Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 206 Aftermath
"But is this real meat?" Chen Xuan reached out and poked the back of her hand. It felt quite soft and even a little warm.

Previously, Lin Qing's body was also very flexible, but that was due to the texture created by the special outer skin material; the difference could still be discerned upon close inspection. Now, he could no longer distinguish whether it was a high-quality imitation skin or real flesh and blood.

“I… don’t know either.” Lin Qing examined her right hand. “The compatibility is perfect, the system can recognize it, the subcutaneous armor shows no abnormalities, theoretically there shouldn’t be any real human tissue attached, but…”

"but what?"

Lin Qing's fingers flew, making several nimble movements. "No, it's nothing... I don't remember what it felt like before the physical transformation, so I can't tell which limb it's closer to."

"Since that's the case, let's not dwell on it." Chen Xuan scanned Lin Qing again with the barcode scanner to confirm that her abilities hadn't changed, and then said, "As long as it's fixed, that's fine. Are there any other parts that are malfunctioning?"

“Military spinal cord, neural acceleration device and laser generator... but these require a special prosthetic surgery room to repair, I can’t take them off myself.”

"Hmm..." Chen Xuan seemed to be deep in thought.

Lin Qing's hair stood on end. "I'm not going to crawl inside!"

"Alright, we'll fix the other parts later when we have the chance." Chen Xuan also felt that putting a person in there was a bit scary—it was one thing if a hand changed the appearance, but what if the person changed too, and the person who came out was no longer Lin Qing? Then there would be no point in fixing it.

The three approached the counter, where the man at the counter asked with a smile, "How is it? The item should be fixed by now, right?"

"Hmm, the effect is not bad," Chen Xuan said casually. "How much does it cost?"

"Please wait a moment..." The other person was taken aback after looking at the bill printed out by the machine. "What's going on..."

"How much?" He suddenly had a bad feeling.

"21500 euros."

"So expensive!?" Chen Xuan exclaimed in surprise.

“It is indeed very expensive. Normally, the cost of a Class B repair is between 5 and 30 euros, and a Class A repair is around 100 euros. Your cost... is the first time I have ever seen such a price.” The receptionist also seemed quite surprised.

What are your pricing standards?

"There is no fixed standard. If it can't be repaired, it's free. If it can be repaired, the price will be quoted by the vendor. Our counter can only see the specific amount, but we don't know the exact calculation method. What we can be sure of is that the more difficult it is to repair, the more expensive it will be."

Does the "strange item" also handle pricing? Chen Xuan was stunned. "The 'strange item' isn't a person, is it?"

Otherwise, the joke about ATMs having cash counters sitting inside them would become a reality.

"How could that be? You're joking, sir." The other person hesitated for a moment, "How about I ask my supervisor to check the repair process..."

"No need for that," Chen Xuan quickly stopped him. "The price should be whatever it is. I trust your store's reputation."

"Of course. The main purpose of our shop using these rare items is not to make a profit, but to benefit the citizens of New Paris," the other party assured. "We would never cheat customers out of their money by ripping off their fees."

The government's resettlement allowance was only 2000 yuan, and most of it was spent shopping with Liu Shuyue, so it's impossible to cover this repair cost.

Chen Xuan took out all the money he had found in the mall and counted it, finding that he had 9600 euros left.

Although they are both called Euros, the banknotes circulating here are clearly different from those in Jiangcheng World, and he cannot use his bank card from there to pay for his purchases in New Paris.

Chen Xuan finally took out the wallet from the ability shop.

He turned his back and opened the clip; inside lay 500 yuan…

The Euro in this world.

Sure enough, he knew that the wallet's cash dispensing mechanism was adaptive.

At first, Chen Xuan felt that it was a waste of time to have his salary deposited into his wallet, but later he discovered that neither the salary description nor the shop-in-shop mentioned the unit of money; it was all expressed in yuan. He then realized that something was amiss.

It's a wallet that allows you to withdraw money in any world.

This can effectively prevent the legendary store manager from being stumped by a single penny.

He withdrew 500 at a time, then 1000 in two separate withdrawals. It took Chen Xuan quite a while to make up the remaining 11900. His salary balance also dropped from 12800 to 900.

"I didn't expect you to be carrying so much cash," the man exclaimed in surprise. After verifying the money, he smiled and bowed to Chen Xuan. "Welcome to visit again!"

The reason you're laughing so happily... the repair costs must be linked to your performance evaluation.

After leaving the store, Lin Qing said in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Um... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"It's okay, money can be earned back," Chen Xuan said generously. Besides, wasn't it the shop assistant who was making money for him? So this wasn't consumption, but investment.

Just as the three were about to continue strolling around the mall, Chen Xuan saw the images of Elori and the governor on the large screen in the square.

"Isn't that the angel girl?" Liu Shuyue asked curiously.

However, both of their profile pictures were grayed out.

"Our reporter has just received reliable information on the scene that all the attackers have been eliminated by the military. The casualty count is still ongoing, but Her Excellency Consul Nymph Attra and Miss Elori, the Angel who joined the city of Paris two days ago, have been confirmed dead in the attack. General Hans said that this is an absolutely huge loss for the city and may even change the fate of every citizen."

The host's voice-over caused the crowd in the square to stop in their tracks.

A tremendous shock permeated the crowd.

"That angel... just died like that?"

"No way, the Angel Alliance was promoting her a lot before." "What do you mean by changing fate? Paris has survived without angels, and it will continue to exist!"

“You’re right, we don’t need to rely on angels to live!”

"So, will the Integration Festival, originally scheduled for this weekend, still take place?"

"It'll probably be canceled... after all, it was specially organized for Miss Elori."

Instant discussions and arguments filled the air.

Only the three of them knew the truth at the scene—Elori had not died at all, but had safely returned to her hometown.

"Strange," Lin Qing muttered. "Identifying the deceased shouldn't be difficult for them."

Chen Xuan nodded in agreement. Regardless of whether the body was blown to pieces or burned to charcoal, DNA information could still be extracted. Not to mention New Paris City, Jiangcheng World's technological level was sufficient to do this.

He sensed a conspiracy.

The announcer continued, "There were no survivors among the attackers. Preliminary estimates indicate that 30 to 35 people were involved in this serious atrocity, and their identities are still under investigation. However, there is ample evidence at the scene suggesting that these individuals are members of the Sons of the Sun, and the riot is related to the policies currently being implemented by the ruling council."

"...Although we have lost His Excellency the Consul and several high-ranking officials in the council have died, thanks to the excellent mechanisms within the government, the ruling council has not become incompetent. Senior councilor Delant stated that order in the city will soon be restored, and all rioters and their supporters will be severely punished!"

"The new city of Paris remains on high alert. The military and the ruling council are temporarily taking joint control of the Louvre. We urge citizens to minimize outings and be mindful of their safety. We will report any new developments as soon as they become available..."

Chen Xuan did not listen any further.

Whether there's a conspiracy or not, it has little to do with him.

The attack on the city's core and the death of the governor speak volumes—the seemingly bright and magnificent underground city likely harbors many deep-seated conflicts. The death of a leader isn't a major problem in modern society; another can be elected. However, even replacing one leader with ten might not resolve the city's deep-seated contradictions.

He should leave as soon as possible.

If they were to appear on the death or missing persons list, and either Liu Shuyue were seen by passersby, the situation would become very troublesome.

……

After returning to the shop, Liu Shuyue planned to go back to Mala Village first, and then go with Chen Xuan to the Immortal Alliance to inquire about the spiritual energy device. After all, if she was away from there for an extended period, the difference in the flow of time between the two places would become greater.

Not long after the shop door opened, Old Man Qiao walked in.

"Young man, give me a pack of Furongwang cigarettes... Hmm?" He suddenly stopped halfway through, looked around, and then went back the way he came. "Sorry, I've come to the wrong place."

Ten seconds later, the old man reappeared at the door. "No, this is it! You little rascal, what happened? You opened a fruit shop!"

Chen Xuan sighed; he knew he would have to face this scene sooner or later.

"Please come in and talk to me. Don't worry, we still have cigarettes and alcohol!"

After receiving the Furongwang cigarettes, the old man stared at Chen Xuan with suspicion. "Your renovation speed... is a bit fast. I've only been away for two or three days, haven't I?"

"Yes, we hired skilled workers and used proven solutions," he said earnestly, trying to deceive people.

Why did you suddenly switch to selling fruit?

"The competition in the small general merchandise market is fierce; there are several stores in the neighborhood. I noticed that no one was selling fruit, so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Oh! You weren't the boss before, you were just an employee in the shop?" The old man smiled slyly.

Damn, I managed to get information out of him.

"It's alright, I understand." The old man's expression even showed a hint of satisfaction. He patted Chen Xuan's shoulder meaningfully, "Keeping your abilities hidden is a good habit. I won't go around saying it."

Chen Xuan rolled his eyes inwardly, not knowing what to say.

"When do you have time to have a meal with my daughter? She said she's tried to invite you several times but hasn't been able to." The old man's true intentions were revealed.

"It's that same thing again? I already said it's nothing, who could have imagined that a madman would attack the TV station?" Chen Xuan waved his hand. "I'm not putting on airs, but there have really been a lot of things going on lately, I'm really too busy to handle everything."

Perhaps because she got the program tickets from Qiao Xi, she seemed somewhat guilty after the incident in the filming studio. She sent many WeChat messages that day to inquire about the situation and later said she would treat him to a meal to make up for the fright he suffered.

Chen Xuan's claim of being busy wasn't just a simple excuse. During that period, he had to cultivate informants and guard against the Security Bureau, making it unsuitable for him to wander around in the shadows. Now, more than two weeks have passed, and he didn't expect the other party to still be thinking about it.

"Alright, seeing that you've switched to selling fruit, you're probably not just making excuses." The old man paused, then suddenly asked, "You're not leaving Jiangcheng, are you?"

"No, why?" he replied casually.

“It’s almost Chinese New Year, and many people have to go back to their hometowns. You know, Jiangcheng has been quite turbulent lately. Everyone is on edge, and no one knows when they might encounter an accident. So many people have left and don’t plan to come back.” The old man sighed, then said with some relief, “It’s good that you’re not leaving, otherwise I would have to walk an extra 300 meters to buy a pack of cigarettes.”

Chen Xuan stopped what he was doing. "Have you walked a lot?"

"Yes, a lot." The old man picked up a cigarette and put it in his pocket. "Even someone as uninformed as me has heard the news. Sigh, I still hope Jiangcheng can be a bit more lively... I'm off!"

"Take care." After watching the other person leave, Chen Xuan remained silent for a while.

Perhaps it was something his daughter overheard while working at the television station that gave him such a feeling.

(End of this chapter)