Lu Heng tidied the pills in his hand and placed them on the counter one by one.
There weren't many types of these pills. Lu Heng had only brought back three from the ancient city to test the market, as their efficacy hadn't been tested in this world yet.
For example, there were healing pills labeled [Healing Pill], quick energy recovery pills called [Qi Recovery Pill], and life-saving pills known as [Soul Revival Pill].
[Healing Pill] and [Qi Recovery Pill] had different tiers, while [Soul Revival Pill] had only one level.
The functions of [Soul Revival Pill] and [Healing Pill] were different. [Healing Pill] could rapidly heal wounds, but there was a certain delay in its effect.
[Soul Revival Pill], on the other hand, could sustain a person's life as long as they weren't completely dead. When combined with [Healing Pill], it could restore the user to their peak condition.
Lu Heng didn't believe these pills would lack a market. The only uncertainty was their effectiveness against the zombie virus, which he hadn't tested. However, if it was for injuries sustained during conflicts between ability users, they would be perfectly usable.
Therefore, he put up a conspicuous sign at the counter where the pills were sold, clearly stating, "Effectiveness against zombie virus is not yet confirmed."
Lu Heng also left one wall temporarily empty. He planned to personally scout outside the ancient city. If he had the chance to obtain the magic crystals from there, he could bring them back to sell here.
After all, the function of magic crystals was similar to zombie crystals; both were things that absorbed energy to level up.
However, due to the specific characteristics of magic crystals in the ancient city's world, he estimated he would need to procure a [Spirit Stone] to place in the store. He would only sell to those who could successfully test its use.
Lu Heng left the Director in charge of the store. Among the few ability animals, only the Director could speak human language and read minds. Therefore, it could answer inquiries from customers. Of course, if anyone had malicious intentions, it could directly inform Lu Heng with its thoughts, and then Lu Heng would handle the situation.
As for the prices of the rare items in the store, Lu Heng marked the [Healing Pill] at twenty Level 4 common crystals per pill, the [Qi Recovery Pill] at twenty Level 4 common crystals per pill, and the [Soul Revival Pill] at fifty Level 4 common crystals per pill.
Various weapons were priced at three thousand Level 4 common crystals each.
Finally, directly opposite the store entrance, Lu Heng hung a prominent sign: "No bargaining for any goods in this store. All sales are final and non-refundable."
Lu Heng opened the store's doors. It was the first day of business, and he intended to be present to oversee things, allowing the Director to learn more about sales.
As soon as Lu Heng's store door opened, people began to cautiously observe from a distance. Soon, some, unable to contain their curiosity, walked into the store.
The visitors were a man and a woman. Lu Heng and the Director had already discerned their intentions when they approached the store.
The two were leaders of a survivor team. The woman, having heard of Lu Heng's reputation, was eager to see what the pinnacle of humanity looked like. The man, however, had been reluctantly dragged along by the woman's persistent persuasion.
They entered the store, affectionately linking arms. The man surveyed the store, noticing that merchandise was only displayed on two walls, and one shelf held only a few small porcelain bottles.
The man said irritably, "You're only selling this little stuff?"
"Yes, just these."
"Why do your weapons look so different from what everyone else sells?"
"Indeed. I can guarantee that you won't find these types of goods in any other base."
"Oh, really! Don't speak too soon. Can your weapons be better than those collector's items? Those were forged with the experience and technology of our ancestors over thousands of years. We can't even tell what material these weapons of yours are made of."
"Heh, it's right that you can't tell." Lu Heng couldn't help but sneer. This man was too arrogant. He was ignorant and couldn't recognize good things, yet he refused to admit that others' items were superior.
He subtly glanced at the weapons the two were carrying. The man was a Level 4 strength-type ability user, so he wielded a cleaver. However, such weapons were not commonly forged by masters before the apocalypse, as there were too few users and they lacked aesthetic appeal, possessing almost no collectible value.
The woman was also a Level 4 ability user, but she was a wood-type ability user. This type of ability was not very strong in the early stages of ability users, so they were not as valued in teams as nature-type ability users. The woman only carried a common long saber.
She dared to look down on his store's goods while carrying such a weapon. Did she have that much gall?
Lu Heng's expression remained unchanged as he picked up a rag and began wiping nonexistent dust from the counter.
Seeing that Lu Heng did not respond, the two began to look at the goods behind the counter on their own. However, when they saw the marked prices, they pointed at the price tags on the counter and exclaimed loudly, "What? Your weapons are three thousand Level 4 common crystals each? You want Level 4 crystals? Where are we supposed to get those? The zombies outside are only Level 3 at most. Are you not awake?"
"Yeah, Brother Wang, look at these small porcelain bottles. They're called pills, and they're twenty Level 4 common crystals each. Ah! And one is fifty Level 4 common crystals."
Their loud exclamations quickly attracted a crowd to the store. Upon seeing the prices below the goods, everyone began to discuss.
"Yeah, not to mention the considerable number of crystals required, there aren't any Level 4 zombies outside yet."
"Right, buying these requires Level 4 crystals... Does this mean the zombies outside are about to reach Level 4?"
"Damn it, are they trying to make us suffer? I'm only Level 2 right now. If the zombies reach Level 4, are they expecting me to die?"
"Exactly. Even Level 3 zombies are difficult to deal with. If zombies reach Level 4, with most of our skill levels, zombies will completely dominate us!"
"......"
Lu Heng looked expressionlessly at the discussing crowd. He reached under the counter, pulled out a gong, and struck it forcefully. Instantly, the murmuring crowd in the store fell silent, and everyone turned their attention towards Lu Heng.
Lu Heng cleared his throat and said, "The prices I've listed are correct. Regarding whether zombies will evolve to Level 4, I can confidently tell you that it shouldn't be too long. Therefore, you all need to hurry up and level up, rather than passively waiting for the zombies to evolve before you do.
Also, you likely don't understand my goods yet. Since there are many people here now, I'll explain it to everyone at once.
Let's start with the pills. The prices are relatively low, and you should be able to accept them."
The crowd couldn't help but grumble in their hearts, "...There aren't any Level 4 zombies outside yet, how can we accept these prices?"