Chapter 881: General Store

881. General Store

"...I think I'll just stay here."

Lola squeezed out an awkward smile.

The entire slums were the territory of those Masked Figures, and Lola simply didn't dare to leave the general store.

Lin Ye continued crafting Starfish Ornaments using different materials and techniques, planning to bring them back to the Shelter.

He had plenty of special materials on hand. If he'd known this would be his skill, he would have brought some items from the collectible display area with him.

Those dangerous items could have been used to craft some truly special Starfish Ornaments.

After finishing cleaning the general store, Lola walked to the entrance, rubbing her stomach as she sat down on the ground. She kept an eye on her surroundings, ready to bolt at any moment.

Even if she couldn't escape, being eaten was still better than being turned into one of those monsters.

"Here, take this and go change inside."

Lin Ye pulled a set of clean clothes and some simple food from his spatial item and tossed them to Lola.

"Thank you."

Lola grabbed the clothes and food, then hurried back into the general store. She hadn't eaten in days.

Lin Ye set the spiral Starfish Ornament he was working on to the side and glanced at the thing squeezing its way out of the alley.

It was a grotesque Fleshy Monster, faint ripples of rule power radiating from its body.

'A Fleshy Monster influenced by rule power... now that's a rare find.'

This was Lin Ye's first time encountering such a creature. Unlike the Fleshy Monsters born from spiritual energy Alienation, this one was created entirely by rule power, with a remarkably unique internal structure.

In any environment with spiritual energy, something like this could never exist.

Precisely because it was so pure, it held unique value.

The monster howled and charged at Lin Ye. He initially tried to Alienate it into a parasitic organism but discovered that spiritual energy's influence was greatly weakened by the rule power.

Fortunately, Lin Ye had the Flesh and Blood Rule Fragment. Using rule power, he successfully Alienated the Fleshy Monster into a parasitic organism.

The Fleshy Monster rushed up to Lin Ye, then suddenly trotted obediently behind the rocking chair and began gently rocking it for him.

Lola poked her head out, staring in shock at the well-behaved Fleshy Monster. She'd already been preparing to run for her life.

"Could you send a few more monsters over? Preferably different kinds. I still need more materials."

Lin Ye looked up toward the building across the way. Those black masks were hiding inside.

No response came from the other side, and Lin Ye didn't care. He shoved his hand into the Fleshy Monster's body, studying its internal structure.

This could be considered a rule-based creature. Though incredibly weak, it still had some research value.

"Shop owner, is there anything you need me to do?"

Lola had changed her clothes. She didn't even stop to eat before rushing over to Lin Ye. To make sure the Fleshy Monster didn't steal her job, she had to stay proactive.

"You can distribute flyers around the area and help me sell the Starfish Ornaments. Do you know how to make flyers?"

Lin Ye handed Lola a stack of blank paper and a few paintbrushes. It wasn't that he cared about the Trade points—he mainly needed someone to help research the Starfish Ornaments' functions.

"I can!"

Lola had never drawn a flyer in her life, but she absolutely had to be able to.

"Then it's all yours. If business goes well, I'll give you a commission."

Lin Ye said casually.

"Um, can I ask what these Starfish Ornaments do?"

Lola sensed these ornaments weren't simple, but she couldn't figure out what purpose they served.

"Good question. Because each ornament is crafted with different techniques and materials, every Starfish Ornament has a unique function. Buyers get to discover the function for themselves—that's part of the fun of purchasing one."

Lin Ye had no idea what the specific functions were either, otherwise he wouldn't need to sell them.

"...Alright, I'll finish drawing the flyers as soon as possible."

Lola couldn't imagine who would buy a product with unknown functions, but she kept that thought to herself.

"No rush. You can eat first, take a shower, then work on the flyers."

Lin Ye pulled a simple portable shower unit from his spatial item and handed it to Lola.

"Thank you."

Lola glanced at Lin Ye's Spatial Ring. It was the first time she'd ever seen someone store an entire shower unit inside a spatial item.

"No need to thank me."

Lin Ye continued crafting Starfish Ornaments. By combining different techniques and materials, he could produce countless variations—so many that he couldn't possibly finish them all anytime soon.

For example, spiral technique combined with brown Deep Well Substance Conversion Product.

Or spiral technique combined with the Berserk rune and brown Deep Well Substance Conversion Product.

Or spiral technique combined with aesthetics knowledge and special ore.

...

The combinations were practically endless. Lin Ye crafted several Starfish Ornaments for each combination, keeping one set for sale.

"Hello, may I take a look at your merchandise?"

An elderly man in a black formal suit approached Lin Ye. He looked completely out of place in the slums—clearly not a resident here.

"Of course. A shop exists to sell goods."

Lin Ye didn't get up. The Fleshy Monster acted like a shop assistant, gesturing for the old man to enter the general store.

The old man glanced at the Fleshy Monster. He'd clearly done his research on this area, so he didn't seem surprised.

"50 Trade points? May I ask what these items do?"

The old man had originally planned to buy out the entire store, but 50 Trade points was a bit much. He could afford it, but not for a bunch of miscellaneous junk.

"Every item in this store is a special object with a unique function. You can discover its function after purchasing it."

A dark red Starfish Ornament took shape in Lin Ye's hand. The old man glanced at it, feeling somewhat skeptical.

"In that case, I'll take this one."

The old man picked out a Starfish Ornament and placed a silver coin on the counter.

"Welcome back anytime."

Lola emerged from the back room of the general store, holding a stack of flyers.

"I'll be back."

The old man left the general store with his Starfish Ornament, planning to study the item back home to figure out what Lin Ye was really about.

No sooner had the old man left than a fat man wrapped in tattered cloth came charging out of the alley. A cracked white mask covered his face.

"Hey, brother, can you tell me what these items do? I'm sincerely looking to buy."

The Fat Man had no idea who Lin Ye was, but he knew this general store was no ordinary establishment. Rumors said it had some kind of connection to the outside world.

Besides, that Boss Jin from the city wasn't an ordinary character either. Whatever he wanted to buy had to be special—might not be available later.

"These Starfish Ornaments are sold exclusively by me. Every piece has a unique function, and customers can only discover the function after purchasing."

Lin Ye glanced at the Fat Man. This one would make a decent test subject.

"Can I take a quick look inside first?"

The Fat Man squinted, already decided on buying something. Just by looking at Lin Ye's attire, he could tell Lin Ye was far from ordinary.