Chapter 151
Faced with Hong Li’s decision to increase the deal, Tang Yu’an naturally agreed without hesitation.
After clearing the remaining inventory, they calculated that there were only 121.5 kilos of soybeans left in the warehouse. In exchange, Hong Li received 160 meters of cotton fabric and 41 kilos of cotton.
[Employee “Zhou Qi” has completed a profitable transaction with a long-time customer. Experience +1, Points +3645.]
Tang Yu’an, thrilled with the additional points, happily wrote another IOU for Hong Li.
Once the IOU was completed, the system classified the transaction as a loss-making deal, so there were no further experience points.
Hong Li glanced at the pile of cotton fabric and cotton stacked in the corner of the warehouse, then turned to the two boys. “When are you planning to pick it up?”
Her moral standards weren’t particularly high—she hadn’t hesitated to arrest Jin Fu without proof. However, she fiercely protected her own people.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had clearly been categorized as “her people.”
Not only had they saved her brother Chi Hao, but the soybeans they provided were top-tier seeds that secured her influence. On top of that, their supply of salt and cotton had been invaluable.
This gratitude, Hong Li would never forget.
“We’ll wait until the general store is rebuilt,” Zhou Qi replied.
They didn’t plan to deal with Hong Li again in the short term, giving her time to replenish her soybean supply. After all, they had effectively “emptied” her resources.
“Alright. When you need them, just come to the garrison to collect them. I’ll inform my people,” Hong Li said.
“Got it, thank you!” Tang Yu’an said cheerfully.
At that moment, a system notification popped up:
[Employee “Chi Hao” has completed a profitable transaction with a long-time customer. Experience +1, Points +940.]
*
Lanhu Town
Chi Hao packed his belongings, preparing to leave Lanhu Town and return to Qingmu Fortress.
He handed all six vials of beginner healing potions that Zhou Qi had stored in the portable space to Lan Yunqing. In return, he received 20 Lanhu Leaves.
Although Lan Yunqing had prepared 100 leaves, Chi Hao only requested 3 leaves per potion, taking two extra leaves as a gesture of goodwill.
“You can save the rest to trade with the Mysterious Merchant for food,” Chi Hao suggested.
Lan Yunqing looked at him. “Are you really leaving?”
“Yes, I can’t stay any longer.”
Chi Hao also felt reluctant. Lanhu Town was a rare sanctuary in this apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, with the mutated Lanhu Tree’s changes, its future was uncertain.
“What about the method for obtaining the healing potion… have you considered it?” Lan Yunqing pressed. “If you’re willing to tell me, I’ll agree to anything.”
Chi Hao scratched his head, avoided his gaze, but ultimately relented. “The Mysterious Merchant.”
“What?” Lan Yunqing was taken aback.
“The healing potions are acquired by my companions through the Mysterious Merchant. I don’t know the exact price or cost—it’s something you’ll have to weigh yourself.”
Lan Yunqing clenched his hands tightly, nodded with excitement, and said, “So even if you leave, I’ll still have a way to get the beginner healing potions!”
“Chi Hao, your kindness to Lanhu Town will never be forgotten,” Lan Yunqing said, removing a necklace with a blue gemstone from his neck.
The small, fingernail-sized gem gleamed brightly under the sunlight.
“This is the crystalline gemstone of the mutated Lanhu Tree. Keep it with you. As long as you possess it, you’ll always be a friend to the people of Lanhu Town,” Lan Yunqing said earnestly. “If you or your descendants ever need help, show this gem, and our entire town will assist you to the best of our abilities.”
Chi Hao stared blankly at the necklace, a faint blush creeping onto his face as he accepted it. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Once you’ve helped, does that mean I’ll have to return the necklace?”
“Of course.”
“Well, that day won’t come.”
Chi Hao put the necklace around his neck, then pulled out a metal token and handed it to Lan Yunqing.
“We probably won’t see each other again. Keep this as a memento,” he said. “If you ever encounter a problem you can’t solve, take it to Jufeng Mountain and find the leader there.”
“When she sees this token, she’ll know you’re a friend of mine. Whether she helps you depends on how you negotiate.”
Chi Hao understood that his sister wasn’t in the charity business. If it wasn’t a life-saving matter, she wouldn’t bother.
Still, having that connection would likely help.
“Alright, I’m off.”
Chi Hao waved nonchalantly, masking his sadness as he turned and walked away with resolve.
Lan Yunqing stood in place, watching him leave.
He didn’t move until Chi Hao’s figure disappeared over the hillside. Then, he carefully tucked the metal token away and headed toward the mother tree.
The grain exchange at the food store—trading coarse rice for Lanhu Leaves—had resumed.
Yesterday’s trade went well, and if not for Lan Yunqing stopping it in time, the entire 650 kilos of rice might have been exchanged.
He paused the trading cautiously, knowing that Xiao Risheng couldn’t summon the Mysterious Merchant every day.
As expected, the Mysterious Merchant didn’t appear last night.
So Chi Hao was right—they couldn’t rely too heavily on the Mysterious Merchant and needed to cultivate more food on their own.
This was something the people of Lanhu had never attempted before. For now, they had cleared two plots of land by the lakeside: one for planting coarse rice and the other for growing wild vegetable seedlings collected from elsewhere. Whether these efforts would succeed remained to be seen.
Thinking about this, Lan Yunqing glanced toward the distant mountains.
That was Jufeng Mountain, where he’d heard there was a relatively bustling town at the summit. He wondered if the planters there were experienced.
As the town’s administrator, backed by Qingmu Fortress, they likely had access to a satellite phone as well.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know the administrator’s contact number; otherwise, they could exchange knowledge.
Realizing something, Lan Yunqing quickly retrieved Chi Hao’s metal token and flipped it over. On the back was a string of numbers.
His face lit up with a smile, though it soon faded.
He looked back toward the direction Chi Hao had left. In the wastelands, danger was everywhere, and every farewell could be the last.
Would they really never meet again?
*
Zhou Qi took the Lanhu Leaves Chi Hao had stored in the portable space and handed them to Tang Yu’an for safekeeping.
“Our stockpile of Lanhu Leaves is growing!”
“If Chi Hao was right, we should be able to acquire even more leaves soon,” Tang Yu’an said. After some thought, he added, “I wonder if Gan Lin, besides being interested in water, might also find Lanhu Leaves valuable?”
The drought near Flame Dragon Fortress was caused by high temperatures. If the heat could be reduced, they might retain more water and prevent it from evaporating.
“Hmm, Lanhu Leaves might also enhance his survival ability.”
If body temperature could remain at a normal level, water consumption would decrease, conserving precious resources.
“Hehe, let’s hope Flame Stones prove useful,” Zhou Qi said.
That way, they wouldn’t need to exchange for charcoal, saving points and reducing dependency on the system.
“Class time!” Zhou Qi announced, glancing at his watch.
They hadn’t studied earlier in the day due to the issues at the Jufeng General Store. Now that they had some free time, they needed to make up for it.
“Alright…” Tang Yu’an obediently nodded. He went to Room 901’s study, pulled out the printed color textbooks and workbooks, and placed them on the desk. Then, he clicked to enter the course.
He chose the younger version of Teacher Tong.
This version of “Little Tong” appeared about 25 years old, with a cheerful smile and a lively personality. His lessons were especially engaging and fun.
Compared to the peer-aged Teacher Tongtong, the younger version’s content was more in-depth and challenging.
As for Zhou Qi, he opted for the older and more experienced Professor Tong.
From the title alone, you could tell the level of difficulty Professor Tong’s lessons presented. His teaching style was rich with references, often incorporating a wealth of related extracurricular knowledge.
Once fully immersed, they often forgot that the teacher delivering the lesson was just a holographic projection and not an actual person. Considering this, the 10-point course fee felt like a real bargain.
While engrossed in their studies, two hours passed by unnoticed.
After focusing for two solid hours, Tang Yu’an finally couldn’t help but let his mind wander. After the third time he zoned out, Little Tong stopped teaching altogether.
Scratching his head, Tang Yu’an decided to take a break.
He casually opened the map and noticed something unusual. Turning toward the door, he saw Kang Kang peeking in, his small head poking around the corner.
Tang Yu’an stole a glance at Zhou Qi, who was still fully engrossed in his studies, then quietly got up and tiptoed toward the door.
He gestured for Kang Kang to stay silent, and the little boy covered his mouth with his tiny hands.
Tang Yu’an pointed toward the living room and quietly walked in that direction. Kang Kang mimicked his every step, tiptoeing as well, and the two of them sneaked into the living room with exaggerated caution. Only once they were there did they relax.
“Kang Kang, is there something you need from me?” Tang Yu’an asked.
Earlier, he had taken Kang Kang and Lily upstairs to play a trading game and lifted their access restrictions. Since he hadn’t reset them, Kang Kang and Lily were still free to come up to the ninth floor.
Kang Kang ran to the doorway and brought back a small flower pot.
“Cool and warm is hungry… needs soil! Lots of soil!” he said, doing his best to explain.
Tang Yu’an looked at the Lanhu Tree seedling in the flower pot and finally realized what he meant. He asked, “Cool and warm—is that this little guy’s name?”
“Yeah!” Kang Kang nodded eagerly.
“…”
While fitting, the name was… quite unexpected.
After a moment of thought, Tang Yu’an said, “How about we call it ‘October’ from now on? What do you think?”
“October?” Kang Kang looked at him in confusion.
“Yes,” Tang Yu’an replied with a smile. “October is a season of cool and warm—the perfect name for it.”
Although Kang Kang didn’t entirely understand, he thought the name sounded nice. He nodded vigorously. “Okay! October! I like it!”
Tang Yu’an patted his head and looked back at the Lanhu Tree seedling in the pot.
“If it needs soil, can we plant it in the courtyard?” he suggested.
After all, October was a tree. It wouldn’t grow properly in a pot; it needed to be in the ground to thrive.
“Sure!” Kang Kang agreed.
Tang Yu’an left a message for Zhou Qi on the message board, then carried the pot in one hand and held Kang Kang’s hand in the other as they headed downstairs.
With many hands at work, the 1,000-square-meter plot they had cleared in the morning was now fully planted with potatoes.
The rain from the previous night had left the sky filled with clouds. Though it was overcast, rays of sunlight shone through, creating the perfect weather for potato growth.
The lush greenery of the potato seedlings made everyone feel a sense of joy and satisfaction.
Nearby, a brick kiln was already operational, thin wisps of smoke curling into the sky. Around the kiln, several earth-type ability users were hard at work transforming regular soil into clay.
Non-ability users mixed the clay and packed it into molds, compressing it firmly before passing the molds to fire-type ability users. These individuals carefully dried the clay into solid bricks, which were then neatly stacked to the side.
The production line was well-organized and efficient.
Among the workers, Tang Yu’an spotted Huoqiu. Though his control over flames wasn’t as skilled as some of the new adult recruits, he was putting in his best effort.
For him, this might also serve as a form of training.
Tang Yu’an didn’t interrupt, continuing to walk hand in hand with Kang Kang. Turning a corner, they reached the newly cleared plot of land.
The soil’s fertility had been heavily depleted, so the field was temporarily left to rest, with fermented manure buried to rejuvenate it.
Tang Yu’an and Kang Kang continued walking. Turning another corner, they came upon the scenic pond, now converted into a fish pond.
Kang Kang let go of Tang Yu’an’s hand and ran to the edge of the pond to watch the fish swimming. Pointing to a lotus leaf, he exclaimed, “Roundy!”
It seemed he had named the green lotus as well—though whether it might mutate in the future remained to be seen.
“When Roundy grows for another year, we might be able to harvest lotus roots,” Tang Yu’an said with a smile.
“Lotus roots? Are they tasty?” Kang Kang asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Of course, they’re delicious.”
With that confirmation, Kang Kang’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he eagerly stared at the various-sized lotus leaves floating on the water.
Finally, they planted the Lanhu Tree seedling on a patch of land near the pond.
Tang Yu’an built a fence around the sapling and designated the area as a restricted zone. Apart from himself, Zhou Qi, Kang Kang, and Granny Guo, no one else could enter.
He initially considered using a brick wall to block it from view, but Kang Kang objected, saying it would feel too isolated, and October wouldn’t like it. So, he opted for a fence instead.
Once transplanted into the soil, the Lanhu Tree seedling stretched out its leaves, swaying gently in the breeze and radiating a sense of joy.
Kang Kang watered the tree and then squatted beside it, smiling and chattering away, seemingly having a conversation with the sapling.
Tang Yu’an listened curiously for a while but couldn’t make sense of it, so he pulled out a small stool and sat nearby.
A gentle breeze blew, making the rare pleasant daytime temperature all the more enjoyable.
He plucked a blade of grass and wove it into a grasshopper for Kang Kang. Then, looking at the Lanhu Tree, he asked, “Should we move Brighty and the Qingliang Fruit outside too?”
Kang Kang shook his head. “Brighty needs it dark, and Qingliang needs it warm!”
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and realized the reasoning. Brighty, the mutated lantern fruit, likely preferred dark environments, while the Qingliang Fruit thrived in warm or even hot conditions.
This seemed to align with their growth environments.
Granny Guo and Kang Kang’s old home had no windows and was dimly lit, which might have led to the development of the glowing, mutated lantern fruit. Meanwhile, the Qingliang Fruit was cultivated to withstand heat, so its preference for warmth made sense.
“Then let’s plant Brighty on the first floor,” Tang Yu’an suggested.
The unused rooms on the first floor could be turned into a cultivation room for the mutated lantern fruit by sealing the windows to create a dark environment.
“Okay!” Kang Kang happily agreed.
They left the courtyard and went to the first floor to choose a room. Before long, they found one that Kang Kang liked.
Tang Yu’an set up restricted access for the room, then removed the concrete flooring to expose the soil beneath.
After transplanting the mutated lantern fruit and properly burying its roots, Tang Yu’an sealed the windows, creating a completely dark room.
With the overcast skies, the light was already dim, but after sealing the windows, only silhouettes were visible in the room.
Looking at the lone lantern fruit tree, Tang Yu’an asked, “Won’t Brighty get lonely? Should we plant some other plants to keep it company?”
Kang Kang shook his head again. “No, Brighty likes being alone!”
So the mutated lantern fruit was a bit of a loner? Tang Yu’an chuckled and said, “Alright, let’s leave it alone then.”
“Okay!” Kang Kang waved goodbye to the lantern fruit before leaving with Tang Yu’an.
In the dim room, the lantern fruit tree stretched its branches and leaves. After being wilted ever since its arrival at Store No. 1, it finally perked up.
Greedily drawing nutrients from the soil, it began repairing its damaged body and slowly sprouted new buds.
*
Linhai Town, Guanyu Village
Under the blazing sun, Hai Jing collected the white crystals from the last salt pit and stored them in a clay jar. Then, he slung the salt jar onto his back.
Around him, in addition to the children from earlier, there were now two or three adults digging pits in the ground.
“Hai Jing, are you heading back now?” one of them asked.
“Yes, it’s too hot. You all should head back too,” Hai Jing said.
“Alright! I’ll bring the kids over later to trade for rice!”
Hai Jing nodded silently and headed toward the village. Before he even reached home, he saw his daughter sitting at the doorway, waiting for him.
A smile spread across his face, and his heavy steps lightened.
“Dad!”
“Hmm, are you hungry? I’ll cook.”
He put down the salt jar and went to the yard to grab some sun-dried goods before heading inside to make porridge.
The dried goods, of course, were acquired through bartering rice.
Every afternoon, he opened his doors for trading, so right after their meal, someone came over with a salt jar.
Hai Jing glanced at the corner where his salt barrels were stored.
Each barrel could hold around 100 kilos of salt, and both were already full. For the excess salt, he had spread a plastic sheet on the ground for storage.
The plastic sheet, salvaged from dismantling an old quilt, was of excellent quality and reusable.
Hai Jing could only hope the Mysterious Merchant would appear again in his daughter’s dream tonight. Otherwise, with so much salt piling up, his house would soon run out of space.
Today, he decided to collect less salt from each person.
Previously, he collected about 5 kilos per person, but now he halved it. Since he charged per person, larger families would have to give up 25 to 30 kilos at a time, and not all of them had that much stock.
By reducing the collection to 2.5 kilos per person, he ensured profitability while easing the burden on the villagers.
When asked why the price was so much lower today, Hai Jing casually replied, “The price changes daily. It’s less today; tomorrow it might go back up.”
As he ran a “monopoly” business, the villagers had no choice but to accept his terms.
In addition to selling rice, Hai Jing also promoted his down quilts.
After testing with his daughter yesterday, he calculated that each quilt needed at least 8 kilos of salt to be profitable. So, he priced them at 10 kilos of salt each.
Having studied first-grade math in compulsory education, Hai Jing could now count accurately.
He knew the Mysterious Merchant had given his daughter 18 down quilts, and there were 18 households in the village.
The intention was clear, so Hai Jing made an effort to sell these warm quilts to every household.
The coastal nights were bone-chillingly cold. Damp, salty sea breezes seeped through every crack in the houses, making the cold unbearable.
With the down quilts, nights became far more tolerable.
Households that purchased quilts on the first day came back wanting a second one the next day, but Hai Jing turned them down. Others, seeing how effective the quilts were, eagerly lined up to buy, and by evening, all 18 quilts had sold out!
Hai Jing’s house was now filled with bags of sea salt, leaving barely any space to move.
Looking at the cluttered floor, Hai Jing realized this wouldn’t do. He turned to his daughter and said, “Hai Lan, how about we build a big house?”
“Yes, let’s do it!”
Seeing his daughter’s joyful smile, Hai Jing couldn’t help but laugh as well.
After some thought, he opened the message board.
[Cloud Eagle]: Today was a happy day. ^^
Tang Yu’an also felt happy, because…
[Merchant Level Reached: 16]
[New items available in the marketplace: whole wheat flour, dried scallops, rulers, printing paper, thermos bottles. Details can be viewed in the “Wholesale Market.”]
[Portable Warehouse Slots +1. Total slots: 20.]
[Listing duration for items in the Dimensional Storefront extended to 72 hours. Number of items allowed for listing increased to 3.]
[Remote Retrieval Skill upgraded to Level 15. Details available in the “Skills” section.]
[Daily Quest Refresh Card +1.]
[Please select a delivery address…]
Thanks to the relentless efforts of Hai Jing and the employees of Store No. 1, Tang Yu’an had leveled up once again!
And this time, among the unlocked items, there was a thermos bottle!
While it couldn’t compare to the self-filling thermos bottle, it was still a great choice for everyday use by the residents.
What made it even better was the flexibility in its specifications. Users could adjust its size, shape, and even its thickness—an incredibly user-friendly feature.
With an additional slot available in the dimensional storefront, Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and decided to list the Lanhu Leaves.
Such a miraculous item shouldn’t have any trouble finding buyers, right?
He glanced at his points balance: 53,395. Satisfied, he opened the dimensional store to browse.
Although the Jufeng General Store was temporarily closed, Hai Jing’s operations were steady, bringing in over 10,000 points in revenue daily.
With such a stable income stream, Tang Yu’an felt no pressure.
He decided to purchase the breadfruit he had been eyeing for a while. Priced at 1,000 points per fruit, breadfruit was well-suited for arid environments like Flame Dragon Fortress.
Unfortunately, each breadfruit produced only one fruit tree. Scaling up for large-scale cultivation would require significant investment, so Tang Yu’an opted to start small.
Just then, a new listing popped up:
[Mid-Grade Spirit Gathering Grass: 100 points per plant]
Tang Yu’an immediately bought it. Checking the seller, it was, unsurprisingly, the same Gu Ganli.
His storefront still had only one slot available, meaning his level hadn’t progressed to LV1 yet.
Tang Yu’an shook his head.
He recalled that the message feature unlocked at Level 11, but without it, he couldn’t warn Gu Ganli that he was underselling his items.
By now, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had returned to the loft of the Desolate City General Store. Zhou Qi headed downstairs to prepare dinner, while Tang Yu’an took out the newly purchased Mid-Grade Spirit Gathering Grass.
Compared to the previous one, this plant was visibly more robust, with lush green leaves faintly emitting a teal glow. It seemed likely that its ability to gather wood-based spiritual energy would be even more potent.
He was about to head downstairs to share the good news with Zhou Qi when he noticed movement in the Dream Drift Bottle window.
The small window blinked with light, catching his attention, and he quickly ran over.
[The “Dream Drift Bottle” you sent out has successfully returned. Please retrieve it from the Dream Sea.]
The drift bottle he had sent to another dimension had come back!
Seeing the gray-blue bottle floating in the Dream Sea, Tang Yu’an blinked.
Could it really be the same bottle as before?
He called Zhou Qi upstairs and opened the bottle. A bright ball of light floated out, accompanied by a youthful, unfamiliar voice.
“Your name is Mysterious Merchant? What a strange name!”
“I’m Lang Ze! And I want to eat potato chips!”
