Chapter 20: Trade

Chapter 20: Trade

Upon entering the small settlement called Xiama Town, the eight of us naturally drew everyone's attention.

Contrary to Chen Jian's expectations, however, the locals' focus was less on our outlandish attire and more on the four Holy Bloods led by Xu Lie.

Countless gazes converged upon them, as if some mark were etched upon their faces.

Chen Jian was initially puzzled, but a moment's reflection made it clear: this place, Xu Lie and his companions had only just passed through.

They had come from Jinling, and to reach Chuansha they inevitably had to travel this route.

Having passed through, they would certainly resupply here.

To resupply here, they would likely not bother concealing their purpose.

After all, no matter how one looks at it, Holy Bloods are beings of superior standing on this land; they must rely on their special status to gather intelligence, acquire resources, and spread doctrine, so openly declaring their intent to 'hunt monsters' becomes quite natural.

This explains why the townsfolk of Xiama regard them with a mixture of suspicion and astonishment.

Put yourself in their shoes, and you'd react the same way.

After all, they had only spent a single night in Chuansha City.

In that one night they felled a colossal beast—just thinking about it makes their power seem terrifying.

——

Eh?

Wait a minute—could this be me boasting?

Chen Jian burst into a silent laugh, instantly realizing why the four members of the Holy Blood squad had dubbed his own quartet the 'Chosen Ones.'

They had truly already placed us in a category several tiers above themselves.

While thinking this, Chen Jian followed Xu Lie toward the town's center, a building cobbled together from timber and shattered bricks.

Judging by the sign hanging outside, it was an inn converted from old barracks, with an added hall resembling a storefront.

Pushing the door open, Chen Jian immediately spotted the gun hanging on the wall.

95-1.

Chen Jian's heart lurched; he gave his teammates a subtle glance, then, while Xu Lie haggled with the shopkeeper behind the iron counter, the group headed straight for the weapon.

"The receiver and barrel are rusted through, but the polymer parts remain intact—this is likely the common state of most firearms in this world."

"But that's not the point; the point is, in our era this rifle had not yet been retired from service, though it was close."

"By my calculations, at most twenty years from now it will be wholly superseded by the 191 and vanish entirely."

"In other words, the great catastrophe that destroyed this world must have occurred around 2040, give or take ten years."

When Chen Jian finished speaking, everyone's faces fell into a solemn expression.

"Twenty years—compared to our original expectations, that's remarkably short."

"Indeed, if we had not crossed over, we would inevitably have witnessed this disaster."

"Moreover, our families, friends, and comrades would have to face it head‑on."

"Would they feel helpless without us?"

A flicker of sorrow passed through their hearts, but only a moment later He Shuo coughed, breaking the gloom.

"There's no point dwelling on this now—focus on the problem itself."

"The 95-1 uses DBP-10 ammunition, the same caliber as the 191."

"If we can find a 95-1 here, we might also locate its ammo."

"We don't need much—even a few hundred rounds would relieve our urgent need."

"I think we should first talk to the innkeeper, see what he has and what we could offer in exchange."

"Exactly."

Chen Jian nodded at once, and the whole squad quickly shook off the negative mood.

Next, Chen Jian walked to the counter and happened upon Xu Lie's negotiation with the innkeeper.

"What are you joking about? One bullet for five grams of gold?"

"Don't you realize the bullets you sold me before were all defective? If luck hadn't been on my side, I'd be dead now!"

"You're desecrating the Holy Blood! Do you understand what I mean?!"

The innkeeper opposite trembled like a sieve, his words stuttering.

"Sir… sir, this is already the lowest price."

"To find these bullets we lost several scavengers; the monster nests are horrifying—we, we"

"Don't give me this nonsense!"

Xu Lie interrupted again, then said:

"I have a spent battery; trade it for all your pistol ammunition, plus the supplies I need, and room and board for these two days."

"If you have any objections, let me know."

"I will faithfully report this to the Holy Blood Hall!" Xu Lie spoke each word deliberately; the innkeeper gaped.

He stammered for a while, then finally resigned:

"Alright. You can have everything."

Xu Lie swept the bullets from the counter with satisfaction; Chen Jian chuckled:

"You could have just taken them by force—why bother trading?"

Chen Jian's teasing elicited no reaction from Xu Lie.

"In other settlements we wouldn't need to trade."

"But this is a trade post, so we must observe its rules."

"Now it's your turn."

Having said that, Xu Lie stepped aside while Chen Jian stepped forward, producing a 5.8 mm cartridge and addressing the innkeeper:

"I want these—give me as many as you have."

The innkeeper's eyes flickered with surprise; he carefully took the brand‑new cartridge, still gleaming with a soft metallic sheen, held it up for inspection, then replied:

"Yes!"

"I have forty of these cartridges."

"But they're expensive."

"Since you came with the elders, I can give you a discount—fifteen grams of gold per bullet. How does that sound?"

Chen Jian did not grasp this world's pricing system; he glanced at Xu Lie, who, unable to intervene using his Holy Blood status, merely shook his head to indicate the price was absurd.

Chen Jian understood, yet he made no attempt to haggle with the innkeeper.

Instead, he drew the QSW06 silenced pistol from his thigh, chambered a round, aimed, and fired in one smooth motion.

"Tap!"

After a soft click, a tiny bullet hole appeared on the wooden beam behind the proprietor.

The proprietor jumped, instantly diving beneath the table.

His movement was remarkably swift, as if he were accustomed to such scenes.

Chen Jian's eyes flickered slightly, yet he ultimately offered no reaction.

He simply ejected the round and slapped the pistol onto the counter.

"This gun, in exchange for all your ammunition."

"Deal!"

The proprietor poked his head out from under the counter, nodding eagerly, then ducked back down, rummaging before producing a full box of ammunition.

It was definitely DBP-10.

What surprised Chen Jian even more was that the ammunition was in decent shape—aside from slight oxidation, there was no trace of rust.

This settled it—who ever said steel rounds couldn't resist corrosion?

Chen Jian stowed the ammunition at his waist, satisfied, while the pistol remained on the counter.

With the tentative trade concluded, the group of eight turned and left the hall, heading toward the residential quarters at the rear.

Xu Lie deliberately slowed his pace, drawing alongside Chen Jian and said:

"No matter how precious the ammunition, it can never surpass the value of a gun."

"Moreover, hardly anyone uses that caliber anymore; it's practically worthless."

"If you gave me that gun, I could trade you back at least a hundred rounds, perhaps even several hundred."

"Chosen One, your understanding of this world is still too limited."

Having spoken, Chen Jian offered a mysterious smile.

Then he replied:

"It's not that we know too little about the world; it's that you know too little about us."

"You don't understand—sometimes a trade is more than just a trade."

"It's a probing stone."

(End of Chapter)