NOVEL NEXT Chapter 775: Survivor's Exchange Wing
"Yeah, zombies don't walk like that… That's a Survivor! Must be a disguise!"
"…What a terrible sense of taste."
"What the heck was he thinking, showing up like that in the middle of the bazaar?"
"Hahah… Funny, though! Had me fooled for a moment!"
The tension melted away almost as quickly as it appeared. Survivors chuckled awkwardly, others shook their heads, and more than a few cursed under their breath for being startled.
Shane ignored them all.
He wasn't here to entertain or argue. The disguise had done its job—masked his real identity, amused him a little, and kept anyone from prying too deeply into his presence.
Step by step, he followed the map toward the smithing district. Soon, he spotted the stall Max had marked.
The Juggernaut himself stood there, waiting with his arms crossed, looking conflicted.
"Ahh…"
His eyes lit up with relief as he recognized Shane through the disguise.
"Boss," Max said in a low voice, "you made it."
Shane glanced at him, then turned toward the stall.
On display was the Juggernaut Armor Set. It was a massive suit of heavy plating, dark steel bracers, and a tower shield as tall as a man. At first glance, Shane could already tell it was made with durability and strength in mind.
The vendor had even polished it to gleam and attract more customers.
But Shane wasn't fooled. He activated his Faerie Insight, running a quick appraisal through the set. Cracks, flaws, inconsistencies in the enchantment…
This so-called "Tier 5 Juggernaut Set" was stitched together from multiple sources. A hybrid piece—not truly cohesive. Still, it was considered a Tier 5…
Its durability was decent. Its enchantments were also passable. But nowhere near worth 210,000 Points. At most, 80,000 to 100,000 if someone was desperate.
Shane narrowed his eyes and spoke flatly.
"…This isn't worth it."
Max stiffened. "…Not worth it?"
Shane turned his head slightly, looking at him with quiet certainty.
"Just buy yourself a good weapon. Leave the armor to me. I'll take care of it."
Max blinked, stunned. "…Boss, you mean…?"
Shane nodded.
"I'll have one made for you. Perfectly fitted to your Juggernaut Talent. It might even be stronger, sturdier, better than this garbage set…"
Shane didn't explain a lot, but the mute slave builders he bought can craft anything as long as we give them proper blueprints. Once they're in his territory, they could make sure an armor that's worth calling Juggernaut gear.
For a moment, Max was speechless. Then, he showed a smile, and he even wanted to hug Shane…
"…Understood. I'll hold you to that, Boss."
Shane waved dismissively. "Good. Now pick a weapon you like. No sense in wasting points on junk armor."
Max nodded firmly and turned back toward the rows of weapons displayed in other stalls.
***
In the meantime, Raze, the Vice Clan Leader, left the Apex Auction Chamber after getting her items. After that, she entered the Survivor's Exchange Wing.
This place was different from the boisterous Market Bazaar.
Instead of the constant shouting of vendors, the Exchange was almost silent.
The huge hall only had a few Survivors huddling over terminals.
Some wore hoods to hide their identities, while others didn't bother at all.
The hall itself was vast, divided into hundreds of small trading stations. Each station was no bigger than a booth with a terminal at its center. There were 1,000 glowing stations linked to the same networked system, the Survivor's Exchange Catalog.
Anyone could approach a terminal, register an item, and instantly connect their trade request to the vast catalog that every other station could access. You could even set up the time limit of the exchange, with 1 hour being the fastest.
Raze stepped toward an open booth…
The interface appeared as soon as she did so. There, she saw the categories for the exchange.
[ Survivor's Exchange – Current Listings ]
[ Weapons ]
[ Armor ]
[ Potions & Consumables ]
[ Zombie Cores ]
[ Crafting Materials ]
[ Skill Scrolls ]
[ Miscellaneous ]
"Hmm…" She muttered, tapping the Weapons category first.
The catalog shifted:
Nicefang Dagger [Epic] — Seller requests: 10,000 System Points and 2,500 Zombie Cores. ( 3 offers )
Armbreaker Axe [Epic] — Seller requests: Any rare wood for crafting material. ( 352 offers )
Twin Fang Pistols [Exceptional] — Seller requests: 8,000 Points and Skill Scroll for any movement ( 2 offers )
Raze's brows furrowed. The prices were steep, but not unreasonable.
Furthermore, she could actually see the number of offers made by others. It was quite interesting. Then, on the further right, she could also see the time left before its listing ended.
Most of the sellers listed the items for 12 hours to give enough time for the Survivors to browse some items.
Still, she could understand why the trading here is thriving…
After all, there's about a 40% Tax in the Survivor Marketplace in the continent!
However, there was no tax here!
Raze browsed through it for a while and changed the category.
Switching tabs, she examined Potions & Consumables.
Greater Elixir of Endurance (x3) — Seller requests: 200mL Zombie Lord Blood or 2L of any Zombie King's Blood ( 2 offers )
Super Berserker Potion — Seller requests: A Hazma Suit ( 3 offers )
Venom Resistance Serum (x2) — Seller requests: Paintings, sculptures, or luxury art pieces with effects that calm the mind. ( 0 offers )
She raised an eyebrow. "Bartering potions for art…? Some survivors really are eccentric."
There were a lot more, but since she wasn't looking for any particular item just yet, she just continued browsing.
She then turned to Miscellaneous, and Raze found the strangest offers.
Hand-carved Wooden Statue of a Lion — Seller requests: 1 Flamethrower ( 0 offers )
Damaged Motorcycle Frame — Seller requests: Spices ( 0 offers )
Ancient Oil Painting ( Landscape ) — Seller requests: 450 Zombie Cores ( 0 offers )
Raze shook her head and changed the category to see Skill Scrolls.
Skill Scroll: Faststep — Seller requests: 70,000 Points OR 5 Epic-Grade Daggers
Skill Scroll: Palm Strike — Seller requests: Tier 5 Armor Set
Skill Scroll: Body Odor Control — Seller requests: 60,000 Points OR Tier-5 Alchemy Robe Set.