Chapter 226: Chapter 226

The bald man had been waiting for this very sentence!

His joyful, Buddha-like smiling face now beamed even more benevolently.

When Jiang Ye had initially proposed modifications to the mask earlier, the bald man's gaze had been practically murderous.

But now, he looked at Jiang Ye as if he were family. Fresh chapters posted on novel•fire.net

The studio once again echoed with the bald man's hearty laughter.

He even generously praised Jiang Ye:

"I like smart and straightforward youngsters like you! You've got potential!"

"Unlike some people who hesitate endlessly and can't make up their minds!"

Of course, he understood the bald man was deliberately buttering him up, worried he might change his mind after agreeing.

Having accepted the flattery, Jiang Ye decided to demonstrate his decisiveness.

With a sweeping gesture, he declared firmly:

"Since you've put it that way, Master, I won't hesitate any longer."

"Where's the Skin Sand? I heard there's unlimited supply? Let's get started!"

The bald man burst into laughter again.

He immediately produced a large basin of Skin Sand.

As he scooped out the substance, he enthusiastically promoted:

"Young man, your face is truly handsome, but don't worry—"

"My special Skin Sand formula is uniquely modified."

"Ordinary Skin Sand would cause severe pain during application, and after five or six masks, the user's face would become paralyzed."

"But my special Skin Sand is virtually painless, and even after fifty or sixty applications, you'll only experience slight stiffness rather than full paralysis."

While enthusiastically applying the special Skin Sand to Jiang Ye's face, the bald man suddenly asked:

"That handsome face of yours... it's not enhanced, is it?"

Zhang Minghan (the original owner of Jiang Ye's current face) had relied on his looks for his career.

So yes, this handsome face had indeed undergone cosmetic procedures.

But only minor adjustments—no bone restructuring.

Jiang Ye answered honestly: "Just minor—"

Before he could finish, the bald man pinched and examined his face, then sighed in relief: "Good thing there's no bone work, or your face would stiffen after just one application."

"I once applied my special Skin Sand to a beautiful woman."

"After just one application, her face became completely immobile—more terrifying than my puppet models..."

"Our relationship soured afterward—she blamed my Skin Sand."

"Turned out it was her cosmetic surgery that caused the problem..."

By the time the bald man finished this brief gossip, Jiang Ye's [Disguise Mask] was ready.

After storing the new mask, the bald man pressed his advantage:

"Young man, have you heard this saying—"

"In this world, things only have two states: zero times or countless times."

"Once you break the seal, there will inevitably be a second, third, and endless repetitions."

"And this principle applies perfectly to making [Disguise Masks]!"

"Nearly all my customers who've provided me with [Disguise Masks] never stop at just one."

"You can probably imagine—"

"Whether you surrender one mask or two to others, the risk remains similar."

"So since you've already made one..."

"How about making another?"

"I'll pay 100 Survival Points per mask."

"And these 100 points will be converted into VIP store credits even if you don't spend them here."

"You just need to let me use your face to make masks, and you get 100 Points and 1 VIP point for free!"

"Much easier than hunting Madmen with your [Enforcement Mask], right?"

The bald man had clearly figured something out.

Since this kid planned to use the [Enforcement Mask] to farm Survival Points...

He must be short on points.

This offer was irresistible to any VIP customer.

For a points-starved youngster like Jiang Ye? Even more tempting.

And the bald man was absolutely right.

Was simply impossible for Jiang Ye to refuse!

Those free masks he'd given away using Wu Ying's clones were such a waste!

How could he have given them away for free?

He should have charged at least something!

Even his [Disguise Masks] have significant value.

Jiang Ye took a deep breath, ecstatic internally but maintaining a calm facade.

"At 100 Points per mask, how many can you buy?"

The bald man, seeing his serious expression, thought he might refuse.

Hearing this, he nearly laughed aloud.

But clearing his throat, he replied solemnly:

"Ahem, while things tend to repeat endlessly, we also say 'rarity creates value,' right?"

"[Disguise Masks] are the same—if they become too common, their value decreases."

"So at 100 Points, I'll take 9 more."

"Beyond that, I'll pay 10 Points for up to 90 additional masks."

"Any more would be worthless."

"Also, even with my special Skin Sand, over 100 applications would ruin that handsome face..."

Jiang Ye quickly regained his composure.

He vaguely suspected—

Even if he sold masks of his face to the bald man...

The bald man probably wouldn't resell them.

But would keep them as collectibles.

So these masks likely wouldn't be used by players to create more clones.

Still, 100 Points per mask was a great deal.

Jiang Ye almost agreed to sell 100 immediately.

But he worried—what if collecting 100 masks granted the bald man special privileges?

After careful consideration, he stated firmly:

"100 Points each is acceptable, but 10 Points loses its appeal."

"How about this—I'll sell you 8 more at 100 Points each."

This decision made the bald man's cheek twitch.

Damn kid—did he guess that collecting 10 masks would unlock special effects?

Purposely stopping at 9 masks?

Too clever! Too devious!

The bald man cursed internally but agreed: "Fine, 8 it is."

Thus began eight more Skin Sand applications.

Jiang Ye received 800 Points for eight new masks.

Jiang Ye thought—maybe he should have other clones sell masks too. Easier than hunting Madmen.

But he shouldn't overdo it with one clone.

He suspected the bald man had other uses for collected masks beyond identity upgrades.

With the mask transaction complete, it was Jiang Ye's turn to select masks.

The bald man didn't plan to introduce each mask's identity.

"You're choosing masks to use with the [Mask of Deceit], right?"

"Any specific targets? Or just seeking powerful abilities?"

Jiang Ye already had an answer:

"In your collection, do you have any [Wandering Merchant] masks?"

The question visibly affected the bald man.

His Buddha-like smile froze.

Joy drained from his face.

After a heavy silence, he asked gravely:

"You mean... the [Nomadic Merchant]?"

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow: "Nomadic Merchant? Another privileged identity? How does it relate to the Apartment Merchant?"

The bald man's expression darkened further, his voice dropping:

"So you mean the Apartment Merchant..."

Seeing the bald man's reaction, Jiang Ye nodded cautiously: "Yes, is there a problem?"

The bald man took a deep breath, looking at Jiang Ye with indescribable complexity.

Finally, he explained wearily:

"The Apartment Merchant IS the Nomadic Merchant."

"Did you think he was confined to the beginner apartments like the Administrators?"

"In truth, Nomadic Merchants have no restrictions."

"They appear in beginner apartments, Doomsday Apartments..."

"Even in the Mist itself."

Though surprised, Jiang Ye wasn't completely shocked.

The Merchant he'd encountered did have godlike capabilities.

Entering the Mist seemed plausible for such an entity...

But then Jiang Ye asked: "The Nomadic Merchant appears in Doomsday Apartments?"

"Yet during my time there, I never encountered one."

Neither Wu Ying's nor Zhang Minghan's memories contained any Merchant encounters in the Doomsday Apartment.

The bald man rolled his eyes: "What standing did you have there? Of course you wouldn't meet one."

"Only privileged players in Doomsday Apartments can summon the Merchant."

Jiang Ye pressed further:

"Can you, as a Mask Master, summon the Nomadic Merchant? Have you? Do you have his mask in your collection?"