The door chimed.
Ward looked up from the trail mix he'd been examining—the store-approved version, sitting innocuously on its shelf as if it hadn't appeared out of spite. Four hours since Mira had left. The shop had been quiet since.
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CUSTOMER DETECTED
Dimensional interface: Active
Origin: Unknown
Customer status: Intrigued
First customer from this dimension since Station 7 went dormant.
The system recommends cultural sensitivity.
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The door swung open.
The young man who entered did so with deliberate grace—each movement precise, economical, as if he'd been trained to waste nothing. He wore plain blue robes that looked like something from a historical drama, hair pulled back in a simple topknot. His eyes swept the shop once, twice, cataloguing everything with an intensity that reminded Ward of his old manager during inventory audits.
"This one greets the esteemed shopkeeper," the young man said, and bowed.
Ward blinked. "Hello."
The customer straightened, still examining the shop with barely concealed fascination. His gaze lingered on the stone walls, the wooden shelves, the glass vials of potions. Something about his expression suggested he was seeing things Ward couldn't.
"Forgive this one's curiosity," he said. "This humble disciple has never encountered a... store of this design. The architecture is most unusual."
"It's quite standard fare," Ward said.
"The squared stonework. The glass containers rather than jade vessels. The—" He gestured at the potions. "Liquids rather than pills." He approached the nearest shelf with the careful reverence of someone entering a museum. "In the Azure Mist Sect, we refine spiritual herbs into pill form. The medicinal liquid approach is... novel."
Ward's gaming brain stirred. Cultivation novel. Sect disciple. Probably here for some kind of quest involving rare herbs and martial arts nonsense.
"This one is Chen Liu, outer disciple of the Azure Mist Sect." Another bow, shallower this time. "May this one inquire as to the nature of this establishment?"
"It's a provisions shop," Ward said. "Equipment, supplies, that sort of thing. I'm Ward."
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CUSTOMER PROFILE
Name: Chen Liu
Class: Cultivator (Qi Condensation — barely)
Sect: Azure Mist (minor, alchemy-focused)
Customer Affinity: Neutral (cultural curiosity high)
He's going to ask about your meridians. Don't panic.
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"Provisions," Chen Liu repeated. "And these... provisions. They are enhanced with spiritual energy? This one cannot sense any qi emanation, but the prices suggest—" He'd spotted the tag on a health potion. His eyebrows rose. "Twelve spirit stones for a single vial?"
"The price is as listed."
"This one intends no disrespect, but twelve spirit stones would purchase a low-grade qi-replenishing pill from a reputable alchemist. These..." He picked up the health potion, turning it in the light exactly as Mira had done. "These do not glow. They do not emanate. They appear entirely mundane."
Ward felt a familiar pressure building in his chest. The urge to explain—to describe what the potions actually did, to justify the pricing, to save this politely confused young man from dismissing perfectly good merchandise.
"The price," he said carefully, "reflects the quality."
"But this one cannot perceive the quality." Chen Liu set the potion down with exaggerated gentleness. "In the Azure Mist Sect, we are taught to sense the spiritual essence of refined goods. These vessels contain... nothing this one can detect. How does one evaluate that which cannot be sensed?"
A very good question. Ward had no answer.
"What brings you to the shop?" he asked instead.
Chen Liu's expression shifted—still polite, but with an undercurrent of nervousness that hadn't been there before. "This one has been tasked with a mission by Elder Feng. A simple herb-gathering assignment."
Simple. Ward's gaming instincts twitched. In his experience, "simple" missions were never simple. Particularly not in cultivation stories, where masters routinely sent disciples on suicide errands as "character building."
"What kind of herb?"
"A Spirit Cave Mushroom, one hundred years matured. It grows in the Whispering Depths, three days' travel from the sect." Chen Liu clasped his hands behind his back. "A straightforward task. Locate the cave, identify the specimen by its luminescent cap, harvest it correctly, return."
"And you're shopping for...?"
"Curiosity, primarily." A slight flush crept up Chen Liu's neck. "This door appeared where no door should be. This one's master spoke of interdimensional anomalies, but to encounter one personally..." He trailed off, looking around the shop again. "Also, perhaps, provisions for the journey. Though at these prices, this one may need to reconsider."
Ward studied the young man. Outer disciple—low rank, probably. Three-day journey to a cave. A hundred-year-old mushroom.
In every game Ward had ever played, in every novel he'd ever read, rare resources in remote caves were guarded. Always. You didn't just walk into a dungeon and pick up the legendary herb. Something was waiting for you. Something that wanted the herb for itself.
"A hundred years," Ward said. "That's quite old for a mushroom."
"Elder Feng requires it for an advanced refinement. Lesser specimens would not suffice."
"And the cave—the Whispering Depths—what do you know about it?"
Chen Liu considered the question. "It is deep. Dark, naturally—caves tend to be. Damp conditions suitable for fungal growth. Some natural hazards, perhaps. Unstable footing, poor air." He shrugged.
"Any... guardians? Creatures that might have taken an interest in a mushroom growing undisturbed for a century?"
The flush on Chen Liu's neck deepened. "This one... had not considered that."
"Caves can be unpredictable. Perhaps I can make some recommendations?"
"This one appreciates the insight." Chen Liu didn't sound convinced. "However, this humble disciple is trained in the Azure Mist movement arts. Evasion and retreat are core competencies. If danger presents itself, this one will simply... leave."
Ward could feel the system watching. Could feel the words he wanted to say pressing against his teeth, blocked by constraints he was only beginning to understand.
He tried anyway: "The thing is, valuable resources often attract—" He paused to consider his words.
"Attract what?" Chen Liu asked, head tilted.
Ward coughed. "Attention. Generally. From... various sources."
"This one will remain vigilant."
Vigilant. Against something he didn't know was coming, with no combat equipment, on a three-day hike into the wilderness.
He looked at his inventory. Health potions. A sword. Rope. Rations. Trail mix, now. Everything Chen Liu needed and couldn't afford—or wouldn't buy because he couldn't see why he should.
"The journey is three days," Ward said slowly. "You'll need food."
"This one has provisions from the sect."
"What about light? Caves are dark."
Chen Liu patted his robes. "A spirit lantern, standard issue for outer disciples. Powered by ambient qi—it will function for several days without replenishment."
"And if something goes wrong? If you're injured?"
"The Azure Mist Sect teaches basic wound treatment. Qi circulation can accelerate natural healing, if this one's cultivation were higher." He smiled ruefully. "Alas, at Qi Condensation stage, such techniques remain beyond reach."
Ward stared at him. No combat gear. No healing supplies. Just confidence in his ability to run away from whatever nightmare was lurking beside a century-old magical mushroom.
"The sword," Ward said, pointing at the simple iron blade on its rack. "Seventy-five gold."
"This one is not a combat cultivator. The Azure Mist path emphasises alchemy and refinement, not martial—"
"The health potions. Twelve gold each."
"Already discussed. This one cannot evaluate—"
"The rations. Five gold. The rope. Eight gold." Ward heard the edge creeping into his voice and couldn't stop it. "You're walking into a cave system, three days from help, to retrieve something valuable enough that your master sent you specifically to get it. You have no way to heal yourself if something goes wrong. You have no weapon. You have—"
Chen Liu's polite expression had shifted to something more complex. "This shopkeeper... speaks as if expecting danger."
"I speak as someone who's run these scenarios before."
"Scenario?"
Ward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Never mind. Look—the prices are what they are. I can't explain why they're worth it. But if you're going into a cave to retrieve a rare resource that's been sitting there for a hundred years, undisturbed, you might want to consider why it's still there."
The silence stretched.
Chen Liu looked at the health potions. At the sword. At Ward.
"This one's master," he said carefully, "did emphasise self-reliance. 'What you bring is what you have. Choose wisely.' This one interpreted that as... minimalism."
"Or he wanted you to think about what you might need."
"Or that." Chen Liu's gaze drifted back to the shelves. "The prices truly cannot be negotiated? Even for a humble outer disciple far from home?"
"Fixed pricing. Store policy."
"And the shopkeeper cannot explain why these... mundane-seeming goods are worth such investment?"
"Store policy." Ward felt his jaw tighten. "They are of the highest quality."
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CONSTRAINT ACTIVE
The system notes your frustration.
The system is not responsible for your frustration.
The system suggests creative problem-solving.
───────────────────────────────────
Creative problem-solving. Ward dismissed the window with more force than necessary.
He couldn't say: The potions are better than anything you've ever seen. He couldn't say: The sword WILL save your life. He couldn't even say: There's something in that cave that wants to eat you.
But he could ask questions.
"This mushroom," Ward said. "Hundred years old. Luminescent cap, you said. Grows in dark caves. Valuable enough that a master alchemist needs it specifically."
"Correct."
"And in your experience—in your sect's teachings—what happens to valuable spiritual resources left unattended in the wild?"
Chen Liu's expression flickered. "They... are typically consumed. By spiritual beasts seeking advancement. Or by rival cultivators."
"But this one hasn't been."
"No."
"In a hundred years."
The colour drained from Chen Liu's face. "This one... had assumed the location was simply remote. Difficult to access. That no one had—"
"Found it? In a century?"
Silence.
"This shopkeeper," Chen Liu said slowly, "suggests that something is guarding the mushroom?"
"I'm suggesting that you consider all possibilities."
Chen Liu stared at him for a long moment. Then he looked at the sword. At the potions. At the rope coiled on its shelf.
"This one has forty spirit stones," he said quietly. "At the exchange rate for this establishment..."
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CURRENCY CONVERSION
40 Low-grade Spirit Stones = 40 Gold (dimensional standard)
Sufficient for: Basic preparation
Insufficient for: Proper preparation
Nowhere near: Adequate preparation
The system notes that "adequate" is subjective.
Dead customers rarely complain about pricing.
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"Forty gold," Ward confirmed.
Chen Liu's hand trembled slightly as he reached for a health potion. "The liquid approach to healing... this one's sect does not use such methods. But if the quality is as the price suggests..."
"It is of the highest quality," he said.
"Store policy."
"Store policy."
Chen Liu set the potion on the counter. Twelve gold. He reached for another. Twenty-four. His gaze drifted to the sword on its rack.
"If there is a guardian," he said, not looking at Ward, "evasion may not be sufficient."
"The sword is seventy-five gold. Beyond your budget even without the potions."
Chen Liu's hand hovered over the second potion, then withdrew. "Between healing and combat, then. This one's master spoke of such choices. The path of cultivation is the path of sacrifice." He set the second potion back on its shelf. "If this one cannot evade, this one will need to fight. If this one needs to fight, healing afterward may be... optimistic."
Ward's stomach tightened. Forty gold. The customer needed at minimum a weapon or a healing potion, and the sword alone was already out of reach.
He looked at the shelves again. Rations. Five gold. Trail mix. Eight gold. Rope. Eight gold.
"The sword is too expensive," Ward said. "But the rope is eight gold. Plus the potion—twelve—plus rations—five—that's twenty-five. Fifteen gold left over."
"Rope will not defeat a spirit beast."
"No. But if you can't fight it, rope might let you reach the mushroom anyway. Climb past, lower yourself down, something. Stealth instead of combat."
Chen Liu considered this. "The Azure Mist movement arts do emphasise manoeuvrability."
"You're not a combat cultivator. Play to your strengths."
Chen Liu was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Potion. Rope. Rations." He placed the items on the counter with deliberate care. "Twenty-five gold."
"Fifteen left over."
"For what?"
Ward looked at the trail mix. Eight gold. But that left only seven, and nothing in the store cost seven gold exactly.
"Keep it," he said. "Emergency reserve. In case you need something on the way back."
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TRANSACTION COMPLETE!
Items Sold:
- Basic Health Potion (1): 12 Gold
- Standard Rope: 8 Gold
- Common Rations: 5 Gold
Total: 25 Gold
Customer Remaining Funds: 15 Gold
Shopkeeper Quest Progress: 25 / 100 Gold
Customer Satisfaction: Conflicted
The system notes this customer is still probably going to die.
But at least he bought something.
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"Helpful," Ward muttered, dismissing the window.
Chen Liu was gathering his purchases, tucking the rope into his robes, the potion into a sleeve pocket, the rations into a small pack at his hip. He moved with the same deliberate precision as before, but something in his posture had changed. Less confident. More... aware.
"This shopkeeper," he said, pausing at the door, "speaks from experience?"
"I've seen enough to recognise patterns."
"Seen enough..." Chen Liu's smile was thin. "This one hopes to return and report a happy ending."
"I hope so too."
The young man bowed—deeper than before, more formal. "The Azure Mist Sect teaches that wisdom is recognising what you do not know. This one... did not know what he did not know. Thank you for the questions."
He turned to the door. Paused.
"The items. If they are as valuable as their prices suggest... this one will return and purchase more. If they are not—"
"You can complain," Ward said. "Everyone does."
"This one looks forward to the opportunity."
The door opened. Beyond it, Ward glimpsed something that wasn't the medieval street he'd seen before—mist-shrouded mountains, impossible peaks, a landscape that belonged in a painting rather than reality.
Chen Liu stepped through.
The door closed.
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CUSTOMER DEPARTED
Quest outcome: Pending
Stakes: Low-Medium (herb retrieval, unknown guardian)
Equipment purchased: Minimal survival gear
The system will notify you of the outcome.
Eventually.
Shopkeeper Quest: 25 / 100 Gold (75 remaining)
Try not to think about whether either customer will survive.
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Ward sat behind the counter, staring at the door.
Twenty-five gold. Seventy-five to go. Two customers, two quests, two people who'd walked out with equipment he couldn't explain, heading toward dangers he couldn't describe, trusting prices he couldn't justify.
Mira with her herb-gathering and his trail mix. Chen Liu with a possible spirit beast and minimal preparations.
He didn't know if the potion would save Chen Liu's life. He didn't know if the rope would help him evade whatever was waiting in that cave. He didn't know anything about the actual properties of his own inventory.
But he knew what a hundred-year-old resource in an unguarded cave meant. He knew the pattern. He'd played enough games, read enough stories.
The shop was quiet. The shelves waited, patient and unreadable. Somewhere beyond the door, two adventurers were walking toward fates he couldn't influence.
Seventy-five gold to go. The question was whether his customers would survive long enough to help him get there.