Since he bound himself to this system, he had been living in solitude in the Abyss, far more at ease than he ever was on Earth.
Looking at the delicious and fragrant meal in front of him, Lusnian chuckled softly and asked a question he had never brought up before. “Why did you choose me? You should have better options.”
The mechanical voice in his mind echoed, informing him that he had bound the dimensional trading system and needed to set up shop in various worlds.
Lusnian fell silent for a moment, not asking any questions, and simply agreed.
He had no curiosity about the origins of the system, his own existence, or its purposes; he just sold himself to the system.
“…”
The system did not respond.
Lusnian hadn’t really expected an answer.
He suddenly changed the topic: “Have you always had this mechanical voice? Can’t you change it to something else?”
“Master, if you are not satisfied, you can upgrade the voice package with one universal energy coin,” the system replied quickly this time.
“Hmm…” Lusnian tapped his temple, pondering for a moment before saying, “Then let’s upgrade the voice package; your voice is a bit uncomfortable to listen to.”
With a clatter, an energy coin was deducted.
“Master… Master.” A clear and pleasant boy’s voice echoed in his mind, hesitating briefly.
It sounded young, carrying a child-like softness, and calling him ‘Master’ stirred a peculiar sense of subjugation.
Lusnian’s hand reached for his teacup, but suddenly stopped. With a hint of amusement, he asked, “So, how old are you this year?”
After the voice changed, the system seemed to have become livelier, unlike its previous rigid tone; it now carried some emotion: “Master, counting from the day I was created, I am one thousand and twenty-six years old.”
With such a youthful voice, Lusnian couldn’t help but feel playful, chuckling, “I’d say your mental age is at most eighteen.”
“Do you have a name?”
“Dimensional Goods Store No. 1 Experimental Subject.”
Lusnian picked up a plate and walked toward the kitchen, saying, “That’s quite troublesome. From now on, I’ll call you Rongqing.”
In a valley of blooming peach blossoms, a young phoenix surpasses the voice of the old phoenix.
The boy’s voice fell silent for a long while.
Only after Lusnian washed the bowl did it quietly respond, in a low voice.
“Mm.”
*
Days passed, and Worris finally arrived in Calderra.
As a well-known merchant, his decision to source goods in a remote little city made many people chuckle, with some eagerly waiting to watch the spectacle.
As soon as he stepped through the gates of the main city, the news reached the ears of those with a vested interest.
Before he could even rest at the station, he was intercepted on the road.
His choice to travel to Vista City for goods was a desperate gamble, fueled by hope for that demonic store.
Business had not been good in Calderra for the past two years, and Viscount Hosorn had been subtly suppressing his caravan.
The viscount had territory, a high title, and was a nephew of the emperor, trying to feast on the substantial cake that was the merchant caravan.
Worris’s caravan had lost much business and could not acquire rare products, showing signs of decline over these two years.
But now…
Worris couldn’t help but sneer. With the items given by those demon lords, even a mere viscount was nothing to fear.
He could stand tall even if the king himself were here.
Seeing Viscount Hosorn, fully armed and dressed flamboyantly, as if looking down on others, Worris felt quite relaxed.
“Oh, it’s you, the viscount. May I ask why you are here? Aren’t you supposed to attend to your caravan?”
Viscount Hosorn scanned Worris from head to toe, chuckling disingenuously. “Did you manage to buy anything good this time? If you can’t restock, what will become of your caravan?”
Worris’s expression shifted, as he seemed to have been hit at a sore spot, and immediately retaliated, “You need not worry about that, my lord; I have my own ways.”
The viscount felt he had the upper hand, realizing that Worris probably hadn’t acquired anything worthwhile, and the smile on his face turned sincere.
“Hey, I must say, you’re quite the fool, running all the way to that distant Vista City. Instead of wasting your time there, you could explore the black market in the main city; you might just find a treasure, haha.”
Worris spat in contempt, refusing to argue with the viscount, and silently continued to the station, touching the various bags of goods in the cart.
Viscount Hosorn sneered, envisioning the scene of Worris’s caravan going bankrupt and begging him.
As they departed, Viscount Hosorn completely disregarded Worris, seeing him as nothing more than a merchant reeking of copper smell, easily crushed with a finger.
Upon entering the station, Worris finally revealed a smile and quickly unloaded the goods from the cart.
The items he purchased from the demonic store were sure to sell out effortlessly.
As for Viscount Hosorn?
Ha! Just a mere viscount. His targets were far higher-ranked nobles.
Grabbing a bottle of cola, having experienced its wonders, he had already envisioned how to make full use of it.
*
Recently, a rumor had been spreading like wildfire in Calderra, capturing the attention of many nobles.
It was said that a nameless merchant had suddenly risen to prominence, possessing many unheard of and curious items.
Initially, those nobles, prideful of their status and having seen countless treasures, dismissed it as nonsense.
As the whispers grew louder, among the various products, a few were exceedingly tempting.
For example, that cola that could boost one’s abilities, candy that could restore mental energy, and even more unbelievable—milk tea that could produce magic cores.
That seemed like a far-fetched fairy tale; they merely viewed it as a joke and scoffed lightly.
However, the prices were so cheap, a mere few hundred gold coins; it was hard for them to resist pondering whether to buy a couple to try.