Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 81 Receive the goods!

Once the camp was set up, Chen Xuan found a moment when no one was paying attention and teleported himself back to the shop.

Unexpectedly, a beautiful figure appeared in the store.

Liu Shuyue was sitting on the sofa chatting with Lin Qing. The two women had completely different styles of dress. One was dressed in a plain white dress with silky black hair, while the other was dressed casually with colorful hair on her head. But both of them were quite beautiful, and together they were even more pleasing to the eye.

"You're back," Liu Shuyue greeted him. "Would you like some tea or...?"

"Coffee," Lin Qing suggested.

Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of reversal of the natural order. "Anything is fine. What happened over there?"

"No, everything is normal." Liu Shuyue suddenly frowned and said in a reproachful tone, "Can't you come over if there's nothing wrong?"

"Exactly!" Lin Qing even chimed in from the side.

"I didn't say no, I was just asking casually." Chen Xuan glared at Lin Qing.

The latter looked away and started humming a little tune.

"Get away...Another way..."

“I guess I’m a shop assistant now,” Liu Shuyue said generously. “In that case, I should spend more time here to live up to my job as a shop assistant.”

"Aren't Jiufeng City and Mala Village related?"

"Yes, the people in the city are currently being looked after by the Liu family, and agriculture and commerce are gradually recovering. There are many capable people in the Liu family, and they are doing quite well even without the government office. I only need to give them some general guidance. It's the same with Mala Village. If they encounter any particularly troublesome demons, they will notify me."

Hearing Liu Shuyue say this, Chen Xuan naturally had no objections.

She paused and then asked, "What do shop assistants usually do? I just asked Miss Lin how to use those ritual implements to boil water and brew tea, and it seemed quite interesting."

“On the surface, it’s just about tidying up the shelves and warehouse, cleaning, and settling accounts with customers,” Chen Xuan thought for a moment. “But compared to all that, the first thing you need to learn is to blend in with the world and disguise yourself as an ordinary worker. Because the shop’s enemies are not only powerful but also cunning. Once they discover our true identities, the consequences will be dire.”

Liu Shuyue nodded very seriously, "Yes, I will learn from Miss Lin."

“It’s okay, I’ve thought it all out for you. You’re a college student from a poor family. You have a father who’s in debt and a divorced mother, so you’re working part-time to support yourself.” Lin Qing seemed quite experienced in fabricating identities. “By the way, Mr. Manager, why don’t you order a few sets of work uniforms for us, like the ones at Robson’s across the street? That way, customers will know at a glance that we work here.”

Chen Xuan couldn't help but picture the two of them in uniforms.

“Okay, no problem,” he said immediately.

Mornings are the quietest time for shops, as most residents have gone to work, and the elderly tend to focus on the farmers' market; the shops are practically empty. Chen Xuan then went to Mala Village again, retrieved some ingredients from the herb storeroom, and began refining elixirs.

While refining elixirs, he also casually sent a business letter to Walter Arms.

Less than half an hour later, Walter himself called.

"Hello Mr. Chen, I saw in the email that you need to purchase a four-seat helicopter in your personal name?"

"Yes, it would be best if it were registered under your company's name."

Chen Xuan had done his research and found that buying a helicopter in China was a very complicated process; simply having the money wasn't enough. Unlike buying a car, where you can buy it and then get a pilot's license, you need a pilot's license first before you can submit a purchase application to the Jiangcheng Civil Aviation Administration. The entire process would take at least six months.

“No problem,” Walter readily agreed. “However, you requested that it be completed within two to three days. If it’s a brand new model, it might take one or two weeks from ordering to delivery. I wonder if Mr. Chen would mind if it were a second-hand item?”

"It doesn't matter, as long as it can fly."

"Then I can just pick a suitable one from the hangar and send it to you."

“It would be great if we could get it immediately, but I think we should settle the accounts first. This will help maintain a healthy business relationship,” Chen Xuan refused.

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's gift is bound to be grateful," and if you get something for free this time, it will be harder to refuse him when he makes a request next time.

He doesn't intend to use his abilities as a reward.

Helicopters are not a big deal for a businessman of Walter's caliber. If he pays for a snack with his ability, then his ability will be underestimated.

After all, scarcity drives up prices. The first transaction was to establish a connection, so he was willing to pay a little more.

"I understand, if that's what you're asking for." The other end didn't press further. "Where is the goods to be delivered? Is a pilot required?"

"The delivery point remains the same, but we don't need pilots anymore."

"Okay, I will send the required payment to your email. I wish you and the Weixian Agency all the best." He added with a compliment at the end.

This is Chen Xuan's travel plan.

We'll just fly there by plane!

The location wasn't chosen randomly; there was a nice flat area, perfect for helicopter takeoff. Just a hundred meters away was a cluster of abandoned huts, likely left behind by the British during their capture of Paris, which could be used as a gateway to shops.

Of course, even with an airplane, it's still an extremely long journey. He estimated the distance between the two places to be over 9000 kilometers, which would take a normal commercial flight of ten hours or more. A helicopter's cruising speed is far slower than that of a commercial airliner, so the travel time would be three to four times longer.

However, it's still much, much faster than a horse-drawn carriage.

To this end, he also specifically researched helicopter types. Some small single- or two-seat helicopters were cheaper than he had imagined, costing around 300,000 to 400,000 yuan. However, these helicopters were quite poor in both speed and range, with a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour in level flight and the need to refuel after just over 300 kilometers, much like a car.

The four-seater option falls in the middle, with a speed of over 200 kilometers per hour and a range of over 600 kilometers. The price would rise to the two million range, making it a type that is still affordable.

Moreover, having four seats has another advantage: it allows you to bring two more members of the envoy group, so that they can see with their own eyes that they have indeed arrived in the East after overcoming numerous obstacles, rather than being a deception by some divine messenger.

Just one day later, Walter replied, stating that the goods had been delivered. The total bill was 144 million yuan, and several cases of fuel were also included as a gift.

Even if it's secondhand, this price is really cheap.

It seems he's still trying to find ways to offer benefits.

Chen Xuan immediately called Lin Qing to teleport to the branch. Looking out the window, he saw that there was indeed a helicopter in the park parking lot. It had probably landed there directly, attracting some tourists.

To prevent parts of the plane from being sold for free, Walter even arranged for several bodyguards to guard the area.

"Can you fly this plane?" Chen Xuan asked.

“Tir 207, there’s operational data, it’s simple,” Lin Qing replied after examining it.

"Alright, I'll arrange for someone to receive the goods right away."

……

Walter stood on the hotel rooftop, just like last time, gazing at the dilapidated building. He didn't do anything else but want to see what new tricks the mechanism would come up with this time.

The familiar "movers" reappeared, still dressed in simple clothes, filing out of the front door. Even an hour earlier, the house had been completely empty.

This time, however, they didn't head straight for the plane; instead, they wandered around the house. Two of them even used sticks and ropes to gesture, seemingly measuring dimensions.

Soon, these people brought in pieces of cut wood from inside the house and began to renovate it. They demolished most of the garage wall and expanded its area on top of it, replacing the roller shutter door with a pair of double wooden doors that were six or seven meters wide.

"What skillful craftsmanship!" George exclaimed from the side. "These carpenters must be from families with a long tradition of craftsmanship. They can build a house so easily without any power tools."

Walter acknowledged this view, but something still felt off—the strength of a machine should lie in high-tech research and development, while these people were the opposite, adhering to the oldest methods, even sawing a piece of wood with a hand saw instead of a chainsaw. While such craftsmen are certainly becoming increasingly rare in modern times, what use are they to a machine?
In about an hour, they completed the garage conversion. The new storage room was even larger than the living quarters, looking like an extra bulge that seemed quite out of place. However, the room could now fit an entire helicopter.

Ten burly men put down their tools and rushed to the plane. The bodyguards were so frightened by this that they took two steps back, unsure whether to stop them.

"They're here to collect the goods, don't interfere," George immediately relayed his boss's message.

Then they all witnessed a scene that showcased the beauty of human strength—the ten men squatted down next to the helicopter, each grabbing a point of leverage, and with a low roar, they actually lifted the helicopter and carried it on their shoulders!

Walter was immediately filled with awe!
What craftsmen? These guys are all strongmen disguised as carpenters. Once they pick up a gun, they become the most reliable soldiers of the Security Agency!
After being loaded into the warehouse, the door to the room slowly closed, and everything seemed to return to calm.

A short while later, the bodyguard sent back the results of his observation: neither the warehouse nor the house was empty.

Walter set off on his journey home, completely satisfied.

(End of this chapter)