The moment Shen Mo presented the next set of jars, Yuuki Kitahara's composure shattered. He and his two sons were gripped by a stark, potent fanaticism. Shen Mo noted the difference immediately: where Tsunade's strength gave her resistance, the weakness of these civilians made them desperately susceptible to the lure of sudden power.
"Please," Shen Mo urged with a welcoming smile, accepting the money Kitahara eagerly thrust forward. For the merchant, the deeper the customer's dependency, the better the long-term prognosis.
Yuuki Kitahara, ignoring his sons, immediately smashed the first jar. This new set was still from the Kendo Series, and this particular draw provided an advanced swordsmanship training experience that he directly absorbed.
As the raw, difficult memory of grueling practice flooded his mind, a look of profound, almost sexual enjoyment crossed his face. The sensation of instant, profound self-improvement was intoxicating for a man whose ambition had long been capped by his frail, civilian body.
"Master, I must continue!" Kitahara looked at Shen Mo with a feverish admiration that bordered on worship.
Shen Mo simply smiled and gestured for him to proceed.
In less than an hour, the Kitahara family had purchased and opened twenty sets of Tier One Jars. The expenditure totaled 10 million Ryo, converting to a clean 600,000 Transaction Points for Shen Mo—a sum rivaling his entire haul from Tsunade. Yet, thanks to the family's vast financial depth, their fortune had only been marginally impacted.
"Congratulations, customer," Shen Mo announced without urgency. "You have now earned the right to purchase the Tier Two Jar."
"A Tier Two Jar?" Yuuki Kitahara leaned forward, his eyes burning with expectation.
"Correct." Shen Mo pointed to the array of artifacts littering the floor. "You must have noticed that while these Tier One items are magical, they offer only limited, incremental value for true power gain."
Kitahara's breath hitched. Shen Mo was right. The improvements were tantalizing but limited.
"Tier Two Jars are worth five hundred thousand Ryo each." Shen Mo waved his staff, and ten larger, imposing jars appeared.
Five million Ryo for a single set. This one transaction would be a major blow, enough to dry up a significant portion of the family's liquid assets.
Kitahara hesitated, but only for a moment. He looked at the evidence of magic before him, and the burning ambition in his heart won.
"Buy!" He shoved five million Ryo into Shen Mo's waiting hand. "Give me a set!"
"You will not regret this, customer," Shen Mo promised, accepting the enormous sum.
He was right.
The third jar Yuuki Kitahara opened, a perfect echo of the initial bait, contained another Experience Cluster. But this one was ten times more potent: Physique Fortification.
Kitahara absorbed it and immediately felt a profound, exhilarating warmth surge through him. His old, brittle body swelled, muscles hardening beneath his fine robes, gaining the density and strength of a lifetime's dedicated training—a near-instantaneous leap to Chunin-level physique.
"This... this is a true miracle!" He stared at his newly powerful body, his heartbeat accelerating violently. If he trusted these jars, he realized, he could not only surpass the shinobi but perhaps even achieve eternal life!
"Ten times the price, ten times the value, naturally," Shen Mo chuckled, his voice laced with irresistible temptation. "If you open a jar from the Medical Series, you might even find the Fountain of Youth—the power to return to the vitality of your youth."
"Hiss—" Yuuki Kitahara took a ragged, desperate breath. The promise of youth struck the aging noble harder than the promise of power. Every miracle he had witnessed confirmed the merchant's claim.
"Sir," he pleaded, his voice choked with emotion. "Is there a more advanced tier?"
Shen Mo smiled slightly. "Undoubtedly."
Kitahara's eyes went bloodshot. He became absolutely feral.
Without a word, he grabbed the entirety of the money remaining in his sleeves and dumped it before Shen Mo.
"Father!" his eldest son shrieked, finally snapping out of his stupor. "That is all of the family's cash reserves!"
"Fool!" Yuuki Kitahara roared, kicking his son away, veins pulsing in his neck. "With power, with youth, everything can be replaced! If I gain power, if I gain eternal life, the loss of this wealth means nothing!"
His ambition, which had been quietly suffocated by the reality of aging and mediocrity, exploded under the display of instant miracles. He no longer cared about leaving an inheritance; he only cared about his continued existence and power.
"The total appraised value of these assets is 200 million Ryo," Shen Mo stated calmly. "That will purchase forty sets of Tier Two Jars. Which series do you require?"
"I can only buy Tier Two Jars?" Kitahara was momentarily stunned. That wealth represented the savings and liquidity of the family across generations.
"You must purchase fifty sets to earn the right to buy a Tier Three Jar," Shen Mo explained, his smile fading into a look of stern finality. "That is the rule."
As the last four words were spoken, a cold, frightening sensation washed over the three men, a silent, absolute certainty that breaking this "rule" would result in a swift and violent demise. Yuuki Kitahara felt a sudden flood of cold sweat drench his back.
His fear lasted only a moment, quickly replaced by a deeper reverence. If the jars were mere commodities, what kind of horrifying, omnipresent being was the merchant himself?
Shen Mo, pleased with the efficacy of his fear-tactics, nodded. The show was over.
After Kitahara Yuuki made his final, panicked choice of jar series, Shen Mo waved his staff, and four hundred jars materialized before the now-bankrupt noble.
"The transaction is complete." Shen Mo gave a curt, professional bow. He then held out the communication token. "You are now a registered member of my Omnipotent and Omniscient Chamber of Commerce. If you secure more funds for jars, you may notify me with this badge."
"Thank you, sir," Yuuki Kitahara stammered, gingerly taking the elegant badge.
"Then I must take my leave."
With another, silent pop, Shen Mo's body dissolved, shattering the invisible Mirror Space barrier and leaving the three men alone in the suddenly exposed dining room, surrounded by hundreds of jars.
Yuuki Kitahara didn't know that the 200 million Ryo he paid was enough to purchase a life-altering power, but most of his money had been scattered among hundreds of near-useless jars. At best, the contents would elevate him to the power of a low-level Chunin.
When he finally realizes that he traded his entire legacy for fractional power, will he despair?
No. He will only crave the next tier. He will only buy more jars.