Chapter 600: Chapter 600

"That’s awesome! This person seems extraordinary. They even have those kinds of spices."

"I can smell the spices from here... They’re truly fragrant."

The atmosphere grew agitated, and even President Gong’s throat began to quiver. His eyes narrowed as he already imagined scooping up some cumin chili powder later.

Jing Shu had perfectly timed her harvest; she had just grown various spices like star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried tangerine peel in her space. Having just collected a batch, she figured some big shots at the Black Market would surely want these rare spices. It turned out she was right.

The usually calm young man was surprised. He crouched down, professionally fanning the air with his hand, wafting the aroma of these spices.

The second step of appraisal: observe their color and appearance.

After a thorough inspection of all the spices in the box, the young man stood up, his expression very serious, and said, "I want all of these. Name your price."

To pursue the highest quality of life in the apocalypse and understand the value of these spices... Jing Shu’s eyes lit up as if she had found a kindred spirit. Without any hesitation, she said, "I need iodine, alcohol, saline, 84 disinfectant effervescent tablets, and gauze."

Not just a little bit. She meant the crates of them she had seen.

The two men helping the young man carry items had never seen someone ask for so much with such audacity. They couldn’t help but smirk, their mouths curling up in a sarcastic smile. The spices are precious, sure, but such a tiny amount—how could it be exchanged for so much life-saving stuff?

These items were even scarcer than various kinds of food. As the saying goes, you might not need these things normally, but if you don’t have them when you do, then you’re in trouble.

So, the young man actually didn’t lack food. Typically, various tycoons regularly swapped top-notch food for critical supplies, and the two bodyguards were well aware of the value of medical items at this time.

Unexpectedly, the young man pondered for a moment then nodded, "The goods are very good, even better than before the apocalypse. So, I’ll give you everything you asked for. I’ll also send you some military-grade insecticide and a box of mugwort. Just... if I need more next time, how do I find you?"

The two bodyguards gaped. Their eyes widened. There are extras? For just these few spices?

President Gong clapped his hands, thrilled that another deal was completed. Newest update provıded by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝓷𝓮𝓽

There were unexpected surprises too. The young man’s offer reminded Jing Shu about mugwort; it was a beneficial herb used for smoke therapy, highly resilient, and capable of surviving even after the apocalypse. It was currently the most cost-effective herbal option. Especially during seasons when mosquitoes and ants were abundant, it could also be burned to repel insects.

Jing Shu pointed at Fan Jianqiang and said, "Find him. Since you know these spices are rare, use them sparingly because I don’t have much in stock." Although she had more, she couldn’t say so. If there’s a next time, she would squeeze out a bit more. Whetting their appetite? Who doesn’t know how to do that? If you satisfy them completely in one go, there won’t be any follow-up.

The young man seemed a bit disappointed but didn’t say anything more. He personally moved the spices, then instructed the two bodyguards to carry over crate after crate of medical supplies, completing a substantial deal.

President Gong patted Fan Jianqiang, who at that moment didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Congratulations, you’ve been upgraded to a platinum member. Sometimes, making the right choices is very important."

Fan Jianqiang nodded, then shook his head, his mind still buzzing.

Jing Shu, still calm, sat in her chair. The backdrop of nearly half a mountain of goods piled on the display stand underscored her formidable presence, especially with an enticing ham also visible.

The trading continued, now resembling a large second-hand market where anything could be swapped. Only those with some power could afford brand-new, unopened items. But at this time, it didn’t matter whether items were brand-new or almost new. As long as they were practical, they could fetch a decent price here.

However, Jing Shu was a bit peculiar. Perhaps due to the hardships in her previous life, this time she didn’t want to use clothes, household items, or opened personal items that others had used. Besides, she was about to return to Wu City, and opened items offered no guarantees.

It was a bit of a pity to miss out on some items, but nonetheless, Jing Shu exchanged for a lot of assorted brand-new products, even including some top-notch snacks.

The huge ham visibly shrank, while the various goods behind Jing Shu truly turned into a small mountain.

Soon, the trade fair moved on to the buying and selling among gold members, and the quality of goods noticeably deteriorated.

There was basically nothing left that could catch Jing Shu’s eye. By now, everyone understood her exceptionally high standards for bartering.

"Ah, it’s just a pity about the remaining ham. I wonder if it can still be exchanged," President Gong mused, his eyes darting around quickly.

However, the situation ultimately didn’t disappoint.

When brand-new wireless communicators and drones appeared before Jing Shu, her eyes immediately lit up. Although she had her own space, usually using snakes as Scout and, when necessary, Bees as flying eyes to explore dangers, these drones offered a more overt method. They could navigate more clearly and could also cooperate with the animals in her space to scour areas.

Otherwise, she couldn’t just say, "Hey, I’m going to send a snake to check out the situation," right?

Wireless communicators were also very important during migrations.

With just over a year left until the highly perilous Great Migration, Jing Shu had already begun to prepare comprehensively. She listed everything that would be needed, recalling all sorts of difficulties encountered in her previous life. She was determined to ensure a safe and secure journey this time around, with no repeat of a narrow escape from death.

The young man exchanging the equipment seemed a bit disappointed. He called out a few times and was about to leave the platform when Jing Shu stopped him. "I want all these devices. Trade them for the ham?"

The young man, straightforward to a fault, looked quite distressed. "But... I wanted to exchange for more food."

The person who had just exchanged rice immediately stepped forward. "Here, take a bag of rice." Then, he said to Jing Shu, "A piece of meat for me?"

It was only after President Gong scooped a bit more meat that the transaction was finally considered complete.

The Black Market continued, but the Diamond-tier big shots were already starting to leave, as there was less and less of value towards the end. What could silver members possibly offer?

Jing Shu didn’t leave, though. Even though the later stages involved trades of only minor items, she still wanted to look around more.

Ultimately, she wasn’t disappointed. A batch of cheap retrofitting materials appeared—materials that, as it turned out, no one needed. After all, by now in the Imperial Capital, very few could indulge in retrofitting, and ordinary people simply had no use for these materials.