Chapter Fifty-Six: The Spatial Ring

There was a wide variety of goods for sale, ranging from items found in airdrop crates to those from before the apocalypse. Fang Xia even spotted someone selling ladies’ underwear.

Now that was a character—did this person loot an entire lingerie shop? What was even more surprising was how many people went in to look. In the short time Fang Xia watched, several transactions took place. He could understand women buying a pair or two, but what about those burly men? What did they need them for? Just a few centimeters of fabric—whether you wore them or not, did it make any difference?

He wandered further in but found nothing of interest amid the overwhelming variety of miscellaneous items. Shaking his head, he was about to leave when a female attendant suddenly approached him.

The trading hall had its own staff from Dawn City, and those selling here had to pay a fee—otherwise, why would Dawn City bother ensuring their safety?

“Sir, we also have a second floor in the trading hall. Would you like to have a look?” the attendant offered.

She had been keeping an eye on Fang Xia from the moment he entered. His tidy attire and the black ring on his finger—a clear sign of spatial equipment—marked him as someone important. Spotting him shake his head, she hurried over.

The market in Dawn City was divided by rank. Vendors on the ground floor paid only a small fee, and the city didn’t care much about what they sold. The second floor, however, was different: half the shops were city-owned, and the other half rented out at high prices. Selling goods upstairs required not only money but also product verification—not just anything could make it to the second floor.

Intrigued, Fang Xia followed the attendant upstairs.

At the foot of the stairs stood two rows of guards, each armed with combat blades. As Fang Xia and the attendant approached, the lead guard reached out a hand.

“Sir, as the goods on the second floor are quite valuable, a deposit is required, or you may present proof of property ownership in Dawn City,” the attendant whispered to him.

“How much is the deposit?” Fang Xia asked offhandedly.

“Ten first-tier upgrade crystals.”

It wasn’t expensive, so Fang Xia simply produced his territory certificate.

“Honored Commander, please proceed upstairs,” the guard said respectfully after verifying the certificate and returning it to him, his demeanor growing more deferential.

Clearly, Dawn City had some capable people. Just look at the thoroughness of their service.

The attendant’s smile blossomed even wider; she hadn’t expected her guest to be a commander with his own territory. She might make a tidy profit today—who knew, maybe she’d even catch his eye…

Fang Xia curled his lip. Sure, in the apocalypse, with no phones or computers, there wasn’t much entertainment besides affairs between men and women. Still, this one didn’t appeal to him.

Upstairs, the second floor was much quieter and tidier than below, with each shop partitioned off.

“Commander, please, this way. Here’s a complete inventory of the goods on this floor. You may browse at your leisure.” The service on the second floor was impeccable—private seating, a catalog to peruse, nothing like the chaotic hustle below.

Fang Xia lit a cigarette as he flipped through the catalog; several people looked over enviously.

Salt, food, and other pre-apocalypse staples were now quite cheap. Only two things had actually risen in price: cigarettes and alcohol.

Fang Xia himself was a smoker, and he’d stocked fifty cases in his spatial storage. He had also instructed Liu Rui to grab any cigarettes or alcohol she found.

So for now, Fang Xia had no worries about his supply.

He turned to the weapons section: there were ten combat blades and seventeen daggers available.

“How much for the blades and daggers?” he asked just as the attendant brought him a cup of hot tea.

“A combat blade is around one hundred upgrade crystals, while a dagger is half that—just fifty.”

A longer blade was always better; fighting zombies with a knife meant risking being grazed.

“I’ll take them all. Go ahead and collect the goods for me—I’ll pay for everything at once.”

Her heart leapt at his words. She earned a 0.4% commission on every customer she brought upstairs—this sale alone would net her seven first-tier upgrade crystals. Many people risked their lives hunting zombies for days and couldn’t earn that much, all while facing grave danger.

Excited, the attendant hurried off to gather the weapons while Fang Xia sipped his tea and continued browsing.

It was a pity there were no suits of armor. He would have bought a couple for his group’s key members—if Bai Xing hadn’t had one last time, she’d have been finished for sure.

The final page listed a hodgepodge of miscellaneous items, including a few diesel generators. Those would only be useful in the early days; before long, they’d just be scrap metal. Baicheng had no oil fields—no way to extract petroleum. In his previous life, after the apocalypse struck, the price of the remaining oil skyrocketed, but it was all used up within three months.

Fang Xia had no intention of buying such things—utterly pointless.

Spatial rings? They were selling those?

He was taken aback to find spatial rings in the catalog. Supplies outside were everywhere, and everyone wished they had more hands to carry more at once. With spatial equipment, those worries vanished—the most basic ring could hold five hundred kilograms, enough for one person. Yet here, the catalog clearly listed two spatial rings for sale—what guts these sellers had.

But the price was steep: ten second-tier upgrade crystals each.

The diligent attendant was still collecting weapons for him, but noticing Fang Xia’s raised hand, she hurried back over.

“Commander, how may I assist you?” she asked, subtly tugging her short skirt higher to reveal her snowy-white thighs.

“Who’s selling the spatial rings?” Fang Xia ignored the obvious display—there were several at home who hadn’t eaten yet, and any one of them was better than this.

Hearing him ask about the rings, the attendant’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Commander, those are being sold by Dawn City itself.”

To be offering spatial rings in exchange for second-tier upgrade crystals—were they aiming for the fourth tier? The pace was astonishing. But then, considering the tens of thousands under their command, Fang Xia understood.

“All right, sort out my weapons first. I’ll keep looking around.”

The attendant took no offense. Those two rings had been there for days—everyone who came upstairs asked about them, but no one had bought one yet. Those who wanted them couldn’t afford them; those who could, lacked the crystals—a perfect deadlock.

Fang Xia already had plenty of spatial equipment; two more rings wouldn’t solve any pressing problem. There was no point in wasting twenty second-tier upgrade crystals.

He continued reading to the very bottom. Just as he was about to close the catalog, something suddenly caught his eye.