Mu Bai was just about to politely decline when she noticed Tang Shifu staring intently at a certain silver-gray potion.
She walked closer to take a look.
[Metal Agent — Price: 10 Silver Coins]
Identification!
[After consumption, parts of the body surface will undergo localized metallization when struck by physical attacks within ten minutes. This significantly weakens incoming damage and allows the user to ignore threats from most non-enchanted and non-armor-piercing bullets. The toughness of the metallization depends on Constitution. No side effects.]
Good stuff.
Both Tang Shifu’s and Mo Cha’s Talents were suited for close combat.
In particular, Tang Shifu’s ‘Blessing of the Death God’ was restricted by the need for direct physical contact; otherwise, it couldn’t be unleashed.
With this, wouldn’t she be able to brave a hail of bullets to punch and elbow enemies away?
Although Ye Yin could use a sniper rifle to pick off enemies from a distance, they couldn’t guarantee they would always have the initiative in dangerous environments.
Having a potion like this as insurance was very necessary.
It was a pity that one potion cost 10 Silver Coins… even with the discount, it was 8 coins, so they couldn’t afford one for each of the four members.
Under Talina’s expectant gaze, Mu Bai observed the rest of the merchandise.
One look and she was startled; many of the potions had effects that, in the eyes of current Players, were simply heaven-defying.
Physical Strengthening Potion, Mental Strengthening Potion—the former added +10 to three physical attributes, while the latter added +15 to Mental Power…
They all cost one gold coin, and she didn’t even know how many Silver Coins that would convert to.
There were also Bloodline Potions with unknown effects… some were labeled as Bronze-grade, starting at 40 Silver Coins, and once they reached Silver-grade, they cost one gold coin.
Gold-grade ones didn’t seem to be on the display stand; she didn’t even dare to imagine the price.
“Sister Talina, what is the conversion rate of one gold coin to Silver Coins?”
Mu Bai asked with clear, innocent eyes.
“The Jialan Empire’s official exchange ratio is 1:100. However, since not everyone can reach the Plane where the Jialan Empire is located, the actual market value is usually higher,” Talina explained patiently.
“So… so expensive!”
Mu Bai exclaimed.
Silver Coins were directly called Train Coins by the Train System, but she didn’t know what gold coins would be called.
Looking at this situation, it wasn’t impossible that subsequent upgrades might require gold coins.
Moreover… based on Talina’s words, did it mean gold and silver coins were actually the official currency of the Jialan Empire?
Just who was this Jialan Empire?
Even the Train System used the currency issued by the Jialan Empire as upgrade resources.
Hadn’t Talina mentioned before that she was from this empire?
No wonder she included that in her self-introduction at the start; it turned out this identity served as a super business card in the Trading Space.
Mu Bai silently raised Talina’s level of importance in her heart.
She had to stay on good terms with this older sister; she felt there would be opportunities to obtain vital information from her in the future.
“Sister, for a four-person team like ours, if we want to improve our combat capability and our budget doesn’t exceed 20 Silver Coins, what potions would be better to buy?”
Mu Bai spoke even more affectionately.
To make a more rational decision, she definitely needed to consult a professional.
With Mu Bai’s charm and voice actively trying to get close, even knowing she was doing it on purpose, it was hard not to find her adorable when she used the title ‘Sister’.
Talina was instantly captivated.
If this were a dating sim, ‘+1, +1’ affection points would probably be popping up over Talina’s head.
But as the suggestion reached her lips, she felt a bit conflicted.
Talina mused, “If I must recommend something, potions priced in gold coins are definitely better. As for what Silver Coins can buy, most are for temporary boosts to strength, reaction speed, or healing injuries… Only this Metal Agent is quite special. It’s always better to not get hurt than to treat an injury afterward. The protective effect it forms cannot be fully penetrated even by armor-piercing weapons from a Primary Civilization.”
After her last trade with Mu Bai, she had tested the Weapon Strike Fist and guessed that Mu Bai probably originated from a Primary Civilization.
In that kind of civilization, there were only a few types of weapons a single individual could operate, and the Metal Agent could defend against all of them.
Of course, it certainly couldn’t defend against ghosts; such Spirit Body types of existence could only be eliminated using electromagnetic or laser weapons, or Enchantment.
Mu Bai nodded.
For things like temporary attribute boosts, her own cooking had similar effects—just slightly weaker, and the effectiveness depended on the ingredients.
As for healing effects, with her acting as a Power Bank, it wasn’t an absolute necessity.
“Shifu, Chacha, what do you think?”
Mu Bai assumed Ye Yin was on her side.
“I want it!”
Tang Shifu didn’t hesitate.
“You decide… the price is too expensive, after all,”
Mo Cha said after a moment of thought.
10 Silver Coins, even with a 20% discount, was still 8 coins—almost enough to upgrade to a Level 2 Train.
The financial pressure on the team was indeed quite large.
“I’ll take two, please.”
Mu Bai made a peace sign.
“Alright, is there anything else you need?”
Talina asked with a smile.
“Um… about those Bloodline Potions, what exactly are they?”
Mu Bai asked curiously.
In this shop, half of the item labels contained the word ‘bloodline’, and the expensive ones were basically all related to bloodlines.
It was likely the potion shop’s main business.
She would ask now; she might buy them later when she had money.
“They are potions of racial bloodlines favored by the heavens across various large Planes. Drinking them allows one to possess the same bloodline power. For example, this one is a top-tier Silver-grade Bloodline Potion. After drinking it, you can gain the Moon Fox Clan’s magic Talent and mana compatibility…”
“Of course, Bloodline Potions generally have side effects. Bronze Bloodline Potions usually sacrifice certain talents or abilities to gain a specific one. Silver-grade is slightly better, but you might grow some fluffy ears, a tail, or something… or perhaps scales?”
Talina explained in detail.
Mu Bai felt her worldview was being greatly impacted.
So Beast-Eared Girls actually exist?
Speaking of which… Mu Bai caught a keyword: Plane.
Talina had used this word just now when mentioning the Jialan Empire.
It seemed the entire world should be composed of many Planes.
Her previous understanding was that the people in the Trading Space were Site Natives from various worlds, which was a bit imprecise; it should actually be various large Planes.
Then… would The Train also be traveling through various Planes?
The reason they hadn’t encountered those more bizarre Planes yet was simply because the difficulty of The Train hadn’t been raised high enough?
The more Mu Bai thought about it, the more her scalp tingled.
Surely upgrading The Train to level ten isn’t the end…
Is she really going to stay cooped up in The Train for a lifetime with her beautiful girl teammates?
She didn’t want that kind of thing.
“Thank you, I’ll just take the two bottles of Metal Agent. Thanks a lot, Sister Talina!”
Mu Bai snapped out of it and thanked her.
Mu Bai was quite grateful that Talina could share so much useful information with her.
“You’re welcome. After the 20% discount, it’s 16 Silver Coins total. The final settlement means I’ll give you 14 Silver Coins back,” Talina said, pulling out a handful of shiny Silver Coins and handing them to Mu Bai.
Mu Bai accepted them with both hands.