At the moment, Kael had only managed to pull two Mend-and-Join Pills from the gacha. Including the three vials already on the shelves, there were now a total of twenty-three small porcelain vials on display.

  As Kael placed each vial, a corresponding price tag manifested on the shelf. The three newly-drawn common-grade pills were priced at ten Spirit Crystals each, while the superior-grade Mend-and-Join Pill was marked at a staggering eighty Spirit Crystals.

  After some thought, Kael took three bottles of Mizone and placed them behind the counter, ready to push them to customers at a moment's notice. With more merchandise on the floor, the little shop finally began to look like a proper place of business.

  However, in the hours that followed, while a few people wandered in, they all caught one glimpse of the prices, cursed the "blackhearted shop," and scrambled out the door as if staying a second longer would cost them a fortune. The Ying siblings remained his only paying customers.

  "System, this pricing is really killing my business," Kael grumbled, leaning against the counter and haggling with the System in his mind.

  [System: High value for a fair price. Guaranteed quality for all. Host, say no more.]

  Kael’s teeth actually ached from irritation. He knew his pills were worth every crystal, but the customers didn't know that.

  "Forget it, forget it." Kael mumbled around a mouthful of a steamed bun. He checked the time and shuttered the shop. As an elite shopkeeper, he believed in maintaining regular business hours.

  The next morning, Kael ran a hand through his messy hair and opened the shop doors. He headed to the neighboring breakfast stall and bought two more buns to stave off his hunger. He had no choice; every cent he owned had gone into restocking. He was currently a penniless pauper once more.

  "Boss! So this is where you were."

  As Kael was heading back while stuffing a bun into his mouth, he was greeted by a young man and woman standing at his doorstep. It was the Ying siblings.

  "You're here early," Kael noted, chewing his bun as he pushed open the door.

  "Boss, did you engrave a magic circle on this door? Why couldn't we push it open earlier?" Ying Feng asked immediately. He and Ying Xue had arrived a bit earlier and tried to enter, but no matter how much force they applied, the door wouldn't budge. They thought it was locked, but now they saw it wasn't locked at all.

  "Probably," Kael replied vaguely. In reality, it was the shop's defense system. When he wasn't present, no one—no matter how powerful—could force their way in.

  "I knew it! Sister, I told you I was right!" Ying Feng boasted to Ying Xue before turning back to Kael. "Boss, I knew your pills were the real deal. High value for a fair price indeed!"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "Naturally," Kael responded coolly, though he privately remembered that this same kid had wanted to wreck his shop just yesterday.

  "So, we're here to buy more today. Boss, we'll take every pill you have in stock," Ying Feng declared. In his mind, such precious pills must have an extremely low production rate. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been only five vials on all those shelves.

  "Are you sure?" Kael looked at Ying Xue intently. He knew that the sister was the one truly in charge between the two.

  "Boss, why are you looking at her? I can afford thirty Spirit Crystals," Ying Feng said, feeling slighted. Ying Xue also gave a slight nod of agreement.

  "Alright then. Come in." Kael shrugged.

  The siblings stepped inside and headed straight for the shelves.

  "Whoa! Boss, where did all these pills come from?!" Ying Feng hadn't noticed the change from outside. Thinking back to his grand claim of "buying everything," his face flushed a deep red. Even as a scion of a major family, he didn't carry that many Spirit Crystals on him. A quick scan told him the total stock was worth several hundred crystals at least.

  "These pills... there seem to be several new types. What do they do?" Ying Xue asked.

  Kael sat behind the counter and gave her a brief rundown of the effects. As she listened, Ying Xue’s eyes sparkled with increasing intensity. These were all strategic treasures! Especially the Mend-and-Join Pill, which could actually reattach severed limbs.

  In this world, regrowing or reattaching a limb was almost impossible unless one could find a high-level Priest who had mastered specific Skill Cores. However, obtaining Skill Cores was notoriously difficult, and a "Limb Restoration" skill was the rarest of the rare. Having tested the pills before, Ying Xue didn't doubt their efficacy for a second.

  However, the price was indeed steep.

  "Boss, about this Mend-and-Join Pill..."

  "Eighty Spirit Crystals. No haggling," Kael said deadpan. The moment her tone shifted, he knew she was going to try and negotiate. He was running a small business on thin margins; if he gave a discount, he wouldn't even be able to afford his breakfast buns.

  "Boss, come on, we’re regulars now," Ying Xue said, biting her lip and trying a softer approach. Keeping a Mend-and-Join Pill as a backup was essential. Even if she didn't need it, it would be a perfect gift for her eldest brother, who was constantly away on military campaigns.

  "I seem to recall someone saying they wanted to buy the whole shop just now?" Kael mused, seemingly to himself.

  Ying Xue felt like she was about to grind her silver teeth to dust. She really wanted to hurl an Explosive Fireball into this guy's face. But these pills were unique to this shop; if she killed the owner, the supply would vanish.

  "Ying Feng, take out that core."

  "Sister, that’s the one we worked so hard for! And it’s an item for the Freshman Trial," Ying Feng said, reluctant to let it go.

  "It’s fine. You have to give some to get some. We can always hunt more monsters," Ying Xue said, shooting Kael a resentful glare.

  "Fine... alright then."

  "Boss, this is a Brave-rank Monster Core we harvested. Give us a price," Ying Xue said, grabbing the Darkcloud Spotted Tiger core and presenting it to Kael.

  System, do we take these? Kael asked internally. He didn't want to end up in debt to the System by accepting random items.

  [System: Analyzing...] [System: Analysis complete. This item qualifies as a Higher-tier System Currency. It can be accepted. However, due to the Host's low level, there is a loss during currency conversion.] [System: Recommended trade-in price: 100 Spirit Crystals.]

  Higher-tier System Currency!

  Kael was stunned. The System had accidentally revealed a massive piece of information. It seemed that in the future, Spirit Crystals alone wouldn't be enough to buy the most advanced merchandise.

  "Boss!"

  "Ah... right. For this item, I can give you one hundred Spirit Crystals," Kael said slowly, regaining his composure.

  "One hundred?! Boss, the market price for a Brave-rank core is at least a hundred and twenty! You’re offering only a hundred? And you still claim this isn't a blackhearted shop?!" Ying Feng immediately yelled in protest.