02 Ticket to Another World
Listening to him speak without voicing any admonishment, Bai Xiaotong let out a relieved sigh. She had witnessed countless instances in the mortal realm where staff would eject filthy-looking customers from their shops, believing they might ruin the atmosphere and drive away potential buyers. It was an unpleasant sight she would rather not experience.
Besides, she rushed here today for something very important and she mustn't miss the chance. "Thank you, Mr. Midnight," she said with a gentle gaze, then turned toward the corner of the shop.
As a person from the martial world, Bai Xiaotong believed in repaying kindness twofold and returning grievances tenfold. Right now, she was starting to see the black cat in a much more favorable light. With that in mind, she decided to reward the 'kind' cat with a generous tip and a glowing five-star review after the transaction, hoping to boost his commission.
Midnight who was unaware of his good deed simply nodded and focused his gaze, following the woman slowly limping towards the payment section.
In truth, it wasn't that Midnight was being compassionate. With his keen sensing, the foul and fishy smell of blood coming from her was more than enough to violate his insides, but how could he nitpick and chase away a big spender like Bai Xiaotong when she was the only customer he had?
Thus, even if she was covered in wet cow dung and flies, the black cat would go and sniff all the odor off clothes if that could guarantee him a large sum of money and avoid being starved.
With slow, deliberate steps, each one more labored than the last, Bai Xiaotong moved to the elevated platform beside the counter. Her body felt like it might crumble, but she pushed on.
Once at the center, she placed her storage ring against her palm, summoning the spoils of her hunt. Red stones cascaded like raindrops and flowed out freely from the storage space, accompanied by thick leather hides, claws, and teeth from the otherworldly beasts she had slain.
As the items touched the platform, the ancient runes etched into the surface flickered to life, enveloping the stones. A bright horizontal line appeared before her eyes, shifting into a holographic screen, where digits, from zero, rapidly climbed higher, reflecting the value of her trade.
Hours passed as she fed the runic platform until the counter finally stopped at three hundred sixty-five million. With a heavy sigh, she turned to Midnight. Her limbs were aching while her body was barely holding itself together.
"There," she uttered. Her voice was strained, raw from exertion. "Three hundred sixty-five million monster byproducts. Not one digit less."
Midnight didn't answer immediately. His eyes flashed with a brief, robotic daze, calculating the transaction. Not long after, a delighted purr rumbled in his throat as he regained his composure, his enthusiasm returning in full force. "Three hundred sixty-five million, confirmed. Mid-level cat merchant, Midnight successfully received the payment. Please open your trader panel to begin the upgrade."
Bai Xiaotong followed and opened a status window that was connected to her consciousness and the system that runs the cosmic station. Compared to the normal blue screen earlier, her screen had a distinct touch of purple that flashed some of her details.
[Username: Immortal Bai - VIP14 (Pending Upgrade)
Species: Human
Origin: Martial Plain (Tainted)
Total Cosmic Credit: 9,635,000,000]
Ding!
[Cosmic Credit Received: +365,000,000]
And then, a golden flash appeared and the purple-colored screen flickered and began shifting until it became the regal hue of amber. The scene was followed by a series of notifications that covered her entire screen.
Ding!
[Cosmic Credit Updated! Your total balance is now 10,000,000,000.]
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have reached a total credit of 10 Billion Cosmo.]
[VIP Level upgraded!
VIP14 —>VIP15
VIP shop has unlocked new features and items on the same level.
{Check New VIP Privilege} {Proceed to VIP Shop}
Since the system had conveniently provided previews of perks at each VIP level to 'persuade' traders to upgrade, Bai Xiaotong had long since reviewed the benefits of each level before setting her sights on VIP15. She was also well aware of the types of items she could purchase from each shop, which helped her determine exactly which level she needed to reach in order to buy what she wanted.
Bai Xiaotong didn't waste any more time revisiting the details. With a quick tap, she pressed the option to shop, closing all the panels that were obstructing her view, completely ignoring the endless stream of notifications flooding her feeds.
This included the World System Notification that flashed across the entire region and interface of the Cosmic Station, complete with cringe-worthy balloons and fireworks, celebrating her achievement of reaching the famed VIP15 status. She had no time for such distractions.
Without a second thought, she either blocked them outright or moved their messages straight to spam.
[Dear host, please specify which cosmic store you wish to shop at.]
Bai Xiaotong's golden screen flickered briefly as she scanned the options. The name of the store appeared in her mind almost immediately. Within the blink of an eye, the screen effortlessly entered the shop's name as if pulled from her consciousness.
[Shopping Destination: Nyan-Nyan Cosmic Store]
[Online Shopping (New) Disabled. System Changing to Walk-in Transaction.]
"Thank you for choosing our store. What would you like to shop for, Nyaa?" Midnight's voice, ever polite, resonated through her channel, signaling the start of their transaction.
"Do you have the item I commissioned?"
"Nyaa! Of course, Immortal Bai," Midnight replied, his voice filled with delight. His small paws came together in a gesture of excitement. "I've been expecting you. Especially since you can only reserve 'limited-edition' items from your previous VIP level for a maximum of 180 days. Honestly, I thought you might miss it—today's the last day, Nyaa."
"Don't worry, nyaa. I made sure no one could snatch it up before you. Rest assured, I've prepared your package with the utmost care. Nyaa."
With a graceful flick of his elegant tail, Midnight revealed a translucent orb. Inside, a small, glowing blue marble floated, alive with an otherworldly energy.
"Everything as you specified, Nyaa."
"Out of all the little worlds that our shop had access to, this one is best suited for the human race similar to your current world." Midnight continued, cradling the orb as he sent it through the transaction channel. "Once you confirm the purchase, it will be yours, and Immortal Bai can migrate without a hitch."
[Item Name: Gaia's Tear
Type: Wayfarer Pass (Consumable)
Usage: 1/1
Description: A swirling blue marble, believed to be the tears of a goddess. It contains a fragment of the cosmos connected to Gaia's home planet.
World Status: ???]
"Question mark?" Bai Xiaotong frowned.
"Is this broken? Why is it not showing anything about the status of that world?" She wondered and repeatedly tapped the screen but it didn't fix anything.
Instead, a jarring red notice appeared.
[System Notice: The Cosmic System operates under the laws of the universe, and as such, it cannot disclose information about independent worlds to external entities and alien lifeforms. Full details will only be revealed to the user after assimilation.]
[System Warning: The item