a holographic display!"

"A personalized shelf has been set up for you. You can upload your merchandise information through the scanning of the Mirror of Illusion and Reality."

"Should someone pay with Contribution Points to purchase, you can proceed to any Star Tower transfer area for the transaction. Lie Zhenzi will escort you to ensure the transaction completes normally. You can freely choose to trade face-to-face or send the goods. Depending on the distance, a fee worth half of the flying vehicle’s cost will be charged every time."

Xu Shu squinted his eyes. It was still Star Tower to Star Tower transfer; he had hoped he could just teleport the goods on the spot. It seemed like he was thinking too much.

But perhaps it wasn’t impossible but a matter of cost. After all, in the wilderness, using the "Heart Fire Incense Burner," it was possible to directly build a "temporary launching device" at the entrance to the ruins.

Even the most ordinary burner costs several hundred Contribution Points.

Also, there’s still a delivery fee in the end... But if it’s half, does that mean to simply send something over, it starts at 5 points?

Tsk, that price is too damn expensive, equivalent to more than five thousand dollars.

But after all, it’s provided by the Star Tower, it’s normal for it to be expensive, at least it ensures safety.

At that moment, Xu Shu couldn’t help but recall a phrase in his mind: Star Tower express, mission imperative.

Meanwhile, he finally saw that the trading area was unlocked.

At first glance, it wasn’t much different from the world channel—posts in text format, accompanied by the poster’s name or nickname.

"Here it comes, haha, let me see what good stuff there is."

Xu Shu casually scrolled down.

[Heavenly Master Mansion official account, long-term purchase of various blue and purple Erosion Crystals. Fair prices, private messages welcome]—Sky Laughing, Third-level Heavenly Master

[Ranked species, Yin Demon Bull Head’s Bull Gallstone, both first and second rank available, bulk-priority, please come in, also long-term purchase of Epic ’Doctor’ Curse Seals, grateful for any seniors giving theirs up!]—Lonely Widow

[Barter deals, empathy goes both ways, unmatched beauties from all around, striving to build the world’s number one business! Ten Thousand Treasure Tower sincerely invites everyone for a discussion]—A Dumpling

[Offering a trigger item for the ’Night Parade of Hundred Demons’ ruins in the Sea of Death, 2000 Contribution Points, negotiable.]—Sharp Knife, Third-tier Master

[Anyone want to buy a Protective Spell? Anybody looking for cheap Protective Spells~ Also, lots of treasures on the shelf, pick up whatever you want]—True Monarch I’m Poor, Fourth Order Dongxuan True Monarch.

[Selling various well-trained magic pets, know some basic poses, both brand new and 99% new available, mostly females, males need separate negotiation.]—Ali, Third-tier Fallen Apostle.

[Heaven Bai Yujing, Twelve Floor Five Cities! Selling a spot for my master ’Dian Jiang Chun’s’ Inner Chamber Disciple, Earthly List 46 strength needn’t be mentioned, absolutely beautiful! Can view photos, 500 each!]—Jian Qi Jin, Third-order Butcher.

...

Looking at the eclectic "shop" name titles, Xu Shu was momentarily taken aback.

Moreover, lots of experts! He glanced around and saw that Third Rank was common, and posts from Fourth Order Ability, usually unseen in the world channel chats, were frequently being pushed up.

He casually picked a few and looked into them.

The scene suddenly changed, and like a movie, a dynamic screen appeared in front of him, with goods organized as in a pharmacy, clickable for a larger view.

However, Xu Shu realized many of the for-sale items didn’t match their titles at all.

So many clickbait titles!

Especially this one:[For female use, Ji An Te bike, size 23, can ride for 1-2 hours, or all night. Standing pedaling accepted, well-lubricated chain, fully functional, essential for those in the upgrading bottleneck period, free shipping needed, too far to consider worth it, current location D7N2 area]—Gum Bites, Second Order Fallen Nun. (Note 1)

The front part was still somewhat normal, even if the titles were exaggerated, but seeing this, Xu Shu was taken aback.

Why doesn’t this nun go pioneer or delve into lower levels or pray to the Star Goddess and instead runs to sell bikes on the promotion network?

Why would a Transcendent need a bike?

Driven by curiosity, he couldn’t help but click to check the details.

Swoosh~

A photo of a girl dressed revealingly, a mixture of shyness, charm, and sanctity, the absolute territory barely covering the roots, blatantly took up the top spot in the display window.

Moreover, it wasn’t censored, and no payment was required; it was just openly displayed.

Big and white, rich and generous!

Much better than those collecting entrance fees!

"Ah?" Xu Shu understood.

Good lord, nuns sure know how to broaden their businesses!

Xu Shu shook his head and exited the chaotic magic zone.

At least now he knew if he wanted to buy things like Curse Seals, he had a way in.

Immediately, he opened his friends list and found Melanie; he sent her a message.

"True Monarch, it’s time to settle the bill."—Gu Pan.