Trade Fair

Often, the world is just a massive, makeshift theatrical troupe.

To ordinary people, the transcendent, mysterious, and eerie Mystics are, at the end of the day, still spinning around in circles for fame, fortune, love, and hate.

Just like at this moment.

The entire market was bustling with people in bizarre outfits. There were about 30 sellers setting up street-style stalls. Aside from the much smaller number of stalls, everything else was pretty much the same as the last night market.

There were people hawking their wares, people haggling, and even shills. You couldn't tell at all that this entire crowd consisted of renowned Mystics.

How did Chen Miemie know there were shills?

Because he was the bidding shill hired by Cassan.

"Miemie, Dawn and I made quite a name for ourselves in the past. So, if I bid on something I need myself, I'll probably get slaughtered like a fat sheep. Later, just pretend that you're the one who wants it, and I'm just here to accompany you, got it?"

Chen Miemie understood instantly. Cassan was being very subtle, so he translated it in his head:

The duo of Dawn and Cassan were usually so arrogant and domineering that they had offended too many people. They were likely to be retaliated against this time, so Cassan was pretending to be an elder accompanying a junior to buy things. If any stall owner dared to ask for an outrageous price, she, as the elder, would jump out and wave her fists at them.

"Understood."

Everyone here today was a Mystic, hence the fewer stalls, but the items on display were all formidable.

"Mentor's wife, what are you trying to buy?"

"Materials dropped by Aberrations, either dance-type or probability-type."

"That's not right, didn't they say that Aberration materials must be used immediately after they drop, otherwise they'll dissipate in an hour?"

"True, but if that were the case, how many people would actually get the materials they want?"

"Very few, I guess."

"So, later on, someone came up with a dumb method. It has to be used within an hour, but some materials can't be used up in a short time.

For example, your partner Xi. If she wants a colored pencil and someone gets one, as long as they draw a few strokes with it, it counts as being used. A few days later, that person sells the slightly used pencil to Xi, and just like that, Xi gets what she wants.

Of course, the more it's used and the more times it changes hands, the lower the compatibility for the actual user, which affects the success rate of their breakthrough."

What Cassan said was easy to understand. What Chen Miemie didn't understand was, if that was the case, what was the point of him being a shill.

Cassan wanted to buy specialized materials for herself. If Chen Miemie jumped out and pretended it was for his own use, who would believe him?

"Don't worry, [Mystery] is always intentionally concealed by all of us. No one knows what anyone else needs."

The two started looking from the first stall.

Cassan didn't find what she was looking for.

Chen Miemie found something interesting.

It was an old wooden rocking chair with smooth armrests. Even though it was clearly empty, it was rocking back and forth extremely slowly, as if an invisible person were sitting in it.

The bosses here all wrapped themselves in thick coats and wore large hats, trying their best to hide their identities.

If a buyer like Cassan was afraid of being messed with, let alone these sellers.

"Boss, how about you introduce this chair?"

The boss glanced at the [Silver Moon Court] brooch on Chen Miemie's chest.

"This is a rocking chair immersed in its own rhythm. Anyone who sits on it will be guided by the rhythm into a state of calm contemplation. Forcibly changing the rocking rhythm will cause resistance.

Finding the point of rhythmic resonance between yourself and it can grant deep relaxation."

"What about the side effects?" Cassan interjected.

"Someone tried to forcefully change the rocking rhythm and suffered a heart attack. Several previous owners passed away peacefully in the chair's soothing rhythm."

The stall owner was very honest, detailing the side effects specifically.

He had to be honest. These two were from the asylum-like [Silver Moon Court]. Earning a bit of time was a small matter, but if he scammed the wrong people, his troubles wouldn't be something time could solve.

It wasn't just this stall owner.

This trade fair was jointly organized by the municipal government and the Society Alliance. The goal was to let everyone exchange what they had for what they needed before next week, converting time into strength to face the impending storm.

There was an explicit rule: at this trade fair, you could charge a premium, but scamming was forbidden. Violators would be heavily penalized.

"How much?"

"360 years."

Chen Miemie thought about it, shook his head, and walked away.

If he haggled, he might get it down to 300 years, which wasn't too expensive. But this was a chair meant for enjoyment, not a necessity.

"Mentor's wife, have you ever heard of something that can store items?"

"You mean a spatial storage bag?"

"They actually exist? Are they expensive?"

"Not expensive. It's just a magical prop that even ordinary people can afford. You can buy one for about 20 years."

"Such a treasure is actually this cheap? Then I definitely have to..."

Cassan interrupted him, "The reason spatial storage props are cheap is because of one flaw.

Once the carrier moves rapidly or uses [Mystery], it might disrupt the spatial structure inside the bag, thereby destroying the bag and everything stored inside.

There is only one situation where it remains relatively stable: when the user's own [Mystery] is a spatial ability."

"Oh." Chen Miemie gave up on this unstable option.

The two went from stall to stall, seeing countless bizarre items.

For some things, you could roughly guess what they were just by hearing their names.

For example, there was a beautiful striped tie called the [Tie Hangman].

There were also items with unclear functions, such as a long whetstone with a worn-out depression on its surface.

Then there were things that sounded impressive despite their unclear utility, like a miniature slingshot the size of a finger. The stall owner called it the [Mosquito Sniper], specifically used to deal with tiny bugs with a hundred percent accuracy.

Chen Miemie considered his eyes thoroughly opened.

When they had walked through about two-thirds of the market.

Cassan stopped, gently tugged on the hem of Chen Miemie's shirt, and whispered softly in his ear, "Over there, that umbrella."

Chen Miemie understood.

Since it concerned a major matter for his Mentor's wife, Chen Miemie was very cautious.

He first adjusted the [Flower Hat Jellyfish Cap] on his head, ensuring that the traitorous cowlick on his head was well hidden.

In the corner of the stall, there was an oil-paper umbrella.

"Boss, see my brooch? I'm the next president of the [Silver Moon Court]. I'm currently in charge of the society's procurement, and I'm planning to stock up on some goods today."

The stall owner knew that the next president bit was pure nonsense, but the [Silver Moon Court] brooch couldn't be faked, so he was very polite.

"My president-to-be friend, pick whatever you like. I'll give you a discounted price, just look out for me in the city from now on."

Chen Miemie began his journey of nitpicking.

Things like this broken tower looks too fake, that fan leaks wind, this pair of walnuts hasn't been polished evenly, and so on.

The boss under the cloak listened, sweating profusely.

"Stop, stop, my friend, say no more. I still have business to do later. Just tell me directly what you want. Your prelude is too long; my little stall can't handle it."

This was the power of the [Silver Moon Court]. If it were anyone else, the stall owner would have probably changed his tune long ago, instead of trying to persuade him so kindly.

"Alright, I'll just take this material umbrella then. I have a friend, and lately he..."

"Stop, there's no need for stories. You can take it for 1300 years," the stall owner quickly offered a direct price.

Cassan's eyes lit up.

1300 years—this price was incredibly low. She could even afford it with her own private stash. Before coming, she and Chen Miemie had discussed it; getting it for 1500 years would be considered lucky, and their absolute maximum budget was not to exceed 2000 years.

Chen Miemie's face darkened, appearing rather displeased.

"I don't like odd numbers. Make it either 1200 or 1400. I'm not short on time, so I'll give you 1400, but you have to throw in a little trinket for me."

Faced with this reverse haggling, the stall owner hesitated slightly. "What do you want thrown in?"

Chen Miemie pointed toward a pile of beads. "That Moment of... oh, never mind, that broken bead."

The stall owner had inspected that pile of beads countless times and had never found any of them to be a treasure. However, he wasn't exactly a master appraiser himself, so it was always possible he could misjudge something.

"No, I don't do freebies here. Just give me 1200 years and take the umbrella."

"Deal," Chen Miemie said, a smile breaking out on his face.

Cassan immediately stepped forward to pay and take the umbrella.

As soon as they walked away from the stall, she couldn't even hide the smile on her face.

"What's going on, Shiniang? It didn't get that much cheaper, did it?"

"Hehe, look."

Cassan slightly opened the oil-paper umbrella halfway. The inner surface of the umbrella looked like a roulette wheel, and each slot on the wheel featured a different pattern—fruits, candies, balloons, and so on.

"This item is an Umbrella of Possibility, and it's not meant for blocking rain. When you open it, it might randomly drop the items shown on the wheel. This umbrella can be used as a prop for dancing, perfectly complementing the choreography, and it's also tied to probability. Its compatibility with me is absolutely flawless."

"You're amazing, Shiniang! With this, you're definitely going to skyrocket."

Chen Miemie immediately unleashed a barrage of flattery, making Cassan so elated that her eyes practically narrowed into happy little slits.

Just as the two were preparing to make a triumphant exit, red subtitles suddenly appeared.

[Xiao Hong's friendly reminder: A super high-intensity mysterious item has appeared at the stall ahead.]

Chen Miemie immediately stopped in his tracks.