漠城, Xuanhua Street
"Chef, I want to go out and explore on my own."
"Be careful, this big city is like a maze. Remember the hotel name, I don't want to put up missing person posters."
Leaving the crowd, Zhang Wei's face and posture gradually changed.
The Illusionary Transformation Technique was becoming more proficient.
He took out the bag, which contained a large number of metal coins.
The brass-colored ones were larger and roughly made.
The front read '1', and the back had the word 'Beli', weighing about 20 grams.
The silver ones were more exquisite, with various denominations and weights, such as 5, 10, and 20.
Xuanhua Street corresponded to the commercial street of his previous life. There were standardized stalls along the road and countless pedestrians and tourists.
"Boss, give me 20 grilled squid."
"Coming right up, thank you for your patronage, that'll be 1 Beli."
Zhang Wei was not impressed: "It's a bit expensive."
The stall owner raised his voice, immediately arguing, "It is a bit expensive, but my grilled squid is authentic. If it's not good, you can smash my sign!"
"Alright, alright, final offer, 30 skewers."
"25!"
"Deal."
Money and goods exchanged hands.
It had been so long since he had gone out, even haggling had become so fun.
Zhang Wei suspected he was a bit too cooped up.
Grilled squid was just ordinary food, without a capture level, but it was popular in Mocheng for its affordable price.
"The taste is indeed good. The squid is fresh, and the seasonings are evenly sprinkled. The control of heat is still a bit flawed..."
"A prime example of practice makes perfect. The stall owner probably didn't study it specifically; it's quite good to have reached this level through trial and error."
As the capital of the northern region, Mocheng had high prices.
A bowl of fried noodles cost 1/2 Beli.
400 grams of braised beef cost 1 Beli.
300 grams of fried silkworm pupae cost 1 Beli.
Restaurants with storefronts would cost at least 3 Beli for any order.
Some more refined establishments sold gourmet food with capture levels, mostly level 1 or 2.
The ingredients themselves were not cheap, and with processing fees, a meal would cost at least 10 Beli.
"Dart throwing and pot tossing with grand prizes, win all sorts of big prizes freely..."
"Ring toss, ring toss! Twenty rings for one Beli."
"Guest, come in for a drink, we have pipa music!"
"Fresh fruits and vegetables, on sale! Discounts for bulk purchases."
Leaving the bustling Xuanhua Street, Zhang Wei still had many important things to do.
The Desert Book Pavilion.
A grand building with an elegant yet magnificent architectural style.
The passersby were mostly refined and neatly dressed.
"Hello sir, are you a member or purchasing a ticket?"
There were more than a dozen young attendants at the entrance, responsible for checking tickets and guiding customers.
Zhang Wei said, "This is my first time here. I want to buy a lot of books to fill my library, and the quantity will be large."
The attendant's face lit up with joy. "It's an honor to have you at the Desert Book Pavilion, sir. You must be a reader who respects original works. What would you like to look at? I can give you a tour."
"Okay."
The Desert Book Pavilion was divided into several sections.
The browsing area offered lending services and part-time sales.
The warehouse stored backup books.
It operated its own printing, paper, and ink factories, located in the backyard along with the warehouse.
The core area was the rare book section, mostly comprising unique and out-of-print editions, as well as manuscripts from masters.
The pavilion also hosted art exhibitions, clay sculptures, and carvings, essentially encompassing all forms of art.
In addition, it had businesses dealing with newspapers and periodicals, which generated higher revenue than book sales.
"What types of books sell the best?"
"Biographies, serialized novels, illustrated guides, nude art books..."
"Nude art books too?"
"Of course, they are all works by renowned artists and are quite skilled! What type do you prefer, young and mature, intellectual, seductive, runway, or full nudity?"
"Ahem, I'm not interested in those."
It seemed that in any world, perverts were an important driving force.
They greatly contributed to the revitalization of the economy.
"The pavilion is busy, with good business, isn't it?"
The attendant sighed, "Original books are hard to sell. The pavilion returns a portion of the profits to the authors, and there are also venue costs, staff expenses, and so on, which make the books expensive. Few people are willing to spend money to support them, and many authors are so poor they can barely eat."
"Pirated books don't require venues or staff, and can be produced with cheap paper and a printing press. Their selling price is only one-tenth of the original."
The pavilion's products were exquisitely bound and made with thick, high-quality paper.
Some illustrated books were vibrantly colored, and the ink used was likely high-end.
Zhang Wei plunged into the ocean of knowledge, his main goal being introductions to various rare ingredients and their origins.
The knowledge related to culinary techniques and martial arts was very expensive, and Zhang Wei was not stingy.
"Compendium of Special Culinary Ingredients?"
This was not the first time Zhang Wei had encountered this term.
Not all ingredients could be eaten easily.
The higher the quality of the ingredient, the more magical properties it would possess. These extraordinary properties made them impossible to consume normally.
Take the Ghost Face Mushroom that Zhang Wei first encountered; it was covered in poisonous spores, and a moment's carelessness could lead to death.
There was also the meat of the Galon Tiger, which was sour and difficult to swallow. Zhang Wei spent a long time figuring out the correct cooking method.
The most difficult to handle was the Icefield Dragon. Its blood exceeded 1500 degrees. How could meat that could withstand such temperatures be cooked?
Zhang Wei had racked his brains for half a month and had not found an answer.
"Are there any other books about special culinary ingredients besides this one?"
The attendant looked it over. "This is a very niche book, selling only a few copies a year. How about this, I'll check the book catalog."
"Yes, give me a list of all books of this category."
"All of them?"
"Yes."
The attendant was overjoyed. This was a huge sale!
Zhang Wei stayed in place to continue browsing. These books could be stored in the space of the Treasure Hall, and he could read them slowly during his free time.
This could be considered one of Zhang Wei's few forms of entertainment.
It was also the most convenient way to understand the world.
One by one, soon, the books Zhang Wei had chosen piled up into a small mountain.
A rough estimate showed over two thousand books.
Several guides followed behind, pushing carts, which seemed quite strenuous.
"That's all for now. It should be enough for a while."
With the accelerated time flow in the Treasure Hall, Zhang Wei had a lot of reading time.
He arrived at the counter, where the store manager personally greeted him.
Seeing the quantity Zhang Wei had chosen, he immediately said, "Sir, are you redecorating your study? If you're looking to furnish your study, there are more cost-effective options."
To the average person, these books would be enough to read for twenty years, or even a lifetime.
Even for someone eager for knowledge, this much would be unnecessary.
"No need, I'm very interested in these."
The manager stopped talking and had four guides bring out abacuses to calculate the prices.
"That will be a total of 3758 Beli."
"We'll give you a discount, 3500 Beli. Here's our store's catalog, we can deliver next time."
Zhang Wei felt his money pouch and his expression suddenly became awkward.
Damn, original books are so expensive!
"Ahem... I feel like I might not be able to read this much."
The average price per book was between 1-2 Beli, equivalent to 50-100 RMB in his previous life.
In terms of price, it wasn't expensive.
But Zhang Wei had bought too many at once, exceeding the limit of his wallet's capacity.
The manager glanced at the size of the money pouch and understood immediately.
Seeing that Zhang Wei was well-dressed, he quickly said, "Did you perhaps not bring enough currency when you left in a hurry?"
"It's a bit coincidental."
The manager gritted his teeth. "It's alright, sir. Just leave a written IOU, and you can take the books first. You can settle the bill next time you come."
What the?!
They were so easygoing!
The manager smiled bitterly. "Sir, the fact that you came to the Desert Book Pavilion to shop and did not choose pirated copies is itself a reflection of your character. I believe you. Furthermore, besides the copyright fees, the pavilion's costs for these books are not high."