Chapter 513: Praise Floods In

"Don't rush, take your time," Chen Qing Shan gestured for him to sit, then, following the items in the register, began asking one by one: "ID? Vehicle model? Specific fault symptoms? Have you tried fixing it yourself?"

These questions are extremely crucial.

Chen Qing Shan has been immersed in the auto‑repair trade for years; hearing the answers lets him infer the general problem, and knowing the problem lets him quote a reasonable price.

After all, the most important principle in business is clear, upfront pricing.

He had heard that saying before but never took it to heart; after dealing more with Xinxue, he finally understood its importance.

"Oh…oh!" the middle‑aged man was taken aback by the barrage of questions, then finally recovered and hurriedly replied: "ID… the ID is Menghu Tieshan! It's an off‑road vehicle, I don't know the exact model, it just follows the system upgrades. The fault is it won't start; it stopped starting last night, definitely water‑damage. I tried tweaking a few things myself, but it didn't help."

Chen Qing Shan nodded repeatedly, quickly jotting notes in the register, while already forming a preliminary judgment in his mind.

A water‑soaked vehicle—its electrical system takes the brunt.

The battery, fuses, starter, wiring connectors… all could be at fault.

"Preliminary judgment: an electrical issue, may need a few parts replaced; the cost is this amount. However, you're the first order, and we said the first fifty are free yesterday. So we won't charge the fee, but the Duel Card for this job must be provided by you. If that's okay, we'll send someone over."

Menghu Tieshan stared at the numbers Chen Qing Shan wrote, froze for a moment, then asked in disbelief, "Just… just this price?"

It's a car repair, after all!

Who in the whole world doesn't know that vehicles are the most, most, most important thing!

Before coming, Menghu Tieshan even set aside several thousand Game Coin, fearing he wouldn't get the free slot and couldn't afford the coins. A botched repair could cost a life! Even if he went bankrupt today, he must get the car fixed.

He thought today would be a bone‑breaking ordeal, but the repair fee turned out to be only three digits?

Menghu Tieshan didn't wait for Chen Qing Shan's reply and immediately asked, "Is this really the total cost? Including the Duel Card, labor fee, parts fee, and any other miscellaneous charges? You won't say there's another fee after I pay this, will you?"

The question left Chen Qing Shan stunned, "What fee isn't taken in one lump sum, split into so many installments—doesn't that seem troublesome?"

His question was so plain that both Menghu Tieshan and the players behind him, who had perked up their ears, were taken aback.

Yeah, splitting it so many times—doesn't that seem troublesome?

That retort, naïvely simple, acted like a key—click—unlocking everyone's perception constrained by the hidden rules.

In the game, especially for necessities, payment layers extra charges, hidden costs, sudden price hikes… almost becoming an unspoken hidden rule.

Players have long been accustomed to staying hyper‑vigilant during transactions, double‑checking for fear of being ripped off.

But the bearded, scruffy‑looking mechanic in front of them, his gaze focused, faced these issues and said, "Doesn't that seem troublesome?"

Menghu Tieshan opened his mouth, momentarily unsure how to respond.

He glanced at the clear, even somewhat cheap, number Chen Qing Shan had written on the paper, then at the other's eyes—blood‑shot from sleeplessness yet clear and candid.

A long‑missing, absurdly reassuring feeling quietly rose in his heart.

"Right…right! It's a hassle, so just be clear about the charge—one payment is best for everyone," Menghu Tieshan's voice lowered, tinged with self‑mockery and relief, "I'm just… just confirming. This price, okay! Perfect! Oh right, it's still free, as long as the Duel Card…"

He immediately produced a Duel Card and, with great swagger, slapped it onto Chen Qing Shan's desk.

Chen Qing Shan turned, handing the recorded details and the Duel Card to the small apprentice standing beside him, "Give this to Hu Zi, this order, let him go."

"Got it! Got it!" the apprentice replied repeatedly, sprinting to fetch a person carrying a small bag, evidently Hu Zi.

He seemed a bit nervous, body stiff; only after Chen Qing Shan glared at him did he remember what he was supposed to do.

Hu Zi quickly looked at Menghu Tieshan, voice a little trembling but enunciated clearly: "Brother, shall we go?"

"Go! Go!" Menghu Tieshan replied eagerly, finally showing his first genuine smile of the day, leading Hu Zi out of the hut toward the safety‑zone exit.

When the person at the front left, those behind hurriedly stepped forward.

By the end of the morning, both the regional channel and the World Channel had completely shifted the reputation of Black Feather.

Previously, Black Feather might have seemed to them a very powerful, unreasonable, and uncompromising force.

But from today onward, the name Black Feather became synonymous with integrity and reliability.

In the regional channel, good news spread rapidly, praise flooding in:

"Hahaha! Got the free slot! Totally free! Only the cost of a Duel Card! Black Feather Lao Da kept his word! Chen Qing Shan's car shop really has great skill!"

"Qing Shan Car Shop is awesome! My water‑soaked, three‑day‑neglected prized ride, Master Hu Zi fixed it in no time! Parts fee plus Duel Card plus labor, total under six hundred Game Coin! Long live Black Feather Lao Da! (voice cracks)"

"Floor 1! Transparent pricing, no deceit to young or old! After the repair they even cleaned the chassis mud for free! This service attitude moved me to tears!"

"Did you notice? That Chen master at Qing Shan Car Shop and his apprentice have especially steady gazes! When quoting, their eyes don't waver; they write exactly what they charge—no 'maybe', 'approximately', or 'depending on the situation' nonsense!"

"Exactly! I asked if I could source the parts myself; he immediately wrote down the model specs and said the price was fair market price. I checked the trading channel and it matched!"

"The best part is speed! Right after registration, the master arrived with tools, diagnosed and repaired on site—not like those shady fixers before who dawdle and try to squeeze more money out of you!"

"I believe it now; Hei Yu An Quan Qu really wants everyone to have a good life."

"Who said Black Feather was overbearing and unreasonable? Step up! This isn't overbearing—it's strength speaking, integrity in action! Anyway, from now on I'll recognize Black Feather as a brand!"

"It's not just car repairs! I just left Bao Chi's bakery—warm honey bread, so good it made me cry, and the price is fair! Hei Yu An Quan Qu is basically the world's last pure land!"