Chapter 138
[Employee “Lin Zhen” has completed a transaction with a regular customer…]
Seeing the system notification, Tang Yu‘an couldn’t help but smile.
Under Grandpa Li’s training, Sister Lin was already getting the hang of things!
Tang Yu‘an had enabled her employee panel and unlocked two items for her: glucose and alcohol.
Sister Lin loved sweet things, and as for alcohol, he figured it might come in handy for her pharmaceutical work. Plus, the alcohol came in a glass bottle, which she’d likely enjoy.
After setting everything up, Tang Yu‘an closed the interface and opened the forum section of the personnel panel.
Today, he’d unlocked a new alias account. This account could only be used within the forum, but that was already quite useful to him.
After all, when he appeared on the message board, he still had the “Anonymous Administrator” title hanging over his head.
Others might not know who he was at first, but over time, those familiar with him might start piecing together that he was the administrator.
With an alias account, things became much more convenient!
“What name are you going to give your alias?” Zhou Qi asked curiously.
Tang Yu‘an chuckled mischievously. “You’ll see when you check the message board.”
Zhou Qi opened the message board, and soon, the previously silent public channel lit up with a new message.
[Message Board (Public Channel)]
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Good evening, everyone!
“…”
Zhou Qi paused, then slowly started laughing.
Seeing him laugh, Tang Yu‘an leaned over slightly and asked, “How’s my name? Cool, huh?”
Zhou Qi nodded, still smiling. “It has a lot of presence.”
“Hehe, doesn’t it go perfectly with yours?”
“Hmm.”
Zhou Qi joined the conversation.
[Handsome Zhou]: Good evening.
[Pan Shi]: Good evening!
[Pu Wei]: Good evening, everyone.
[Pu Wei]: Ooh, a new name has appeared!
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: I’m a newbie. Please take care of me!
Seeing “Pan Shi” and “Pu Wei” appear, Tang Yu‘an quickly struck up a chat with them.
[Pan Shi]: It feels so empty here.
[Pan Shi]: I spoke yesterday, but no one really responded to me.
That was true. Aside from Tang Yu‘an, there were currently only three employees at max level 5.
[Handsome Zhou]: It might be because using the message board requires reaching employee level 5.
[Pan Shi]: Is getting to level 5 that hard?
[Pan Shi]: It only took me two or three days.
Two or three days?
In a lakeside cottage in Lanhu Town, Chi Hao stared at the message board conversation, his molars grinding in frustration.
So this “Pan Shi” was a newbie who had just unlocked the trade system and reached level 5 in less than three days?
Chi Hao glanced at his own employee level: Lv2 (18/30).
He’d been bustling around all day, completing over 20 profitable transactions. It had utterly exhausted him—trading felt even more grueling than his usual training!
How had this “Pan Shi” leveled up so fast? Did they have a secret method?
Chi Hao was dying to ask, but with his level restriction, he couldn’t post on the message board and could only stare at it in silence.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Maybe it’s because you live in a densely populated area, making business easier.
Exactly!
Chi Hao nodded in agreement, but then realized he was also in a populated area with a decent-sized community.
Well, it was definitely easier than trading while on the road, but his time in Lanhu Town was limited. He’d be leaving in two days to return to the fortress and couldn’t stay indefinitely.
What a headache…
Also, could “Eastern Sweet Tang” be An’an? Their timing—showing up one after the other with Zhou Qi—plus that feigned newbie act…
Eastern Tang… How cute.
Chi Hao chuckled to himself and pulled a lollipop from his portable storage, popping the chocolate-flavored treat into his mouth.
By the way, what is the difference between “chocolate” and “chocolat”?
Unable to figure it out, he shook his head and resolved to keep using glucose to—no, not scam—trade with kids tomorrow.
Lanhu Town didn’t lack salt, and grain was too bulky to explain taking out of nowhere. Glucose seemed like the best option.
*
As night descended over Store No. 1, in Room 702…
Tie Jin placed the metal bars he’d produced to the side, wrapping them in a cloth before stretching.
“Want some water?” came A’Lian’s voice beside him.
Tie Jin turned to see her holding out a ceramic cup.
“Where did this cup come from?” he asked as he accepted it.
They had left home with very few belongings, and were short on basic tools and utensils.
“This afternoon, while you were making the water purifier, I noticed some clay in the yard. I collected it and made this,” A’Lian explained.
Tie Jin frowned slightly.
Seeing his expression, A’Lian bit her lip nervously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Even though the clay was just lying in the yard, anything on the property technically belongs to An’an and the others,” Tie Jin said. “I’ll let Old Li know tomorrow and trade him some metal for the clay.”
He added, “Be mindful of things like this in the future. We can’t afford to lose their trust over something so trivial. You want to keep living here too, don’t you?”
A’Lian opened her mouth as if to respond but then closed it, nodding instead.
She had lived in caves her whole life and had never experienced such a spacious and clean home. Earlier, she’d asked Huo Qiu about the other residents and learned that most of them only had small single rooms.
For their family to have an entire suite was due not only to Tie Jin’s ability to afford the rent but also to his rapport with the two young bosses.
Making a cup out of scavenged clay might seem like a small matter, but if someone twisted the story and reported it to Old Li, it could tarnish Tie Jin’s reputation, which would be detrimental.
A’Lian was acutely aware that she and her daughter already owed Tie Jin a great deal and didn’t want to cause him any further trouble.
Tie Jin gulped down the water but quickly realized something.
“Wait, wasn’t this water meant for Lili?”
“She’s small; she can’t drink that much in one day.”
Seeing Tie Jin’s hesitation, A’Lian added, “We agreed that I’d handle the food and drink. You don’t need to worry about it.”
She took the clay cup from his hands and carefully placed it in the kitchen.
That night, Tie Jin covered himself with the new quilt, while A’Lian held her daughter under the old one.
Though the hard concrete floor was only padded with a thin wool blanket and still felt chilly, it was leagues better than the caves they used to sleep in.
Moreover, after yesterday’s “baptism,” they were both clean from head to toe. Sleeping in fresh blankets with clean hair and clothes was a rare comfort and joy.
*
In Room 401, second bedroom:
A rumbling noise broke the silence, causing Jin Guang to open his eyes.
He rubbed his stomach, feeling hungry.
After spending the day clearing the yard and building water purifiers, he hadn’t had time to hunt. While the grocery store provided two meals, they hadn’t been enough to fill him.
Carefully, Jin Guang climbed out of bed.
His gaze flicked toward the door, uncertain and conflicted.
Shu Gen and Huo Qiu likely had food. Earlier in the day, Granny Guo had dug up a basket of yellow potatoes, and he’d seen her grandson give two of them to Huo Qiu.
Jin Guang swallowed hard. The store had strict rules against theft, but as long as no one found out, surely it would be fine… right?
Driven by hunger, he left his room.
Moving silently, he slipped into the master bedroom next door. With no doors installed yet, his movements were unimpeded.
Moonlight streamed through the glass windows.
Tonight’s strong winds had swept the clouds away, making the moonlight unusually bright—an advantage for Jin Guang’s stealthy operation.
Shu Gen and Huo Qiu were sound asleep. Perhaps the grocery store’s safe environment had caused them to let their guard down.
The yellow potatoes, still covered in dirt, were placed near Huo Qiu’s feet.
Greed flickered in Jin Guang’s eyes as he reached for them, but halfway through, his hand froze in mid-air, unable to move forward.
What’s going on?
The greed in his eyes quickly turned to fear.
It felt as though an invisible force had seized his body, pinning him in place. When he abandoned his intent to steal, his ability to move returned.
What just happened?
Jin Guang hesitated and tried again, but the eerie paralysis struck once more. The sensation of losing control over his body was utterly terrifying.
Quickly abandoning the idea of theft, he turned and fled Shu Gen’s room.
Standing in the hallway, Jin Guang’s heart pounded harder than it had when he’d tried to steal the food.
Finally, he understood why the grocery store had strict rules against theft and robbery but no nightly patrols.
It wasn’t because they lacked manpower—it simply wasn’t necessary.
As long as you stayed within the Desolate City Grocery Store, the rules were absolute and enforced by something far beyond human power.
Exhaling shakily, Jin Guang hurried back to his room, his hunger temporarily forgotten.
Unbeknownst to him, as he turned to leave, Shu Gen opened his eyes, confused, and watched his retreating figure. Once Jin Guang had truly left, Shu Gen quietly put away the knife he’d been gripping.
If Jin Guang had persisted, Shu Gen would have struck without hesitation.
Although it might not have been enough to seriously harm Jin Guang, causing a commotion would have brought Old Li down. That would’ve gotten Jin Guang expelled from the store.
Shu Gen hadn’t expected Jin Guang to back down.
He felt a pang of sadness. The residents had been getting along well, all of them wanting to build better lives.
If Jin Guang had gone through with it, the fragile trust among them would have crumbled, plunging them back into the paranoia of the first night.
Jin Guang’s decision to stop was unexpected—but welcome.
Deciding it wasn’t worth pursuing, Shu Gen hugged his son and went back to sleep.
As long as his interests hadn’t been harmed, he could turn a blind eye. In this apocalyptic world, survival was hard for everyone…
*
After finishing his bath and drying his hair, Tang Yu‘an climbed up to the attic.
The green vine that always twined through his hair had been carefully removed and was now soaking leisurely in a glass cup, its leaves slowly unfurling.
Tang Yu‘an added a bit of water to the cup and then checked his credit balance with a contented smile.
Despite spending four or five thousand credits today, his balance had actually increased, now sitting at over 14,000.
“Brother Qi, I want to head to the swimming pool tomorrow to activate the teleportation array,” Tang Yu‘an said, turning to Zhou Qi. “If we don’t feed the fish in the pool soon, they might starve to death.”
Zhou Qi frowned. “It’s too dangerous…”
“I have the Shadow Umbrella and the Lightness Technique, and now I can use the Flying Technique too! It’ll be fine!” Tang Yu‘an scooted closer, putting on a pitiful, pleading expression. “Brother Qi, please let me go…”
Zhou Qi reached out and gently touched the bruise on Tang Yu‘an’s face.
“Ow!” Tang Yu‘an yelped, covering his face with his hands.
“Your Flying Technique isn’t up to par yet.”
“It’s improved!” Tang Yu‘an protested.
Zhou Qi sighed and thought for a moment before saying, “We’ll discuss this tomorrow.”
Tang Yu‘an could only nod reluctantly.
Zhou Qi ruffled his fluffy hair. “Do you want to draw a lottery or fish for a drift bottle first?”
“Let’s fish for a bottle!” Tang Yu‘an said as he got up and walked to the window. He opened it and glanced outside, spotting a familiar bottle—one belonging to the little boy from Lanhu Town.
He hesitated briefly before fishing it out.
[Grain… I want lots and lots of grain. Mysterious Merchant, please trade with me!]
Hearing the little boy’s words, Tang Yu‘an and Zhou Qi exchanged a glance.
They had just traded 15 kilos of brown rice with him yesterday. Why was he asking for more today? Something felt unusual.
“Didn’t you just trade for food yesterday?” Tang Yu‘an asked aloud.
“Mysterious Merchant! You’re back!” The boy’s joyful voice echoed.
Seeing that the dreamscape seemed stable, Tang Yu‘an repeated his question.
“I gave all the food to the lord,” the boy admitted honestly. “The lord said that if I could trade for more, I’d be rewarded!”
The lord!
Tang Yu‘an was startled. The boy had handed over all the traded food to Lanhu Town’s lord?
Zhou Qi looked equally surprised. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“My name is Ru Sheng, but soon I’ll be called Lan Ru Sheng!” the boy replied happily.
“Tell me,” Zhou Qi continued, “how did you explain where the food came from?”
“Explain what?” Ru Sheng asked, confused.
“How did you explain where you got the food?”
“I just said I traded for it in a dream with the Mysterious Merchant!” the boy answered straightforwardly.
Tang Yu‘an and Zhou Qi were taken aback.
“And your lord believed you?”
“Yep!” Ru Sheng said cheerfully. “The lord even gave me 100 Lanhu leaves and told me to keep trading for more food. Mysterious Merchant, let’s trade!”
Tang Yu‘an and Zhou Qi exchanged another glance.
Ru Sheng’s carefree demeanor was strikingly different from the typical wary wastelanders they’d met. It seemed that Lanhu Town had a surprisingly honest and simple community.
At the very least, the lord seemed approachable; otherwise, Ru Sheng wouldn’t be so relaxed.
They speculated that the lord wouldn’t harm the boy.
Tang Yu‘an rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This meant that they were essentially trading with Lanhu Town’s lord through Ru Sheng’s dream.
This arrangement was ideal: it maintained their anonymity and avoided the dangers of long journeys. It was safe, efficient, and far more convenient than setting up a physical shop in Lanhu Town.
Of course, this method was only suitable for bulk transactions. Since they could only interact with Ru Sheng, they couldn’t engage with others or gain more experience points through smaller trades.
In the long run, visiting Lanhu Town to open a store would still be necessary.
Setting his thoughts aside, Tang Yu‘an refocused on the moment. Then he remembered Ru Sheng’s earlier mention of 100 Lanhu leaves.
“Are you sure about that?” Tang Yu‘an asked.
“Yes!”
This was a windfall!
Tang Yu‘an nearly used a point-doubling card in his excitement but stopped himself, remembering that Hong Li’s soybean delivery was due in two days. He decided to hold off.
“All right. I’ll give you the same price as yesterday.”
“Great!”
Tang Yu‘an used his points to exchange for 150 kilos of brown rice, and the system promptly confirmed the transaction.
[You have completed a profitable trade with a dreamscape wisher. Points +3500, Experience +6, Dream Fragment +1.]
As the transaction concluded, Ru Sheng’s glowing orb disappeared, leaving behind 100 Lanhu leaves in Tang Yu‘an’s inventory.
Smiling with satisfaction, Tang Yu‘an thought, These are valuable!
But his smile quickly turned into a frown.
Previously, he hadn’t noticed much when dealing in smaller quantities. But with this bulk trade, he realized something:
“Is the system double-dipping on points?” Tang Yu‘an exclaimed indignantly.
A single Lanhu leaf was worth 50 points, so 100 leaves should equal 5000 points. The 150 kilos of brown rice cost 1500 points. After deducting costs, he gained 3500 points—which seemed correct at first glance.
But the issue was that he had spent 1500 points upfront to buy the rice. When factoring that in, his net gain was only 2000 points from the transaction.
Hearing his complaint, Zhou Qi also noticed the discrepancy.
“You’re right,” Zhou Qi agreed.
Previously, when they traded Little Hai Lan’s coarse salt with Hong Li, the issue wasn’t as noticeable. It only became apparent now with these larger transactions.
“This means we need to start developing local suppliers,” Zhou Qi said. “We can’t rely too much on the system’s exchanges.”
Tang Yu‘an nodded emphatically.
Tang Yu‘an gathered the 100 Lanhu leaves, adding them to the ones from yesterday’s trade and those Chi Hao had given him, totaling 119 leaves.
As soon as the leaves appeared, Tang Yu‘an noticed the attic becoming noticeably warmer.
Since the glowing green cabinet, which produced heat, had been given to Granny Guo, the main store had grown colder at night. However, with the three purple carpets stitched together as bedding, they hadn’t felt much of the chill.
Now, with so many temperature-regulating Lanhu leaves, the attic’s air felt comfortably warm.
“Wow, this is so cozy!” Tang Yu‘an exclaimed, reclining onto the carpet. It felt warm enough that he wouldn’t need a blanket.
Zhou Qi nodded in agreement. The Lanhu leaves were indeed effective. But who else would be as extravagant as they were, scattering over a hundred leaves in a room just to adjust the temperature?
Zhou Qi picked up Ru Sheng’s drift bottle and tossed it back into the dream sea.
“Brother Qi, while you’re at it, grab another bottle,” Tang Yu‘an said lazily, sprawled on the purple carpet and reluctant to move.
Zhou Qi turned his attention to the dream sea.
Unlike Tang Yu‘an, who could discern the brightness of the bottles, Zhou Qi couldn’t distinguish between them. He simply reached in and pulled out one at random.
“Here you go.”
Tang Yu‘an took the bottle, opened it, and watched as a glow emerged, followed by an unfamiliar voice. It was a new dreamscape wisher!
“Water… I want water…” A frail voice spoke, sounding like a boy of about ten years old.
A place with a water shortage?
That ruled out the Desolate City area. Tang Yu‘an glanced at the map. Only after a trade was completed would the dream wisher’s location light up on it.
Clearing his throat, he addressed the boy, “I am the Mysterious Merchant. I can provide water, but you’ll need to trade something in return.”
“Water… water…” the boy murmured, his voice faint and disoriented.
Tang Yu‘an frowned but didn’t panic. With prior experience, they could handle this situation.
He took out an insulated water bottle, half-filled it with fresh water, and balanced the temperature with cold water.
Speaking to the glowing orb, he said, “I offer this water bottle in exchange for one-fourth of the most abundant item in your home. If you say ‘water,’ it means you agree to the trade.”
After he spoke, the boy’s consciousness remained clouded.
“Water…” the boy mumbled again.
A system notification immediately appeared:
[You have completed a loss-making trade with a dreamscape wisher. Experience +6, Dream Fragment +1.]
As the water in the bottle vanished, the boy suddenly let out a cry. His dreamscape glow shattered and disappeared.
Tang Yu‘an scratched his head at the notification.
Nothing?
Not even scraps of wood? Could the boy truly have nothing at all? Or perhaps his phrasing was off—did the boy not even have a home?
Tang Yu‘an opened the map.
Although there was no profit, a new bright marker lit up the map. Its location was much farther than expected—down in the southwest corner of the map, six times the distance to Xiao Hai Lan.
A trip to Linhai Town took a week, so reaching this place would take over a month.
What kind of place was it?
*
A desolate ruin.
The boy, collapsed on the ground, suddenly let out a cry as water poured over him, jolting him awake.
He looked around in confusion. His cracked lips, tasting the sweetness of clean water, made him fully alert in an instant.
Water! Was it raining?
This month, the fire dragons had been active—how could it rain?
He noticed a small pool of water beneath him and quickly knelt to drink, greedily lapping at the miraculous gift.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and someone shoved him aside.
The boy fell back, looking up at the man who had pushed him. He then noticed more people gathering, drawn by the commotion. Terrified, he scrambled to his feet and ran.
Before anyone could catch him, he darted into a collapsed building. Once inside, he stripped off his wet clothes and wrung them out, drinking the remaining water.
Through a broken window, he glimpsed a fortress looming on the horizon. Fiery dragons twisted and soared in the air, illuminating the land as brightly as daylight.
