Once Fang Senyan displayed the items he was selling using 3D holograms, he left his stall to wander the marketplace. This served two purposes: first, to gather a wealth of intelligence and track price fluctuations, and second, to glean insights from the dialogue between buyers and sellers. Fang Senyan wasn't worried about losing potential customers at his stall because most of what he offered was highly specialized. Take, for instance, the most valuable item, the dark blue ability scroll: Voodoo Basic Black Magic LV3. The prerequisites for learning this skill set a considerable barrier to entry.

Consequently, those who approached the stall tended to split into two distinct groups: either completely uninterested, or intensely focused. Those uninterested would glance and move on immediately, but anyone genuinely interested in purchasing such an item would seldom mind waiting a few minutes.

After circling the area, Fang Senyan hadn't managed to acquire any valuable intelligence in the market. The few pieces of equipment or ability scrolls that caught his eye were tagged with exorbitant prices—prices utterly unattainable with the meager General Points he currently possessed. Furthermore, what Fang Senyan lacked most at this juncture wasn't equipment or abilities, but the means to upgrade the foundational skills he already commanded. He absolutely had to remember that the dangers he faced were not confined to the Nightmare Space; the real world itself was riddled with peril! In the real world, Fang Senyan was further constrained by the lack of essential gear.

Upon completing his circuit, Fang Senyan’s stall was, predictably, now encircled by a crowd. As soon as the seller returned, they pressed him immediately about the price of that dark blue scroll. Fang Senyan stood with his arms crossed, a faint smile on his face, but the price he announced caused nearly everyone present to roll their eyes. His asking price was a staggering fifteen thousand General Points and fifteen Potential Points! Hearing this figure instantly scared off half the onlookers—those who were hoping to "stumble upon a bargain." Once they realized their hope for a steal was dashed, they promptly departed. Those who remained were truly keen on the item and stayed with the intention of bargaining.

"Hey, friend, I’m not trying to deny the value of this scroll, but the price you’re asking is a bit steep, wouldn't you say?"

A man dressed like a hippie stood before Fang Senyan, shrugging his shoulders. He seemed to be chewing gum constantly, and the constant, slight bouncing of his right foot gave him a distinctly nervous energy.

This man’s statement undoubtedly voiced the sentiments of everyone else nearby, and the others quickly chimed in with their agreement.

Fang Senyan observed them coolly. He noted that there were now seven people surrounding him, likely divided into three smaller groups. Unquestionably, the person intent on buying this scroll would need to excel in both Mental and Intelligence attributes to maximize the skill's effectiveness.

This suggested that the Contractor eager to learn this ability probably had poor Stamina. Considering the current state of the Nightmare Space, this individual was likely already affiliated with a team. Fifteen thousand General Points and fifteen Potential Points was an astronomical price for a single Contractor, but for a team, it might not be an insurmountable figure.

Given the prevailing conditions in the Nightmare Space, most Contractors prioritized equipment and scrolls that instantly translated into combat effectiveness upon acquisition. They were unwilling to invest high sums in items that wouldn't yield immediate returns. This allowed Fang Senyan to deduce that anyone interested in this scroll must already meet its prerequisite criteria: Basic Prayer LV4, Basic Meditation LV4, and an Intelligence score of 25!

If a Contractor could satisfy these three conditions, their standing within their team would certainly not be low. They would, at minimum, be a significant damage dealer, capable of persuading their comrades to support such a purchase.

This was precisely why Fang Senyan dared to quote such an outrageously high price! More importantly, the sheer level of interest shown in the scroll confirmed that it was a guaranteed seller. This gave Fang Senyan the confidence to play a waiting game with these potential buyers. Thus, when faced with the hippie’s doubt, Fang Senyan’s response was simple: a shake of the head.

A slow, firm shake of the head.

Faced with this stubborn seller, the surrounding Contractors exchanged uneasy glances. They had clearly encountered the most difficult type of vendor: one who appeared financially secure, possessed a precise valuation of their goods, and, to top it off, was a stubborn fanatic! Therefore, they made one last, helpless effort, stating their absolute maximum bid in hopes of swaying him, but the result was invariably the same: they left dejectedly.

As the last Contractor departed, the bustling crowd around Fang Senyan’s stall had vanished, transforming the scene from a lively market square to an empty space. Yet, Fang Senyan showed no sign of discouragement. He was prepared to spend the entirety of his remaining available time just selling this single dark blue scroll. The highest offer made by those who left barely reached 5,000 General Points plus three Potential Points—an amount that certainly failed to satisfy Fang Senyan’s expectations.

Crowds came and went. Successive individuals approached Fang Senyan's stall, placed their bids, then shook their heads in disappointment and left. His scroll acted like a magnet, drawing many in, only to be ruthlessly pushed away by the exorbitant asking price. Time flew by rapidly; the stalls nearby changed hands several times, but Fang Senyan remained steadfast, greeting every inquirer with a polite smile, showing not a trace of impatience, yet his opening price remained absolute, with zero room for negotiation.

The deadlock was finally broken when the hippie returned.

This time, he brought two companions with him. One Contractor held an item resembling a staff wreathed in black light, while the other stood behind him, seemingly preferring to remain obscured by another's shadow. Even within the absolute safety of the Nightmare Space, this Contractor maintained such a posture; without a doubt, darkness and concealment were so deeply ingrained in his psyche that they were as essential as breathing or drinking water.

The Contractor holding the staff examined the scroll closely, nodded slightly, and then subtly gestured toward the hippie, as if unwilling to exchange even a few words.

The hippie approached Fang Senyan, spreading his hands: "I have to admit, today is your lucky day. Hegel is genuinely interested in this scroll of yours. Very well, we are serious buyers. You can state your bottom line now."

Fang Senyan replied calmly, "The price I listed is my bottom line."

The hippie, looking defeated, shrugged again and turned to look at the man named Hegel. Hegel remained silent, simply staring fixedly at Fang Senyan. Suddenly, Fang Senyan felt an unnerving sensation of being "penetrated," as if he were walking naked down the street with no secrets left at all! Startled, Fang Senyan was momentarily shaken, just as Hegel abruptly grunted and staggered back a few steps, seemingly having also taken a minor hit. The mysterious master was silent for a while before speaking: "Your highest attribute is Stamina, and your lowest is Spirit. You must be running a melee build, correct?"

Fang Senyan’s heart tightened. This Hegel could discern his highest and lowest attributes even in the absolute safety of the Nightmare Space, indicating he must possess an ability like "Insight." Fang Senyan offered no denial, simply nodding. Hegel coughed twice: "Your asking price is truly too high; few can gather such a large amount of General Points. How about I exchange a ring for your scroll?"

Others had previously proposed trading items, but Fang Senyan had refused, as he was critically low on both Potential Points and General Points. Hegel’s ring was a sincere offer: a dark blue ring that granted Strength +3 and the beneficial secondary attribute Critical Hit Rate +1%. It would fetch a decent price if sold. Nevertheless, Fang Senyan shook his head again, emphasizing his need for General Points and Potential Points only.

Left with no other option, Hegel appeared desperate to acquire that Voodoo Basic Black Magic LV3. After persistent negotiation with Fang Senyan, they finally concluded the deal for 7,000 General Points and 9 Potential Points. For Fang Senyan, although the General Points received were slightly below his mental threshold, the full nine Potential Points were an unexpected bonus. Based on current trends, Fang Senyan estimated it would take him at least five or six worlds to accumulate those nine points otherwise.

Furthermore, Hegel showed significant interest in the "Black Pin," as it carried a 50% chance of yielding a Black Demon item, which, if successful, would complement the Voodoo Basic Black Magic LV3 perfectly. Fang Senyan traded the pin for a light blue item: a Medical Kit, resulting in a mutually satisfying conclusion.

Medical Kit Attributes: Medical Kit Origin: Seventh Hospital of Nancy, France Item Rarity: Light Blue Internal Contents: Bandage x1, Anesthetic x1, Disinfectant x1, Adrenaline x1

Bandage: Upon use, wraps wounds and negates 50–100 points of accumulated bleeding damage. Anesthetic: Upon use, eliminates 20%–50% of pain sensation, but reduces Spirit by 2–6 points for 10 minutes. Disinfectant: Upon use, reduces the duration of existing negative status effects by 10%–20%. Adrenaline: Upon use, increases movement speed/attack speed by 10%–20%.

Note: After 12 hours inside the Medical Kit, the quality of the medicine improves. Upon use, it is guaranteed to be the maximum effect (i.e., a Bandage is guaranteed to negate 100 points of damage). Note: The current capacity of the Medical Kit is 4 slots. Do not place more than four items. The tier of medicine placed inside must be lower than the tier of the Medical Kit (meaning this Medical Kit can only hold White tier potions).

At the strong request of all you single gentlemen, I’ll release more tomorrow, hehe.