Ch. 620 - The First Eternal Shop

“It’s true,” Chu Cichao muttered on the side.

He looked over at Xu Zimo and walked up with a smile. “You’re the spoiled brat from the Grand Heaven lineage, right?”

“I’m that well-known?” Xu Zimo asked with a grin.

“No, no, I made it a point to follow you. I really admire you,” Chu Cichao said proudly.

“And you are?” Xu Zimo asked, pretending not to know.

“I’m Chu Cichao, from the famous poem ‘In the morning I depart from the White Emperor among colorful clouds,’” Chu Cichao explained smugly.

“Oh! So you’re Young Master Chu! I’ve long admired you. It’s an honor to finally meet you,” Xu Zimo stood up and cupped his hands.

“No need to be polite. It’s mutual admiration,” Chu Cichao laughed and nodded.

The others looked at the two of them pretending to get along so well, and they couldn’t help but feel awkward. Two good-for-nothings from rival sects, truly a match made in heaven.

“You must visit the Mountain River Sect someday so I can treat you properly,” Chu Cichao said with a smile.

“Absolutely. The gates of Grand Heaven Mountain are always open to you,” Xu Zimo nodded back.

…

After a few more words, Chu Cichao was dragged away by his sister.

Lin Feng turned to Xu Zimo and said, “Brother, it’s best to stay away from people like him.”

“No need for you to worry about it,” Xu Zimo replied calmly.

After breakfast, with nothing else to do, everyone went off to explore the city on their own.

Xu Zimo wandered around Bright Flame City with Jiang Changsheng.

The city was quite large, not as big as Tower City, where Xu Zimo had been before, but still a decent mid-sized city.

As they walked, something caught their eye, a shop.

From the outside, the storefront looked very old and not very large. But the sign above the shop had four bold, golden characters: The First Eternal Shop.

To call itself “The First” across the entire Eternal Lands, with a name like that, Xu Zimo’s curiosity was definitely piqued.

But what really caught his attention was that Chu Cichao and the woman in black were also inside.

Before even walking in, Xu Zimo could already hear Chu Cichao shouting:

“I’ll be the next Imperial Son of Mountain River Sect! You think I can’t afford something from your crummy little shop? Open your dog eyes, my sister is the Imperial Daughter!”

“Enough, Cichao,” his sister frowned and tried to calm him down.

Xu Zimo walked into the shop. Inside, the lighting was bright, and the space wasn’t too big. All around were a dozen glass display cases filled with hundreds of items.

Behind the main display was a small door covered by a gray curtain that likely led to the back room.

The shop owner, a chubby middle-aged man in a blue-green robe, sat behind the counter looking sickly and bored. He yawned frequently, as if exhausted.

“Young Master Chu,” Xu Zimo greeted with a smile.

“Oh, it’s Young Master Lin,” Chu Cichao turned and smiled back.

“What’s going on? I heard your voice from far away,” Xu Zimo asked.

“It’s this dumb shop. I wanted to buy something, but they won’t take spirit crystals. They only trade items,” Chu Cichao grumbled.

Xu Zimo chuckled and looked around. Besides the display cases, there were also nine transparent pillars standing upright in the middle of the shop.

Each pillar had items sealed inside, some big, some small, all unique.

Dragon Wandering Sword: Forged from a real dragon’s spine using volcanic lava from Mount Fu. The blade carries a dragon’s aura and has a burning effect.

Thousand-Year Ghost: A complete soul sealed in Cold Moon Stone for a thousand years. It still has consciousness and special uses.

Heart of the War God: One of three pills left behind by Nine Heavens Sage. Increases strength by 300% for 30 minutes after consumption.

...

There were all kinds of rare items. Even if they weren’t legendary, they were certainly valuable and hard to find.

When Xu Zimo’s group entered, the shopkeeper spoke like a machine: “Items in the glass cases must be traded. Items in the pillars require special conditions to obtain.”

Hearing that, Xu Zimo realized the shopkeeper wasn’t human, he was a very realistic puppet.

He walked over, studied the puppet closely, and said, “A puppet this lifelike is really rare.”

The details were perfect, even the wrinkles and expressions looked real. If the puppet stayed still, most people would never know it wasn’t human.

“Looking to buy something, Young Master Lin?” Chu Cichao asked.

“Just browsing,” Xu Zimo replied casually.

He looked toward the woman in black and asked, “May I know your name, miss?”

“Chu Shanhe,” she replied coldly with a slight nod, clearly not interested in chatting.

Xu Zimo smiled and didn’t press further. He looked at the puppet behind the counter and asked, “If I wanted to buy you, what would I need?”

The puppet raised its head, waved its hand, and a glowing book appeared in the air.

The pages flipped on their own, and then the puppet calmly said, “Puppet Arts: 3,000 Merit Points.”

“What are merit points?” Xu Zimo asked.

“The shop posts tasks randomly each day. Completing tasks earns you contribution points. Currently, you have zero. Would you like to accept a task now?” the puppet asked mechanically.

“No thanks,” Xu Zimo shook his head and looked around the shop again.

Then he walked over to the central pillar and looked up at the very top. Inside was a wooden box, dark brown, covered in intricate runes, slowly drifting inside the pillar.

At first, he hadn’t paid much attention. But when he stared at it, the Wind-Destroying Pearl and Soft-Water Pearl in his God World suddenly reacted.

“This...” Xu Zimo frowned, surprised.

It seemed the item in the box had something to do with the Five Spirit Pearls.

But the Eternal Lands and the Primordial Heartlands were completely different dimensions. There shouldn’t be any connection between them.

“I want the wooden box at the top,” Xu Zimo said calmly to the puppet.

The puppet flipped through the book again and said slowly:

“Lost Treasure Box, contains strong wood-type energy. It has been here since The First Eternal Shop was founded. Over millions of years, no one has ever discovered what’s inside. To obtain it, you must trade the heart of a blood lizard.”

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