“Interesting,” Lan Qingyou muttered to herself.
After all, someone from the Council organizing something like a research society seemed abnormal no matter how one looked at it.
Hierophant: “Oh! A newcomer? Perfect. I caught a big fish today, so everyone gets a share.”
Just then, the previously unseen Hierophant made his appearance.
Lan Qingyou immediately checked the other party's personal information: 【Hierophant, Nemo, Male, 51 years old, Title: ‘Sailor of the Raging Waves’】
【Ding! Hierophant sent a red envelope 8/8】
High Priestess: “Haha, fish to eat again today! Praise the Fisher!”
Chariot: “Praise the Fisher!”
Justice: “Praise the Fisher!”
Magician: “Praise the Fisher!”
Empress: “Praise the Fisher!”
Wheel of Fortune: “Praise the Fisher!”
The Fool: “...Praise the Fisher!”
The Tower: “Praise the Fisher!”
Seeing everyone send the message, Lan Qingyou followed suit and then clicked on the red envelope.
Thud!
!!!
Lan Qingyou was startled.
She had originally thought a fish would just be... well, a fish.
But a portion of butchered fish meat dropped out, taking up the entire magic desk.
And this was just one of the eight portions it had been divided into.
This fish had to be at least eight or nine meters long.
Truly, praise the Fisher!
【Red Ur-Eel (D)】
【Effect: Effectively increases fire resistance.】
【Description: Wow, to think someone could actually catch one of these guys that inhabit the submarine volcanoes near Moon Bay. This is the work of a true master.】
When she saw the identification results on the small screen, Lan Qingyou didn't even think twice before sending it over to Gu Xiaobei.
Along with it, she sent the oven, the rice, and the cabbage.
She didn't know how to cook anyway.
Better to dump it all on Gu Xiaobei.
Gu Xiaobei: “Boss, I was just about to send you a meal, and then you send me all this.”
Lan Qingyou: “Then why not just start over and make something with this?”
Gu Xiaobei: “Of course! Ingredients I’ve never seen before. Wait until I sell your current portion, then I’ll get to work.”
After saying that, there was no more news from Gu Xiaobei.
Needless to say, she was definitely off to process that eel.
Meanwhile, Lan Qingyou turned back to the banter in the group, though this time most of it was about how to eat the eel meat.
In the end, after much discussion, they finally reached a consensus: roast it and dip it in ketchup.
So, one by one, they all started trading with the Empress for the tomatoes she had just harvested today.
At that moment, Lan Qingyou asked a question.
The Tower: “By the way, do we need more people in the group? I know three people I've been working with for over a month. Their character should be fine.”
Justice: “Who are they?”
The Tower: “A Titled Chef whose original gourmet creations were recognized by the world consciousness, a profiteer who loves market manipulation, and a suit-wearing thug with an S-grade magic combat talent. I’m not sure if the profiteer and the thug have titles.”
High Priestess: “A Titled Chef!”
Empress: “What!”
Chariot: “Quick, quick, quick! Our Villa needs talent like that!”
As soon as they heard there was a chef, everyone got excited.
It couldn't be helped.
Looking at the way they had discussed how to eat earlier, it was clear that this bunch—just like Lan Qingyou—wasn't good at preparing food.
Now that they heard there was a chef, they were practically tripping over themselves to get her in.
As for the other two, they didn't even have time to acknowledge them, showing just how miserable their daily lives must be.
Justice: “Do the profiteer and the S-grade combatant have titles?”
Finally, someone paid attention.
The Tower: “Not sure. I didn't ask.”
Justice: “As you know, our Villa focuses on exchange and learning. A merchant and a combatant don't seem to fit the Villa's requirements.”
Even with an S-grade combat talent, Chu Yuan didn't seem interested as long as they weren't researchers.
It was clear that the founder was very strict about this.
No, it should be said that as a member of the Council, he probably didn't lack that kind of muscle among his subordinates, right?
Lan Qingyou hesitated inwardly.
The Tower: “To put it bluntly, we research these things so we can survive better in this strange world. So, I think the Villa needs at least one person like a merchant who can keep things moving. Only then can the products of our research be better utilized.”
The Tower: “As for combatants, we certainly don't lack them, nor do we need them. But what if that combatant can help us test our magical hypotheses? At the very least, I've experimented with several potions on him before and used the feedback to improve the formulas.”
Lan Qingyou stated her views, pretending not to know who Justice really was.
The reason she was trying so hard to convince them was for no other reason than wanting to have a few familiar faces in the Villa to make things easier.
After all, Gu Xiaobei, Shang Chuan, and Li Huai were all in District 666. If any problems arose, it would be good to have someone to lend a hand.
At the very least, she believed in her ‘popularity’ in District 666.
After seeing the conversation between Lan Qingyou and Chu Yuan, the others were either roasting eel or doing something else, but in any case, none of them chimed in.
However, once Lan Qingyou finished, someone spoke up.
Empress: “True. Although Justice has been buying our things, it might be better to have a professional merchant to evaluate their value.”
The Empress's words were very objective and blunt.
Chu Yuan had been buying their items, but because everyone was in different areas, they could only measure the value using the prices in their own regions.
If there was a merchant, they would at least have another channel for cross-comparison, wouldn't they?
And based on what the Witch said, this merchant seemed to be quite capable.
In that case, having such a person wouldn't be a bad thing.
As for the combatant, Lan Qingyou's mention of ‘experiments’ had indeed struck a chord with them.
Having a platform that could provide feedback on their ideas wasn't a bad thing for researchers like them.
Especially since this combatant's talent was S-grade, which was a rare find even for them.
Wheel of Fortune: “I originally thought the Witch would be a cold sort of person, but actually, she's just as unreliable as the High Priestess's title.”
Empress: “That’s just your stereotype.”
High Priestess: “Hey! Why bring me into this! I didn't want that crappy title either!”
Violent Zealot...
No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like it should have anything to do with a girl in her twenties.
But since it was given by the world consciousness, it meant this girl definitely had some skill.
Hierophant: “Alright, since two options have appeared, let's put it to a vote.”
As the oldest person in the Villa spoke, everyone fell into thought.
Later, according to the tally, it was 0:9. Lan Qingyou had won.
High Priestess: “Huh? Why did Justice vote in favor too?”
Justice: “I never said I disagreed, and the Tower's points were very valid.”
Rate on N.U.
