Chapter 174
Tang Yu’an excitedly opened the prize draw interface.
Even though the probability of getting something good decreases with more attempts, the process of drawing prizes is still incredibly thrilling!
After clicking the draw button, he fixed his gaze on the lucky wheel, silently praying for some useful skills or items.
[Congratulations! You’ve won 888 points.]
“Ah, while that’s a lot of points, I don’t exactly need more points right now!” Tang Yu’an sighed.
Undeterred, he clicked the draw button again. Three consecutive attempts—all points rewards, with one being a mere 10 points!
“My luck’s completely run out, Brother Qi,” the boy groaned with a crestfallen expression.
“It’s okay, something good will pop up soon,” Zhou Qi said calmly.
Encouraged by Zhou Qi’s words, Tang Yu’an rallied his spirits and clicked again, whispering in his heart, Anything but points, please!
[Congratulations! You’ve won a special skill: “Light Blessing I.”]
“Whoa!”
“Brother Qi! Something good actually came out!” Tang Yu’an’s earlier frustration evaporated instantly. “I got another skill!”
Zhou Qi: …
Here we go again.
“What skill did you get this time?” Zhou Qi asked.
Tang Yu’an checked. “It’s a light-element skill called Light Blessing.“
He opened his skill list.
[Light Blessing I]
[Type: Magic-based skill.]
[Effect: Grants a target a barrier of light that blocks one lethal attack.]
[Limit: Usable three times per day.]
[Uses remaining today: 3]
After Tang Yu’an finished reading, Zhou Qi’s eyes lit up. “This is a defensive magic skill! It can block lethal attacks. That’s incredibly powerful!”
Although it could only be used three times a day, it was far more practical than something like Wind Blade with its hour-long cooldown. In battle, being able to withstand three fatal attacks effectively meant having three extra lives.
No wonder it took four draws to get this skill!
And there was more…
“An An, you might not only have an affinity for wind magic but also for light magic,” Zhou Qi said thoughtfully.
So far, every skill Tang Yu’an had drawn—besides utility skills like Remote Retrieval—had been wind-based, such as Lightfoot, Levitate, Flight, and Wind Blade. However, skills like Purification and Light Blessing appeared to be light-element.
Tang Yu’an scratched his head. “Really?”
He didn’t feel much different. Moreover, among the elemental energy stones they’d acquired so far, they only had those for gold, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning. There hadn’t been any for light magic.
Zhou Qi nodded. “It’s very possible. When you use Purification or Light Blessing, try to focus on the sensation. You might be able to figure out other uses for light energy.”
Just like Flight. After practicing for six months, both of them had mastered it and no longer needed the system’s assistance.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try later!” Tang Yu’an agreed.
For now, he decided to have lunch before continuing the draws.
“How many draws do you have left?” Zhou Qi asked.
“Three.”
Based on past experiences, two of the remaining three draws would probably result in minor items. Consecutive draws rarely produced major rewards.
Muttering under his breath, Tang Yu’an looked conflicted. Zhou Qi, meanwhile, could only be grateful that the system’s gacha mechanics weren’t bound to him.
After lunch, Tang Yu’an reopened the lucky wheel and clicked to draw.
[No prize won. Thank you for participating.]
!!!
For the first time, he didn’t even get a consolation reward!
Rather than feeling discouraged, Tang Yu’an grew excited. “Brother Qi! This means something big is about to appear!”
Zhou Qi couldn’t help but feel a little tense at Tang Yu’an’s words.
Could it really happen? Right after drawing the overpowered Light Blessing skill, could he hit another jackpot?
Tang Yu’an rubbed his hands together, his cheeks flushed with anticipation. Taking a deep breath, he clicked the button.
The wheel spun and spun before finally stopping on…
[Congratulations! You’ve won a special item: “Lucky Marble.”]
Tang Yu’an: 0.0
He’d expected something good but hadn’t anticipated hitting such a major prize!
Tang Yu’an quickly retrieved the newly-won Lucky Marble. It was a golden, shiny marble—far more beautiful than the three he already had.
He checked its attributes eagerly.
[Lucky Marble]
[Description: A marble from the “Marvelous Series,” capable of bringing good fortune!]
[Effect: Grants the target a 100% luck boost for up to 10 minutes, with a cooldown of 30 minutes.]
[Status: Bound.]
“Woohoo! This time, it actually came with a detailed description!” Tang Yu’an cheered.
“An An, this marble is…” Zhou Qi instinctively took a step back when he saw Tang Yu’an pull out the golden marble, as though recalling some unpleasant experience.
Tang Yu’an grinned mischievously, grabbed Zhou Qi’s hand, and placed the marble in it.
Despite his wariness of marbles, Zhou Qi didn’t resist. He trusted Tang Yu’an not to harm him.
“This is a Lucky Marble—it brings good fortune!” Tang Yu’an announced.
Zhou Qi: 0.0
“A luck-boosting marble?” Zhou Qi asked, his voice trembling. “For real?”
“Yep!” Tang Yu’an read the item’s description aloud.
Zhou Qi listened carefully. After a moment, his initial excitement cooled. “It’s not just +100, but 100%, right?”
Tang Yu’an blinked. “Uh… yeah, it seems so…”
“Do you know the difference?” Zhou Qi asked.
“It’s not that big, is it?” Tang Yu’an was confused.
“Oh, it’s huge,” Zhou Qi sighed bitterly. “A 100% boost to zero is still zero.”
Nevertheless, Zhou Qi got up, walked to the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of lemon tea. He twisted the cap:
[Thank you for participating. No prize.]
As expected.
Undeterred, Zhou Qi grabbed another bottle. On the third try, he saw:
[Congratulations! You’ve won a free bottle!]
Zhou Qi froze, startled. He hadn’t been too hopeful but actually won this time.
“Wow, Brother Qi! You won!” Tang Yu’an snatched the bottle cap and bounced around excitedly, happier than if he’d won himself.
Zhou Qi looked at him. The surprise on his face softened into a faint smile.
“Yeah, I won.”
At least it proved his luck wasn’t zero.
Looking at the Lucky Marble, Zhou Qi grabbed Tang Yu’an’s hand and placed the marble back in it.
“But Brother Qi, the Lucky Marble doesn’t work on me,” Tang Yu’an said. “I’m the bound user, and Marvelous Series marbles only affect non-bound users.”
Zhou Qi paused, remembering this rule.
Tang Yu’an wouldn’t suffer any adverse effects from the marble, but he couldn’t benefit from it, either.
“Keep it with you for now,” Tang Yu’an said. “As long as we’re within 100 meters of each other, you’ll keep getting the luck boost.”
Getting a 10-minute luck boost every 30 minutes was a pretty sweet deal!
After some hesitation, Zhou Qi placed the marble in his inner pocket for safekeeping. It was a precious item, potentially a game-changer in critical moments. Since it was bound to Tang Yu’an, there was no risk of losing it.
Before putting it away, Zhou Qi had Tang Yu’an mark it on their map for added security.
“There’s just one draw left. I doubt anything good will come out this time,” Tang Yu’an said.
Zhou Qi smiled without responding.
This was the final draw—how could it not be something good?
Sure enough, Zhou Qi soon heard Tang Yu’an gasp softly.
Feeling oddly proud, Zhou Qi asked, “What did you get this time?”
“It’s a new category unlock,” Tang Yu’an said, grinning. “I shared it with you!”
Curious, Zhou Qi opened the new category in their shop and was stunned.
A whole new section had appeared: [Vehicles].
He quickly checked the details.
[Vehicles: Land (+)]
[Vehicles: Water (+)]
[Vehicles: Air (+)]
Zhou Qi: OVO
They had unlocked the ability to redeem land, water, and air transportation!
As expected, most items were still locked, requiring points to access. But two were already available:
[Vehicles: Land (-)]
[Bicycles: Points required vary by type.]
Available Types: Road bikes, mountain bikes, folding bikes, BMX bikes.
Available Colors: Black, white, gray.
Unlockable Colors: […]
[Tricycles: Points required vary by size.]
Available Types: Large, medium, small, mini.
Available Colors: Black, white, gray.
Unlockable Colors: […]
Yes, currently, they could only redeem two types of manually-powered vehicles: the cheapest BMX-style bicycle for 500 points each.
As for the more advanced options—electric vehicles, fuel-powered cars, solar cars, and even hovercars—unlocking them required significant points. The most expensive hovercar alone required 20,000 points just to unlock.
“There’s even a hover train?” Tang Yu’an scratched his head in disbelief. “That’s just ridiculous!”
Suddenly, he felt his 400,000 points were nowhere near enough. These vehicles looked so enticing, and he wanted them all! But they were outrageously expensive. Just unlocking an airplane cost 50,000 points, and a single one might require 1,000,000 or more.
Tang Yu’an shook his head. “Nope, can’t afford it.”
Closing the aircraft interface, he turned back to land vehicles.
Electric and solar cars required 5,000 and 10,000 points to unlock, respectively, leaving Tang Yu’an slightly conflicted.
“Solar cars might be convenient in the long run since recharging is simple,” he mused.
“If the weather is bad, though, they won’t work,” Zhou Qi pointed out. “It’s like those gray-blue refrigerators and freezers.”
As the days grew colder, overcast skies and rainy weather would become more common, making solar power less practical for now.
“Once we upgrade the final piece of Lv2 magical furniture, we can raise the main store to Level 3. Then, we’ll be able to upgrade the utility systems in the grocery store, eliminating the recharging problem entirely.”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “In that case, let’s get an electric vehicle for Grandpa.”
Because of the reservoir construction, Old Li and the tenants had claimed more land. With the expanded area, Old Li often had to walk long distances daily, which was quite tiring for him.
Getting him an electric tricycle would make things much easier.
“Let’s also get two bicycles for the tenants!” Tang Yu’an suggested. “They’ll need to learn to ride two-wheelers, but tricycles are easy for anyone to use.”
A small electric tricycle cost 5,000 points, while two manual bicycles were only 1,000 points each. Altogether, they spent 7,000 points and set the delivery address to Store No.1’s warehouse.
After some thought, Tang Yu’an turned to Zhou Qi and asked, “Brother Qi, do you think I should authorize Grandpa to use the Remote Retrieval skill?”
As an employee of Store No.1, Grandpa Li could only access items from that store, not the others. However, anything stored at Store No.1 was always assumed to be available for his use.
“With the growing inventory and no elevator in Store No.1’s building, it’s becoming a hassle to move items manually.”
Although Grandpa Li often enlisted tenants to help, they usually left the goods at the entrance. He and Sister Lin still had to move everything to Room 501 or the upstairs warehouse.
“This kind of labor is unnecessary,” Tang Yu’an continued. “I want Grandpa to live a more relaxed life and spend more years with us.”
“Do as you see fit,” Zhou Qi said, ruffling Tang Yu’an’s hair.
“Alright!”
Tang Yu’an happily opened the skill interface and made the changes.
*
Store No.1, Ground Floor
Old Li sat in the lobby, collecting rent from the wood ability users—a basket of potatoes at a time.
In addition to rent, the wood ability users handed over surplus potatoes that they could have taken home but chose to sell to Old Li for salt notes instead.
Having learned the proper use of salt notes from Grandma Guo, the farmers now reserved only what they needed for personal consumption and converted the rest into notes.
This system eliminated the risk of food spoiling and shifted that burden onto the store. While holding salt notes also carried some risk, the wood ability users had grown to trust the community. Other tenants also began accepting salt notes for small transactions.
When the wood ability users hired tenants to help with labor, they occasionally paid them in salt notes.
As tenants successfully exchanged these notes for salt or sugar with Lin Zhen every time, their trust in the system grew stronger.
While this system was convenient for tenants, it meant more work for Old Li and Lin Zhen.
Staring at three large baskets of potatoes in front of him, Old Li sighed. Just as he was about to summon Lin Zhen via his AI assistant, a system notification popped up unexpectedly.
[Congratulations! Due to your outstanding performance, the mysterious merchant has granted you the special skill “Remote Retrieval I.” Equip it in the skill interface.]
Old Li froze. Looking at the new skill on his main panel, he quickly clicked it open.
The description revealed that within a 1-kilometer radius of the settlement, he could remotely retrieve or deposit items from the store’s inventory.
He stood there, stunned and speechless.
So this ability Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi often used wasn’t spatial manipulation but a system-granted skill?
The mysterious merchant’s power was truly incredible!
Tang Yu’an, unaware of Old Li’s shock, finished lunch and headed to Jufeng Town with Zhou Qi.
They’d heard from Grandpa Li that Shi Tou and Xiao Cao had essentially moved into the Jade Pavilion Inn, rarely leaving, even to sell soup. They relied on townsfolk to deliver firewood directly to their door.
Tang Yu’an decided to check on them and see how they were doing.
Arriving once again at the underground warehouse of Jufeng Grocery Store, Tang Yu’an nervously glanced at Zhou Qi. Only after confirming Zhou Qi’s calm demeanor—unlike the previous time—did he relax.
The basement was dim and pitch black, so Tang Yu’an took out two glow fruits and hung them from the wall sconces with string.
The soft glow from the fruits illuminated the basement, dispelling the darkness.
This way, Grandpa Li and Shi Tou wouldn’t have to fumble around in the dark when using the teleportation array.
Tang Yu’an also checked the map marker. Hong Li was still at the guard post and hadn’t returned to the cave.
“I wonder how she’s doing…” he murmured.
“Let’s go out and check the situation first,” Zhou Qi said. “When she transformed into the fire serpent, it’s unclear whether she retained any consciousness.”
If Hong Li remembered anything from her time as the fire serpent, she would know they had discovered her secret…
Not knowing how Hong Li might react, they decided to err on the side of caution.
“Mm-hmm,” Tang Yu’an nodded.
They made their way to the basement exit and sent the Shadow Umbrella out first. Once it was deployed outside, they climbed up under its cover.
Thanks to the umbrella’s concealment, they successfully avoided detection by the guards.
The first floor of the Jufeng Grocery Store had already been rebuilt, and the second floor was nearly halfway done. Just as Grandpa Li had mentioned, it looked like the construction would be finished in a few days.
As they were leaving the Jufeng Grocery Store, they overheard a few people talking near the entrance.
“I wonder when this store will reopen? I’m almost out of the salt I traded for last time.”
“Yeah, it’s all because of those scoundrels. Why would they burn down such a great store? Without those two little bosses, where can we get salt so cheaply?”
“I heard Shi Tou and Xiao Cao are back to selling hot soup at the Jade Pavilion Inn. They said the store will reopen once the building is rebuilt.”
“Really? That’s fantastic!”
They also mentioned that Shi Tou and Xiao Cao had started adding soybeans to their soup. Even though the amount was small, it helped keep people warm on cold nights.
“I’m definitely going to get a bowl tonight!”
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi exchanged a glance and quickened their pace toward the Jade Pavilion Inn.
Since it was daytime, the area in front of the Jade Pavilion Inn was quiet. After sneaking inside, they finally removed the Shadow Umbrella in a corner.
Just then, a voice called from outside.
“Shi Tou! I’ve brought the firewood!”
“Coming!”
Shi Tou ran out from the kitchen, counted the firewood, and pulled out a cloth bag. From it, he scooped out a bowl of roasted soybeans for the delivery boy.
[Employee “Shi Tou” has completed a profitable transaction with a regular customer. Points +11, EXP +1.]
The firewood delivery boy, a teenage boy of about fifteen or sixteen, grabbed a handful of roasted soybeans and started crunching on them, grinning.
“Shi Tou, you have to keep this business going! Otherwise, where am I supposed to get roasted soybeans every day?”
“As long as we can, we will,” Shi Tou replied. “I’m just worried someone will stir up trouble again…” His expression turned gloomy.
The boy immediately puffed up his chest. “Don’t worry, Shi Tou. My friends and I are keeping an eye on things. Even at the water station, I’ve got people watching. No one’s causing trouble on my watch!”
He sounded so indignant it was as if the troublemakers had wronged him personally—which, in a way, they had.
Shi Tou looked touched. “Thank you so much! I’ll leave it to you guys then.”
Then, as a gesture of thanks, he gave the boy another handful of roasted soybeans.
“Awesome! I’m off to fetch some water!” the boy cheered before leaving.
Shi Tou hefted the firewood onto his back and turned to head toward the kitchen, only to stop abruptly when he noticed two familiar figures in the hall.
“Boss! Little Divine Doctor!”
His eyes lit up, and he shouted excitedly, “Xiao Cao, come out! Look who’s here!”
Moments later, Xiao Cao ran out from the kitchen. The siblings were wearing their old, somewhat ragged clothes, but they both looked healthy and energetic.
After some small talk, Tang Yu’an asked, “Are you not used to living in the settlement?”
He hadn’t expected the siblings to be so bold as to sneak back to the Jade Pavilion Inn and resume selling hot soup while the Jufeng Grocery Store was still under construction.
The Jade Pavilion Inn, however, was indeed safer than the general store due to the shopkeeper’s protective abilities.
“Not at all! We love living in the settlement,” Shi Tou said enthusiastically.
Xiao Cao nodded in agreement. “But there aren’t many customers there. It’s hard to do business. Jufeng Town has so many more people.”
Life at the settlement was comfortable, but seeing the daily transaction records drop so drastically made Xiao Cao anxious.
Even though food and drink were no longer a concern, she still loved seeing their points grow. At her urging, Shi Tou had agreed to return to the Jade Pavilion Inn and continue their trade. The shopkeeper had been more than happy to welcome them back.
“After we left, the shopkeeper tried selling hot soup herself,” Xiao Cao explained, “but without pepper, she could only sell plain hot water. Business wasn’t great, so she eventually stopped.”
“She was really happy when we came back,” Xiao Cao added with a smile.
Tang Yu’an chuckled. “I heard you’ve been adding soybeans to the soup?”
“That was Grandpa Li’s idea,” Xiao Cao said. “He even gave us the soybeans.”
“Yeah!” Shi Tou chimed in. “And he told us to act pitiful to gain sympathy!”
Tang Yu’an was taken aback. “Act pitiful to gain sympathy?”
“Exactly,” Shi Tou confirmed. “He said to complain about our struggles and curse the troublemakers from time to time.”
Tang Yu’an thought back to the comments he’d overheard outside the Jufeng Grocery Store. It made sense now.
“Did Grandpa Li tell you anything else?” Zhou Qi couldn’t help but ask.
Xiao Cao nodded thoughtfully. “Grandpa said we shouldn’t just be blindly kind, but we also shouldn’t alienate the public. We need to pull more people into our circle of mutual benefit.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what Grandpa said!” Shi Tou echoed.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up.
“Incredible,” they said in unison. “Anything else?”
“It’s like… tasks such as chopping wood and fetching water should be handed off to others. After all, it just costs a little food,” Xiao Cao explained.
“These people benefit from working with us, so they’ll naturally start protecting us.”
She had already noticed a subtle shift in how people treated her when she was buying straw hats, but it wasn’t until Grandpa Li explained this concept that she truly understood why.
“At night, when we sell hot soup, we even hire people to help maintain order… Oh, and we’ve started buying clay bowls too!”
“I heard that because of our hot soup business, the pottery vendors’ sales have improved as well.”
Zhou Qi nodded thoughtfully. The siblings had effectively boosted an entire supply chain.
“And have the guards given you any trouble?” he asked casually.
“Not at all. They even come to us to buy hot soup,” Shi Tou replied. “The only thing is, the mountain lord sent someone to tell us that selling soybeans is fine, but they must be cooked.”
Tang Yu’an nodded in agreement. That condition had indeed been part of their earlier deal with Hong Li regarding soybeans.
It seemed likely that Hong Li suspected Xiao Cao and Shi Tou were sourcing their soybeans from Tang Yu’an’s group. However, she hadn’t made things difficult for them.
“But adding soybeans must have increased your costs. Are you still making points?” Tang Yu’an asked.
“Of course! We measure the soybeans with a spoon—about 20 to 30 beans per scoop—so the cost doesn’t increase much.”
At 5 points for 100 grams of soybeans (roughly 300 beans), 30 beans would cost less than 0.5 points. The increase was negligible.
“Plus, adding soybeans has made our soup even more popular!”
Soybeans, being a source of high-quality protein, made the hot soup far more appealing compared to plain broth.
Just then, the boy who had delivered firewood earlier came back with a bucket of water.
Tang Yu’an said, “Alright, I’ll let you get back to work. Don’t let me disturb you. If you need anything, just let us know in the store channel.”
“Okay, thank you, Little Divine Doctor!”
Though they were now on familiar terms, the siblings still insisted on addressing Tang Yu’an as “Little Divine Doctor.” He didn’t mind and let them continue.
As they turned to leave, Xiao Cao suddenly called out, “Little Divine Doctor, do you know what this is?”
Tang Yu’an looked closely and realized she was holding… a USB drive?
