Chapter 50: Marketplace Unlocked, Players Go on a Shopping Spree!

Led by Andre, the players ready to set off moved further into an armory. This armory was nothing special—just the local militia’s arsenal of the small town, containing hardly any valuable items. Andre’s intention was merely to borrow the building for a moment.

Once inside, he glanced at the eager faces of the players, then smiled and spread his arms wide as he addressed them:

“Thank you, brave warriors. Your valiant efforts have bought the Cambrian Empire precious time!”

“In recognition of your courage, you may now exchange your merit points here in the armory for a batch of useful equipment. Trust me, the gear available will surely surprise you!”

As he spoke, Andre opened the shop interface he had just crafted.

Before this, he had been curious about something. He distinctly recalled that in Battlefield One, besides the tank hunter, other classes also had some means of anti-tank combat—like the famous AT rocket launcher for assault troops, mortars for support soldiers, and armor-piercing rounds for scouts.

While these were certainly less efficient against tanks compared to the dedicated tank hunter, they still posed a threat to armored units and were quite effective against infantry as well.

However, after some investigation, Andre found that none of these weapons appeared in his players’ inventories. It was only after turning to the system shop interface that he realized these special anti-tank weapons required influence points to unlock.

He had spent a total of 15,000 points to unlock the three weapons, then immediately added them to the shop.

The players had accumulated quite a bit of merit—it was about time they spent it. After all, merit points couldn’t just remain as mere battle records.

Besides these, Andre also added two elite soldier sets he had unlocked, along with several vehicles he had casually unlocked, all included in the exchange list.

Brother Haonan: “Holy hell! Damn awesome NPC! The shop system is finally up!”

Veteran 10086: “Hey, that’s really shady! I was wondering why assault troops didn’t have AT launchers and support soldiers no mortars. Turns out they were just waiting to fleece us here!”

Blue-Haired White-Bellied Mountain Boar: “Damn it! If this game didn’t have a recharge system, I’d think they deliberately waited to milk players’ wallets!”

Lady Knight Seven Goblin Slayer: “Hey! I knew the favor points were for this! Once I hit 20 points of favor, I get a 10% discount on purchases!”

Watching the players complain in the chat, Andre felt a bit awkward and stared up at the chandelier, lost in thought.

It wasn’t entirely his fault—who would have guessed the system would make these functions pay-to-use?

He himself had had to fight hard to gather enough influence points to unlock these items.

Still, the players’ grumbling about the greedy game designers was brief; soon they eagerly began selecting their gear.

What pleased the players most was that, although the game forced previously selectable items into the shop for purchase, these pieces were no longer restricted by class.

The AT launcher, once exclusive to assault troops, and the mortar, formerly limited to support soldiers, could now be used by any class once bought.

Moreover, the newly introduced mounts—warhorses and three-wheeled motorcycles—were met with enthusiasm, sparking lively discussion on when they might unlock tanks.

Regarding tanks, Andre wasn’t opposed to bringing them out; he was curious how tanks would clash against enemy mechs in reality.

Unfortunately, he discovered that tanks and artillery-type equipment were currently unavailable for unlocking.

In fact, within Andre’s research projects, there was even a mech option, suggesting he could develop mech vehicles, but this too was locked.

The system indicated he needed to acquire a fully controlled, operational arms factory with a dedicated heavy weapons production line to manufacture such items.

Unlike light arms, these heavy weapons couldn’t be directly exchanged; they required time-consuming production in factories, and even unlocking their research had to take place there.

This frustrated Andre greatly—who knew when he’d ever get his hands on a factory?

Without such restrictions, he would have gladly invested in tank research by now. He had complete confidence that his players in tanks could hold their own against opponents in mechs—a noble clash of armored titans.

Setting aside the mech realm, Andre remained intrigued by a mysterious item perpetually locked in the system, labeled "The Chosen."

He couldn’t fathom its nature; clicking it only revealed unmet conditions preventing its unlocking, and its purpose was a complete mystery.

Yet, with such a cryptic name and aura, Andre suspected it might be something powerful.

Strangely, it reminded him of the Chosen ones from the Warhammer universe.

After some shopping, the players, in just a minute or two, had fully equipped themselves, undergoing a thorough makeover.

The AT launcher and mortar quickly became favorites, especially the mortar, which many players opted for despite being somewhat pricier.

Andre understood why—it was a fire support weapon capable of taking on armored vehicles and infantry alike.

On the battlefield, having artillery versus not having it was a world of difference; after all, a mortar is still a cannon!

Besides these weapons, players seemed eager to each secure their own vehicle. Surprisingly, the majority chose warhorses.

Perhaps because selecting a horse allowed them to wield sabers and spears—who wouldn’t want to experience mounted combat in a gunfight game?

Especially since the warhorses in the game were practically nuclear-powered steeds!

They had no stamina limits and were incredibly durable, almost like indestructible cockroaches!

If compared by endurance in reality, these weren’t mere warhorses—they were horse-shaped armored vehicles, tanks!

As for those who opted for the three-wheeled motorcycles, Andre couldn’t help but laugh after seeing their choices.

Some were sensible, seating support soldiers atop the vehicle to mount machine guns.

But others went all out, fitting elite flamethrower soldiers onto the bike, effectively creating a flamethrower motorcycle!