Chapter 060: The Fat Sheep Plan
For Chen Ran, who had been drinking clarity potions for several days, he had never felt so nauseous. This thing was a medicine, after all. Although it was non-toxic and had no side effects, drinking too much of it was a form of torture. The moment he smelled it, he couldn’t help but want to vomit. So he decided that he would not touch this disgusting stuff again unless it was necessary.
On this day, Chen Ran was preparing to officially start his business. For this, he specially bought a fine set of clothes to wear out, to avoid being stopped by guards outside.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Those snobbish gatekeepers who looked down on people would only open the doors for the so-called nouveau riche. There was nothing he could do about it. Since there were too many people in this world who didn’t understand the so-called inner substance, he had to stoop to their level.
After all the preparations were done, Chen Ran went to the most luxurious magic equipment shop in Xilan City, to see if there were any good materials he needed.
The moment he entered, a dazzling aura rushed toward him. The two receptionists on either side were dressed in neat, uniform tube-top miniskirts, revealing half of their round chests and long, fair legs, which were very pleasing to the eye. When they saw a distinguished guest enter, they would give a sweet smile and bow.
Especially when the six receptionists bowed in unison, the expanse of white on their chests naturally drooped. Following one’s gaze deep into that snow-white crevice, it was a dazzling, swaying sight, which made Chen Ran immediately feel that this shop was of a high class. This kind of display was completely incomparable to other small shops.
Alright, this time I’m here to look at magic materials, not women. Chen Ran shifted his gaze and walked into the bright and spacious hall.
It had to be said that as the largest equipment and materials shop in the city, this was a place opened entirely for nobles or wealthy merchants. It was extravagant and luxurious, with exquisite furnishings. Even the same items sold here were a bit more expensive than in other shops, but there were still many customers. As the saying goes, what rich people buy is not just things, but also a kind of loneliness. Most of the people who could afford to shop here were not short on money. Here, if you were tired, you could even have some free, exquisite snacks. The service was impeccable.
So, it really proved the saying that the value of many things is not in their actual worth, but in the platform on which they are displayed. The same glass of wine sold in a grand hotel can be ten times more expensive than in a small tavern.
Chen Ran quickly browsed through the various counters in this magic equipment shop and did find some good rare materials. Apart from being a bit expensive, everything else met his requirements.
While looking at the items, Chen Ran also specifically observed the fat sheep here to see if there were any big customers.
On this weekend, when the crowd was at its peak, with Chen Ran’s eye, it was not difficult to find a suitable fat sheep. After careful observation, he quickly found a suitable target.
A young man, about the same age as Chen Ran, was looking at the high-level staffs placed on the wall, seemingly thinking this one was good, then that one was not bad either, and was still hesitating.
Chen Ran stepped forward, pretending to be looking at the staffs. After a while, he turned his head and greeted the young man in a very casual manner.
“Brother, are you also looking to buy a staff?”
The young man turned around. He was also about twenty years old, with medium-length black hair like an artistic youth, and he was quite handsome.
“Yeah, the academy’s assessment competition is in a few days. I heard that the first place has a chance to be directly recommended to the Imperial Capital Academy for further study. Countless people are trying to squeeze their way into that recommendation spot. If I’m selected, it will also bring honor to my family. So, my family specially gave me a sum of money to buy a better energy-gathering staff to increase my chances of being selected.”
Chen Ran said with a look of admiration, “I didn’t expect you to be a top student at the local academy, and to have such lofty ambitions. My respects, my respects.”
“Heh, not at all, not at all,” the guy said, shamelessly accepting Chen Ran’s compliments. His next words immediately revealed his true colors. “Actually, it’s mainly because I heard that there are many beautiful senior sisters in the Imperial Capital, and they are all particularly lovely. They really can’t be compared to the junior sisters in Ximan City. And if I can get with a daughter of a high-ranking official, I might just soar to success and have a bright future. If I’m even luckier, and a princess of the imperial city takes a fancy to me and forces me to do it, then… wahahaha…”
A black line appeared on Chen Ran’s forehead.
It seemed he had really overestimated this kid. He was clearly someone who had read too many novels. But this was also good. Rich second-generation kids like this were generally easy to rip off.
Chen Ran asked again, “Then have you chosen a staff, brother?”
“I’m a lightning-element mage, so of course I have to choose a lightning staff. But I feel that although the staffs here are not bad, they seem to be a little worse than the ones my opponents have, which is frustrating.”
Chen Ran glanced at the staffs here and put on a regretful expression.
The staffs hanging on the wall were all good-grade (green) staffs, which looked good but were not very useful. The magic fluctuations on them were clearly not up to par for an equipment master like Chen Ran. He could make a fine-grade (blue) piece of equipment with just a few decent materials from this equipment shop, and it would even be enchanted, which was completely incomparable to the things here.
So, he took the opportunity to say, “Brother, if you’ll allow me to say so, although the staffs here are considered good in this city, they still have many shortcomings and are a bit unworthy of your status.”
“I seem to think so too…” the rich second-generation kid nodded, pretending to understand. “But this is all they have here. By the way, can you help me see which staff here is most suitable for me?”
Chen Ran casually picked up a lightning-element staff and began to point out its pros and cons.
“You see, the basic material of this staff is actually not bad, but the person who made it didn’t strictly follow the standard procedure to perfect this lightning-element staff. Look at this one, the lightning crystal stone on it is not polished smoothly enough, so the facets are not placed in the optimal position. The magic energy penetration is not good, and it loses at least one to two tenths of its damage potential…”
Chen Ran put the staff in his hand back on the wall rack, picked up another new one, and commented again, “As for this one, it’s even more of a waste. Its base is not bad, and it looks okay, but it’s paired with an energy-gathering magic crystal of insufficient quality, which has lowered the overall grade of the staff by one level, and it can’t achieve the best effect…”
Chen Ran casually pointed to a few of them and finally concluded, “I won’t say more. The staffs here are all unenchanted, and they don’t provide a standard form for enchanting. It’s a pity for these good materials.”
“Brother, you’re so right. That’s exactly what I was thinking,” the rich second-generation kid said, shaking his head helplessly. “Although Xilan City is not small, there are no decent enchanters. If you want an enchanted weapon, you have to go to a first- or second-tier city like the Imperial Capital. Only there are there specialized high-level enchanters to upgrade equipment. And the equipment of several of my opponents are high-level weapons from the big cities. Our strengths are about the same, but if I don’t have a good staff, this assessment will definitely be more dangerous than auspicious.”
