At Luke’s question about the price, Tutu’s heart leaped with joy. She knew the big shot in front of her definitely had the means to buy [Slaughterer].
"My senior said twenty thousand Endspace Coins is the lowest price. No haggling."
The price Tutu named made some of the Explorers hearing it for the first time marvel at just how expensive purple equipment was.
Most first-rank Explorers used fine-grade equipment. Only the better-off ones could afford rare-grade gear. After all, many Explorers earned only four or five thousand Endspace Coins on average from a single world.
When it came to purple equipment costing tens of thousands of Endspace Coins, even many top-tier first-rank Explorers could only look on helplessly.
"Works for me. Let’s trade."
Luke nodded readily, with no intention of bargaining. He knew the item did not belong to Tutu, and the asking price really was not high.
As an almost max-rated piece of purple equipment, [Slaughterer] should have been worth more than twenty thousand Endspace Coins. Depending on market conditions, even twenty-five thousand would not have been surprising. Its actual owner clearly needed money urgently, or they would not have sold it so cheaply in one shot.
"Thank you for understanding, Boss."
Tutu sighed in relief, happy that she had completed the task her senior had assigned her. She had been afraid Luke would try to haggle with her. That would have put her in an awkward position.
Money changed hands, as did the goods, and Luke left in high spirits.
However, it seemed his luck had run out. Bargains like that were hard to find twice in a row. After wandering the marketplace for several more hours, he still found no equipment he liked.
When he made one last circuit and passed Tutu’s stall again, she called out to stop him.
"Boss, didn’t you find any equipment you liked?"
Tutu had sold almost everything at her stall and was currently packing up.
Luke nodded. "Do you have anything else good?"
"You know my strength, Boss. [Slaughterer] was already the best thing at my stall. But if you have the money, you could check out the commercial street on the lower level. The Supporters have shops there, and their equipment selection is more comprehensive."
Tutu added, "The prices are a little higher, though. Unlike us Explorers, they aren’t in a hurry to sell."
"Thanks for the tip. I’ll take a look."
Luke thanked her and strode away. Tutu had given him a new idea.
As Tutu had said, Supporters rarely entered mission worlds and remained in Endspace for extremely long periods, mainly handling production in the rear. As such, they did not need to rush their transactions the way Explorers did.
Explorers did not stay in Endspace long. And because mission worlds were incredibly dangerous, they had an urgent need to improve their strength. They needed to quickly turn useless equipment into cash, then convert that cash into effective combat power.
That was the purpose of the marketplace. It was where Explorers exchanged and absorbed one another’s spoils, each taking what they needed. Under normal circumstances, there was no real profit involved, so equipment, items, and similar goods were relatively cheap.
The commercial street on the lower level, on the other hand, was Supporter territory. With the word "commercial" in its name, its business nature was obvious. Supporters opened equipment shops to make money, so their goods naturally cost more than what Explorers sold.
After all, Explorers had only two main sources for the equipment they sold: acquiring it in mission worlds or opening treasure chests. Neither method could guarantee an item’s quality or usefulness.
Different mission worlds produced different types of equipment and items, which could not possibly suit every Explorer’s combat style. And treasure chests were even more unreliable; neither their contents nor their quality could be guaranteed.
So when Explorers set up stalls in the marketplace, they were really gambling on fate. What looked like trash to one person might be a treasure in another’s eyes.
Supporter shops on the commercial street were different. Those Supporters who specialized in forging equipment had comprehensive inventories, and they could even provide custom orders. They perfectly solved the problem of Explorers who had money but could not find suitable gear.
Before long, Luke arrived at the commercial street. The flow of people here was enormous, and he could tell that many of them were stronger than him.
The commercial street was the only place without rank restrictions. Every Explorer could come here, so theoretically, plenty of high-rank Explorers would be walking around.
When Luke had first arrived in Endspace, he had not visited the commercial street. Mainly because he had felt he did not have much money, and coming here would probably have meant nothing but window-shopping.
But this time, after walking only a short distance down the street, his eyes had already been opened.
Every kind of store he could imagine was here. The Supporters had truly mastered the art of making money, and they had divided their businesses into remarkably specific niches.
There were shops selling equipment, recovery items, support items, bloodline items, and skill scrolls... There was even an entire district devoted solely to equipment, further split into shops for main weapons, secondary weapons, armor, boots, accessories, and more.
Beyond the shops that directly served Explorers’ needs in mission worlds, there were also plenty of entertainment and lifestyle businesses, such as restaurants and bars.
Just now, Luke had seen lightly dressed young women standing by the roadside soliciting customers. As he passed, one had handed him a "course menu."
Luke had given it a quick look. There were things like "eighteen positions," "poison dragon drill," "full service," and "half service." He did not understand any of it.
In short, the commercial street was far more prosperous than he had imagined. It was a gathering place for Supporters and paradise for Explorers with money.
After browsing for a while, he found that equipment here really did cost a tier more than at the marketplace—roughly twenty percent more. And the larger storefronts seemed to cater to high-rank Explorers, making them unsuitable for him.
Earlier, he had entered a department store that sold equipment. Luke felt that even the female attendants walking around in office attire had higher attributes than he did...
The equipment for sale inside was of qualities he had never even heard of before, and the number of digits on the price tags made him not want to count them.
After walking around for a while, Luke chose to leave the commercial street’s main thoroughfare and check out the smaller shops along the side streets. Those were probably more suitable for low-rank Explorers like him.
Not long after, he spotted a small shop. It had no hired staff. Only a girl who appeared to be the owner sat at the counter, resting her chin on one hand as she stared blankly into space.
The instant she saw Luke heading toward the entrance, the sailor-uniform-clad girl perked up. She stood and flashed a professional sales smile. "Handsome sir, would you like to buy a bed?"
"Buy a bed?"
Luke froze, his steps halting. He looked up at the sign above the door: "Custom Orders."
He had thought this was a place where he could order custom equipment. Was it actually a furniture store? Had he gotten it wrong?
After stepping inside, he took another look. Sure enough, there was plenty of furniture on the shelves, shrunk down with spatial technology. There were especially a lot of beds...
"Oh, I thought this was an equipment shop. Sorry for disturbing you."
Luke turned to leave, inwardly wondering what kind of person would buy a bed in Endspace. Were they out of their mind? Did they have money burning a hole in their pocket, buying furniture of all things?
He believed money should first be spent on oneself. Improving one’s strength was the priority. The furniture already provided in his room was perfectly fine as far as he was concerned.
"Don’t go!"
Seeing Luke about to leave, the sailor-uniform girl became a little anxious. She had only just opened this shop, yet a whole month had passed without a single sale.
She hurried outside and blocked Luke’s path. "I sell equipment too, and I can customize it according to your needs."
Luke swept a suspicious gaze over the sailor-uniform girl, whose face still had a little baby fat. She did not look like an experienced Supporter. And she sold furniture, too. Could she really forge equipment?
"Please, come in and have a look. Really, I’m good at what I do!"
The sailor-uniform girl grabbed Luke’s hand and tried to pull him along, but after two awkward tugs, he did not budge. Endspace did not permit Explorers or Supporters to forcibly act upon one another. That included attacks, as well as forcibly pulling or pushing someone.
"Then I’ll take a look."
With the attitude of giving it a try, Luke followed the sailor-uniform girl into the shop. She led him to the shelves in the back, where there really was quite a bit of equipment on display. It had simply been blocked from view by the furniture racks in front.
"Legendary?"
Luke’s eyes lit up. "Did you make these too?"
The sailor-uniform girl planted her hands on her hips and slightly raised her chin, pride appearing on her pretty, adorable face. "Hehe, of course I made them. So, honored customer, would you like to buy one?"
Luke shook his head. Legendary equipment was too expensive; he could not afford it yet. Still, he had underestimated this girl, who looked and seemed mentally far younger than him. She was actually a highly skilled forging master.
Every piece of equipment he had just examined was max-rated legendary gear. Their effects were extraordinarily powerful, with none of the redundant, useless functions common to poorly made items. Her talent as a forger was obvious.
What a shame the girl seemed to have a screw loose. With skills like hers, why on earth was she selling furniture?
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