Perhaps it was the excitement of the topic, but even after speaking at length, Chang Zitong still seemed unsatisfied. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Right now, the supply of Apocalyptic Shards is still extremely scarce, so the prices remain unstable and quite irrational. The red enhancement-type will eventually become as common as dirt-cheap goods, while the currently undervalued yellow weapon-type and green artifact-type will likely see their prices double. The other types have at most about a fifty percent increase left in them… If only I had money, I'd hoard a ton of yellow and green shards—flipping them later would be a guaranteed 200% profit!"
Watching Chang Zitong's eyes flash with a golden glow, Xu Mo suddenly realized that these two had a very different attitude toward Apocalyptic Shards compared to himself. He couldn't help but probe, "Brother Du, Sister Chang, if I may ask… why are you both so passionate about collecting Apocalyptic Shards?"
"Heh, looks like you figured it out?" Du Zhizhang scratched his head awkwardly, sneaking a glance at Chang Zitong beside him. His face flushed slightly as he said, "I'm almost twenty-six, no longer young, and I gave up on any superhero dreams long ago. I just want to earn as much as I can, get married, have kids, and live a peaceful, happy life…"
"Spineless man…" Chang Zitong snorted, clearly contradicting her own words, as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"So, you're collecting Apocalyptic Shards just to make money?"
Even though Xu Mo had confirmed his guess, he was still surprised by their simple motivation. After all, the allure of power granted by Apocalyptic Shards was not something easily resisted.
"Unexpected, isn't it?" Chang Zitong gently set down her teacup, gazing at the still and quiet night sky outside with an uncharacteristically serene expression. "Xu Mo, you're still young. When you reach our age, you'll understand—things like ambition and dreams are just illusions. The only things that truly matter in life are the safety of family and the care of those you love…"
Seeing Du Zhizhang's delighted expression, Chang Zitong added irritably, "What are you getting excited about? I wasn't talking about you!" Poor Brother Du immediately squatted in the corner, drawing circles on the ground in dejection…
"Honestly, I find it hard to understand." Xu Mo knew he could never give up the power he had now. Even if someone offered him millions, he would never trade it away. So he could only feel regret for Du and Chang's perspective.
"Alright, enough about that… Xu Mo, when do you plan to officially join the Alliance? You'll need a member to vouch for you, so let me know when you go—we'll go with you," Du Zhizhang said, steering the conversation back on track. It was clear he was very concerned about the commission for that red shard.
"Well… probably not anytime soon," Xu Mo replied. Though he had twelve Apocalyptic Shards in his possession, he had already mastered each one. He had no extra shards available for trade.
"Oh, I see." Du Zhizhang sighed in disappointment. He and Chang Zitong had spent so long tracking down an Apocalyptic Shard wielder like Xu Mo—who knew how long it would take to find another?
Seeing Du Zhizhang's dejected expression, Xu Mo felt a twinge of guilt. As a high school student, he couldn't fully grasp the struggles of making a living, but the ever-rising cost of living in China was clear to everyone. Not to mention the astronomically high housing prices, which made the dream of owning a home nearly impossible for any working-class citizen. It was no wonder that Du and Chang were hoping to earn enough through Apocalyptic Shard trading to afford a wedding and a house.
"To be honest, I'm curious—since the Chinese government has long been conducting a unified acquisition of all known Apocalyptic Shards, where does the World Fruit Trade Alliance even get their shards from?" Xu Mo asked. He found it hard to believe that after all this time, undiscovered shards were still turning up. The continuous appearance of new shards puzzled him.
"This…" Du Zhizhang hesitated, his expression troubled, but after some thought, he finally revealed the truth.
Due to the increasingly severe government corruption in China over the years, public trust in the authorities had all but collapsed. As a result, the so-called "unified acquisition" had, in reality, recovered only a fraction of the Apocalyptic Shards. At least seventy percent of them remained in civilian hands. The early-stage transactions within the Alliance had largely come from this private stockpile.
However, over the past month, with Apocalyptic Shard wielders and other insiders aggressively hunting down shards, the supply had dwindled significantly. Given the rarity and profitability of Apocalyptic Shards, a new breed of ruthless individuals had emerged—Apocalyptic Shard wielders who hunted down others to steal their already-absorbed shards. Many of the new shards appearing on the market were obtained in this brutal manner.
Finishing his explanation, Du Zhizhang wore a grave expression and spoke in a low voice, "Xu Mo, you can tell that Sister Chang and I aren't the kind of people who'd resort to anything just to achieve our goals. Being an Apocalyptic Shard wielder may seem glamorous, but in reality, it's fraught with danger. This kind of life isn't for people like us… That's why, as soon as we earn enough to buy a home in the city, we'll quit this world entirely. After that, Apocalyptic Shards will have nothing to do with us."
Because of his limited exposure, Xu Mo had never been part of the wider Apocalyptic Shard wielder community. Hearing Du and Chang's explanation, he was utterly shocked. If what they said was true, then the world of Apocalyptic Shard wielders had already turned into a battlefield even more terrifying than reality itself!
"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined." Seeing Xu Mo's darkened expression, Chang Zitong quickly tried to comfort him, realizing she might have spoken too harshly. "These scumbags are still a minority, and the Alliance is already working on placing bounties on them. As long as you stay cautious, with your current strength, even if you can't win, you can at least escape."
"Escape? Maybe…" Xu Mo knew she was just trying to console him, but the idea of simply running away left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Still, on second thought, if the free-floating Apocalyptic Shards had already been scooped up, it was uncertain whether he'd ever get another. He had never planned to use the shards for financial gain anyway. As long as he kept a low profile and didn't overuse his powers, he might never cross paths with those murderous shard thieves.
Besides, he had a trump card that no ordinary Apocalyptic Shard wielder could even dream of—a power that allowed him to teleport through space: the "Fallen Feather Raven." Surely, no one was deranged enough to chase him through a dimensional rift.
With that in mind, Xu Mo subconsciously let out a breath.
After this long conversation, Xu Mo had already figured out the personalities of this bickering duo. They were kind-hearted people with no grand ambitions. Even though they had their own goals regarding him, their honesty made them hard to dislike. More importantly, they had shared secrets that couldn't be found anywhere online, essentially opening the door to the world of Apocalyptic Shard wielders for him—an insight far more valuable than a single enhancement-type shard.
Xu Mo had never liked owing people favors. Since Du and Chang were eager to collect Apocalyptic Shards but didn't know the best method, he decided to share some information about the "Apocalyptic Mirage" as repayment.
"Brother Du, Sister Chang, have you heard of the Apocalyptic Mirage?"
"Apocalyptic Mirage? What's that?" The two of them looked surprised in unison.