Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 610 - 609: Does This Make Sense?

Oh, I see!

After hearing the explanation, Jiang Yuanxin said no wonder this thing has a click-to-use button.

Previously, I didn’t dare to click without knowing the consequences after using it; it should be able to open options.

Sure enough, clicking to use Qu Luming’s name card brings up several options, but aside from instant calling, adding friends, location sharing, and teleportation are all grayed out, obviously, the other party hasn’t granted permission.

"I also want to order a custom-made name card of the same level. It’s not marked in this booklet, what’s the price?" He thought that since he wanted to give it to Qu Luming, it naturally couldn’t be cheap, so a higher price was fine.

Jin Lang quickly explained, "To be honest, this type of name card already falls under the category of luxury items showcasing skills among cultivator supplies. Although I can forge it, friends willing to spend so many Spirit Stones to customize name cards generally wouldn’t come to my small shop, so it’s not recorded in the catalog.

However, please don’t worry, Jin Lang’s Little Cottage has always been honest in business, I won’t charge an exorbitant price.

You can also take this name card to other shops to ask for prices, any that can produce the same level or even finer craftsmanship will definitely charge much higher than me."

He thought for a moment and quoted, "Three thousand Spirit Stones per name card, all crafting materials included, guaranteed to be more exquisite than this one. Would you consider this, sir?"

Three thousand isn’t expensive, as soon as the thought popped up, Jiang Yuan realized he was indeed drifting now.

Mainly because he often spent tens or hundreds of thousands on expenditures, he started thinking three or four thousand Spirit Stones wasn’t much. Little did he know, many clerks in the Market struggled hard for half a month yet couldn’t earn a thousand Spirit Stones.

Qian Duoduo, a formal Talisman Master, was incredibly happy to earn fifty thousand Spirit Stones in one go.

For the vast majority of ordinary cultivators, Spirit Stones with strong purchasing power were still hard to earn.

"I’ll order ten cards first." Jiang Yuan took out a silver note worth thirty thousand Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and handed it over, "Around when can I pick them up?"

Jin Lang fixed his gaze on the full-amount silver note for thirty thousand Spirit Stones, which could be withdrawn at any Marketplace Money Shop, thinking to himself that, indeed, wealthy people had such generous moves!

A name card just to give away, spending thirty thousand Spirit Stones to customize without blinking an eye.

"Actually, my shop only requires paying fifty percent deposit, the remaining fifty percent can be paid after satisfaction upon pick-up." He patiently explained with integrity, "Sir, you only need to pay fifteen thousand Spirit Stones first. I’ll expedite the process, you can come at this time the night after tomorrow to pick them up."

After paying the deposit and confirming the style of the name card, Jiang Yuan decided that he had no other matters to attend to temporarily, first sent a message to the Genius Refiner Leng Yutang asking about the situation in Sand Hill City, and then went to farm the Mysterious Cave to earn points.

The automatic sprinkler was so handy, hoarding points often, as soon as it refreshed, directly redeem it, and soon he could free himself from the cumbersome job of watering the fields daily.

"Phew! Got another big order tonight!" After sending off the noble guest, Jin Lang came out of the shop and shouted downstairs, "Little Niu’Er, help watch the shop, I need to go out for a bit, when I return I’ll buy you some candy!"

Huang Niu’Er, hearing the cheerful shout, knew that the cultivator just now must have spent a lot of Spirit Stones customizing a Magical Artifact.

Looking at the elderly Puppets in the shop, with no customers entering for a day or two, he responded listlessly, muttering quietly, "Grandma, look at the business upstairs in big brother’s shop; I greeted that wealthy person, but they didn’t even glance at me and went straight upstairs. Big brother must have earned another big ticket!"

Huang Hanying, hunchbacked at a table filled with tools creating a puppet arm, replied without lifting her head, "That indicates the guest needs custom Magical Artifacts or Treasures, not Puppets. If needed, he would inquire without you inviting him."

The lukewarm response, coupled with the oppressive wormy dimness inside the shop, made Huang Niu’Er’s already frustrated heart feel even more pent-up; he hated the unchanging life of poverty!

He had enough of living in the small shop, making the endless parts!

Through the half-open shop door, Huang Niu’Er looked up at the luxurious, beautiful Wooden Towers above, covered with a halo in the drizzle and bright lights, appearing even more distant and full of temptation.

Zhao the guest was rejected three times, indeed never returned, probably found a Puppet Master willing to custom make his Puppets for him.

Ten thousand Spirit Stones just slipped by, the more he thought about it, the sadder and angrier he became.

That old hag kept saying it was for my own good; if it really was, why not earn more Spirit Stones to buy me Elixirs, or spend on good Magical Treasures to assist cultivation? Why not let me go out to explore the world?

Treasures, Secret Realms, fortuitous adventures, those are the things a cultivator should experience, not doing these daily trinkets!

Being stuck in such a shabby little shop, I’ve really had enough!

"Grandma, why don’t you make a puppet to share some of the work of making parts?" Huang Niu’Er got more and more irritable thinking about it, feeling his blood rushing to his head, and impulsively asked, "If we could make a puppet to shoulder our tiring work, others would see how useful it is, and naturally, more customers would come to order one."

Her hands paused slightly, and Huang Hanying sighed silently in her heart.

She knew this child was tired of the daily routine of polishing parts. In the past, she would have earnestly persuaded him, telling him that doing this trivial work was meant to sharpen his character so he could gain deeper insight into the cultivation technique and be able to make puppets independently in the future.

But now...

"Yes, you’re right. Grandma will make a puppet to share some chores another day." Her voice remained calm and unhurried, but her hopes for the child she had raised diminished slightly.

A child that can’t be relied on is unfit for heavy responsibilities.

Even if I’ve fought for ten more years of life, what’s the use? Ten years is too short a time, where could I find a trustworthy ally with integrity and loyalty?

For a moment, Huang Hanying thought of Jin Lang upstairs.

But she immediately dismissed the thought. That child is indeed good, but he’s an Artifact Refiner. One must know that Puppetry Technique and Artifact Refining are almost the same in some ways. If I reveal the secret to him, there’s no guarantee he won’t turn against me out of greed...

"Better make a few more! Also let the puppets go to the street to attract customers!" Unexpectedly, Grandma agreed right away. Huang Niu’Er was overjoyed that he no longer had to do these annoying chores and happily added, "Make them all beautiful women, with better figures and nice clothes, so they’ll attract customers on the street! Grandma, you have no idea, many wealthy cultivators love fancy things these days!"

A hint of disgust flashed in Huang Hanying’s eyes, and she coldly said, "Niu’Er, your Realm is still low, avoid associating with those who don’t stick to their proper path. Respectable cultivators maintain a righteous and honorable character and don’t fill their minds with thoughts of women’s figures and beauty.Mortals are fine, but if you have cultivation yet can’t resolve your private desires and instinctual nature, being aroused by beautiful appearances of the opposite sex, you can either fall into madness or be entangled by a Heart Demon; or fall into decadence and become an Evil Cultivator, and ultimately, cannot last long on this path if not corrected in time.

You’re still young, don’t learn cheap tricks, and don’t think about earning money through these means. We rely on craftsmanship, understanding cultivation techniques to create better puppets, and that’s the proper way."

She had resolved not to say more, but she didn’t expect that the child she raised right under her eyes had deviated this much. Huang Hanying felt it was necessary to discipline him and steer him back on track.

"Making money isn’t shameful." Huang Niu’Er automatically filtered out those broad principles, muttering softly, "The innkeeper in the back alley even uses rotten meat to deceive customers, yet he’s doing just fine, raking in profits! Last night, the waiter was favored by a noble, and asked for fifty thousand Spirit Stones..."

The old lady frowned deeply, interrupting his enthusiastic chatter and questioned, "That waiter is just a newly Foundation Establishment little demon, apprenticed to the innkeeper to learn cooking skills, in a master-apprentice relationship. A master selling their apprentice for fifty thousand Spirit Stones, is this right? If it were you, would you want me to sell you for fifty thousand Spirit Stones?"

Huang Niu’Er stubbornly snorted, "I wish it had been me being sold! You haven’t seen how luxurious the carriage that person rode in was. To become a disciple of such a wealthy noble is a thousand times better than staying in this Market Place!"

"You...." She looked at the child sitting at the store’s entrance, feeling estranged in that moment, "I blame myself for not keeping you by my side at all times to guide you.

I thought that since you are after all a child at heart, and the hard cultivation in the store every day is indeed dull, so I allowed you to run around and play. I didn’t expect that you made some bad companions and got infected with hearts full of fame and fortune..."

"Yes, I’m all about fame and fortune, so what?" Huang Niu’Er, having listened impatiently for a while, jumped up and shouted, "I’m not your biological child; I never asked you to save me or raise me! It’s your choice to act like a good person, bringing me to this Market to live a hard life, while claiming how great you are!

If you truly cared about me, why didn’t you find some wealthy and influential family to send me to, so I could live a life of prosperity and wealth from a young age?

I work for you every day, and you still accuse me of being greedy?

Open your old eyes and see how many cultivators are stubbornly sticking to outdated rules like you, without any adaptability. No wonder you’re poor at your age, never having eaten anything good in your life!"

"How are you speaking to your elder?!" Jin Lang was originally on his way to the Money Shop to exchange silver notes, but hadn’t walked far before he heard another argument coming from the small shop, with Huang Niu’Er getting more and more agitated with every yell.

He thought of coming over to mediate a bit because children at a certain stage do tend to rebel, and especially with a stubborn temper, offered separate guidance, and once the phase passed, it should be fine.

However, when Jin Lang returned to the shop’s entrance, he clearly heard Huang Niu’Er’s words, and an inexplicable anger surged in his heart. He kicked the door open and pulled up the little calf-shaped boy, "How dare you say such things? Ungrateful brat!

Do you know the truth of ’It can be repaid if one is born yet not raised, but if one is raised having not been born, a hundred lifetimes would struggle to repay’?

If Granny Huang hadn’t saved or raised you, you would already be dead, and where would you find the strength to argue with her here? Little Niu’Er, you’re still young, deceived by the dazzling sights in the Market, not realizing how lucky you are to have Grandma raising you and teaching you.

Now, you’d better cool down and realize your mistake, apologize to Grandma, and swear by Daoxin, that if you ever say such ungrateful things again, you’ll be struck by lightning and thunder!"

"Let go of me..." Huang Niu’Er was hoisted into the air by the tall and burly Jin Lang, unable to break free, feeling both humiliated and angry, his face flushed. When he was finally let down, he spat and shouted, "You all just bully me! None of you are good people!"

After shouting, he darted out the door and ran down the rain-drenched stone path, disappearing from sight.