Chapter 363 – Everything for Money
Tu Ran and Tang Ying turned around at the same time.
They saw nothing.
“I’m here.”
The two of them slowly lowered their gaze.
A black rat, only about the height of their knees, was standing on its front legs, greeting them, its mouth wide open to reveal two long, sharp incisors.
Tu Ran and Tang Ying froze at the same time.
They were shocked.
Even though they had anticipated encountering various species in the Border City, they had never expected to meet a talking rat.
It was a complete rat, not like the alien species in the Threshold, which had lost their original forms due to radiation, and which, as a result, didn’t seem so surprising.
The rat in front of them was just like the kind found in the trash heaps of human society, only fatter, bigger, and capable of speaking the language of the Rulers.
Had the outside world evolved to this extent?
The diversity of cosmic species once again challenged Tu Ran’s worldview.
“You two are here for the first time, aren’t you?” The rat’s sharp nose twitched, sniffing at Tu Ran and Tang Ying, its long whiskers trembling on its cheeks. “I heard that in the past few days, nine worlds have signed agreements with the rulers. Which one are you from?”
Its dark eyes rolled around on Tu Ran and Tang Ying, and its front paws swiped at the air, waiting for their response.
Both of them remained silent.
Tang Ying couldn’t understand and dared not speak carelessly.
Tu Ran could understand, but she didn’t know the names of the seven or eight worlds, nor did she understand why this unidentified rat had suddenly approached them to strike up a conversation. Following the principle that saying more could lead to more mistakes, Tu Ran chose to remain silent and waited to see what the rat intended to do.
The atmosphere, without a response, became somewhat awkward.
The rat scratched its two paws together, its dark eyes peering through the gap between Tu Ran and Tang Ying, glancing at the magnificent pawn shop behind them before getting to the point.
“Are you looking to exchange something for money?” it asked, looking at Tu Ran and Tang Ying. “You can come to our shop and take a look; we guarantee that what you trade will be worth its value, and there are no middlemen taking a cut.”
A salesperson? Tu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly under her hood.
This guy must have noticed that they had been standing in front of this pawn shop for a while, likely planning to sell something in exchange for money.
The rat spoke quickly, looking very professional, and raised its right paw firmly, emphasizing, “We absolutely guarantee customer privacy. No one will know what you exchanged or how much money you took out.”
This aligned with Tu Ran’s guess.
She was a little tempted.
A shop run by a rat should have decent confidentiality.
Its racial abilities were evident.
“Lead the way,” Tu Ran finally spoke, replying in the language of the Green-eyed people.
“Zhi!”
The rat’s eyes lit up, and it dropped its front paws to the ground, spun around, and sniffed the ground to sense the direction. Then it lifted its tail high and motioned for them to follow, its body launching into a sprint down a narrow alley.
Tu Ran grabbed Tang Ying’s wrist and pulled her along, running behind the rat.
The rat moved incredibly fast, occasionally stopping to crouch on the ground, sniffing the air, then raising its front legs to look around.
It chose a route through some obscure corners, hidden and secluded, places that normal people would never notice existed in a city.
Sometimes, the path was so narrow that only one person could pass at a time, so Tu Ran would let go of Tang Ying’s wrist, and the rat, being small, would wait for both of them to catch up.
Tu Ran reasonably suspected that if it weren’t for the two of them as burdens, the rat would have chosen a much more convenient route.
After turning several corners, the rat stopped in front of a building with only a rooftop protruding from the ground.
The shape of the roof was triangular, with a sharp peak and gracefully curved sides.
There was a square skylight directly in front, reflecting the colorful light from a sign of a nearby magical establishment.
But that was all.
At ground level, there was only a bare rooftop. It didn’t resemble a building so much as a hastily constructed tent.
Tu Ran looked down at the rat underfoot. “Is this your shop?”
In comparison to the towering, hundred-foot-tall structures of the nearby magical establishments, this place seemed like a lone, underdeveloped bamboo shoot in a vast bamboo forest.
The rat appeared not to hear Tu Ran’s question. It walked up to the skylight, supported itself with its hind legs, and raised its front limbs to peer through the glass. Then, it tapped the glass with its paw.
Tu Ran watched this scene, increasingly feeling as though she were watching a live-action cartoon.
The sound of “bang, bang, bang” echoed, and the skylight opened from the inside.
Instinctively, Tu Ran expected another rat to emerge, but instead, it was a young, pale human child who poked his head out.
The child affectionately patted the rat’s head, then grabbed a pen hanging from his neck, quickly scribbled two lines of text on a notepad, put the pen down, stuffed the notepad into his pocket, and moved aside to signal for Tu Ran and Tang Ying to come in.
“I’m just the guide,” the rat said, then scampered away.
Tu Ran was the first to approach the skylight. She peered inside, where the floor was covered with a soft carpet, the ceiling painted with beautiful patterns, and small, dark brown tables and chairs. On one table, a delicate vase held a single blue flower.
The flower emitted a faint blue glow, as if blue fireflies were swirling around its petals, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
It was an extremely small space, and Tu Ran reasonably doubted whether she and Tang Ying would even fit inside.
Since they were already here, Tu Ran stepped forward and entered.
The space inside was just as cramped as she had expected. Once she stepped in, it immediately felt a little tight, and when Tang Ying followed, she could hardly turn around.
The child closed the skylight behind them.
Tu Ran’s gaze swept over the blue flower again. It wasn’t as impressive as it had appeared from the outside.
She turned around, waiting for the child’s next move.
The moment the skylight closed, the originally square window, no more than a meter on each side, transformed. It became a large elevator door.
The door was adorned with beautiful patterns that split down the middle. The elevator door slid open, revealing a spacious interior.
The space inside was large enough to comfortably fit ten people without feeling cramped.
Tu Ran and Tang Ying exchanged a glance.
In each other’s eyes, they saw the unspoken thought: Just as expected.
The two of them followed the child into the elevator. The child, straining a little, stood on tiptoe to press the button labeled “78.”
Of course, the “78” was written in the Green-eyed people’s language.
A sensation of weightlessness rose from beneath their feet as the elevator began to descend rapidly. Tu Ran silently took a step back and leaned against a handrail inside the elevator.
The numbers indicating the floors changed constantly. The interior of the elevator was dimly lit, and no one spoke, until the blood-red number stopped at 78. The elevator doors slid open, and bright light flooded in.
Tu Ran and Tang Ying both instinctively raised their hands to pull their hoods lower.
“This floor is filled with retinal modification facilities. Every creature you see before you is not in their original form, including their size, voice, appearance, and walking posture.”
As the child spoke, he stepped out of the elevator, exposed to the almost blinding light. He turned around to face Tu Ran and Tang Ying, slowly spreading his arms. In less than ten seconds, his figure visibly expanded, transforming from a child in his teens to a tall, nearly 1.9-meter adult male with a lean physique and a composed face.
“I am your guide. Please,” he said, giving a slight bow and gracefully gesturing for them to follow.
His voice had deepened into that of an adult male.
The technology was refreshingly impressive.
Tu Ran stepped out first. She looked down at her body, clad in a black short corset dress, with matching accessories. She instinctively reached up to touch the black gemstone necklace around her neck, but her hand grasped nothing.
Tang Ying also exited the elevator, her body shrinking gradually into a dark-themed loli, now shorter than Tu Ran. Her clothes were the typical attire of a loli.
Tu Ran stared at her intently.
Tang Ying, unsettled by the look, furrowed her brows and asked, “Is there a problem?”
Tu Ran turned to the guide beside her and asked, “Can I take a picture?”
Haha, Tang Ying’s appearance was just too photogenic!
Tang Ying: “…?!”
“No,” the guide shook his head. “Her appearance can only be seen by your eyes. It can’t be captured in a picture.”
Tu Ran sighed dramatically. “What a pity.”
Tang Ying could no longer hold her frustration in. She wanted to curse, but there was no title she could address Tu Ran by here. Unable to speak it aloud, she clenched her teeth and vented her irritation silently.
Tu Ran decided to stop while things were going well, turning her attention to the scene on the 78th floor.
There were many people, just like them, dressed in luxurious clothes, gathered in small groups as if attending a banquet.
When the two of them walked out of the elevator, they didn’t attract the attention of the people there.
“What services do you offer here?” Tu Ran asked, glancing sideways.
She doubted that a business that only exchanged goods for money could sustain such a large establishment.
The guide, who had been standing politely beside her, revealed an intriguing smile. “Whatever request the customer makes, we will fulfill, as long as the price is right.”
Tu Ran smiled faintly. “Then, take us to exchange for money.”
“This way, please.”
Tang Ying followed behind Tu Ran, glancing up at her, remembering the chaotic scene in the space where they had waited. The entire area had been filled with piles of all sorts of things, enough to open a department store.
The guide led them to a booth and helped them settle down. He pressed a button on the back of the seats, and a light screen rose around the booth, immediately isolating them from the surrounding noise.
He sat across from them and rubbed his hands together. “Now, you can bring out what you want to sell.”
“What do you accept?” Tu Ran leaned back in her seat and asked leisurely.
“Anything,” the guide smiled. “The value varies, and the rarer it is, the higher the price.”
Tu Ran was sure she would sell something valuable. She still had over twenty boxes of metal crates she had taken from someone’s flying vehicle stored in her space. She hadn’t even checked what was inside yet, but she remembered the conversation of the group at the time clearly.
They were worth something.
Those items were definitely worth something.
“Can we have some privacy?”
She conjured up several boxes out of thin air, which felt a bit strange and could easily attract attention. Although avoiding it wouldn’t change the fact that they had inexplicably pulled out large metal boxes from their bodies, it could at least shift some focus onto Tang Ying.
“Of course.” The guide stood up and walked out of the white light screen.
Tu Ran and Tang Ying exchanged a glance and began pulling items out of their space.
One, two, three… Tu Ran quickly pulled out eight boxes.
“What are these?” Tang Ying looked up at the stack of iron boxes, taller than her. She remembered that these boxes were ones Tu Ran had stored in her space while fleeing. She had walked around them a few times at the time, but there were no markings on them, so she couldn’t tell what was inside.
“Guess,” Tu Ran replied, retracting the light screen and leisurely sitting back in her seat, crossing her legs elegantly. “You can open them now.”
Tang Ying didn’t ask again. From her understanding of Tu Ran, she knew if Tu Ran wanted to say something, she would. Since the contents would be revealed soon enough, there was no need to keep it a secret. Tang Ying guessed that either the items had been stolen or taken forcefully, based on the situation at the time.
Upon hearing the signal, the guide entered from outside. When he saw the table suddenly piled high with iron boxes, he didn’t show any surprise, as if he was used to such scenes.
He sat back down in his original position, his gaze lingering on the boxes. However, his words were directed at Tu Ran and Tang Ying. “It seems like you two are unfamiliar with Border City. Later, we can provide you with some guides about life here to help you get settled quickly… What are these?”
Tu Ran didn’t understand why he mentioned that first part. “…Open them, and you’ll find out.”
The guide flipped the boxes over, inspecting all six sides but couldn’t find a place to open them. “Would it be possible for me to call my assistant in?”
“Of course.”
The assistant quickly entered, dressed in hotel staff attire. He used a tool to pry open a corner of the box.
The contents inside were revealed.
The guide and the assistant both stared in shock.
Tu Ran, sitting in a position where she couldn’t see inside the boxes, was itching with curiosity. What could it be? She was dying to know. But as the seller of these items, she couldn’t show that they were things she had taken from others. She had to remain composed, sitting there like a rock, maintaining an expression of someone who had everything under control.
The guide studied the contents for a long time before finally accepting what was inside. He waved his hand to signal the assistant to leave and placed the box down, looking at Tu Ran. “May I ask where you found so many of these?”
Tu Ran lifted her chin slightly. “Just tell me if you’ll accept them or not?”
The guide hesitated, playing it up. “We can accept them, but there’s a risk. Recently, the Green-eyed tribe has been cracking down, so we can’t easily sell them.”
Tu Ran’s mind raced, trying to guess what exactly was inside. From his description, it didn’t sound like legitimate goods.
Next to her, Tang Ying had already stood up. During the brief exchange, she casually walked over to the opened box, her gaze sweeping over it from above.
“…” It was too high; she couldn’t see inside.
Noticing Tang Ying’s movement, the guide asked, “Does this customer need anything?”
“No, I’m just walking around. You two continue.”
After saying that, Tang Ying awkwardly bit her tongue. The booth was so small, filled with boxes, making it hard to even turn around, yet she had casually said she was just walking around.
Behind her, Tu Ran was trying hard to suppress her laughter, her entire face twitching, but she could only pretend to adjust her hair to avoid being caught.
Tang Ying shot Tu Ran a glare when the guide wasn’t looking, then turned around and, mustering all her courage, asked, “But could you help me move this box? It’s blocking the way, and it’s making me anxious.”
“Of course, it would be my pleasure.” The guide stood up and moved the two stacked boxes, placing them on the floor. “Is this better?”
Tang Ying quickly nodded and turned to return to her seat.
She almost tripped over the corner of the table along the way.
Tu Ran, with her hand tightly pressed against her palm, was trying not to look at Tang Ying.
She leaned slightly forward, her hands clasped on her knees. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the iron boxes on the floor, and the green liquid inside became clearly visible.
Was it the blood of the Green-eyed people?
Could this stuff be valuable? Tu Ran doubted herself. Maybe the green liquid inside wasn’t Green-eyed blood after all?
