Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 620 - 618 - : The Dragon Head
"Okay."
The NPC saleslady flashed a sweet smile, revealing six teeth, and pressed a few buttons on her desk. A virtual projection of the square immediately appeared. "What type of land and what specifications are you looking to purchase?"
Li Ang walked around the blue, semi-transparent virtual projection. The plots with existing buildings were marked in red, while those already sold but undeveloped were marked in orange.
"If I want to buy these lands," Li Ang pointed at the orange plots that already had owners and asked the NPC saleslady, "can the sales office provide me with the contact information of the current landowners?"
The NPC saleslady shook her head. "Sorry, that's prohibited."
"Fine, I understand. After all, we need to prevent endless harassment."
Li Ang nodded and cast his gaze back to the map projection. The Global Occult Coalition is at the three o'clock position of the square, with the Special Affairs Bureau just below it. Whale Song, Bell Tower, and the Temple Knights are at the six o'clock position. Datura, the Demon Scientist Alliance, and the Witch Alliance are at nine o'clock. Prometheus Laboratory Company and other conglomerate-backed companies are at the twelve o'clock position. The first and second rings around the square have been bought up by large organizations. The third and fourth rings are occupied by medium or small guilds and Secret Societies, or they've been bought by property speculators and listed on forums with asking prices...
Li Ang checked the Game Currency balance on his personal panel and wisely chose not to select land within the third or fourth rings.
If the renovation service is competitive enough, it doesn't matter if the shop is a bit out of the way. It's not like a trendy tea shop that requires a prime location.
With that thought, Li Ang had customer service filter out unclaimed, low-priced land for him. He settled on a forty-square-meter plot to the southeast of the square. Using 8,000 Game Coin, he secured ownership of the land and obtained a deed. Then, he turned and walked out of the sales office, heading southeast.
There was no denying that this location was quite remote. Unclaimed, gray-white buildings lined the way, and hardly any players were in sight. The whole place was pervaded with an air of desolation and emptiness.
Li Ang, however, didn't mind at all. Standing in front of his own forty-square-meter piece of land, he focused his will on the deed. The land immediately glowed with a dim light, no longer a monotonous gray-white, but reverting to its natural colors.
Muttering to himself, Li Ang activated the building mode of the online store and spent another 700 Game Coin to create the skeletal framework for a building. For a newly opened shop… building a small clinic-style bungalow should be enough, right?
The building mode in the online store was a huge money pit. It mandated the purchase of the building's framework. Even the exterior bricks, doors, and windows incurred a cost to generate. Only the furniture inside the house could be moved in by players from the real world.
Li Ang's money didn't grow on trees. Being a pragmatist (and frugal), he decisively chose the simplest style: a small bungalow with the cheapest wooden door and two cross-style windows. It was bare and plain, looking rather like a comically distressed face, or the dilapidated temple Sun Wukong had once transformed into.
These were all minor issues. After all, he could spend money to upgrade the building's appearance later if he wasn't satisfied.
Li Ang nodded in satisfaction and entered the building. He immediately heard a System prompt reminding him of the rights he possessed as the owner of the land and house.
In this house, he could freely use any player skills, equipment, and items, but he could not harm other players passing by while standing inside. Furthermore, the homeowner had the right to expel other players who entered the house uninvited. If the latter refused to leave or prepared to make trouble, the homeowner could call the Square Guard to ensure justice.
If the homeowner wanted to operate the house as a shop, they would have to pay for a commercial license and business permit. The entire process would be under the supervision of the square. Whatever type of service was provided, it could not harm the consumers.
Li Ang read through the business operation rules very carefully before closing the door. He then poured out a large pile of soil from his backpack slot and took out the furniture he had made before: tables, chairs, benches, a front desk cash register, air conditioning, a fridge, an operating table, a generator...
He had made all these pieces of furniture himself using soil from the Breeding Box as material with Alchemy. Alchemy was incredibly convenient in daily life; as long as one understood a substance's composition, they could create almost anything they desired from basic materials like soil.
Li Ang quickly finished decorating the interior. In case he ran out of materials later, he deliberately left a pile of soil on the wooden floor in one corner of the shop.
Next... Li Ang thought, sitting on a wooden stool in the center of the room. He then sent a message to the Mule: "Are you there?"
Since their last collaboration on the Underworld mission, Li Ang and the Mule's connection had grown stronger. In their conversations, the Mule had implicitly acknowledged that Li Ang himself was the employer from that time.
Li Ang had previously mentioned his plan to open a shop to the Mule. They had agreed that around this time today, the Mule would come over to offer some advice. As a self-proclaimed know-it-all, he would be giving free suggestions and opinions as a friend.
The Mule's reply was quick. "I'm at the square now. Send me your location."
Li Ang sent over the shop's coordinates, and before long, a figure wearing a BoJack Horseman mask approached the shop. He revealed his player nickname from a distance.
(Players could choose to show their information only to friends to confirm each other's identities.)
"Good morning."
Li Ang waved to the Mule from afar and stepped out of the shop. They appraised each other.
This was their first actual meeting. The Mule was slimmer and shorter than Li Ang had imagined. His voice sounded somewhat hoarse and rather androgynous. Combined with the ridiculous BoJack mask, it was impossible to discern his age or gender.
Similarly, the Mule was assessing Li Ang.
He wore a blue shirt under a white lab coat, black jeans, and off-brand sneakers. His hands were covered in rubber gloves, and he also sported a mask on his head.
After hesitating for a moment, the Mule couldn't help but ask, "So... why are you wearing such a big dragon head?"
Indeed, the mask Li Ang wore was a dragon head. It had deer antlers, green scales, a crimson mane like blood, and long Dragon's Beards that moved as if stirred by an unseen wind. Overall, its design was majestic and strikingly cool.
The only problem was that the dragon head mask was far too large, almost as wide as an average person's shoulders. As Li Ang moved, the dragon head wobbled unsteadily back and forth, side to side, making him look quite silly and inviting ridicule.
Li Ang put his hands on his hips, the Dragon King mask swaying as he did. "Because I'm going to be the top dog in this industry," he said matter-of-factly. "Naturally, I need to start with a big boss's dragon head to match my status.
"This thing not only looks dazzling, but the Dragon's Beards on each side of the nose hide a mechanism.
"Pull the left Dragon's Beard, and the Dragon King mask can spray sulfuric acid. Pull the right one, and it can spew flames.
"Unleashing it suddenly on the battlefield could completely catch an enemy off guard, ensuring a direct hit. It's an essential item for home, travel, and assassinations.
"This is the first product of my shop. What do you think?"
Going out to assassinate someone while wearing such a huge dragon head? You'd be caught and have your legs broken in minutes! The Mule swallowed, unsure how to respond.
