"Holy shit!"
"Damn, this person isn't simple at all. She even has spices like these."
"I can smell them from way over here. They smell amazing."
The whole chamber instantly grew restless. Even President Gong's throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his eyes squinting as he already pictured himself digging out a little cumin and chili powder later that evening.
Jing Shu had timed everything perfectly. She had just harvested a fresh batch of star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried tangerine peel grown inside the Rubik's Cube Space. She figured the black market would definitely attract some big shots who hungered for rare seasonings, and the gamble was paying off.
Even the normally calm young man appeared stunned. He crouched down, fanning the air with his hand like a seasoned professional to catch the full aroma. The fragrance of those spices drifted richly through the cold tomb air. He began his appraisal, carefully checking the color and texture of each bag.
After the young man finished examining everything inside the crate, he stood up with a deadly serious expression. "I will take all of these. Name your price."
Anyone who still pursued the highest quality of life in times like this and actually understood the value of real spices was clearly no ordinary individual. Jing Shu felt as if she didn't hold back her demands.
"I want iodophor, alcohol, saline solution, disinfectant effervescent tablets, and gauze. All of it." She didn't mean just a few samples. She gestured to the boxes stacked right behind him.
The two men helping the young man carry items had never seen anyone bargain with such fierce intensity. Their mouths curled into mocking smiles. Sure, spices were rare now, but they wondered how this tiny handful could possibly be worth that much life-saving medical gear. Medical supplies were even harder to find than food. There's an old saying that you don't need them often, but the moment you do and you don't have any, you are finished.
The young man obviously wasn't short on food. Rich people trading premium ingredients for resources was a common sight. The two bodyguards knew perfectly well how valuable those medical supplies were now. They didn't expect their boss to pause, then nod slowly.
"The goods are excellent, even better than those from before the apocalypse. So I will give you everything you asked for. I will also throw in some military-grade insecticide and a box of mugwort. But if I need more next time, how do I find you?"
The two bodyguards' eyes widened. They couldn't believe he was offering extras for a spice handful.
President Gong clapped his hands happily. Another successful deal had been struck. The young man's words reminded Jing Shu about an important detail. Mugwort was amazing. It was a medicinal herb used for fumigation and various treatments, and its vitality was incredible. Even after the apocalypse began, it could still grow in harsh conditions. Right now, it's one of the most cost-effective herbs available. Especially when bugs, snakes, and ants ran rampant, lighting some up worked wonders for repelling pests.
Jing Shu pointed at Fan Jianqiang. "Find him. Since you know how rare this spice batch is, use them sparingly. I don't have much stock left."
She had plenty, but there's no reason to say so. If there's a next trade, she would squeeze out a little more. She knew how to keep people hungry for more. If you feed them all at once, there's no follow-up deal.
The young man looked a little disappointed but didn't push the matter. He personally transferred every spice container, then had the two bodyguards carry over box after box of medical supplies. That sealed the deal.
President Gong patted Fan Jianqiang on the shoulder. The man's face looked completely lost. "Congrats, you have been upgraded to platinum membership. Sometimes, making the right choice matters."
Fan Jianqiang nodded, then shook his head, his mind buzzing like a hive. Jing Shu sat calmly in her chair, framed by the small mountain of items piled behind her. The height of the boxes made her presence look even more intimidating, and that enticing ham resting nearby added to the effect.
The trade fair continued. It's basically a massive secondhand marketplace where people could swap anything. Only those with some real power could bring out brand new, unopened items. But at this point, no one cared whether something was new or ninety percent used. As long as it was practical, you could trade it for a good price.
Jing Shu had her own quirks. Perhaps she had suffered too much in her previous life, but this time around she refused to use other people's old clothes, used daily necessities, or opened personal items. Besides, she would be heading back to Wu City soon, and opened supplies weren't reliable for the long journey. It's a bit of a shame since she passed up some useful things, but even so, she still traded for plenty of brand new odds and ends, including a lot of snacks that had basically disappeared from the world.
The giant ham shrank visibly with every deal, but the supply pile behind Jing Shu grew into a real mountain. Soon, the trade fair entered the gold-member exchange segment. The overall standard of the goods dropped a lot. There wasn't anything Jing Shu cared to look at anymore, and everyone else quickly realized her trade bar was unbelievably high.
"It's just a pity about the leftover ham. I wonder if it will even trade," President Gong muttered, his eyes darting back and forth.
But in the end, they weren't disappointed. When a brand new radio communicator and a drone appeared in front of Jing Shu, her eyes lit up instantly. She had her space, her snake scout, and her bees that acted as flying eyes, but drones could scout the open paths better and cooperate with her animals. Otherwise, she couldn't exactly tell people she was sending a snake to check things out. And radio communicators were crucial during migration.
There's only a little more than a year left before the deadly mass migration began. She had already started preparing in every direction, listing everything she would need based on all the horrible things that happened in her previous life. This time she intended to make it through safe and sound without any more life-or-death struggles.
The young man trading the equipment looked let down. He called out a few times, ready to step down from the stage, when Jing Shu stopped him. "I want everything you brought. Want to trade for the ham?"
He froze, looking troubled. "But... I want more food."
The audience remained silent. The guy who had just traded for rice jumped up immediately. "Here, take a bag of rice." Then he told Jing Shu, "Give me a meat piece?"
President Gong cut off a little more ham, and that deal was done. The black market continued, but the diamond-tier big shots had already started leaving. The later it got, the fewer valuable items there were. They wondered what the silver-tier members could possibly offer.
Jing Shu didn't leave. Even though the later exchanges were mostly tiny trinkets, she still wanted to look around. And it really didn't disappoint her. A batch of cheap modification materials appeared, and nobody wanted them. Hardly anyone in the capital tinkered with modifications anymore, and ordinary people didn't need them at all.