14: White basic consumables

Linzhou City, west side.

This place was a scar on the city's body; electrical wires hung like a chaotic spiderweb on the old residential buildings' outer walls, the ground was perpetually damp, mixed with the sour smell of food scraps and unknown liquids.

Lin Yu walked through the narrow alleyways, hiding himself in the shadows of the buildings.

He didn't know that his younger sister had gone back to that container after he left.

Nor did he know that Lin Yao, looking at a pile of toy banknotes he had casually duplicated, had conjured an entire tragic drama about a "genius Card Maker degenerating into a peerless counterfeit money criminal."

If he had known, he would probably only shake his head and sigh, lamenting that his silly sister's ambitions were only so big.

With the Ghost Card Amplification Cycle, he possessed theoretically infinite possibilities.

The world was his canvas.

Currently, Lin Yu was very cautious; he cherished his life immensely.

For the past five years, he had lived like a dog, not caring how he debased himself, because back then, he was merely accumulating fuel for a distant, slim hope.

But now, it was different.

His infinitely brilliant life had just begun.

It was no exaggeration to say... his potential was limitless!

However, he wasn't particularly strong right now; the recoil from punching through granite still left his arm throbbing.

If he accidentally died at a time like this... it would truly be a tremendous loss.

He wound his way through several turns, finally stopping in front of a hardware store that looked on the verge of bankruptcy.

A sign on the door read, "Under Renovation, Temporarily Closed."

Lin Yu didn't hesitate, reaching out to tap five times on the rusty rolling door with a moderate force, following a "three long, two short" rhythm.

A moment later, a corner of the rolling door silently lifted, creating a gap, and a cloudy eye peered out from within.

After confirming it was Lin Yu's familiar, malnourished face, the gap widened enough for one person to slip through sideways.

Lin Yu darted inside, and the rolling door immediately fell, cutting off the outside light.

This was one of the entrances to the largest underground black market in Linzhou City's west side, the "Junkyard."

The countless bottles of cheap mental stabilizers he had relied on to survive for the past five years were all bought here.

He couldn't afford those from regular pharmacies.

Passing through a narrow, musty corridor, the space suddenly opened up.

A huge underground area appeared before him, with various stalls haphazardly arranged; dim light bulbs hung overhead, and the air was filled with a complex scent of tobacco, alcohol, and sweat.

People came and went, but everyone covered their faces with hoods, masks, or low-quality magical illusions.

Anonymity was the black market's first rule.

Lin Yu, familiar with the place, walked to a counter in a corner.

Behind the counter sat a man also wearing a mask.

"A private room. And the cheapest 'Crow' set for one day," Lin Yu's voice was very low.

"Crow" was black market slang for the most basic disguise kit, usually a loose black cloak and a featureless white rigid mask.

"One hundred thirty in total," the man behind the counter said succinctly.

Lin Yu pulled out the crumpled hundred-yuan bill from his pocket, then rummaged out dozens of coins, placing them all on the counter.

This was the last of his real money.

The man took the money and handed him a key and a package.

Lin Yu took the items and quickly found the corresponding room.

The room was small, with only a table, a chair, and a scratched mirror hanging on the wall.

But the rooms here were absolutely safe.

Among other things, at least his Eye of Analysis couldn't see through them.

He quickly put on the loose black cloak and white mask, carefully storing his original clothes.

The person in the mirror was tall and thin, shrouded in the large black robe, showing no discernible body features, with a blank face, leaving only two dark, hollow eyeholes.

There was a faint flow of energy.

The more basic the service, the more stable it was.

After all this, Lin Yu sat down.

He looked at his empty pockets and fell into a brief contemplation.

Starting capital, gone.

To quickly improve his strength, buying materials, potions, and equipment all required money.

He needed his first pot of gold.

The Ghost Card's effect was to duplicate a used card.

When duplicating in the rental room, he had used the "Hundred-Yuan Banknote" Card.

"Duplication Successful!"

An identical "Hundred-Yuan Banknote Card" appeared in his hand.

He didn't continue using the Multiplication Card.

Duplicating currency was too risky. He didn't intend to go down that path.

This was merely a last resort, a means to acquire starting capital.

Forgive him, he swore this was the first and last time he would use counterfeit money!

He converted the card back, and a brand new hundred-yuan bill appeared in his hand.

It was kept very separate from the previous one, so there shouldn't be a problem.

With the starting capital, Lin Yu left the private room and re-entered the flow of people in the black market.

He didn't look at the stalls selling equipment or potions.

He couldn't afford those things yet, and they would easily draw attention.

His goal was clear.

After walking around for a bit, he finally stopped in an inconspicuous corner.

The stall was piled with various industrial waste and materials, and the stall owner was a skinny old man, also wearing a mask.

Lin Yu's gaze fixed on a pile of columnar substances emitting a soft white light.

White basic consumables.

This was a standard product created by decomposers, primarily derived from decomposing low-level equipment.

Its uses were extremely wide-ranging, from making equipment to construction, toys, and industrial production; it could be used for anything.

Because of its broad appeal, spanning both professionals and ordinary people, its price was very stable.

Standard unit, one kilogram, one hundred yuan.

The circulation volume was huge, and so was the demand.

The perfect first pot of gold commodity.

"Standard price, one hundred per kilogram," the stall owner said without lifting his head.

"One kilogram, please."

Lin Yu handed over the hundred-yuan bill he had just duplicated.

The stall owner took the money, scanned it with a low-quality counterfeit detector, and after confirming its authenticity, casually took a piece of material, put it in a bag, and tossed it to Lin Yu.

The standard for this stuff was also one piece per kilogram.

Lin Yu took the item and quickly returned to his private room.

He closed the door.

He poured the white basic consumable from the bag onto the table.

It was a moderate-sized piece, about the size of a palm.

Then, he reached out and pressed down.

Card Transformation!

This time, the Card Transformation process was significantly slower than making the pebble card before, and it consumed more mental energy.

Several minutes later, a card glowing with a white aura finally took shape.

"White Basic Consumable Card"

It was done!

Lin Yu didn't stop, immediately activating his core ability.

"Ghost Card Amplification Cycle!"

"Multiplication X256!"

The effects of eight Multiplication Cards instantly poured out!

With a whoosh.

Two hundred fifty-six kilograms! Two hundred sixty pieces of white basic consumables!