3: Chapter 3 Multiverse Street Vendor System

"Who? Who's talking?" Chen Ergou scrambled up from the ground, dusted off his backside, and looked around vigilantly.

The dead-end alley was empty; there wasn't even a ghost in sight besides him.

"Stop looking, stop looking, I'm right here." That cavalier voice rang out again. This time, Chen Ergou heard it clearly—the voice was coming from inside his own head.

"Who are you? What did you stuff inside my head?" Chen Ergou jumped in shock and subconsciously touched his head.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I am a system. Do you understand what a system is? It's that kind of... um, golden finger."

"Golden finger?"

"Right, a golden finger. Have you read novels? It's that kind of cheat exclusively for the protagonist."

Chen Ergou was silent for three seconds.

Then he sat back down on his butt.

"Am I hallucinating?"

"You are not." The stall system's voice carried a hint of impatience. "You touched the Myriad Worlds Stall and activated the myriad worlds stall system. From now on, you are this system's host."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Chen Ergou raised his hand, making a pause gesture, though he didn't know who he was gesturing to. "You need to explain this clearly to me first. What myriad worlds stall system? What host? Why can't I understand what you're saying?"

"Simply put—" The system's tone was like it was explaining common sense to an idiot, "I am a trans-world stall system. Every day, I provide you with bizarre merchandise, and you are responsible for setting up a stall to sell them. The gold coins you earn belong to you, and the system takes ten percent as a service fee."

"Bizarre merchandise?"

"Right, just all kinds of strange things that you definitely wouldn't be able to buy in any game store. The effects vary, some strong and some weak, but every single one has its unique features."

Chen Ergou blinked. "You mean... you give me the goods, I'm responsible for selling them, and we split the money we earn?"

"Smart! As expected of the host I chose."

"Ten percent service fee? That means ninety percent belongs to me?"

"That's right."

Chen Ergou quickly did the math in his head. Ninety percent profit—this business was worth doing.

But he was someone who had been scared by poverty, so he still had his guard up.

"What are you after?" he asked.

"What?"

"You're a system, what use do you have for money? What are you after?"

The system was silent for a moment.

"As for that... just don't worry about it. Anyway, as long as you don't lose out, that's all that matters."

Chen Ergou curled his lip. This answer was as suspicious as a scumbag saying, "Don't ask me where I am." But then he thought, he only had forty-six yuan left in his pocket; if he couldn't pay his rent at the end of the month, he'd have to go carry pork carcasses. What else did he have to fear?

At worst, he'd just get scammed.

He was so poor that even a scammer would have to leave him two hundred yuan for travel expenses.

"Fine, then show me what kind of goods you have first."

"Straightforward! I like that!" The system's voice sounded noticeably happier. "Come, come, let me show you today's merchandise."

Ding—

A translucent panel appeared out of thin air in front of Chen Ergou, with the following written on it:

[myriad worlds stall system — Today's Merchandise]

[Item 1: regret potion x5]

Quality: White Common

Effect: Rewind 5 seconds, undo the last action.

Side Effect: Within 2 minutes of use, you will uncontrollably speak your true thoughts.

Suggested Price: 3-8 Copper Coins/bottle

[Item 2: substitute scarecrow x3] (Locked, requires host level to reach LV.3)

Quality: White Common

Effect: Summon a scarecrow that looks exactly like you, attracting monster aggro for 30 seconds.

Side Effect: The scarecrow has its own AI; it might scream and run away, dance, or attempt to reason with the monster.

[Item 3: shrinking cookie x5] (Locked, requires host level to reach LV.5)

Quality: White Common

Effect: Shrink to the size of a mouse for 5 minutes, can crawl through narrow spaces.

Side Effect: Speech becomes squeaking, and cats and chickens in the game will chase you.

[Item 4: rebound wristguard x2] (Locked, requires host level to reach LV.8)

Quality: Green Excellent

Effect: Reflect all damage to the attacker for 10 seconds.

Side Effect: Also reflects buffs; if a teammate heals you, you will reflect the damage back to the teammate.

[Item 5: clairaudience potion x3] (Locked, requires host level to reach LV.10)

Quality: Green Excellent

Effect: Hear all conversations within 200 meters for 10 minutes.

Side Effect: Can hear NPCs' inner monologues.

Chen Ergou stared at the panel for a long time, his eyes growing brighter the more he looked.

"regret potion? Rewind five seconds? Isn't this thing an artifact in the game?!"

"You bet." The system said proudly. "Just think, when fighting a BOSS and you miss a strike, drink a bottle, time flows back, and you can try again. When PK-ing and you use the wrong skill, drink a bottle, undo the action. This thing can be worth a hell of a lot of money in high-end matches."

"What about the side effect? Speaking your true thoughts?"

"Hehe, that's a different story. But don't worry, the buyers won't know about the side effect; you just need to hype up the effect, and that's enough."

Chen Ergou's mouth twitched. "You're quite... unscrupulous, aren't you, system?"

"This is what I call business intelligence, understand?"

Chen Ergou looked at the other locked items again: substitute scarecrow, shrinking cookie, rebound wristguard, clairaudience potion... Each one was incredibly bizarre, but every effect was quite practical.

Especially that substitute scarecrow—"might scream and run away, dance, or attempt to reason with the monster"?

Chen Ergou imagined the scene: a scarecrow that looked exactly like him standing in front of a BOSS, suddenly starting to dance, while the BOSS stared at it, completely bewildered.

He couldn't help it and snorted with laughter.

"What are you laughing at? What are you laughing at?" the system asked.

"Nothing, I just think these products of yours are... quite creative."

"Of course. myriad worlds stall system: handpicked goods from across the myriad worlds, quality guaranteed, honest prices for all."

"You just said the scarecrow might try to reason with the monster? What kind of reasoning?"

"As for that... the scarecrow's AI is random. It might say to the monster, 'We're all carbon-based lifeforms, why hurt each other?' or it might say, 'Big Brother, don't hit me yet, listen to me sing you a song.' What it actually says depends on its mood."

Chen Ergou: "..."

Did this game have some kind of bug?

"Alright, alright, forget about the ones that aren't unlocked yet." The system interrupted Chen Ergou's train of thought. "You have five bottles of regret potion on hand right now, hurry up and sell them. Oh, right, a team of adventurers just arrived at the west side of Novice Village. Looking at their equipment, they're likely heading to run a dungeon. What's the biggest fear when running a dungeon? Mistakes! Your regret potion is exactly what they need the most!"

Chen Ergou's heart stirred.

The biggest fear when running a dungeon is making a mistake; that statement was spot on. How many teams had wiped just because one person slipped up and used the wrong skill? If they had a potion that could undo that action...

"System, how much should I sell this potion for?"

"The suggested price is three to eight Copper Coins. But, business is all about your own skills. If you can talk them into it, you could even sell it for ten Copper Coins."

"Ten Copper Coins?" Chen Ergou calculated. "Ten Copper Coins converted to RMB is...",

"One Copper Coin is worth about 0.8 Yuan RMB, so ten Copper Coins is eight yuan. Selling all five bottles would be forty yuan."

Forty yuan!

Chen Ergou's eyes lit up instantly.

Forty yuan was enough for him to eat instant noodles for a week!

No, wait, he couldn't be so unambitious.

He was a man who had to pay three months' rent!

"System, this stall... can I carry it with me?"

"Of course. The Myriad Worlds Stall is bound to the host and can be summoned and retracted at any time. You can try it now—silently think 'Pack Up' in your mind."

Chen Ergou did as he was told.

With a hum, that dilapidated wooden frame turned into a golden light and burrowed into his body. He felt a slight warmth in his chest, as if something had been added there.

"Now silently think 'Set Up Stall'."

Chen Ergou silently thought it again.

Hum—

The wooden frame reappeared in front of him, still just as broken, with three legs, propped up by a brick, and a dusty, tattered cloth draped over it.

But Chen Ergou looked at this stall, his eyes filled with light.

This wasn't some broken stall; this was his money-printing machine!

"System, you said a team of adventurers arrived at the west side of Novice Village?"

"That's right, five people, levels between five and eight, currently preparing to run the Qingshi Mine dungeon. This kind of novice dungeon isn't very difficult, but the boss mechanics are a bit tricky, making it very easy to make mistakes. Your regret potion is exactly what they need in this time of trouble."

Chen Ergou stood up, dusted off his clothes, and packed up the stall.

He strode towards the west side of Novice Village with big steps, his pace light, his back straight, looking like a completely different person from the bewildered rookie who was crouching in the dead-end alley just a moment ago.

The opportunity to make money had arrived.

Forget about whatever side effects there were; he had to earn his first pot of gold first!

As for whether those poor saps who bought the regret potion would spill their true thoughts in public...

What did that have to do with him, Chen Ergou?

He was just an honest little merchant, after all.

Halfway there, the system suddenly spoke again: "Oh right, a word of advice."

"What?"

"When you're selling things, it's best not to tell the buyers about the side effects."

"Duh, I'm not stupid."

"No, I mean... even if you don't tell them, the side effects will still take effect. When they come looking for you to settle the score, don't you dare rat me out."

Chen Ergou's steps faltered.

"You're making me carry the can alone?"

"We're partners, aren't we? We share the fortune, but you take the trouble."

Chen Ergou: "..."

He started to suspect that he had activated a fake system.