"It looks pretty good. Can I have one?"
Seeing the large stack of baked flatbreads, Chen Yan, who hadn’t had time for dinner yet, felt his eyes light up. Remembering something, he added, "Don’t worry, I won’t eat for free."
As he spoke, he instinctively reached for his phone, but his hand paused halfway.
His original plan was to scan a QR code to pay for the flatbread, add the man on WeChat, pull him into the employee group chat, and ideally treat him to a meal later. But as he pulled his phone out, he suddenly realized something. Although Old Zhai was a companion resident, it was obvious from his traditional attire that even if he recognized Hua Country currency, he definitely wouldn’t have a smartphone.
[DING—]
[Transaction need detected from host. Would you like to activate the currency exchange function?]
[Current exchange rate: 1 Heyu Tongbao = 1 Hua Country Yuan]
[Host’s personal account balance: Hua Country Yuan: 1664. Heyu Tongbao: 0.]
Just as he was debating whether to ask Old Zhai if he accepted cash, the familiar notification chimed in his mind, leaving Chen Yan completely stunned.
Currency exchange? And converting Hua Country currency to Heyu Tongbao, at that? Did this mean that, as far as Old Zhai was concerned, only Heyu Tongbao was considered real money?
"You are too polite, Boss. It’s just a piece of flatbread."
Seeing Chen Yan staring blankly at the stack of flatbreads, Old Zhai waved a hand dismissively and handed one directly to him.
Holding the slightly cool, crispy flatbread, Chen Yan didn’t bother taking a bite. After a moment of thought, he chose to activate the function and exchanged ten Hua Country Yuan. As the money was deducted from his personal account, he suddenly felt his pants pocket grow heavy.
He fished out the contents and was stunned once again.
Ten Heyu Tongbao copper coins of varying wear and tear sat in his palm. They looked absolutely identical to the ones he had used during his previous time-travel experience.
"There’s no way these are real, right?" he wondered.
He pinched a Heyu Tongbao between his fingers, examining it closely. The character for "coin" was nearly rubbed smooth. The more he looked, the more shocked he became. If these copper coins in his hand were authentic antiques, didn’t that mean he could infinitely exchange Hua Country currency for real ancient copper coins at a one-to-one ratio?
"No, that’s not right," he thought, quickly correcting himself just as he thought he had found a get-rich-quick scheme. "Even if these Heyu Tongbao coins are real, it doesn’t seem like they’ll be of any use..."
After returning from his first transmigration, the first thing he had done was search the internet for anything related to "Heyu." However, the search results showed that the era name "Heyu" never existed in Hua Country’s actual history. In other words, the world he had traveled to was highly likely an alternate universe set against a Song Dynasty backdrop.
And since it was an alternate universe, its currency naturally had zero collectible value in the real world. Of course, worst came to worst, he could sell them purely for their scrap copper weight. But the risks of doing so were uncontrollable, and he might even end up losing money in the end.
To sum it up, this venture was a dead end.
SLAP—
Chen Yan smacked the ten Heyu Tongbao coins onto the counter. Staring intently at Old Zhai’s expression, he said slowly, "This is for the flatbread. I never eat for free."
"This is too much, Boss." Glancing at the copper coins on the table, Old Zhai’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He simply informed him that he had overpaid.
"Keep it. I’ll come back tomorrow. I’m leaving now."
Confirming that Old Zhai really only recognized copper coins—and specifically accepted the ones he provided—Chen Yan felt a wave of relief. Having gotten his answer, he waved his hand and turned to leave.
Walking back to his office, he munched on the flatbread he had bought for ten yuan... no, ten Tongbao, as he silently calculated his next move.
The native residents were arriving tomorrow. Before their arrival, not only had he met a companion resident, but he had also accidentally unlocked the brand-new currency exchange function. He was absolutely certain that every function the system unlocked had a specific purpose.
Thinking back to Old Zhai’s perception of currency, he could be sure that the native residents arriving tomorrow would absolutely only accept Heyu Tongbao as well. This led him down a train of thought. As time went on, more and more shops and residents would be unlocked on Qinghe Street. And since these residents only recognized Heyu Tongbao, any future tourists wanting to spend money on Qinghe Street would absolutely need to have some on hand.
Although the law dictated that it was illegal for businesses to refuse Hua Country currency, the truth was that if a shopkeeper was dead set against doing business with you, there was really nothing you could do about it.
"It looks like I need to make some preparations in advance," he thought.
His mind whirring with ideas, Chen Yan returned to his office. Skipping any thought of rest, he immediately threw himself into his new tasks.
At six o’clock the following morning.
The moment his alarm beeped, Chen Yan bolted upright in bed. Dressing and washing up at top speed, he didn’t even bother with breakfast. He yanked his door open and hurried in the direction of Qinghe Street.
In the early morning, Ning’an Ancient City was eerily quiet. Shrouded in a light mist, a faint chill seeped into his collar, making the rushing Chen Yan shudder.
A moment later.
Just as he stepped onto Qinghe Street, before he even had time to observe his surroundings, a notification tone suddenly rang in his mind.
[DING—]
[The first batch of native residents has arrived. The second batch of native residents is being invited.]
"Right on time."
He muttered to himself about how the native residents arrived the exact second he set foot on Qinghe Street. Suddenly, he noticed that a shop not far from the entrance had mysteriously changed. Just yesterday evening, its doors and windows had been shut tight. But now, the wooden shutter boards were completely open.
A horizontal cloth banner now hung from the eaves, displaying the word "Tea." The ink had mostly faded, yet this only gave it an indescribable, rustic charm. And above the door—which had been bare just yesterday—hung a horizontal wooden plaque. Four large characters were inscribed upon it in standard calligraphy, reading from right to left:
[Li’s Tea House]
"The first unlocked shop is actually a tea house?"
Looking at the establishment, which was absolutely identical to the one he had seen in the real Qinghe Street, Chen Yan raised an eyebrow and stepped inside.
"Good morning, Boss!"
As soon as he crossed the threshold, before he could even inspect the interior furnishings, a man behind the counter immediately stood up and bowed slightly to greet him. The man looked to be in his fifties. He wore a white, cross-collared long robe and a white square headscarf. With his round face and large eyes, he looked quite amiable.
"You know me?"
Just like Old Zhai yesterday, this man had called him "Boss" right off the bat, despite this being their very first meeting. Chen Yan found it rather strange. He wondered, "Could this guy be a companion resident too?"
"I don’t know you personally, but I’ve seen a portrait of you, Boss." Shaking his head slightly, the man proved to be quite honest. "The True Master instructed us that once we arrived here, we should call the person in the portrait ’Boss,’ and follow all your arrangements from then on."
"The True Master?"
Chen Yan didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the explanation, but the term "True Master" caught his ear. Why did he get the feeling it gave off a distinctly "System-esque" vibe?