"Fresh and delicious, great price—oh! It's the great hero of Jinzhou! I have a bottle of premium gold-label fragrant oil here. Please accept it."
"No, no thank you—I'm not planning to cook anytime soon. I appreciate the thought."
After leaving the grocery stall, the three wandered to the Synthesis Station.
"It's the great hero of Jinzhou! Thank you for saving the city. I have some Tacetite weapons here—take a look and pick whatever you like, free of charge!"
An elderly man with glasses greeted them warmly. Noah waved politely in refusal.
"No need, thank you Uncle Wei. I appreciate it."
"If you ever need anything, just come find me—I'll keep the Synthesis Station ready for you!"
After bidding farewell to Uncle Wei, they continued to Shifang Pharmacy.
"It's the great hero of Jinzhou, thank you…" The pharmacy owner, KouKou, welcomed them.
"Hold on, hold on—I'd like to buy some Basic Nutrient Blocks and Basic Revival Inhalers."
"Hey now, how could I sell you ordinary goods? These are the shop's premium Nutrient Blocks and premium Revival Inhalers—please take them."
Noah's eyes widened. He hadn't known Shifang Pharmacy even stocked such high-tier items.
In the game, Shifang Pharmacy only sold basic materials.
For example, a Basic Revival Inhaler restores consciousness to an unconscious Resonator and heals 100 HP.
100 HP recovery was essentially negligible for a character.
A premium Revival Inhaler, however, restores consciousness and fully revives with full health.
Noah certainly wasn't going to pass up something that good.
"How much? I'll pay."
"No need, no need—it's a gift."
After Noah insisted and several rounds of back-and-forth with KouKou, he finally bought them at cost price.
Shell Credits –10,000.
Premium Revival Inhaler +5.
Premium Nutrient Block +5.
Noah also learned that real-world Solaris-3 prices differed from the game.
Groceries were about the same price as vegetables on Earth, and medicine was a hundred times cheaper than in the game.
Weapons, however, were far more expensive.
For example, the Tacetite weapons at Uncle Wei's shop were the main tools ordinary people used against Tacet Discords. Cold weapons cost several thousand, and firearms tens of thousands.
In the game, Tacetite weapons were merely green-rarity and something Noah wouldn't even bother picking up in the open world—the lowest gacha pull could yield blue-rarity weapons.
But in Jinzhou, ordinary citizens weren't even qualified to purchase Tacetite weapons.
Either way, his current 380,000 Shell Credits made him comfortably well-off—more than enough.
Realizing this, Noah quietly glanced at the weapons Yangyang and Chixia carried.
He hadn't noticed before, but they were also using green-rarity Tacetite weapons.
That wouldn't do. Once he pulled extra 4-star weapons, he'd definitely gear the two women up properly.
After leaving Shifang Pharmacy, the three continued wandering Jinzhou, visiting every famous landmark.
Simulation Training Ground, Yuanwu's Martial School, Relic Merchant, Lucky Lions, Pioneer Association—everywhere they went, they were greeted with enthusiastic warmth.
Yuanwu was especially insistent and pressed a VIP card into Noah's hand.
He said that if Noah ever ran into trouble anywhere in the Huanglong region, he could use the card to seek help from the nearest Yuanwu Martial School.
They also encountered a few bold and outgoing passersby who personally thanked Noah.
Noah went from feeling shy, to relaxed, to completely numb.
"We've been walking forever. There's a teahouse up ahead—let's rest there."
"Great! That's where I listened to the hero opera this morning, though there's no storyteller in the afternoon."
Chixia quickly stepped into Liuxian Teahouse, ordered a pot of Three Purities Tea, and the group found seats.
Just as they sat down, they heard a group of children playing nearby.
"It's my turn to be the great hero Noah! Nannan, you be the villain."
"Aaaah! My name is Fractsidus Scar, and I'm going to destroy Jinzhou!"
"What are you mumbling about? Face my Sacred light!!"
The innocent banter made Yangyang and Chixia burst into laughter, and even Noah couldn't hold back a smile.
It seemed that crossing over to Solaris-3 wasn't entirely bad.
The people here were far warmer than those in his original world.
"Your Three Purities Tea is here!"
As the pot was placed on the table, Noah instinctively thanked the server and then froze in surprise.
"Thank you—huh? Jianxin, why are you here?"
"After coming down from the mountain, this humble Taoist works here at Liuxian Teahouse to support herself. It is also a form of worldly practice."
The server was indeed Jianxin. She gave Noah a gentle smile, her gaze full of emotion.
"I never imagined that after our brief parting the other day, Young Hero Noah would perform the heroic feat of saving Jinzhou from disaster. This humble Taoist is far inferior."
"You praise me too much, Taoist Jianxin. I was only able to awaken my Resonance ability—uh, I mean, open my 'cheat'—thanks to your guidance."
Noah stood and politely pulled out a chair, inviting Jianxin to sit.
"Do you have time to join us and chat?"
"Well…" Jianxin glanced around at the other patrons and tried to decline. "This humble Taoist is on duty…"
"She has time!"
Jianxin turned to see the teahouse owner approaching with a beaming face.
"Taoist Jianxin, since the great hero himself invites you, you must properly entertain him on our behalf!"
"What about the other customers' tea…?"
"I'll handle it!"
Since the owner insisted, Jianxin no longer refused. A smile bloomed on her face as she gracefully took the seat.
In the warm afternoon sunlight, with a gentle breeze blowing, Jinzhou was peaceful and serene.
After the disaster, everyone cherished this hard-won peace even more.
Perhaps Jinhsi had intentionally arranged for Yangyang to show Noah around the city so openly, partly to reassure the citizens.
Heroes were not distant figures. Heroes walked among them.
As time passed and the fiery sunset slowly sank behind the western mountains, Noah finally parted ways with Yangyang, Chixia, and the others and returned to City Hall.
"Good evening, honored guest."
A cool, black-clad woman had been waiting for some time. Her blood-red yet colorless eyes held no emotion.
"Magistrate Jinhsi asked me to convey her regards. If you have any needs, you may come to me."
"Got it, thanks." Noah nodded, carrying several cages of steamed soup dumplings. "Is Jinhsi free?"
"The Magistrate is quite busy, but she specifically instructed that if it is you, I may bring you to her directly."
"Never mind then. It's nothing urgent. Please give these soup dumplings to her, and also…"
Noah handed over the dumplings he had specially packed from Panhua's Restaurant, then pulled out a very rough sketch from his pocket.
"Please help me search all of Jinzhou for someone. It could be a man or a woman—their name is Rover. They look roughly like this."
"Let me describe Rover's features: if male, very handsome; if female, very cool and striking."
"Rover has lost their previous memories but is kind, reliable, and always ready to help others. They are a powerful Resonator with a Tacet Mark on the back of their right hand."
Sanhua accepted the dumplings and the drawing and nodded.
"Understood. Anything else?"
"Also ask the Magistrate for out-of-city permission for me. I want to go farm some Echoes tomorrow. That's all."
"Very well. Have a pleasant rest."