Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 59 New Products and Markets
A guiding light illuminating the destination...

After reading the item information, Guan Tong felt that this thing could be used to find people or search for treasure, but he definitely couldn't use it now.

What bothered him even more was that this item could actually be traded.

"This is the first time that tradable items have appeared. I guess it's not just me; quite a few survivors have probably found tradable items in their survival chests."

This means that, in addition to spending money in the Ascension Shop at the terminal, Ascension Coins finally have other uses.

Ascended beings can finally circulate their Ascended Coins among themselves.

Guan Tong felt that this should be considered a good thing for her.

Although his "Book Without Words" can only create bound currency and cannot be used to trade with other Ascendants, he can use the bound currency he creates to spend in the Ascendant Shop and trade the unbound currency rewarded by the rules.

However, the emergence of tradable items will also lead to an unavoidable phenomenon.

That is, the powerful will quickly become powerful by concentrating resources.

Although some people on the internet currently talk about "human evolution," "the age of superhumans," and "great power coming to oneself," the current superhumans do not possess much "great power," let alone any "superhumans."

Guan Tong believes that, while his development may not be exceptionally good, he is at least among the top in the global metamorphosis community.

However, if someone like him is relentlessly targeted by professional forces, he could find himself in an extremely dangerous situation.

The same goes for other ascendants; even with all sorts of wondrous mental artifacts, they are still basically mortal beings, and a single bullet can kill them.

In such a situation, if tradable items appear, those groups or organizations that currently hold power may use force to coerce others into selling items at low prices or to force the sale of junk items at high prices.

Guan Tong recalled the nationwide serial kidnapping case in which she was involved. Perhaps one of the purposes of the people or organizations behind the scenes who planned the kidnappings in advance was to exploit the kidnapped "enlightened beings" after they became available for trade.

“If things continue like this, those unorganized, unaffiliated, and unsupported individuals, including myself, may become ‘prey’ in the eyes of these various powerful organizations if they are not strong enough.”

"From this perspective, most individuals or small groups who are currently taking action will likely choose to join a powerful organization in the near future."

Guan Tong thought of the "Mind Power Development Academy" that the authorities had been promoting so heavily, and he was sure that it would see a huge influx of students after the start of the semester.

Because the academy has official backing, enrollment is equivalent to official protection, so ordinary powerful groups or organizations in the private sector will always have some reservations and dare not easily target academy students.

A sense of crisis spread through Guan Tong's mind, and she wondered what she should do next.

Should we continue with our solo development approach, or join an organization or group to gain access to mutual support and protection?
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head slightly and decided to put it aside for the time being.

The most important thing right now is to strengthen yourself on a comprehensive level.

Once you develop the idea of ​​depending on others and seeking protection, you sow the seeds of future problems. Because others won't protect you for free; no matter what organization you join, you'll have to pay a price while enjoying the benefits.

Like some Ascendants who choose to join the official countermeasures research lab, they receive comprehensive protection from the authorities, but are also obligated to spend Ascendant Coins to purchase designated items and provide experimental test data as required by the research lab.

"...I think I'll take a look at the newly listed products first."

Guan Tong stopped thinking about it and opened the Shenghua Shop to see what new items had been added this time.

This matter has a high priority because after this rule is implemented, people will realize that improving the products newly listed in the store after each rule is implemented may help in passing the next rule.

Just like the Basic Food Box that was available in the store before the release of the Fasting Therapy rule; and the Thermostatic Technology Underwear and Multi-Terrain Marching Boots that were available in the store before the release of the June Snow rule.

Combined with the hidden feature of "limited quantity of goods", people will definitely not wait until later to check, but will choose to view and buy as soon as the store is updated.

After opening the product page, Guan Tong discovered that two new items had been added to the shelves.

[Multifunctional Protective Suit - Basic Set]: Offers some protection against attacks such as cutting, slicing, chopping, scraping, rubbing, and scratching; customizable appearance.

[Price: 120 Ascension Coins] ...

【Quick-burning stick*10】: Immediately generates a handheld burning stick upon use, which burns for 15 minutes.

Price: 80 Ascension Coins

……

After looking at the two newly added items, Guan Tong frowned and said, "Stab-proof vest, incendiary stick... Could the fifth rule be a free-for-all type of battle royale?"

Otherwise, he wouldn't understand why the store would stock these two items.

However, we cannot jump to conclusions. Given that the fire-stealers often act unpredictably and like to create hidden mechanisms, no one can make an accurate judgment before the rules are officially announced.

"I have 150 coins right now, which can only buy one item. Minting coins... I'll pass on that for now. At this stage, I should focus on improving my combat and self-defense capabilities with my precious mental energy."

After considering for a moment, Guan Tong spent 120 Ascension Coins to purchase the [Multifunctional Protective Suit - Basic Model].

In his view, this is more useful than a fire stick, and wearing it at least makes him feel safer.

Since this is a set consisting of a top and bottom, Guan Tong designed its appearance as a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

In this way, his underwear, shoes, and clothes all became retail products. Although they were all basic styles, they all felt pretty good.

Then he realized that now that tradable items had appeared, the "Market" option in the "Trading" function of the terminal must no longer be a blank screen like before.

When he opened it, sure enough, it showed that the number of products already listed was "9999+".

"There are quite a few prop sellers..."

Guan Tong himself was reluctant to sell it. Even if he didn't need the [Guiding Flashlight] for the time being, he would still prefer to keep it, just in case it came in handy later.

However, after browsing a few pages, he discovered that many of these prop sellers weren't genuinely selling them; they were just listing them for fun.

For example, a one-time use item called "Blinking Pointer" allows you to instantly move to any location within 10 meters in the direction of the pointer.

Although it's a one-time use item, its effect is undoubtedly powerful. Because it's a life-saving item, using it to teleport away in a critical moment might save your life, making it extremely valuable.

However, the seller set the purchase price at "999 Ascension Coins," which clearly shows that they didn't intend to sell it at all and were just putting it up for people to see.

Even if the first four rules are met, and all the rewarded Ascension Coins are saved without spending a single penny, it still won't amount to 999 Ascension Coins.

The only individuals capable of holding so much currency are likely those powerful figures who have begun plundering since now. Some of them may already be using force to coerce others and frantically resell items to earn more currency.

For example, he might point a gun at another Ascended's head, forcing them to sell him tradable items for 1 coin. Then he would put those items on the market and sell them for a low price of tens of coins.

In this way, one can obtain dozens of Ascension Coins with a single transaction. If this is repeated dozens of times, this powerful figure could actually hold 999 coins by himself.

In this way, such individuals can rapidly enhance their overall strength by possessing a large number of items. Even if their mental power ceiling is not high, they can still bridge the gap in strength with those who have achieved high mental power.

　Thank you all for your recommendations, donations, monthly tickets, and continued reading support.

　　I've actually read all the comments, but there are some I don't know how to respond to... There are some loopholes and problems in the text, and I will try my best to correct them. I will also selectively incorporate some of the good suggestions from the experts based on the outline.

　　Because I don't have much writing experience, I hope the experts can be understanding and forgiving of the rough edges and errors in this article.

　　Thanks again!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)