Ch. 4 – Haggling

While Yves continued his unintentional acrobatics, the people around him shared amused glances, and a few emojis of clapping hands and laughing faces started popping up around him.

Yves only became aware of the crowd he had drawn when he landed the third jump. A blush of embarrassment crept over his cheeks as he processed the impact of his recent actions.

FrogHeadFanatic: "Nice moves, Crow! You've got some serious jumps!"

MasterBitter: "Haha, Mr. Crow, putting on an acrobatics show for us!"

MrBreast6900: "Forget shopping, I'm here for the acrobatic show!"

Fraudkuna: "Move over, everyone! Mr. Crow's got some serious hops!"

With more comments flooded in, Yves decided it was time to make a quick exit. He swiftly moved out of the crowd, trying to distance himself from the unexpected attention.

Once he was at a safe distance, he couldn't help but mutter to himself. "Damn, that was pretty embarrassing."

Laughing softly and shaking his head, Yves refocused on his original purpose in the Virtual Market. "Alright, back to my main reason for being here. I've got limited time, and this experience isn't free. I shouldn't waste a single moment. Time to make the most out of my bucks."

Considering his next move, he thought. "What should I do first?" It occurred to him that searching for the materials needed for the Shadow Step Tanuki evolution route should be his priority. "Yeah, that's it. Let's find those items first."

Yves opened his virtual interface once again and navigated to the search section. Typing out "Lesser Shadow Crystal," he then selected the filter option, choosing to display items sorted by cost from least expensive to pricier.

As the search finished loading, a list of Lesser Shadow Crystals available in the market appeared. The lowest-priced one was listed at $1,000 each. Yves chuckled, already expecting the cost to be on the expensive side.

"Heh, well, I knew this wouldn't be a budget-friendly shopping spree."

Without losing momentum, Yves moved on to the next item on his list, the "Lesser Mana Crystal." He typed it in, applied the same filter, and found the most affordable one at $500 each.

"Alright, not bad." Yves muttered, feeling a bit relieved at the lower cost of this item.

Moving forward, he searched for "Standard Dark Grass." Again, he sorted the results by cost and found a reasonably priced option at $20 per unit.

Yves nodded in satisfaction. "That's more like it, staying within budget."

Next on the list was the "Standard Shadow Leaf." Yves applied the filter, and the results showed the most budget-friendly choice at $10 each.

Lastly, he searched for the "Advanced Shadow Spiritwood Twig." Sorting the results, Yves, of course, settled on the cheapest one listed, though it still carried a significant price tag of $2000 each.

Recalling the quantities he needed for each item—1 Advanced Shadow Spiritwood Twig, 1 Lesser Shadow Crystal, 1 Lesser Mana Crystal, 5 Standard Dark Grass, and 20 Standard Shadow Leaves—Yves calculated the total cost of acquiring these materials.

"So, all in all, $3800." he murmured. "Fortunately, it still falls comfortably within my budget range. Otherwise, I'd be stuck waiting for the next payday to gather the materials needed."

Yves shifted his attention back to the screen and navigated to the Lesser Shadow Crystal that he had bookmarked. He selected the "teleport" button beneath it, initiating the process that would transport him to the stall where the crystal was currently displayed and available for purchase.

The interface flashed a message: "Teleporting to 'Mystica's Shop' in 3... 2... 1..."

Now, in a different setting, Yves found himself standing in front of a store with a signboard that read "Mystica's Shop." He quickly entered, and his eyes were greeted by a display of various materials behind transparent glass.

Walking towards the counter, Yves noticed a girl at the counter. She had long, beautiful dark violet hair and eyes like deep purple gems. Her skin looked flawless and glowed softly. The woman wore a tight white polo and skirt, showcasing her sexy figure.

Her lips, with a pinkish hue, looked invitingly juicy. Despite being slightly shorter than Yves, she exuded confidence and charm.

The girl behind the counter looked up as Yves approached, and an attractively warm smile lit up her face.

"Hello, welcome to Mystica's Shop! I'm Crystal. If there's anything specific you're looking for or if you have any questions, feel free to ask!" the girl greeted, her voice soft and inviting, adding to the pleasant atmosphere of the shop.

Yves returned the smile and said. "Nice to meet you, Crystal. You can refer to me as Crow. I'm here for some shopping – looking for the Lesser Shadow Crystal, Lesser Mana Crystal, Standard Dark Grass, and Standard Shadow Leaves from your market listings."

Crystal listened attentively as Yves proceeded to detail the quantity he wished to purchase for each item. Her violet eyes sparkled with interest, and she nodded along as he spoke.

"Nice meeting you too, Mr.Crow. Please wait for a moment, let me double-check our inventory for you."

She gracefully opened her holographic interface, tapping and swiping with precision. After a couple of moments, she closed it and said. "Great news! We still have a good stock of all the items you mentioned, Mr. Crow."

"For the amount you want, the total cost would be $1800." Crystal continued.

Yves, with a shameless grin, was not able to resist trying his luck. "Oh, Crystal, you know I'm a loyal customer. Any chance we could, you know, squeeze in a little discount?"

"How about a generous 20% off?" he added playfully, winking as if he was about to pull off the deal of the century.

Crystal, seemingly caught off guard, couldn't help but laugh at Yves' audacity.

"Mr. Crow, you drive a hard bargain. How about a 5% discount? That's the best I can offer." she proposed.

Yves, pretending to think hard, tilted his head and said. "Hmmm, 5%? Well, you know, I was thinking more like... 15%?"

"But wait, Crystal, let me sweeten the deal. If you give me a 15% discount, I promise I'll be a dedicated customer and always come to Mystica's Shop whenever I need materials. What do you say?"

Crystal, with a playful twinkle in her eyes, giggled and replied. "Dedicated customer, huh? Hmm... You know, just because you made me laugh, how about we meet in the middle at 10%? That sounds fair, don't you think?"

Yves, grinning, agreed. "Yes, that sounds fair to me. Now, about payment... Do you accept hugs as currency?"

Crystal burst into laughter, "Oh, Mr. Crow, you're quite the character! While hugs are tempting, I'll stick with the usual currency."

As Yves chuckled along, he found Crystal's laughter attractive. Crystal, after composing herself, continued with a smile. "So, with the 10% discount, Mr. Crow, the total comes to $1620."

Crystal tapped a button on her holographic interface, generating a QR code for the payment.

Yves nodded and opened his holographic interface, selected the scan option, and pointed it at the QR code. The payment process was swift, with his virtual market account connected to his wallet app, automatically deducting the agreed amount.

"There you go, Mr. Crow. Payment received. Your materials will be delivered to the address you've set tomorrow morning," Crystal replied.

Crystal then asked. "Is there anything else you need, Mr. Crow?"

Yves shook his head. "Not for now, thanks. Goodbye, Crystal. And thanks again for the discount."

"Goodbye, Mr. Crow! If you ever need anything, feel free to drop by." Crystal said with a wave and a final inviting smile.

Yves responded, "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. I always stick to my promises." With a friendly nod, he exited the shop.

As soon as he exited the shop, Yves's expression shifted back to its usual demeanor.

"Whew, that was draining. Interacting with someone that much. However, it's worth it I guess. I got myself a nice discount after all." he thought.

Deciding to move forward, Yves activated his interface, selecting the next destination – the shop offering the cheapest Advanced Shadow Spiritwood Twig. With a blink, he found himself in front of the new shop.

After a bit of haggling, he managed to secure the Advanced Shadow Spiritwood Twig for a final deal of $1900.

It was a small victory for Yves, who wasn't naturally inclined to be a social butterfly. In fact, he was quite the opposite – not particularly fond of lengthy conversations or engaging in small talk.

Yet, when there was a real benefit, like a discount on valuable materials, Yves was more than willing to endure the temporary drain of social interaction. It might be tiring, but the rewards were worth the effort in his eyes.

After wrapping up his shopping, Yves did some quick math. "Spent $3,520 today."

It was surprising for him, as never before he had dropped that much cash in less than an hour.

Despite the significant spending, Yves felt content. The fact that he could now evolve his partner brought a smile to his face. Sometimes, using money for something important feels better than saving it.