Chapter 105 Apocalyptic Fall, Zombie Siege 16
Upon arriving at the outer city and outer district of the Brilliant Base, one finds many people setting up stalls, selling gemstone necklaces, handmade cloth shoes, and naturally, clothing.
The two women possessed exceptionally outstanding qualities, standing out like cranes among chickens compared to the suffering refugees from the outer city. Zhao Qingshu looked at each stall, while Luo Shu also took a keen interest in the glittering jewelry; she now had a strong liking for sparkly things.
The eyes of the surrounding stall owners followed the two figures, especially Luo Shu, whose skin was as white as snow, whose black hair flowed freely, and whose temperament was as cold as frost, like the bright moon in the sky, making people dare not touch her.
A woman had spread a dark blue coarse cloth on the ground, on which were displayed a variety of crystal ornaments, all of which were high-end jewelry from before the apocalypse, as well as various jade, pearls and other priceless treasures. Few passersby even glanced at them.
Gold is valued in times of chaos, antiques are valued in times of prosperity.
This is the end of the world. Even gold is about to be lost. Who would want to collect these jewels? They can't be used as food, and they're a burden to carry around when trying to escape.
This woman was originally from a wealthy family in Beihu City, with assets ranking among the top ten in Beihu. However, when the apocalypse came, her husband was infected and turned into a zombie.
She was used to a life of luxury and had never experienced hardship. Now, all the housekeepers and nannies she had hired had run away, leaving her all alone at home. She hadn't activated her superpowers, and when she fled, she only took her favorite jewelry and ornaments with her, without even a grain of rice.
At first, people would buy her jewelry, and she could barely make ends meet by selling it. But now, a year into the apocalypse, no one buys these flashy but useless pieces anymore, and she hasn't had a proper meal in a long time.
The once plump and fair-skinned beauty is now thin and withered, like a plant that has lost its nutrients and is about to wither. Her eyes have lost their light and are full of numbness.
She and her husband started from scratch. Their son was away on a business trip. Before the end times, they were a happy and fulfilling family. After the end times, the fate of her most important son was unknown, and her husband was gone.
At first, she was quite pretty. She was unwilling to sell her body for a meal. She often thought that she would be able to reunite with her husband soon, but she couldn't bear to leave her son. She lived numbly like this, and soon she would starve to death.
In the face of the apocalypse, how difficult it is for an ordinary person to survive.
The pieces of jewelry displayed on the blue coarse cloth in front of her were all exquisite: a pink tourmaline, a pink crystal brooch, and two pearl earrings that shimmered with a warm luster. Luo Shu was particularly fond of the pink crystal brooch; it was sparkling and carved into a beautiful peony shape, making it very gorgeous.
After seeing that Luo Shu was interested, Zhao Qingshu also carefully examined the jewelry. The quality was indeed good. Since the king liked it, he would buy it. A girl should have more jewelry of her own, Zhao Qingshu thought honestly.
Although his king was merely like a dragon, obsessed with shiny things.
"What's the price of these?"
Naturally, when Zhao Qingshu inquired about the price, the thin woman was stunned. Her stall hadn't been visited in a long time. After she came to her senses, she quickly said, "Two packs of instant noodles are enough for these things? Or other food, that's fine too."
The most readily available hard currency in the market right now is food, followed by gold, and then crystal cores. Gold has the lowest cost-effectiveness, while crystal cores have the highest cost-effectiveness because crystal cores can be used for cultivation, and food can satisfy hunger. If neither is available, then bartering is also an option.
Zhao Qingshu remained silent. They had no food. They were all zombies, so they didn't need to eat, nor did they collect or hoard these things, which put them in a somewhat awkward position.
Those spies who were ordered by the various forces in the Glorious Base to follow them told their masters that they had no food to pay for. In the base, they could communicate with walkie-talkies, and messages were transmitted quickly. When the masters on the other side heard this, they thought, "What a great opportunity to make friends with experts! Why don't we seize it?"
Just as the spies were about to rush out to pay, two crystal cores suddenly appeared in Zhao Qingshu's palm, emitting a bright light.
Is this okay?
The woman nodded repeatedly. The value of these two crystal cores was much higher than that of two bags of instant noodles. Two crystal cores could be exchanged for many things. These two were also second-tier crystal cores. She had seen others trade with crystal cores, including first-tier, second-tier, and third-tier ones. Moreover, the Glorious Base had given them a crash course on crystal core knowledge, so she recognized them at a glance.
Two second-tier crystal cores can be exchanged for 30 catties of coarse grains. The so-called coarse grains are wheat bran mixed with cornmeal, the stuff that used to be fed to horses. Now it's not even enough for people to eat. As for nutrition, it's so tough on the throat that it's deadly. Why would we care about such things?
The woman took the crystal cores and said to Luo Shu and Zhao Qingshu, "My lords, these are all yours. I bought them at the auction before. They are very beautiful. Thank you for your generosity."
Zhao Qingshu waved his hand and put the items into his spatial storage, drawing envious glances from those around him. No wonder he was so generous; he was a spatial ability user!
This is a highly sought-after position. Every space ability user in their Glorious Base is surrounded by admirers and entourages when they go out. Ordinary people don't even dare to get close enough to take a look. The ability users in Glorious Base have a huge influence, and it's common for them to beat up ordinary people.
The vendors here became even more enthusiastic towards Luo Shu and Zhao Qingshu. Their generous spending showed they were big customers, and what they had just bought was jewelry that no one had ever wanted before. If there was a chance for that, then wouldn't there be a chance for them, the clothing vendors?
No one dared to openly recruit them; they simply stared at them with burning eyes. Luo Shu and Zhao Qingshu remained calm, picking out the ones that interested them from the list.
There are still a bunch of second-tier crystal cores in Zhao Qingshu's space. They no longer need to absorb second-tier crystal cores. Although absorbing second-tier crystal cores can also increase their own level, it's like telling you to drink real milk and then persuading you to drink Mengniu milk. It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!
The underlings who were about to go up and pay Luo Shu and the others were also stunned. They were only at the second level, and they hadn't even reached the second-level crystal core. Those two were being too extravagant!
After reporting the situation to their owners, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie. Then, the owners were instructed to follow the animal carefully, making sure it wasn't discovered or lost, before the walkie-talkie was disconnected.
The other forces in the Glorious Base were also shocked; some of them, even those at the fourth tier, were still using second-tier crystal cores.
Resources aren't easy to obtain in the apocalypse. Sometimes, even if everyone works together to kill a Tier 4 zombie, they still have to divide the resources among themselves. Unlike Luo Shu, who has absolute power over the zombies. It's already a blessing that she doesn't hunt other zombies. Why should they share resources with her? Where does she get the nerve?
These were all people who had spent a long time in the apocalypse. The woman who had taken Luo Shu and Zhao Qingshu's crystal cores disappeared in an instant, leaving the man who wanted to catch the cicada with a mantis in the wind empty-handed. She cursed under her breath before leaving.
The woman squatted in the trash can, not daring to move, clutching the two crystal cores tightly. With these, she could wait for her son for two more days. How wonderful.
Zhao Qingshu, acting like a generous spender, picked out clothes he liked, paid with crystal cores, stuffed the items into his spatial storage, booked a room for a few hours at a nearby hotel, and then accompanied Luo Shu to change clothes.
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