“I want them all!”
Shang Chuan desperately wanted to say those words, but he knew he couldn't.
The most important trait of a mature businessman was maintaining a straight face when presented with massive profit.
He forced himself to calm down and began a mental brainstorm that took a dozen different turns.
After their several interactions over the past few days, he felt confident that he had a decent grasp of Lan Qingyou's personality.
She was the type of person who wouldn't care about the price if she felt something was worth it, but would find even a free item a nuisance if she deemed it worthless.
She was also generous and didn't like to haggle or fuss over small gains and losses.
He could tell this from the fact that she had even sent him a 'labor fee' when she found out he was cleaning the test tubes.
Was that really a labor fee?
No, that was a fee for the time he had saved her!
It was for this reason that he had been willing to let her buy on credit when she approached him this morning.
If he asked to exchange all the Mana Potions for Healing Potions, Lan Qingyou would definitely agree, and she would do it immediately.
She would even continue to come to him whenever she needed supplies in the future.
But that was exactly why he couldn't do it.
The more long-term a client was, the more one needed to carefully manage the interpersonal relationship and one's own image.
Nobody liked a greedy person.
Even if that person was just as greedy themselves.
Shang Chuan: “I'll... I'll take 30 bottles.”
In Shang Chuan's view, 30 bottles was neither too many nor too few. It was a price the other party wouldn't begrudge him, and a price that wouldn't keep him awake at night with regret.
After sending the message, Shang Chuan leaned back heavily against the wall behind him.
“Hiss—”
As his clothes pressed against his back, he realized he was drenched in sweat, and the cold air was making him shiver.
That had been a truly intense psychological battle.
Fortunately, he hadn't let immediate profit blind him in the end.
Looking at his last message in the chat, Shang Chuan couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride.
How many merchants could do what he did—remain true to their principles even when faced with overwhelming profit?
Lan Qingyou: “[OK]”
Ding.
Lan Qingyou quickly sent over the final payment. Although the Mana Potions were +30 versions, Shang Chuan wasn't in the mood to care about that right now.
After all, they hadn't specified whether they would be +50 or +30.
His eyes were glued to the red, festive-looking Healing Potions.
He reached out and picked one up, examining it closely as if it were some rare treasure.
He might have looked like a country bumpkin, but to a merchant, wasn't any item with high profit potential a rare treasure?
With that thought, he began upgrading his shelter while simultaneously opening the Regional Exchange to find Lan Qingyou's store.
Since she had given him his share, she was bound to put the rest up for sale. Even if it was only a portion, he wanted to be the first to snatch up more Healing Potions.
Buying from the store didn't require the same courtesy as their private deal. He would buy as many as he could.
However, even after he finished upgrading his shelter, she still hadn't listed them.
This made him wonder if he had miscalculated.
But just then, Lan Qingyou's store began to update with new items.
It started with the +30 Mana Potions, followed by the Healing Potions.
“Whoa! I just got back to my desk and saw this explosive news!”
“Healing Potions! Health recovery items have finally appeared. Too bad my bro already kicked the bucket.”
“She's asking for E-grade magic creature cores? Two cores for one bottle? Isn't that a bit much?”
“Look at the other listings; she's also taking blueprints and books. If you think it's too expensive, go check those out.”
“It's the +30 crude grade again. Is there not even a single +50 apprentice-level one?”
“It goes without saying, she's definitely just practicing. We're basically her test subjects.”
“Then don't buy it! You're moving so fast!”
“Look who's talking! That profiteer Shang Chuan just snatched up 36 bottles the moment they went up. Why don't you say something to him?”
“That damned black market merchant.”
“I better not run into him, or I'll give him what's coming to him.”
Shang Chuan smiled faintly as he read the chat logs.
He was no stranger to threats like these.
If Lan Qingyou's inbox was buried under friend requests, his was buried under 'friendly greetings.'
But why did Lan Qingyou want E-grade magic creature cores? And for a hundred bottles worth?
Based on his previous observations, she could mass-produce two hundred bottles of a single potion at a time.
Using half of them to collect magic creature cores seemed a bit unusual.
Did upgrading to a level 4 shelter require E-grade magic creature cores?
He had just checked his own requirements; the jump from level 2 to level 3 was a tenfold increase. It wasn't impossible for level 3 to level 4 to be another tenfold increase.
If that was the case, should he buy this information?
He hadn't bought the level 3 info because the jump from level 1 to level 2 wasn't that difficult.
But as the required materials grew and the difficulty rose, many people would likely be interested in the upgrade requirements for a level 4 shelter.
After quickly securing 36 Healing Potions, he decided to buy the intel.
He reached into the drawer of the nightstand under his desk and pulled out a blueprint.
She should be interested in this.
Shang Chuan: “[Disposable Tray Balance Design Blueprint] plus materials. Buying info on the level 4 shelter.”
Lan Qingyou: “Base units are 10 times the level 3 requirements. Added 100 units of obsidian, 10 units of mana crystals, and 10 D-grade magic creature cores. But everyone's shelter upgrade requirements differ, so use your own judgment.”
Lan Qingyou replied quickly.
To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that upgrade materials could be directly deposited into the upgrade interface to reduce the required numbers, Lan Qingyou felt her storage slots would have burst by now.
But Shang Chuan's brow furrowed as he read the reply.
He knew about obsidian, but in seven days, he had only managed to collect a dozen or so units.
As for mana crystals and D-grade magic creature cores, he hadn't even heard of them, let alone seen them.
But there was no point in worrying about that now.
As a merchant, he knew that everyone's upgrade requirements varied, but the tenfold increase in base units and magic creature cores was a certainty.
These two pieces of information alone were enough for him to turn a profit.
Furthermore, based on Lan Qingyou's information, her collection of E-grade magic creature cores didn't seem related to the shelter upgrade. That meant they were likely for alchemy.
One couldn't underestimate this lead.
Shang Chuan keenly sensed that magic creature cores might be used for more than just shelter upgrades. Since Lan Qingyou might be using them for alchemy, did that mean they could be used for other things too?
Whatever. Once D-grade magic creature cores appeared and the price of E-grade cores dropped, it wouldn't hurt to stockpile a bunch of them.
Even if he guessed wrong, the loss wouldn't be that significant.
Just as Shang Chuan made up his mind and took out a notebook to record the matter, Lan Qingyou was also frowning.
Rate on N.U.
