城市猎人：系统升级之王

Chapter 33: Seven Shops

In the three-dimensional space of his mind, Li Nianlong opened the shop tab, and in the next moment, the scene transformed into a futuristic commercial street with a clear blue sky overhead. The ground beneath his feet was not paved with concrete, marble, or cobblestones, but rather with shimmering metal that was so hard that a simple fall could result in fractures.
On this steel-built commercial street stood just seven solitary shops, each occupying over a thousand square meters and towering ten stories high. Each building was magnificent and uniquely designed, resembling structures from a sci-fi future.
These seven shops were respectively a pharmacy, a weapons shop, an armor shop, a jewelry store, a props shop, a blueprint store, and a tailor's shop.
Despite the futuristic setting and grand architecture, Li Nianlong found it eerie that the street was deserted, not a soul in sight. It felt like a desolate steel city at the end of technology.
"Dragonfly!" Li Nianlong felt a chill and promptly summoned Dragonfly. "What's going on here? Why is there no one?"
Dragonfly hovered mid-air and smiled. "This shop is exclusive to the host, so no other creatures will appear. However, each shop will have a system-generated intelligent NPC owner."
"This is too quiet. Can't you add more people? Even passersby would do," Li Nianlong said, uncomfortable with the ghost town atmosphere.
"Currently, that's not possible." Dragonfly shook its head lightly. "Host's current level and permissions are too low for the system to fulfill such a request. However, as the host's level and permissions increase, creating intelligent NPCs will become easier."
"That's good." Li Nianlong relaxed. He'd rather not come here if it remained this desolate.
Looking up at the shops, Li Nianlong inquired, "What's the deal with these shops?"
Dragonfly landed on Li Nianlong's shoulder, wings fluttering, and pointed at the shops. "These shops are features unlocked when the host reached Level 1 permission. Each of the seven addresses different needs. For example, the pharmacy sells various miraculous medicines; the weapons shop offers a range of powerful arms; the armor shop sells ultra-defensive armors; the jewelry store sells gems with different attributes that can be embedded in weapons, armor, or other items, serving various purposes; the props shop sells all sorts of peculiar items like masks, headpieces, brooches, belts, and so on; the blueprint store sells designs for complex devices and mechanisms, making it cheaper to craft items from blueprints than buying ready-made ones; and the tailor's shop is for purchasing clothes, curtains, bedding, all with unique functions and attributes. Host will discover their specifics."
After hearing Dragonfly's explanation, Li Nianlong asked, "Can I bring these things back to the real world?"
"Absolutely." Dragonfly smiled. "The Dreamland System is not illusory but real. As long as the host has sufficient funds, anything here can be brought back to reality."
Excitement flashed in Li Nianlong's eyes. "Excellent! Very excellent!"
If he could buy powerful items here, wouldn't eliminating Long Zongheng be a piece of cake?
In his excitement, Li Nianlong thought of a question. "Dragonfly, can real-world currency be used here?"
If Renminbi couldn't be spent here, relying solely on money earned from defeating monsters would likely be insufficient, akin to finding a treasure trove but leaving empty-handed, a great misfortune indeed.
"It can." Dragonfly's answer thrilled Li Nianlong. "Any legally obtained money by the host can be used in the system. To convert, the host simply needs to place cash or bank cards in the money slot, and the system will automatically convert it."
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" Everything seemed perfect.
Buoyed by excitement, Li Nianlong stepped into the nearest weapons shop.
The weapons shop owner was a muscular man in his forties, with a dark complexion and a bare upper body. In his left hand, he held a pair of tongs gripping a metal ingot, while his right gripped a massive hammer, pounding the ingot with force, each strike sending sparks flying. Through continuous strikes and hitting different spots, a rhythmic sequence emerged, forming a blood-boiling melody of clashing metals.
Li Nianlong watched the forging process with interest, finding the rhythmic beats filled with masculine beauty.
Half an hour later, the man stopped and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel slung over his shoulder. He looked down at Li Nianlong, towering over two meters tall. "Take a look yourself if you want to buy anything. Prices are marked clearly, fair to all."
The man's expressions and tone were so lifelike that Li Nianlong felt like he was facing a real person, momentarily stunned.
Seeing no response, the man's thick brows furrowed. "If you're not buying, leave. Don't waste my time."
Damn it! He looks more and more like a real person.
Li Nianlong turned to Dragonfly. "He's really a system NPC? Not a living person?"
Dragonfly chuckled, covering its mouth. "Yes, every creature here is a system-generated intelligent NPC. As the host's level and permissions increase, the system evolves and improves, making the AI more human-like. Haven't you noticed since reaching Level 10 that my expressions and tone have become richer?"
Li Nianlong observed Dragonfly, pondering for a moment. Indeed, actions like 'covering the mouth and chuckling' were beyond Dragonfly before, and as for the tone... he hadn't paid attention.
"It does seem a bit different now."
"That's the system's self-improvement. As long as the host keeps leveling up and gaining permissions, up to Level 100 and unlocking Level 10 permission, the system will be fully optimized, providing more assistance to the host." Dragonfly seductively said.
Li Nianlong was intrigued. Glancing at Dragonfly, he said nothing and walked towards the shelves. Realizing Li Nianlong saw through her attempt at persuasion, Dragonfly looked embarrassed and fell silent.
The thousand-square-meter area was vast, with hundreds of rows of counters, each displaying different weapons, including both cold and modern firearms.
The cold weapons ranged from Chinese swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, tridents, plum blossom darts, willow leaf knives to Western thin swords, two-handed swords, and double-bladed axes. The modern weapons included ordinary pistols and grenades, priced reasonably, with the most expensive not exceeding ten thousand yuan. However, these weapons were too ordinary, effective against regular folks but useless against martial arts experts who had trained for years.
Take Chen Zongrui as an example, a thirty-year martial arts practitioner who could slightly outmatch Li Nianlong when he was Level 6. By Level 6, Li Nianlong was confident in evading bullets, and his strength surpassed a thousand jin. When using Random Fist, his attack and speed received a 10% boost, and even then, Chen Zongrui could withstand him. Regular police pistols were no threat to Chen Zongrui.
If a thirty-year practitioner was like this, what about those who trained for forty, fifty, or even eighty years? Martial artists in this world could live up to 150 years, with their prime potentially lasting until 100. Against a century-old master, even sniper rifles would be useless. The first floor's weapons were clearly too basic.
After browsing the first floor, Li Nianlong found every weapon mediocre. The cold weapons were inferior to his Mountain Splitter and Golden Snake Whip, akin to beginner-level gear in a game.
Shaking his head, Li Nianlong intended to check the second floor, but after circling the first, he froze, unable to find the stairs leading up.
"Dragonfly, where's the way to the second floor?" In this crucial moment, Li Nianlong turned to the 'neglected' Dragonfly again.
"Dragonfly regrets to inform the host..." Seizing the opportunity, Dragonfly's eyes lit up with joy, fluttering its wings to hover in front of Li Nianlong. With a tinge of regret, it said, "All shops here have ten floors, each corresponding to different level restrictions. The host is currently Level 12, and according to system settings, can only purchase items on the first floor of each shop. Only after reaching Level 20 will the path to the second floor open."
"Is that so!?" Li Nianlong was taken aback.