Zhang Xiaoman "gulped" down a mouthful of saliva, just now, a terrifying thought suddenly popped up in his mind:
What if these baozi had to be eaten all at once to trigger the healing effect, what then?
Shaking his head, Zhang Xiaoman temporarily put aside those thoughts, as the issue was simply too "heavy."
He opened the mall interface to take a look, where two new items had been added.
One was the [Sunshine Aged Leather Armor Cloak], priced at 70 points.
The other was [Baozi], priced at only 5 points.
Zhang Xiaoman reviewed the items in the mall, which were already quite substantial, and gradually summarized some patterns of the system.
As of now, the items produced by the system had been categorized into four types: Items, Equipment, Skills, and Consumables.
Among them, consumables seemed the easiest to upgrade, needing only two upgrades to go from white to blue.
In contrast, the cloak required four upgrades to reach the same quality.
And the point prices for consumables were generally lower as well.
A green Divine Grace could be bought for merely 20 points, whereas a green cloak was priced at 70.
As for other aspects, since the only item in the ordinary category currently in the mall was a hearthstone, its pattern was not yet certain.
The skill category varied in price, the previously upgraded Sky Shattering needed only 20 points, while the later upgraded Sand Soldier Appearance skill was priced as high as 200 points.
Zhang Xiaoman was quite frustrated by this, as he had planned to purchase another Sand Soldier Appearance skill for his mother’s use, which would not only greatly increase safety but also provide an additional and considerable combat force when necessary.
However, the sky-high price of 200 points made him think twice, and he realized the system’s approach to skills still required further exploration.
Closing the mall interface, overall, Zhang Xiaoman felt this upgrade and draw were quite profitable, as his strength had once again greatly improved.
At noon, Zhang Xiaoman was awakened from his sleep by the ringing of a phone call, checking the caller ID, it was an unfamiliar number.
After answering the call, a familiar voice came through immediately. Zhang Xiaoman felt the voice was familiar; after the other party spoke a few more words, he suddenly remembered it was Wu Feng.
"Mr. Zhang, the item you ordered has arrived. Are you available to pick it up now, or should I deliver it to you directly?"
Zhang Xiaoman, hearing this, was immediately delighted, the long-awaited Nine-color Mixed Brush had finally arrived!
"Thank you, Captain Wu. Here’s what we’ll do, please deliver it to the vicinity of No.1 Middle School. I just so happen to have some business there."
The person on the other end agreed readily, and after they briefly confirmed the address one more time, they ended the call.
Zhang Xiaoman quickly changed clothes, primarily because he needed to buy some ink, as he did not practice calligraphy regularly and hence did not have such items at home.
No.1 Middle School was both a junior high and high school, and also Zhang Xiaoman’s alma mater.
Even though it was summer vacation, students would still come for classes every so often.
Therefore, the nearby stationery stores didn’t miss out on business and were open as usual without delay.
After purchasing ink and rice paper from a stationery store he often visited during his school days, Zhang Xiaoman went outside to find a Rolls-Royce already parked by the roadside.
The car window rolled down, and inside was Wu Feng’s handsome and resolute face, which was now smiling and greeting him.
"Captain Wu, you’ve really outdone yourself, braving such hot weather to make a trip over here," Zhang Xiaoman said as he approached and spoke to the other man.
Wu Feng waved his hand and said, "Mr. Zhang is too polite. By rights, I should have delivered it directly to your door. Instead, you’ve had to come out to meet me."
As he spoke, he took a black paper bag from the passenger seat. Zhang Xiaoman took it and looked inside, finding a beautifully crafted small box.
"Mr. Su had something come up this afternoon, so he couldn’t make it himself, but he asked me to pass on a message to Mr. Zhang—don’t forget about dinner tonight."
Zhang Xiaoman closed the bag, his gaze returning to Wu Feng, and said, "Don’t worry, I haven’t eaten all day just waiting for tonight’s feast."
Wu Feng restarted the car and said, "Then I won’t disturb Mr. Zhang any longer, we can meet again in the evening."
A moment later, as Zhang Xiaoman watched the other man’s taillights disappear into the distance, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly:
"A luxury car is something else, all showy and impressive. I wonder when I’ll be able to get one for myself."
Suddenly, he reconsidered, "Wait a minute, I have a car that can go to the sky in my bedroom, way above all these earthly trappings. Ah, I just don’t know when I’ll be able to drive it openly."
Halting the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Zhang Xiaoman dutifully hailed a rideshare to head back.
In light of the anomaly event last time, he hasn’t used the hearthstone to teleport in highly surveilled areas in recent times.
At home, Zhang Xiaoman couldn’t wait to open the small box Su Fu had sent. Inside was the Nine-color Mixed Brush required to activate the Sect Establishment Order.
"I hope the system doesn’t ask for dragon hair, phoenix feathers, or something like qilin fur... otherwise, I’m afraid I might never activate this thing in my lifetime..."
He joined his hands in prayer, clutching the brush in his hands, mumbling continuous pleas for the System’s blessing.
The brush in Zhang Xiaoman’s hands was an oversized brush, and the colors of the bristles were a mixed jumble.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary brown brush—nothing like the distinct and separate nine colors he had imagined.
This brush was quite large, which made it even more difficult to write with for someone like Zhang Xiaoman, who had almost forgotten how to hold a pen properly.
He dipped the brush in ink and began to practice his characters sloppily on rice paper, to prevent turning writing into scribbling on the Jade Token later on.
Recalling the brush writing methods he had learned in elementary school, Zhang Xiaoman earnestly wrote his name on the rice paper.
However, to his dismay, it took only a moment before his hands were almost completely covered in ink.
"Ah! Why! Why won’t my hands do what I want them to do!"
Irritated by the mess on the coffee table, Zhang Xiaoman felt like crying.
Finally, after another two grueling hours of practice, he could manage to write without making mistakes.
After considering the instructions on the Jade Token, which didn’t specify requirements for the handwriting or skill level, Zhang Xiaoman gritted his teeth and decided to go ahead with the actual task.
Remembering the vast and boundless aura that accompanied the Jade Token’s arrival the day before; Zhang Xiaoman’s heart swelled with anticipation.
Although it puzzled him that an ultimate item would be a "Sect Establishment Order," something from pay-to-win games.
But none of this prevented his activation, and his mood at the moment was fully occupied by excitement and anticipation.
PS: I’ve been rejected for a contract twice now. Is there anyone reading this? Come on and show yourselves, give me a little motivation (•̥́ˍ•̀ू).