Chapter 88: Cold Steel Armguards, Jade Scroll
Shangshan Che pressed down the violently reacting Kaga Kiyomitsu and asked in as calm a tone as possible: “May I ask the price of this Blade Tip?”
Katsumi Boss snapped open the Folding Fan with a smack, raising five fingers.
500 points of Soul Ash?
Shangshan Che’s eyes lit up. Could such a good thing really happen to him?
The two Ingots next to the God of Wealth Hat on Katsumi Boss’s head swayed, and he said with a beaming smile: “It requires Soul Ash of the purity that you possess, Adult, five thousand portions.”
“Five thousand?”
“Adult, this is an extremely reasonable price.” Katsumi Boss drawled, “In the Ikeda-ya battle back then, I risked my life to sneak this Blade Tip right under the noses of the Shinsengumi, and I nearly got hacked to death by that brat Kondo for it!”
With that explanation, did that mean all these goods from different eras, bizarre and rare, were personally procured by this Katsumi Boss?
Then how long had he been alive?
Katsumi Boss sighed: “Moreover, this is a special fifty percent discount given in consideration of your status as an Adult and the first customer in this region.”
“If not for me, this Blade Tip would still be buried in who knows what patch of dirt.”
The reasoning was, indeed, sound.
Rarity makes value, and there’s only one such Blade Tip of Kaga Kiyomitsu in the whole World.
Shangshan Che fully agreed with Katsumi Boss’s asking price.
But if he couldn’t afford it, he couldn’t afford it.
He shook his head: “I can’t afford this Blade Tip for now. Could I trouble you, Katsumi Boss, to hold it for me?”
“With pleasure.”
Katsumi Boss bowed slightly, put away the Blade Tip, and with a wave of his hand placed three lifelike, different Noh Masks on the counter.
Respectively, the White Woman Mask, the red Evil Spirit Mask, and the black Wrathful God Mask.
“I will only stay in this special region for another three days, so please accept these three Masks, Adult.” Katsumi Boss explained, “If you wish to summon me to purchase sundries, just don one of these Masks.”
“Of course, the three Masks correspond to different spending prices: respectively two thousand, ten thousand, and fifty thousand portions of Soul Ash.”
Katsumi Boss stacked the Masks together and pushed them in front of Shangshan Che: “The higher the spending price, the faster I will arrive, and I will also additionally answer some of your past secrets and doubts, Adult.”
Shangshan Che thought to himself that as expected of a Merchant who had lived who knows how long—he even had the VIP tier system figured out perfectly.
After receiving the Masks and thanking him, he fell into contemplation.
Although Katsumi Boss’s items were generally outrageously expensive, since he had hung up an all-encompassing Plaque, there would naturally be affordable items that he could use.
——So, what Items, Techniques, or Weapons did he currently need?
Shangshan Che pondered for a long time, and Katsumi Boss did not disturb him, merely humming a classic Noh Play tune lightly, from which one could vaguely make out a segment from the Tale of the Heike.
“—Katsumi Boss, what do you think I still need?”
Giving up on the fruitless thinking, Shangshan Che decided to directly ask this Four-Star Ghost God Katsumi Boss— a Ghost God level’s perspective was undoubtedly far broader than his own, and no Merchant would ever turn away business coming to their door.
This way, he was essentially getting Katsumi Boss’s advice for free.
“Adult, you really are…”
Katsumi Boss laughed pleasantly twice: “I see you’re cultivating Corona Breathing Technique and Natural Reason School, with Potential that’s rare even among Hannya.”
Shangshan Che said nothing, tacitly agreeing.
Shangshan Che was not surprised that his background had been completely seen through at once—from what he’d observed earlier, Katsumi Boss had lived at least several hundred years, and who knows, he might have even sat down for tea with the founders of these two Techniques.
Katsumi Boss pondered briefly and placed two identical Armguards on the table, their surfaces gleaming with cold light.
“A pair of Cold Steel Armguards, one for offense and one for defense, should be extremely suitable for your Combat style, Adult.”
Shangshan Che picked them up one by one to inspect—
【Cold Steel Armguard·Guard（Left Hand）】
【Quality: Superb】
【Effect: Extraordinary defensive power, able to block most Slashes.】
【—Hard! Hard! Hard!】
【Cold Steel Armguard·Power（Right Hand）】
【Quality: Superb】
【Effect: When holding a blade single-handed, provides continuous Power boost to the hand holding the blade.】
【—Both hands are naturally better, but single hand isn’t out of the question!】
As expected, Katsumi Boss’s insight far surpassed his own.
Because of his powerful Physique Attribute, the left Armguard could be used as a Shield without occupying the left hand position, while still allowing Berserk’s effect to function normally.
And the right Armguard would allow his single-handed blade swing speed and Power not to drop too much in the gap when freeing up the left hand for shielding.
Although the Attributes were simple and crude, the complementary effect they produced was undoubtedly the most suitable equipment for him!
“Five hundred Soul Ash each.” Katsumi Boss said, “This is pretty much the cost price for these two custom Armguards.”
Still couldn’t afford them.
Still, couldn’t afford them!
Shangshan Che fell silent as he gazed at his Soul Ash reserves, which he had thought were quite substantial.
——Looks like he’d have to postpone the Gacha Pull days; he’d need to quickly save up enough Soul Ash in these two days and come back to Katsumi Boss’s shop.
“Oh my, Adult, you’re actually this poor?”
Seeing Shangshan Che holding the two Armguards but delaying payment, Katsumi Boss seemed extremely surprised.
Moments later, the God of Wealth Hat on his head trembled, and it actually bowed toward Shangshan Che again as he remarked: “It’s been a long time since I met a Walker like you, Adult, who doesn’t exploit their status for profit.”
Before Shangshan Che could understand the meaning of those words, Katsumi Boss solemnly set down the Folding Fan and took out a crystalline but slightly damaged emerald-green Jade Scroll with both hands.
“Adult, the ancient Technique sealed within will undoubtedly further elevate your Strength.”
Shangshan Che was stunned.
What kind of development was this? Could being poor to a certain extent trigger a hidden plot?
He took the Jade Scroll, and his Pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.
【Jade Scroll·Damaged（Special Item）】
【Effect: Can perfectly seal Techniques below Four-Star within it; the opener can immediately learn them.】
【—Jade Shatter, rare to find once in a decade.】
No way, he couldn’t even afford two standard Armguards, and he could afford this?
Shangshan Che hesitated: “This item…”
Katsumi Boss interrupted him for the first time: “This item only requires Soul Ash, three hundred.”
“Three hundred!?”
Shangshan Che did not agree immediately but warily set down the Jade Scroll and asked: “Katsumi Boss, what do you need my help with?”
“Look what you’re saying, Adult. I just want to form a good connection with you.”
Katsumi Boss unusually did not speak in Noh Play style; he sighed leisurely.
“Not to mention that most Walkers in the Eternal World have already vanished without a trace nowadays, even back when that one was still around, upright Walkers like you were few and far between.”
Those words blocked the question Shangshan Che had been about to ask later: “What are a Walker’s duties?”
Though he didn’t know what the other had imagined, it was clearly something very favorable to him.
Shangshan Che nodded calmly, then took out two hundred Soul Ash and handed it to Katsumi Boss: “Then I’ll take this Jade Scroll.”
