Shen Shi hesitated slightly, without denying it.
Although he had only made a few trades, each time he was generous, and coupled with his unique "ancient language," it was not surprising that he was recognized as a newcomer.
Moreover, this black market personal terminal is certainly magical, but it is not unique to him alone, unlike the Time Crystal which requires strict guarding. When he initially knew nothing, he even considered replacing the terminal.
"Everyone who first comes here is hesitant about its power and uniqueness, but its origins are not really a secret here." Gong Chu evidently does not have the habit of withholding information and quickly explained, "It comes from a relic of an unknown civilization, obtained by a human by chance around several hundred years ago, and was used to create this black market, making it the exclusive trump card of our human civilization."
"A relic of an unknown civilization?" Shen Shi was startled.
He knew that the black market accompanying the Time Crystal was absolutely not manufactured by human civilization three thousand years into the future and had made many guesses.
But he never expected such an answer.
"The cosmos is so vast, no one knows how many secrets it hides, even the Pasture Master is equally insignificant under this starry sky," Gong Chu suddenly recited as if chanting, ending with a low addition, "Of course, we humans are even smaller."
Shen Shi turned his head, gazing at this human who seemed like a robotic war god.
At this moment, the glow representing Primordial Energy was not surging on the opponent’s body.
But for some reason, Shen Shi could seemingly feel the opponent’s emotions.
This suddenly made him perceive a certain understanding.
Even after three thousand years, humans in some aspects still remain unchanged.
This understanding seemed to suddenly bring him closer to these future humans.
Previously, Shen Shi, in fact, subconsciously regarded these future humans as somewhat comparable to aliens.
After all, a lengthy three thousand years separated them.
It was a world very unfamiliar to Shen Shi.
And the language they used, their living environment, and even their appearances, all had significant differences.
But now, this subconsciousness changed.
"You’re right," Shen Shi slowly said, "but no matter how small human civilization is, to us, it’s nearly everything."
This was the first time Shen Shi discussed topics other than transactions with future humans.
And Gong Chu evidently froze.
Following this, the light within his body surged again, this time radiating obvious joy.
"Sir is indeed different from the rest of the Yuan Yuan Clan!"
This touched upon Shen Shi’s knowledge blind spot once again.
He could only redirect the topic back to transactions.
"This device is quite expensive, isn’t it?"
"... It is not my item but a guest’s," Gong Chu’s light gradually calmed, yet his attitude grew more respectful, "The guest originally did not want to trade under any circumstances, Gong Chu had to present your ancient books to bring over the projection and description of this device."
"How much does he want?" Shen Shi asked.
Gong Chu seemed to hesitate slightly but still truthfully said: "Forty books."
"Haha," Shen Shi chuckled lightly.
He now was not a naive blank slate about the value of ancient books.
The simplest comparison could see.
A Planet Fortress, designed and produced specifically for planetary defense, only required four hundred books for the script kill, and that could be considered high-priced.
And this device, only suitable for the defense enhancement by the Primordial Sect, dared to ask for forty books!
Even if it was rare enough, strong enough, but its origin was equally troublesome for ordinary people.
That’s definitely extortion!
"I’ll give you forty books," Shen Shi said to Gong Chu, "but you can’t give all forty to him; however much you can negotiate down, the remainder is yours."
Shen Shi did not care about these so-called ancient books; forty books, even thousands of books, meant nothing to him.
But, he couldn’t casually open this door.
He could afford to be generous, but he couldn’t allow extortion, otherwise, once the news spread, subsequent trades would surely bring many troubles.
Gong Chu obviously understood Shen Shi’s meaning, and the half-exposed face showed undisguised joy.
"Leave it to Gong Chu, I surely won’t let you down." If he were a modern person, he might pat his chest to guarantee it.
"Mm," Shen Shi simply replied.
Until then, both principal objectives of this black market visit had been completely fulfilled, and the traded items were much better than his original expectations, finally relaxing Shen Shi’s mood considerably.
He did not rush to leave.
Instead, he continued to choose and pick in this store, spending ten script kills in "big-hand" trades and acquiring many good items, and Gong Chu once again promised to hurry the design and production of the Planet Fortress, completing the trade.
He even personally saw Shen Shi out of the store.
Causing some people on the street to turn their heads.
It should be known that Gong Chu was famous for his aloofness among all shop owners in the black market, and he indeed had the qualification.
The master of the Dongfeng Corps, number one in security service! Strength, wealth, status, everything is top-tier within civilization!
But such a strong person actually had such a warm, kind scene?
Who exactly was this anonymous person?
The news of a mysterious new guest in the black market spread rapidly within this not-so-large special circle.
Shen Shi was unaware of this situation.
But even if he knew, he wouldn’t care, since, as long as the value of antique is here, gaining fame is inevitable sooner or later.
At this moment, his consciousness had returned entirely to his body, and the Time Crystal on the back of his hand, covered by simulated deforming material, gradually dissipated. Even inside his warship, he still maintained the most basic vigilance.
And summarizing this time’s hugely successful trade, he couldn’t help but feel happy.
Ever since he learned about the future of the alien invasion three years later, this matter had become a looming mountain in his heart.
Whether preparing for escape or deciding to try changing human destiny, this stone was firmly pressing in his heart.
But now, having acquired a feasible plan and a visible win rate, this stone finally shifted considerably.
He felt a sense of finally being able to relax.
However, Shen Shi also understood that now was not yet the time for true victory.
Plans, after all, are plans, and Gong Chu’s reminder before he left was still echoing in his ears.
"If that fleet indeed locks onto the planet where sir is, they will definitely first send a scout fleet to disrupt the construction of the Planet Fortress and relay intelligence back to the main fleet, causing unpredictable impacts on the win rate..."