It was past four in the afternoon.
While some were still rushing about outside...
Others had already chosen to head back home.
After all, the sun would set in two or three hours. If they didn't return early, they might be forced to spend the night in the forest.
Few among those who valued their lives would wait until the last minute to return to their shelters.
When they got back and saw that someone was actually buying books, they were all stunned.
After a heated discussion, people concluded that this Lan Qingyou must be crazy.
However, some also felt that perhaps this knowledge truly could be learned.
But regardless, no one followed Lan Qingyou's lead in trading the materials they had worked so hard to collect for books.
Lan Qingyou didn't care in the slightest.
“Does anyone have a light they can lend me? I opened a pack of instant noodles and can finally eat something real.”
“You have food, what more do you want a light for?”
“Exactly. Just crush them up, throw in the seasoning, and you're good to go.”
“It's too dry, I can't swallow it.”
“Where did this young master come from? Get lost.”
“What kind of times are we in that we still have these weirdos?”
“Too dry, huh? I'll give you a sprinkle of mine, buddy.”
“Hahaha, Old Du, you’ve got diabetes. Let me do it, mine’s nice and yellow.”
“Fuck, can you shut up? I’m trying to eat.”
“Don’t mind them, man. I’ll lend you one. I just happened to make a fire—took me forever. Don't worry about paying me back, it’s just a light.”
“Thanks so much, brother.”
“No problem. In times like these, we have to help each other out.”
Seeing the kindness being shown in the chat channel, Lan Qingyou couldn't help but frown slightly.
While she couldn't bring herself to treat a stranger with such goodwill, she didn't deny the value of it.
“Everyone, it's almost night. Remember what we figured out last night? Stay alert tonight. Don't sleep until at least midnight.”
“Got it.”
“Leave it to me.”
“What? What? What did I miss last night?”
“You don't know?”
“No, I went to sleep right after I got back. I was too tired.”
“I see. Let me explain. A ghost appeared last night. Everyone should stay awake tonight and try to track its movement.”
“What! A ghost!?”
“Yeah. Anyway, don't sleep. Watch from your window until midnight to confirm its existence.”
“Okay, I will.”
Hmm?
A ghost?
Seeing this message, Lan Qingyou sat up straight.
She hadn't seen any ghost when she returned last night. Had she missed something?
She immediately scrolled up, only to find that the earliest chat logs were from past three in the morning. There were no records at all from before midnight last night.
Was the chat cleared every day?
Lan Qingyou wasn't sure, but she became alert.
She had originally planned to head out before midnight to look for chests.
But now, seeing reports of ghosts, she couldn't help but consider whether she should play it safe and observe the situation first.
After all, ghosts were just like her—both were 'floaters.'
Wolves couldn't do anything to her, but that didn't mean a ghost couldn't.
If she really encountered a ghost, what could a weak woman like her do to struggle?
She looked at the herbs in her supply chest.
She seemed to have enough to brew another batch of the potion she made yesterday.
So, she was in no hurry to go out.
She set up an automatic trade in her store: 5 units of materials for one book, and 1 unit of materials for one box of test tubes. Then, she took out the fifty test tubes she had bought and used the wine dispenser to scoop the long-cooled liquid from the cauldron to begin bottling it.
While she was busy working, the automatic sales she had set up made the Regional Channel even more lively.
Though most of it was mockery directed at her.
“That stupid woman actually set up an automatic trade.”
“Stupid woman? Who?”
“Lan Qingyou, the one who was buying books last night. She bought a bunch more this afternoon and now she’s set up automatic trades.”
“She’s still collecting books?”
“Yeah, 5 units each. She’s also looking for test tubes, 1 unit per box.”
“What! 5 units! I just found one today. Profit! That’s 5 points of mana worth of effort right there.”
“Test tubes, huh? 1 unit is a bit low, but better than nothing.”
When Lan Qingyou finished bottling the potions and checked back, she saw these guys mocking her.
But she didn't care.
She even began to wonder if she should hoard more materials while potions hadn't appeared yet.
But as soon as the thought appeared, she crushed it.
Mainly because she didn't even know if this batch of hers would sell.
Although Mana Potions were definitely consumables with market potential, her craftsmanship was truly terrible.
She should put them up first to test the market reaction and see if she could establish a supply-and-demand connection before doing anything else.
Otherwise, she might lose everything.
With that in mind, Lan Qingyou listed the potions, setting the price at 10 units of materials per Mana Potion. Then, she kept a close eye on the blue ocean market of the Regional Channel.
Sure enough.
About ten seconds after listing them, the first topic about Mana Potions appeared in the channel.
“I just saw Mana Potions for sale in Lan Qingyou's store!”
“Is it April Fool's?”
“Hahahaha, Karabo, I didn't know you had a sense of humor.”
“No, I saw it too! Fifty of them!”
“They’re real. The desk description says: Restores 1 Mana per second for 10 seconds. Costs 10 units of wood, stone, or vines.”
“What the—!”
“Dammit, so those books really can be learned?”
“Probably not. I've seen the books. Even though the script is unfamiliar, I can understand the words. But while I can understand individual words, I have no idea what they mean when they're put together.”
“Wait! One use of Collection Technique costs 20 Mana. One potion restores 10 Mana and costs 10 basic units of materials. If I buy two for 20 units and use the skill to get 20 units of materials... isn't that just working for her for free!?”
Someone had finally noticed the catch.
Seeing this message, Lan Qingyou remained unmoved.
Alchemy was all about equivalent exchange. 1 unit of material for 1 point of Mana was already fair enough.
Don't forget that she had labor and material costs too.
Calculating it that way, she was already taking a loss.
“Hey, you're right! You're actually right!”
“Profiteer! A total profiteer! She won't even let us keep a single unit of profit?”
“It'll be a miracle if she sells any.”
“Holy crap, they're gone!”
“Didn't you say you weren't buying? Why were you all so fast!?”
“There really are idiots who bought them.”
“I bought five. Just went out to try one and it feels pretty good, though it has a bit of a metallic, rusty taste.”
Well, of course it did. Lan Qingyou hadn't scrubbed the rust off the cauldron last night, so the brewed potion naturally carried a rusty flavor.
“You might be working for free on gathering, but if you run into those wild wolves, it might save your life at a critical moment.”
“That's exactly it. I bought two just in case.”
“@Lan Qingyou, come out! Why only fifty? Make more! I'm not short on cash!”
“@Lan Qingyou, Boss, you're watching the channel, right? Add me as a friend!”
Rate on N.U.
