Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

The price of 36 Rune Essences was naturally acceptable.

You had to let a business make a little profit, after all.

”Of course, sir!” The male clerk was ecstatic and even offered to throw in a matching scabbard.

The soft leather material wasn’t bad, either. It was made from the tanned hide of a Bright Rhino, making it thick and sturdy, yet also very flexible.

While the clerk called someone over to help pack the sword, Su Chen and Yan Ruoruo continued to browse. Although this side hall of the shop wasn’t designated as a luxury counter, it primarily sold expensive, high-value items, and the foot traffic was noticeably lighter.

Su Chen picked out a new tactical belt. Woven from local nylon materials, it not only expanded his carrying capacity, but its metal buckle could also be fitted with various elemental metals, allowing it to serve as an external activator for an enchanted shield.

’Quite an ingenious design.’

He happened to have a spare Lightning Shield Lv5 Rune, so he immediately chose a buckle forged from Thunder Element Magic Metal.

At the same time, he also picked out a Wind Element belt for Ruoruo.

”Do you need a stab-proof inner vest with plates?” Su Chen asked her.

”It would restrict my movement.”

Yan Ruoruo shook her head lightly. ”With you by my side, I don’t need to worry.”

Hearing her calm and confident words, Su Chen, who was already used to it, knew her reasoning was sound. If Ruoruo had to wear a plated inner vest for their trip to the forest today, the journey of several hours back and forth would be incredibly uncomfortable.

Her physical stamina was one thing, but simply the pressure of the plates on her chest would be uncomfortable for her.

Su Chen didn’t dwell on it. As for the handgun he wanted to buy, the House of Equipment didn’t sell them.

As for gun and ammunition control in this apocalyptic environment, such regulations had become a formality since the apocalypse began. The reason was simple: everyone was fighting for the survival of the human race, and the destructive power of many Rune Casters already surpassed that of artillery shells.

Such a rule was naturally unnecessary.

The reason firearms weren’t sold to the public was also simple: the transmigrated Dongfu City had no industrial zone. There were hardly any modern lathes in the entire city, making it a problem to rifle gun barrels.

But that didn’t mean there were no solutions—there were always more solutions than problems. Even with the crudest method, a skilled craftsman could create rifling by broaching with a hook cutter.

And with production unable to ramp up, they still couldn’t meet the massive demand from the Combat Defense Department, so how could they possibly sell to the public?

Before long, Su Chen had browsed the entire House of Equipment and found nothing else he wanted to buy.

After his shopping spree, he had spent a total of four Lv3 Runes.

A single Lv3 Rune was equivalent to 12 Rune Essences, which meant he had spent 48 Rune Essences in total.

Generally speaking, this was the de facto largest denomination of currency used in transactions. Lv4 Runes, which involved Spiritual Materials, were almost never used for shopping.

”Thank you for your business. Please come again.”

The male clerk, happy with his small commission, saw them off enthusiastically.

Su Chen placed the thick, heavy Holy Sword into his canvas backpack. A good portion of the blade remained exposed, so he tightened the drawstring at the top before leaving with Ruoruo.

There were many other shops near the border town, but the two mines at the base of the city wall did not sell to individuals.

In addition to directly supplying the official House of Equipment, they also had agreements signed with the major forging workshops.

As for the source of the minerals, some were purchased from groups of Loose People, while the rest came from mine bosses who had assembled their own engineering teams to excavate a nearby mountain.

Just then, Yuan Haotian’s voice came over the walkie-talkie. He excitedly reported that someone wanted all four of the Runes he had just listed, and the buyer was at the Sage’s Market.

Hearing this, Su Chen wasted no time and headed directly to the private trading post with Yan Ruoruo.

...

The renowned Sage’s Market was formerly the office of a mountaineering travel agency.

”The boss is still the same guy; it wasn’t some hostile takeover.” Yuan Haotian couldn’t help but share the amazing story of his Boss Chen as he came to meet them.

Cyan Dragon Ridge was just a small peak in this vast mountain range, and trying to cross the entire range was still quite risky. Just a month ago, someone had fallen to their death from a cliff.

This travel agency, as it turned out, also provided mountaineering guides and rescue services.

After the apocalypse hit, Boss Chen and a group of physically fit young people managed to carve out a place for themselves in this borderland. Once they had successfully built up their strength, he shrewdly seized a massive business opportunity.

Due to differing personal Elemental affinities, many people ended up with Rune Essences they were unable to absorb or use.

In the apocalypse, there was no app for trading second-hand goods. Seizing this god-sent opportunity, Boss Chen gathered his people and pivoted, becoming the first person in the Qixia District’s border town to venture into this new field. The guides were all silver-tongued as well, and business had been booming ever since.

”You know, a lot of people are green with envy over this platform business,” Yuan Haotian said, his tone filled with admiration. ”They’re all trying to calculate how much of a cut the boss takes each day, but it’s no use for the other trading posts that popped up later. They’re all jealous, but they just can’t catch up.”

Su Chen listened but didn’t have much of an opinion on the matter. He just wanted to complete the trade quickly.

He had submitted a new trade list a little after four in the afternoon and was surprised to get a response so quickly, let alone from someone who could fulfill the entire order at once.

Compared to the unknown thugs from his first arranged trade, this party seemed much more respectable: members of the Broken Spine Squad, a well-known name in the Qixia borderlands.

The meeting was set for a private room on the second floor of the Sage’s Market.

The room wasn’t large. It had once been the travel agency’s ”Backpacker Emergency Training Room.” Now, a topographical map of the forest hung on one wall, along with signs bearing slogans like ”Absolute Confidentiality” and ”Privacy Guaranteed.”

Two men sat across the table. One was tall and brawny, a short-barreled ”Thunder-Boom” shotgun slung at his waist. He sized up the people opposite him with eyes as sharp as a falcon’s.

The other was a slender young man with a harmless, baby face. However, three High-Explosive Detonators were strapped to the outside of his lightweight Armor, and he exuded a ruthless aura from his very core. This was Zhang Ling of the Broken Spine Squad.

He spoke, ”Never seen you two around before.”

Su Chen’s expression remained unchanged as he pushed five sealed vials to the center of the table.

The other party did the same, placing five vials of the requested items on the table, and they silently swapped them.

”We just arrived last night,” Su Chen replied calmly.

Zhang Ling stared at him for two seconds before letting out a low chuckle. He didn’t press the matter, instead uncorking a vial and absorbing its contents on the spot. A tide of wood-like energy surged around him; he had clearly leveled up.

On the other side, an aura as heavy as a mountain emanated from Su Chen. The air grew thick, and dust on the floor swirled up before instantly settling again. He, too, had upgraded on the spot, his presence no less imposing.

’Gravity Skill Lv6.’

Zhang Ling’s pupils constricted. Both sides had shown their hands. He had upgraded his Leaf Blade Skill to Lv6, a skill as swift as lightning that could cut through anything.

Seated at the square table in the private room, the two were no more than four meters apart.

Given the glass-cannon nature of Rune Mages, it seemed that whoever struck first would be the victor.

The air grew as taut as a bowstring. Even the cold air blowing from the vent seemed to suddenly grow warm.

”I’m a law-abiding citizen, but one must be cautious when trading with strangers.” Zhang Ling suddenly smiled, breaking the stalemate. He patted the detonators on his chest, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.

”One last friendly piece of advice,” he added. ”I’m also a Bounty Hunter, so try not to appear on any official wanted lists.”

He didn’t linger, slowly standing up and backing toward the door with his companion. He even politely closed the door on his way out.

Su Chen remained silent and indifferent, his mind perfectly calm.

He didn’t really mind. You were bound to meet all sorts of people at a private trading post.

Putting himself in their shoes, it made sense. The Broken Spine Squad was a semi-official partner, and their contribution ranking at the Resource Exchange was quite high. It was only natural for them to be wary of a powerful stranger they had never heard of before.

’Of course, if the other party had panicked and lost control, he wouldn’t have minded hitting them with an early Gravity Skill Lv7.’

When he had snatched this Rune from the giant hippo’s corpse, its upgrade progress bar was already quite full. After adding one Spirit Marrow Crystal, two portions of Spiritual Dust Sand, and the Rune Materials from the trade, he naturally completed the upgrade.

A new trait was also unlocked.

’It wasn’t Lv6, as the other party had assumed, but Lv7.’

Thanks to his first Core Authority, Su Chen had unconditionally obtained the trait and effects of the Rune’s next level.

Perhaps because he had crossed a major threshold, another trait—one that would seem terrifyingly incomprehensible to an ordinary person—was unlocked.

**Dual Vector:** Apply two independent Vector Positions to a single target or area, creating a dual-vector pull.

To put it simply, if the other party had made a rash move just now, Su Chen could have used the dual, independent Vector Positions to pull his head and body in opposite directions, ripping him apart without ever triggering the High-Explosive Detonators on his chest.

’I really wanted to test its effect,’ Su Chen thought with a strange sense of regret.