“Whoa! Over twenty people died in one day? It really is dangerous out there.”
As night fell, Lan Qingyou finished bottling a portion of her potions. She poured the concoctions needed for her herb bag and dagger into a wooden tub, then sat at her magic desk. She shared the food Gu Xiaobei had sent with Steel Wool while browsing the Regional Channel.
As soon as she sat down, she noticed the district population had dropped by more than twenty.
Hence, the exclamation.
Fortunately, her current setup was basically self-sufficient.
Aside from going out every night as the ‘Green Ghost’ to scavenge supply chests, she didn't need to leave at all.
So, even if it was a bloodbath outside, what did that have to do with a weak and helpless alchemist like her?
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A message arrived from Shang Chuan.
Shang Chuan: “Can you make bullets?”
Lan Qingyou: “?”
Lan Qingyou was completely bewildered.
Wait, what do you take me for? I'm an alchemist who brews potions and elixirs, and you want me to make... wait. It... doesn't seem impossible, actually?
Although she had never made them before, didn't alchemists have to deal with minerals? This was a brand-new subject to explore.
So, Lan Qingyou replied: “I’d need the relevant knowledge, sample dimensions, and tools. Success isn't guaranteed.”
Shang Chuan: “What do you need specifically?”
Lan Qingyou: “《Basic Mineralogy》, measuring tools, and minerals.”
Shang Chuan frowned slightly when he saw her reply.
It seemed his expectations for Lan Qingyou, the alchemist, were a bit too high.
But it made sense. Back on Blue Star, she didn't seem like someone who would have had access to firearms. Even if she was an alchemist now, making bullets would still be difficult.
If he wanted her to manufacture ammunition, he would naturally have to provide the necessary resources.
It was clear that Lan Qingyou intended to score a free ride.
Whatever. For the sake of his team and his own survival in this world, this was a necessary investment.
It was just like when he had Elu'er kill Mickey.
While Manel had his own reasons for wanting to escape Mickey’s control, the bigger reason was that Mickey had tried to reach his hands into Shang Chuan's team.
That was something Shang Chuan could not accept.
Merchants valued their lives. Especially in an unknown world like this, protecting oneself was the top priority.
Shang Chuan: “I’ll get them for you. Assuming you have everything, how many days will it take to produce them?”
Lan Qingyou: “With sufficient materials, it’ll take about three to five days if I’m successful. If not, it probably means firearms aren’t suited for this world.”
Lan Qingyou didn't overpromise, leaving some wiggle room for everyone.
Shang Chuan: “Fine. Wait for me.”
After receiving a definitive answer from Lan Qingyou, Shang Chuan activated his network of contacts.
Meanwhile, Lan Qingyou sat happily at her magic desk and waited.
Who doesn't love a freebie?
“Cheep-cheep—”
As if sensing Lan Qingyou’s good mood, Steel Wool became lively as well.
“Oh, little guy, you finished half a pound of meat that quickly?”
Looking at Steel Wool, who was squinting and smiling like a living emoji, Lan Qingyou picked it up and nuzzled it against her face.
She had to admit, Steel Wool’s fur was incredibly soft and fluffy; nuzzling it felt wonderful.
Steel Wool also enjoyed the contact, pressing itself against Lan Qingyou’s cheek. For a moment, it was hard to tell if she was nuzzling Steel Wool or if it was nuzzling her.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The notification for a friend chat rang again.
Thinking it was Shang Chuan, Lan Qingyou clicked it only to find it was Li Huai.
Li Huai: “The obsidian I promised last time, plus a hundred pounds of flame bells. Also, I found two books today.”
He left it at that and said nothing more.
Lan Qingyou didn't mind. They were partners in a business relationship; there was no need for idle chatter.
However, she was quite curious about the books he had found. She accepted the trade request.
Is this the benefit of getting paid in advance?
Lan Qingyou was slightly surprised when she saw the two books.
《Basic Herbology》 and 《Karim Continent Magic Beast Compendium》.
She already had the herbology book—she had even memorized it—but the 《Karim Continent Magic Beast Compendium》 was exactly what she needed right now.
She had been worrying about how to hatch the Elven Butterfly Chrysalis. Now, the answer had arrived.
Lan Qingyou didn't even look at the flame bells she had been longing for. She impatiently flipped through the book and quickly found the page for the Elven Butterfly Chrysalis.
Uh...
Lan Qingyou was speechless when she saw the description.
Setting aside the fluff about being beautiful, gentle, and ‘messengers of flowers,’ the line stating that ‘every Elven Butterfly Chrysalis requires a mana crystal to assist in hatching’ was enough to leave her stumped.
She wanted one of those too.
Unfortunately, neither the well-connected merchant nor the powerful thugs had ever seen one.
In this situation, where was she supposed to find a mana crystal?
So.
Since she couldn't find one, she might as well put it aside for now.
After all, hatching the Elven Butterfly Chrysalis wasn't an urgent necessity.
“Maybe it’ll just appear on its own when the time is right?”
Having gained a preliminary understanding of this other world—which she viewed as highly random and somewhat slapdash—Lan Qingyou was quite open-minded.
She then turned her attention to the hundred pounds of flame bells.
Though it was supposed to be a hundred pounds, Li Huai’s harvesting seemed a bit rough. There were quite a few weeds and water droplets mixed in. Even though it looked like they had been rinsed once, there was still a lot of debris.
However, Lan Qingyou didn't complain.
This was essentially a freebie from Li Huai, so even if fifty pounds out of the hundred were weeds, she wouldn't say a word.
A free ride is a happy ride.
It was still early, so she might as well wash them again herself while waiting for Shang Chuan’s reply.
Lan Qingyou drew some water from the Spring of Rest, sat on the floor, and began sorting through the plants.
As she worked, she planned out her tasks for the next day.
She would produce offensive potions like ‘explosion potions’ and ‘fire potions,’ as well as ‘fire resistance potions,’ to turn herself into a true bomber.
The thought of finally being able to go out and hunt monsters made her move thirty percent faster.
As for the ‘fire resistance potions’... those were specially for Li Huai.
In her estimation, that guy’s shelter was likely in an environment similar to a volcano; otherwise, how could he find so many flame bells?
But a special order would definitely be more expensive.
She had even decided on the price: two bottles in exchange for one pound of flame bells.
After all, she couldn't find those in the forest. Now that she had a source through Li Huai, she naturally had to stockpile as many as possible and brew more potions.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
While Lan Qingyou was busy working, Shang Chuan’s message finally arrived.
Rate on N.U.
