The moment Fu Xuan spoke, a hush fell over everyone.
They held their breath and listened, their hearts thumping, craving the single answer they all wanted.
When Fu Xuan finally gave a positive reply, the crowd erupted like a sleeping volcano suddenly spewing fire.
"This is actually real!"
"Holy—! My chance to turn things around is here."
"If the Xianzhou actually shows up with, like, a hundred or so Emanators, what's there to be afraid of from the Denizens of Abundance? We'd stroll through the whole universe!"
"I was first in line—nobody's taking the first spot from me!"
"Get outta here, I was clearly first."
The live-chat blew up even more; comments streamed like floodwaters and Guinaifen couldn't even thank fans for gifts fast enough.
[Unlicensed Pilot: "This is so ridiculous but real? Ugh, if I didn't have annual leave to use up, I'd fly to Luofu right now."]
[New Year's Big Duck: "If Belobog could get a powerful Curio, maybe revival could come quick. Shame Belobog can't fly through space yet."]
[Penacony Little Pigeon: "The streamer's on-site—any chance they can do overseas proxy purchases for fans?"]
[Unlicensed Pilot: "Oh, that's a thing? I didn't think of that. Streamer streamer, help me buy a trash can, I'll tip you with a Star Splitter as payment!"]
[New Year's Big Duck: "Can the streamer ship to Jarilo-VI?"]
[Premium Reroller: "Honestly, compared to those Curios I'm more interested in the shop owner."]
[Lil Jelena: "If Luofu's Master Diviner says they got a top-tier Curio, that person has serious backing."]
[Black Tower: "Someone has more Curios than me? And they're selling them? Unforgivable."]
The crowd pressed in at the shopfront like a pot boiling over; if not for Cloud Knights blocking the path, the store would have been trampled already.
Watching the feverish crowd, Fu Xuan exhaled softly—unsurprised. Anyone could see the value of these Curios; Otherwise there wouldn't be such an uproar.
And this was even before she mentioned the most powerful [Imagine Breaker].
Hope this doesn't turn into a huge mess.
"Master Diviner, could you tell us which Curios you obtained?"
Finally, a cautious fox elder squeezed through the crowd and asked Fu Xuan a crucial question.
Right—everyone seemed to have woken from a dream and hadn't even asked Master Diviner what had been obtained; they nearly assumed anyone could become an Emanator.
"Quiet, quiet. Everyone listen to what the Master Diviner says."
After a while the crowd calmed.
Fu Xuan thought for a moment and decided not to reveal the strongest [Imagine Breaker].
"Behold, this item is called [Fenglong Pill], and it can enlarge any chosen part of the body by one size."
Testing the waters, Fu Xuan chose a less spectacular item first to gauge reaction.
In her mind, something called Fenglong could probably be better named… ahem. Anyway, it's likely the sort of thing women would be interested in.
"Holy—! Buy! Absolutely but it! You can never have too many of these!" a scrawny man shouted first.
Fu Xuan frowned in confusion.
"Worth it, worth it! I don't really need it, cough, but it won't hurt to have more," an average-built man said eagerly at first, then his tone faltered though he still wanted to buy.
Then came murmured whispers—all the men wore expressions of strange resolve, but their words were vague.
Fu Xuan was utterly baffled by this coyness.
"Hmph! You men always think the worst! Obviously, this is better suited for us girls," a pretty fox woman scoffed.
"Hey, what are you saying—opportunity's for everyone. If I pull a Fenglong Pill, want to buy it from me for ten million?" someone called back.
"Enough. Listen to what Master Diviner Fu Xuan has to say!" the calm fox elder snapped; he wasn't interested in this item and hoped for something more valuable.
Fu Xuan smoothed her thoughts and stopped caring about their bickering.
After a short pause she produced an antique pistol. "This is the most precious item I obtained, named [Zafkiel's Sixth Bullet - Vav]. It can reverse time and send the user back several days; currently it can be used two more times. As for the rest, they are of lesser importance."
After weighing options, presenting this Curio as the highlight was the right move.
Compared to [Imagine Breaker], it wasn't as world-shocking, but it carried enough weight to convince everyone of its significance.
Besides, if [Imagine Breaker] were to be handed over to the Xianzhou for safekeeping, this would indeed be the most important item remaining in her possession—this is not a fib.
Unsurprisingly, after Fu Xuan finished, everyone there inhaled sharply.
Time control!
That notion stunned them beyond words.
There's a saying aboard Xianzhou: what medicine can a pharmacist never buy? The answer: the elixir of regret.
Who hasn't made mistakes? Who has no regrets? Everyone wants a chance to make amends.
Even the most upright life might have one use left—opportunity.
Many chances are only understood once they're missed.
Perhaps a life-changing moment was only a hand's breadth away, and for various reasons slipped past.
With an item that controls time, dodging harm or turning luck around is trivial—one could completely flip their fate.
And now Luofu authorities had it; that made it all the more significant.
Traveling back a few days was enough to fix many wartime mistakes.
How many lives could this save?
It was priceless.
"Travel through time! For real? Can it actually do that? There aren't even any Aeons related to time, right? This is insanely powerful."
"Of course it's real. When has the Master Diviner ever lied?"
"Someone already caught the Aeon's attention, and now the Master Diviner pulls a Curio like this. This trash-can shop is terrifying!"
"This is definitely powerful, but a trash can at a million Credits isn't cheap."
"Cheap? Time is money. Even reselling that Curio wouldn't be measured in mere millions!"
"It's easy to say, but what if it's survivor bias? There's definitely an element of luck—if I go broke buying a trash can and it turns out to be literal trash, what then?"
"Then it pairs nicely with the trash can."
"Hey, you punk, you asking for a beating?"
"Hmph, you're thinking too small. Ordinary people don't get one-step-to-the-top chances easily. But this shop already produced two priceless treasures, and there's a purchase limit—for ordinary folks, this is a bigger shot than anything else! Otherwise, you slave all your life and use your savings to see an Emanator once—you're not even qualified to meet them!"
"True. I want to buy one too, but I'm broke. Rent, utilities, groceries, instant noodles—my salary's gone. If only I'd risked it on a trash can early on."
…
People stared at Fu Xuan's [Zafkiel's Sixth Bullet - Vav] with eyes full of excitement, envy, and longing.
They turned their gaze to the two-story shop by the roadside, their hot looks obvious.
If not for Fu Xuan standing there, they'd have rushed in by now.
Seeing the crowd's fanatic gaze, Fu Xuan couldn't relax.
Her clear, measured voice reached them: "Everyone, calm down. Although there are treasures inside the trash cans, most items are useless. Hard-earned Credits don't come easily. I advise you to act within your means—if you lose yourself like in gambling and end up with your family torn apart and life ruined, isn't that another disaster?"
She had used her Third Eye to check the condition of the trash cans.
Purple and gold cans are rarer than one in ten.
Most are green, and their contents are things like [Fenglong Pill].
If you gain little, rejoice; if you lose, do not grieve. Of course, getting the best would be ideal.
Even blue Curios like teleportation scrolls aren't hugely useful for ordinary people, unless you're a bandit—they just save travel expenses.
But for struggling workers, sinking all their money into this would jeopardize tomorrow's livelihood.
Hearing Fu Xuan, many eager buyers hesitated.
People are like that—streamers hype them up and they might impulsively buy, but a single voice saying "it seems useless" sticks like a thorn and makes them reconsider.
Besides, a trash can costing a million Credits isn't cheap.
If the pulled Curio ended up pairing with a trash can and you could rewind to three calamities ago, losing family and home wouldn't be mere talk—people today are realistic.
Many looked at the shop unwillingly, but stepped back.
"Fu Xuan's right—a million Credits is a lot. Even in a game if you blow the pool, I couldn't accept it; let alone a real million Credits."
"Exactly. After graduating I finally settled in Exalting Sanctum and my mortgage isn't paid off. If this money doesn't return, next month I'll have to go home and give up."
"Right. Thanks, Master Diviner. I used to spend on game wives and regret it—never thought I'd get this carried away in real life."
One by one, people chose to heed Fu Xuan's counsel.
After all, ordinary folks cannot gamble their entire lives and livelihoods on a slim hope.