Doomsday Grocery Store – CH134

Chapter 134

“Food?”

Tang Yu’an stared at the orb of light floating in the air. Because of Chi Hao, he knew that Lanhu Town was in a poor state. Was that why this little boy wanted food?

Considering how unstable the boy’s dream had been last time, Tang Yu’an decided not to engage him in conversation.

Instead, he asked directly, “How much food do you want?”

As expected, after his response, the boy’s light orb started flickering unsteadily, though it didn’t vanish immediately.

“As much as possible!” the boy replied.

“Still trading leaves for it?” Tang Yu’an asked.

“Mm-hmm! I have ten leaves!”

Tang Yu’an considered trading the soybeans he’d received from Hong Li but was stopped by Zhou Qi.

Without explaining, Zhou Qi gestured for Tang Yu’an to continue with another approach. Tang Yu’an didn’t press him for details.

He went ahead and completed the trade at a rate of 1.5 kilos of coarse rice per Lanhu leaf, smoothly concluding the transaction.

[You have completed a profitable trade with a dream wisher. Dream Fragment +1, Points +350, EXP +6.]

*

Lanhu Town.

Chi Hao crouched by the window, secretly observing the sleeping Little Ru Sheng.

Apart from the boy, his parents and younger sister were also asleep in the bedroom. Being ordinary humans, they hadn’t noticed his surveillance.

As time dragged on, Chi Hao started feeling bored.

He glanced at his store interface.

[Alcohol (75% concentration): 25 points/500ml]

After helping An’an secure a house in Lanhu Town, he had unlocked a new item through a special reward.

Alcohol was valuable stuff. While not as effective as fuel, it could produce unexpected results in combat situations.

For a moment, he suspected An’an or Zhou Qi might be the mysterious merchant.

But he quickly dismissed the thought—if those two really were the merchant, where were they getting all their supplies from?

Still…

Chi Hao’s gaze drifted to the message board.

In addition to the familiar users, a new name, “Pan Shi,” appeared tonight. Could that be An’an?

“Handsome Zhou” was obviously Zhou Qi, so what was An’an’s alias?

Chi Hao scratched his chin in thought but was interrupted when his ears twitched at a sound from the wooden house. His attention snapped back to the present.

The previously peaceful child had started mumbling in his sleep.

Though the words weren’t clear, Chi Hao instinctively leaned closer to listen.

Would the boy “summon” the mysterious merchant tonight?

Chi Hao had considered encouraging the boy to trade for a potion to heal the Lanhu trees, but he hesitated. Such a “miracle medicine” would likely come with a hefty price.

He didn’t want to risk the experiment failing or putting Little Ru Sheng in danger because of it.

His wariness toward the mysterious merchant persisted. While he hadn’t heard of the merchant causing harm yet, Chi Hao remained cautious.

“What are you doing here?”

A clear, cool voice suddenly rang out, startling Chi Hao so badly he almost fell over.

He turned and found Lan Yunqing standing beside him, his piercing gaze locked on him.

“When did you get here? I didn’t even notice!” Chi Hao exclaimed as he quickly stepped back.

Lan Yunqing ignored his question.

This was his domain, nestled within the Lanhu forest. It wasn’t surprising that his movements went unnoticed.

His attention shifted to the mumbling boy in the wooden house.

“I heard from Mao Lin that you borrowed ten Lanhu leaves. And now? Are you spying on my people?”

Lan Yunqing’s tone was filled with suspicion.

After asking, he waited for a reply, but none came. Frowning, he turned back to see Chi Hao staring at him blankly.

Lan Yunqing raised an eyebrow, and Chi Hao quickly looked away.

Under the moonlight, Lan Yunqing’s ethereal beauty was magnified to an almost otherworldly degree, effortlessly captivating anyone who gazed upon him.

What a demon!

Chi Hao muttered to himself before refocusing on the house. In a low voice, he said, “Let’s wait a little longer. I don’t have an answer yet.”

Lan Yunqing held back his curiosity.

The two stood by the window, waiting in silence. After a while, Chi Hao broke the quiet. “The potion I gave you… It’s working, isn’t it? The Lanhu forest seems more vibrant.”

“Mm.”

Mentioning the forest brought a faint smile to Lan Yunqing’s lips. “It has indeed regained some vitality.”

Of course, it was just a temporary revival. Without eliminating the root cause of the illness, the crisis loomed like a blade hanging overhead—inevitably ready to fall.

For now, they had only bought themselves a bit of time.

Chi Hao nodded, choosing not to press further.

Time passed slowly, the aimless waiting becoming increasingly stifling. Just as Lan Yunqing prepared to ask another question, something happened inside the house.

The Lanhu leaves placed beside the boy’s pillow suddenly vanished into thin air.

Because of the dim light, Lan Yunqing thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Leaning forward slightly to get a better view, he saw—

A large, mysterious bundle appeared beside Little Ru Sheng.

The bed was already cramped, and with a sudden 15 kilos weight added, the boy’s father stretched out his leg in his sleep, accidentally kicking the bag, which landed squarely on Little Ru Sheng.

“Ow!” Little Ru Sheng yelped, jolted awake from his dream.

As this unfolded, Chi Hao’s spiritual senses swept through the entire house.

Nothing.

There was no sign of anyone other than him and Lan Yunqing. Could it be true that the mysterious merchant was trading with Little Ru Sheng through his dreams?

Chi Hao frowned and turned to Lan Yunqing. “Have you seen anyone suspicious in the Lanhu Forest?”

“You look suspicious enough,” Lan Yunqing replied with a cool gaze.

“…”

Inside the house, other family members stirred, clearly woken by Little Ru Sheng’s cry.

“Don’t leave,” Lan Yunqing said to Chi Hao before entering the wooden house. A moment later, he came out carrying Little Ru Sheng in one arm and the heavy bundle in the other.

Little Ru Sheng wrapped his arms around Lan Yunqing’s neck, his face flushed with excitement, as if he were still dreaming.

“Uncle, it’s the lord! I dreamed the lord was holding me!” he said excitedly upon seeing Chi Hao.

This isn’t a dream…

Chi Hao reached out and took Little Ru Sheng into his arms, giving Lan Yunqing a glance. Lan Yunqing released the boy and turned his attention to the heavy bag, inspecting its contents.

“What is this?” Lan Yunqing grabbed a handful of grains, examining them under the moonlight.

“Coarse rice,” Chi Hao replied after a glance. “A bag this size could feed an adult for a month.”

Lan Yunqing’s expression faltered. “You’re saying ten Lanhu leaves were exchanged for this much rice?”

Lanhu leaves contain a unique energy; eating one could sustain a person for an entire day. And yet, one leaf had been exchanged for enough rice to last three days?

He looked up at Chi Hao and Little Ru Sheng, a mix of disbelief and curiosity in his eyes.

“What’s going on here? Can you explain it now?”

Chi Hao, having already learned the story from Little Ru Sheng, thought for a moment before asking, “Have you heard of the mysterious merchant?”

Lan Yunqing shook his head.

“The rice came from the mysterious merchant!” Little Ru Sheng jumped in excitedly. “I even traded for candy before!”

“How did you trade with… this mysterious merchant?” Lan Yunqing asked softly, his gaze steady on the boy.

“In my dreams! I made a wish, and then I got it!” Little Ru Sheng’s enthusiasm was palpable. Being so close to his lord for the first time, he eagerly answered every question.

Lan Yunqing was sure the boy wasn’t lying, but the truth was too fantastical to accept.

After confirming the details and realizing there was no more information to glean, he returned Little Ru Sheng to his family.

The bag of coarse rice, however, remained in his possession.

Lan Yunqing carried the rice out of the residential area and joined Chi Hao by the lakeside. They began boiling water to cook the grains.

Although Chi Hao had assured him it was food, Lan Yunqing wanted to confirm it for himself.

As the water slowly came to a boil, Lan Yunqing glanced at Chi Hao again.

“How much do you know about this mysterious merchant? Did you already know about their existence?”

Lan Yunqing couldn’t help but find Chi Hao’s actions suspicious. When the boy mentioned trading for candy in a dream, most people would dismiss it as a child’s fantasy. But Chi Hao not only lent him Lanhu leaves, he even camped outside the boy’s house to investigate.

Chi Hao didn’t deny it. He plucked a blade of grass and held it between his lips. “I heard someone describe them as a savior-like figure.”

“A savior?” Lan Yunqing looked at the slowly boiling pot of water. “Do you believe that?”

“Do you?” Chi Hao asked, looking back at him.

Lan Yunqing hesitated, then shook his head.

“Exactly. In a world like this, how could there be any kind of savior?” Chi Hao redirected his gaze to the moon above.

Though born and raised in a fortress, he was far from naïve.

In a desolate and dangerous land filled with mistrust, the idea of a savior was absurd to him. Chi Hao couldn’t buy into such fairy tales.

More likely, this person had awakened some extraordinary ability and was using it to manipulate others.

“But we did get food,” Lan Yunqing said, his eyes bright as he gazed at the bag of rice.

As a lord managing over ten thousand people, he understood all too well the importance of food. Since the crisis with the Lanhu Mother Tree, this issue had loomed over him like a perpetual shadow.

“Even if that person is an opportunist, they’ve been helpful so far,” Chi Hao shrugged. “If you want more food, you’d better take care of Little Ru Sheng.”

Chi Hao, ever loyal, told Lan Yunqing about Little Ru Sheng’s wish.

Lan Yunqing smiled faintly. “If they can resolve Lanhu Town’s food crisis, forget honoring him with the surname Lan—I’ll reward him handsomely.”

“Just remember what you said,” Chi Hao remarked, chewing on the grass blade. “But don’t rely on that channel too much.”

He thought of the time he saw Hong Li organizing villagers to grow wild vegetables in the Jufeng Mountains. Although Lanhu Town wasn’t far from Jufeng, the rough terrain made it impossible for its people to exchange goods with his sister for soybeans.

“Lanhu Town has such favorable weather. Why not try growing your own crops or wild vegetables?” Chi Hao suggested.

Lan Yunqing chuckled wryly. “The mutated Lanhu trees are too domineering. Nothing else can survive in the forest,” he explained.

That was why the townspeople resorted to raising fish in the lake, though it wasn’t a sustainable solution.

“Nothing survives?” Chi Hao scratched his head. “Then what’s this?”

He pointed at the grass he had plucked earlier, looking curiously at Lan Yunqing.

“This weed is very hardy, but it’s not edible…”

Lan Yunqing trailed off, his expression freezing.

While it was true that this weed had a strong vitality, it had never grown in the forest at the height of the Lanhu Mother Tree’s strength.

Yet now, the lakeside was overrun with it.

Because of his habitual thinking, Lan Yunqing hadn’t paid special attention to the weeds. Even when he noticed them, his mind had been preoccupied with the Mother Tree’s illness and the food shortages for his people.

Now, thanks to Chi Hao’s comment, he realized the anomaly.

The proliferation of weeds was proof of the Lanhu Mother Tree’s weakness and its diminishing control over the forest. If that was the case, why couldn’t other crops be grown?

As for why there were no other plants growing now?

It was simple: there were no seeds to plant in the forest!

Other plants didn’t possess the tenacious vitality of the weeds, whose seeds lay dormant in the soil, waiting for the right conditions to grow furiously.

“I’ll give it a try!” Lan Yunqing said, his eyes shining with determination. “Thank you!”

Chi Hao grinned, then lay back on the ground, propping up one leg lazily.

As he gazed at the moon above, his smile gradually faded. The last time he had this much leisure to watch the moon outdoors was with Old Xie…

Chi Hao couldn’t help but wonder, if Old Xie were still alive in the heart of Desolate City…

If the mysterious merchant could bring Old Xie back, Chi Hao wouldn’t care what schemes or ambitions that person had. He’d acknowledge them as a true savior!

*

At the Peace Grocery Store.

“Brother Qi, why didn’t you let me trade the soybeans earlier?” Tang Yu’an asked. “Is it because Brother Chi Hao is in Lanhu Town?”

Zhou Qi shook his head.

“That’s part of it, but not the whole reason,” he replied. “Trades made through the Dream Drift Bottles should remain separate from reality.”

The batch of soybeans was something they had exchanged with Hong Li. Who knew if Hong Li had marked the beans in some way?

To avoid exposing their identities, it was better to be cautious.

Tang Yu’an thought it over and agreed. It made sense to only use goods sourced from the store for trades under the mysterious merchant’s name.

He nodded, indicating his understanding. Then he reopened the window, tossed the boy’s bottle back, and retrieved another glowing Drift Bottle from the Dream Sea.

Though he was eager to engage with new dream wishers, thoughts of Old Xie in Desolate City’s center weighed on him. He reached for one of the brighter orbs from the familiar trio.

As he removed the cork, the light orb floated into the air, and a weak, dreamlike voice emerged.

“Help me… please… help me…”

The familiar, feeble voice was the same as before—Old Xie, still trapped in the heart of Desolate City.

Huh? Hadn’t the basic healing potion worked last time? Why did he still sound so lifeless, like he was clinging to his last breath?

Tang Yu’an glanced at Zhou Qi, his confusion evident.

Zhou Qi speculated, “Could it be that his injuries were too severe for him to open the bottle and take the potion?”

“That’s possible!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed, feeling this might indeed be the case. Still…

“For someone submerged in floodwaters without taking the potion, it’s amazing he’s survived this long!”

Tang Yu’an was genuinely curious about how Old Xie was still alive. His survival skills were incredible!

With the water depth at Store No. 1 exceeding four meters, the upstream Desolate City center would be even worse. How had someone so gravely injured, barely conscious, survived in such a vast expanse of water?

“What should we do now?” Tang Yu’an asked, his heart aching at the orb’s plea. “Should we send him another potion?”

Zhou Qi pondered for a moment. “Can we deliver it without using a bottle?”

“But if it falls into the water, wouldn’t it be wasted?” Tang Yu’an said, feeling distressed at the thought of squandering a potion.

“If he’s submerged, he might still absorb a little of the potion, even if diluted by the floodwaters. It’s better than nothing.”

Tang Yu’an hesitated but eventually nodded.

“Fine. Let’s give him a single drop this time. If it helps, we’ll send more next time.”

Healing potions were precious, and even if they weren’t for profit, Tang Yu’an couldn’t bear to waste them recklessly.

Using the same method as before, they completed another trade with Old Xie and received an earth-element crystal in return.

[You have completed a profitable trade with a dream wisher. Dream Fragment +1, Points +180, EXP +6.]

*

Night in Desolate City.

The moon occasionally emerged from behind the clouds, its light casting fleeting reflections on the turbulent floodwaters. Though the current had slowed slightly, water still flowed steadily outward from the city’s center. The source of the flood remained unknown.

Most creatures fled along the currents to escape the disaster, but amidst the rushing waters, a lone, frail figure swam upstream, its movements strikingly unusual.

It was a rat, missing half of one forelimb.

Using its remaining front paw and hind limbs, the rat navigated the torrent with astonishing agility, evading predators while heading toward the city center against the current.

The rat swam tirelessly, its small body undeterred, pressing ever closer to its destination.

Above, the silhouette of a hunting hawk crossed the night sky.

This was a mutated hawk, its body over a meter long, its wingspan vast enough to blot out the moonlight.

With its sharp eyesight, the hawk quickly spotted the peculiar rat below. Although the rat was small—smaller than the hawk’s talons—it wasn’t picky.

A common rat meant no threat, and a few more would still make a decent meal.

The hawk beat its wings, beginning its descent. Its talons spread wide, ready to snatch the hapless rat.

But as the rat swam into a specific area, the unexpected happened.

The small rat, previously dwarfed by the hawk’s talons, suddenly began to swell in size. Its aura grew rapidly, becoming oppressive.

The hawk, mid-dive, couldn’t stop its momentum in time.

“Roar!”

The rat, now restored to its true form as a giant bear, let out an enraged bellow. Its massive paw slapped the water, sending waves crashing in all directions.

With another swipe, the bear reached out and swatted the hawk, knocking it into the water.

The hawk let out a pained screech, flapping its wings as arcs of blue lightning crackled from its feathers, striking the bear.

At the last moment, a wall of earth rose from the water, encasing the bear and shielding it from the hawk’s attack.

When the lightning dissipated, the bear dispelled the earth wall. By then, the hawk had struggled free from the water, its wings trembling as it fled in a sorry state.

“Roar! Roar!”

The bear roared furiously, its unspent rage leaving it on the brink of losing control. In that moment, even the most powerful mutated creatures dared not approach.

Finally, the giant bear’s movements gradually subsided.

It ceased its meaningless roaring and bent down to lick the stump of its missing paw. Then it swam through the water to a nearby structure. With great effort, it climbed up, slumping down heavily in exhaustion once it reached the top.

Its legs remained submerged in the water.

“Splash… Splash…”

The sound of the flowing water was incessant, accompanied by various terrifying noises reverberating through the center of Desolate City.

At one point, the giant bear kicked its legs, its right foot pressing against a large underwater boulder.

It suddenly noticed something. Leaning forward, it extended its remaining paw into the water, reaching beneath the stone.

After some rummaging, it pulled out an earthy-yellow crystal, which sparkled brilliantly under the moonlight.

A trace of joy appeared on the bear’s previously gloomy, frustrated face.

Without hesitation, it tossed the two earth-element crystals into its mouth and closed its eyes to focus on absorbing the energy.

Completely engrossed in the process, the giant bear failed to notice a peculiar occurrence beneath the stone. A crystal that had been wedged in the crevice beneath the boulder suddenly vanished.

In its place, a drop of luminous green potion appeared. The moment it touched the boulder, the potion was absorbed instantly.

“Help me… help me!”

In the night, the plea for help—inaudible to any ear—seemed to grow more desperate.

*

“Let’s hope Old Xie makes it out safely!”

Tang Yu’an tossed Xie Chao Ri’s Drift Bottle back into the Dream Sea. Rubbing his hands together, he said with excitement, “Now that the trade is done, let’s spin the wheel!”

They hadn’t used today’s turn on the Lucky Spin yet.

“I hope I can get another Points-Doubling Card!” Tang Yu’an wished aloud.

One card wasn’t nearly enough. If today’s trades benefited from a doubling effect, the profits from Xiao Cao and Shi Tou alone could net him tens of thousands of points!

“We might get lucky,” Zhou Qi encouraged.

“Mm!”

Tang Yu’an fixed his gaze on the spinning wheel. As the pointer slowed to a stop, his expression froze.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi sensed something unusual. “An An?”

Snapping out of it, Tang Yu’an exclaimed excitedly, “Brother Qi, I can fly!”

“Levitation?” Zhou Qi asked, skeptical.

“No, flight!”

Tang Yu’an was so thrilled he began hopping around the attic in delight. “I got the Flight Spell!”

Zhou Qi was also overjoyed.

Flight Spell? That meant actual, unrestricted flight through the air!

“An An, check the skill description and read it to me!” Zhou Qi grabbed Tang Yu’an, urging him.

“Got it!”

Tang Yu’an opened his skill panel to inspect the details.

[Flight Spell LV1]
Type: Magic-based skill.
Description: By channeling and manipulating the power of wind, this spell allows the target to fly through the air.
Duration: 60 minutes per use.
Daily Uses: 3.
Remaining Uses: 3.
Restriction: The target must possess the “Wind Element Affinity” to successfully cast this skill.

Though the skill had restrictions, Tang Yu’an had conveniently awakened the Wind Element Affinity ability!