Doomsday Grocery Store – CH184

Chapter 184

After checking the house and confirming that everything was as before, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi returned to the front of the shop and opened the door to step back into the RV’s driver’s cabin.

It felt as if their house now had a vehicle attached to the front. From the outside, however, it appeared to be a standard RV.

Tang Yu’an closed the door, selected the first option, and reopened it. The door now led back to the 2×4-meter cabin. Closing it again and selecting the second option, the door led back to their familiar home.

“This is so much fun!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed, gleefully playing with the new feature.

Zhou Qi smiled as well. With this setup, they truly could take their grocery store anywhere—of course, they still needed to figure out how to drive the RV.

He idly wondered if the RV would remain undamaged when protected by the barrier if they accidentally crashed into something.

While Zhou Qi pondered, Tang Yu’an sat down and opened the customization interface, wondering how to set up the RV’s interior.

Even in RV mode, the “Shop Water Supply“ feature still worked, allowing water to flow normally from the bathroom and kitchen faucets. However, the RV had no electricity.

Previously, they had relied on a generator for power, but switching to RV mode disconnected the circuits between the RV and the grocery store. Once the remaining battery power ran out, the RV would lose electricity.

For now, they could solve this by opening the store door and running a long extension cord inside to charge the RV, but that was inconvenient. Tang Yu’an remembered seeing a “Shop Power Supply” feature in the upgrades menu.

Sure enough, he quickly found it.

[Deduct 5,000 points and 600 shop popularity to unlock the “Shop Power Supply” feature for Desolate City Grocery Store?]

Tang Yu’an immediately selected “Yes.”

Once the upgrade was successful, a 3D model of the RV appeared on the interface, allowing him to modify the electrical layout and add outlets. The store’s shop menu also now included a power purchase option: 1 point for 1 kilowatt-hour—a reasonable rate.

Noticing that the RV lacked lighting fixtures, Tang Yu’an bought some from the furniture shop menu. After a quick setup, the RV was brightly lit, although his points balance had dropped to just over 230,000.

Still, he wasn’t worried—his employees would replenish the points in no time.

As Tang Yu’an considered adding more furniture, the RV suddenly jolted forward and crashed into the rocks ahead.

The violent impact startled him, though the protective barrier and water outside ensured the RV and the rocks remained unscathed. The passengers, however, felt the brunt of the inertia.

Tang Yu’an hurriedly buckled his seatbelt and turned to Zhou Qi. “Are you okay?”

Zhou Qi, slightly embarrassed, coughed and replied, “I only figured out how to start it…”

“You’ll learn quickly!” Tang Yu’an gave him an encouraging thumbs-up. “I knew nothing could stump you, Brother Qi!”

Zhou Qi glanced at him, his embarrassment fading into a soft smile. “I’ll keep practicing.”

“Great!” Tang Yu’an cheered.

At that moment, he glanced at the map and noticed that Mo Ke and Lan Yue Liang signals were approaching Branch Store No. 5. “Brother Qi, let’s head back for now. We don’t want Mo Ke to get worried and cause unnecessary trouble.”

Though Zhou Qi was eager to keep practicing, he understood the priority. He left the RV’s cabin, switched off the lights except for a small night lamp, and used the teleportation array to return to Lanhu Town.

As soon as they arrived, knocking sounded from the first floor. Tang Yu’an opened the attic window and called out, “Mo Ke, you’re back?”

“Yeah! Ah-Liang suggested we have grilled fish by the lake. Come down!” Mo Ke called up.

“Coming!” Tang Yu’an replied, realizing it was already dinner time. His stomach growled in agreement.

He quickly closed the attic window and laid a rug over the teleportation array for concealment. With everything covered, he and Zhou Qi went downstairs.

The lakeside view was even more stunning than from the small house. Tang Yu’an admired it briefly before bending down to skim stones across the water. Seeing this, Mo Ke joined in, and soon a few young locals eating nearby came over to join the fun.

In the end, Tang Yu’an won the impromptu contest, earning the title of “stone-skipping champion” for getting the most bounces and distance.

“You’re amazing!”

“Where are you guys from?”

Unlike the older townsfolk, who were more reserved, the young people were curious about the outside world. Tang Yu’an chatted with them easily, mentioning, “We’re from the Desolate City.”

Before long, he had befriended them and learned about some of their needs.

“I think bicycles would be really popular in Lanhu Town,” Tang Yu’an mused to Zhou Qi later.

After dinner, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi sat by the lake, discussing the intelligence they had gathered.

“Other delicious foods are also something the Lanhu people are willing to trade for,” Tang Yu’an said.

The introduction of polished rice had shown the Lanhu residents that there were tasty crops beyond Lanhu tree leaves and fruits. The demand for other foods was high.

Zhou Qi nodded. However, their main purpose in coming to Lanhu Town wasn’t just trade; it was to investigate the problems plaguing the Lanhu Mother Tree. The Mother Tree was the foundation of Lanhu Town—it absolutely couldn’t fail.

Tang Yu’an glanced around and carefully controlled the flow of wind energy in the area.

Since sound travels through air, and wind is moving air, they had tested that controlling the wind around them created an effective soundproof barrier. Unless someone was within a meter of them, they wouldn’t overhear the conversation.

“Should we directly approach the Lanhu Lord?” Tang Yu’an asked softly. “We could say we received a mission from the Mysterious Merchant.”

If they planned to do business in Lanhu Town, it wouldn’t take long for people to notice goods appearing seemingly out of thin air. Keeping it a secret would be impossible.

Besides, Lan Yunqing already knew the healing potion was connected to the Mysterious Merchant, and Chi Hao had previously brought some…

As Chi Hao’s friends here to open a shop, it would be easy for others to deduce that they were also employees of the Mysterious Merchant.

Before Zhou Qi could answer, a commotion broke out behind them.

They turned to see a figure standing about ten meters away, gazing at them.

The stranger was a tall man with long, silver-blue hair gently swaying in the wind. Under the moonlight, he exuded an otherworldly beauty.

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi were momentarily stunned.

“He’s so handsome…” Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but mutter.

Zhou Qi snapped out of it and guessed, “Is that the Lanhu Lord?”

“Huh? That’s him?”

While they were speaking, Lan Yunqing approached them and greeted them softly, “Hello.”

Even his voice was enchanting!

Tang Yu’an quickly stood up, and as he looked at this stunning figure—who was also his top salesman—he couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

“Hi… hello!” Tang Yu’an stammered in response.

Zhou Qi stood up as well, standing protectively behind Tang Yu’an. His gaze toward Lan Yunqing was laced with caution.

Lan Yunqing scrutinized them for a while before saying to Tang Yu’an, “Eastern Sweet Tang?”

Tang Yu’an froze.

Lan Yunqing then turned to Zhou Qi, “Handsome Zhou?”

Zhou Qi: “…”

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Zhou Qi maintained a calm facade and stared back at Lan Yunqing.

It was unexpected—despite them only providing their surnames to Blue Mao Lin, Lan Yunqing had pieced together their pseudonyms and directly confronted them.

After a moment of thought, Zhou Qi softly responded, “Cloud Eagle?”

Lan Yunqing smiled faintly and shook his head.

Tang Yu’an, who had caught on, continued the guessing game: “Changqing?”

Lan Yunqing shook his head again. Seeing a crowd starting to gather, he hesitated and then said, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

The next moment, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi felt the scenery around them blur. When they steadied themselves, they were in a quiet forest under the night sky.

The two boys exchanged amazed glances.

Instant teleportation—how cool!

“I am the Lord of Lanhu Town,” Lan Yunqing introduced himself. “My name is Lan Yunqing.”

“Are you also an employee of the Mysterious Merchant?” Tang Yu’an asked.

Lan Yunqing nodded and then posed a question that had been on his mind. “Green as Blue is Chi Hao, right?”

“That’s something you’ll have to ask him yourself,” Tang Yu’an replied, unwilling to betray his friend.

Lan Yunqing smiled, already confident in his conclusion.

“So, you are Red as Fire?” Zhou Qi, sensing the time was right, revealed Lan Yunqing’s alias.

Lan Yunqing nodded, then looked at the two youths and asked directly, “Did you come to Blue Lake Town just to open a shop and do business?”

Tang Yu’an glanced at Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment but ultimately followed Tang Yu’an’s earlier suggestion. “We received a mission. The Mysterious Merchant tasked us with investigating the state of the Lanhu Forest.”

Lan Yunqing raised an eyebrow. “Since I’m also an employee, why didn’t… that being give me the task directly?”

After receiving good rice and wheat seeds, along with healing potions, Lan Yunqing’s attitude toward the Mysterious Merchant had subtly shifted. While he still harbored some caution, his feelings were now dominated by gratitude and respect.

Faced with Lan Yunqing’s question, Zhou Qi remained calm. “The reasoning of that being isn’t something we can comprehend.”

After a pause, he added, “Perhaps you have yet to earn sufficient trust and favor from that being.”

Lan Yunqing nodded, accepting the explanation.

After all, Lan Yunqing had only been an employee of the Mysterious Merchant for less than half a month, so it was reasonable that he hadn’t gained full trust yet.

As he thought about the Mother Tree’s condition, his expression became heavy, revealing a hint of exhaustion. Clearly, he hadn’t been sleeping well lately.

“What exactly is wrong with the Lanhu Forest?” Tang Yu’an asked curiously.

Lan Yunqing looked at the two boys, deliberating silently.

Instead of directly answering Tang Yu’an, he asked, “If that great being learns of the situation, will they help us?”

The Mother Tree’s condition was a closely guarded secret, even among the Lanhu people. To divulge it to two youths he’d just met was a challenging decision. But without the healing potion, the Mother Tree’s situation would only worsen…

Seeing the worry etched on Lan Yunqing’s face, Zhou Qi considered for a moment before saying, “I can’t guarantee anything, but I can tell you that the Mysterious Merchant values every employee greatly.”

Lan Yunqing recalled the newly announced forum features.

He had received Lan Mao Lin’s report earlier but had delayed meeting these two boys to study the exchange and trade rules in the forum.

The exchange section was still empty, with no discernible difference from the message board, but the trading section was astounding.

In a short time, over a dozen storefronts had appeared, offering items like salt, a material called flame stone, water, and various other goods.

Lan Yunqing had tested the system by purchasing water. After deducting the points, he received a barrel of water—slightly murky compared to lake water but perfectly usable for irrigation.

However, he didn’t continue buying and instead asked about the healing potion on the message board, hoping to purchase it from other employees.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to know what the healing potion was, and it wasn’t available in the trading section. Disappointed, Lan Yunqing eventually closed the interface.

Judging by the lack of posts in the exchange section and the reactions on the message board, it seemed the forum feature had only recently been launched.

Was this because the Mysterious Merchant had just emerged, or were they only now starting to recruit employees widely?

If it were the former, perhaps the Merchant’s powers weren’t as vast as imagined. But if it were the latter…?

Lan Yunqing felt torn.

Sensing his hesitation, Tang Yu’an offered, “Brother Qing, you don’t need to answer us right away. You can take your time and tell us when you’re ready.”

Hearing the boy’s casual form of address, Lan Yunqing was momentarily stunned—no one had ever called him that before.

Tang Yu’an continued, “Aside from the mission, we’re also here to do business in Lanhu Town. I hope we’ll have your guidance in the future.”

Lan Yunqing chuckled.

Although they were technically competitors as employees of the Mysterious Merchant, he welcomed the boys’ presence as the town’s leader.

If the Mother Tree truly failed to sustain them, the goods and resources the boys brought might provide a lifeline for his people.

After a moment of thought, Lan Yunqing finally said, “I can tell you this much: the Lanhu Forest is sick, but I haven’t been able to find the cause.”

“Can’t you communicate with the forest?” Zhou Qi asked, puzzled.

Lan Yunqing gave a wry smile. “Since falling ill, the forest communicates with me much less. At best, I can sense its emotions.”

Interpreting those emotions into specific intentions often required guesswork, and sometimes he still got it wrong.

Hearing this, Tang Yu’an nodded empathetically.

It was similar to how he communicated with his Green Gem. Green Gem couldn’t speak and had limited intelligence, often expressing only emotions rather than conveying complete thoughts.

If not for the pet interface that showed its status, Tang Yu’an wouldn’t have known about its previous splitting condition.

Given this, it wasn’t hard to imagine the immense pressure on Lan Yunqing.

Observing the boys’ reactions, Lan Yunqing sighed, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Fortunately, the recently acquired healing potion from the Mysterious Merchant was more effective than the previous one, and it was a full bottle. For now, the Mother Tree’s condition had stabilized and wouldn’t deteriorate further for some time.

“I’ll take you back,” Lan Yunqing said.

*

When Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi returned to Branch Store No. 5, Mo Ke had just arrived as well. They gave him a room on the first floor and then went upstairs.

Before midnight, they returned to the Peace Grocery Store and retrieved four bottles from the Dream Sea.

The shop’s upgrade had granted Tang Yu’an an additional Dream Drift Bottle, which he quickly filled and sent off to the Dream Sea.

After watching it vanish into the sea, Tang Yu’an turned his attention to the four bottles he’d retrieved.

The first bottle was from Little Hai Lan.

Since they had previously explained they couldn’t respond daily, the little girl’s prayer was more normal this time. Tang Yu’an replied and was surprised by her trade request.

“Dad says we need some medicine. If you could exchange the leftover salt for points, that would be great. If not, we can just give it to you.”

It had to be said—Hai Jing was exceptionally clever.

The food sent by the Mysterious Merchant was already enough for her and her father to last a long time. Rather than hoarding more food that might spoil, she proposed trading it for points instead.

This way, they could exchange the points for more brown rice to share with the villagers, helping more families stave off hunger.

Tang Yu’an agreed to Little Hai Lan’s trade request.

He exchanged for items like hemostatic powder, bandages, cotton, cotton swabs, and common antibiotics such as erythromycin ointment. He also included three cold medicine pills, labeling all items with clear usage instructions.

Since Hai Jing was learning to read, even if he couldn’t understand the labels, he could ask on the forum or message board for clarification.

With everything prepared, Tang Yu’an completed the transaction with Little Hai Lan.

[You completed a profitable transaction with a Dream Wisher. Points +51,688, EXP +6, Dream Fragment +1]
[You received 1,065 kilos of sea salt…]

Tang Yu’an combined the newly acquired salt with the previous batch, then sent 5,000 points back to Hai Jing.

The 5,000 points could be exchanged for 1,000 pounds of brown rice, enough to sustain them for a long time.

Seeing his points balance replenished, Tang Yu’an smiled happily and opened the second bottle.

This one was from Gan Lin.

Upon receiving a response from the Mysterious Merchant, Gan Lin was thrilled and eagerly reported their recent activities.

First, they had gained a few more followers, including some capable ability users.

Old Mo was preparing to stage a genuine “miracle” to solidify the faith of these new followers.

“Is the deep well ready?” Tang Yu’an asked.

“It’s ready!” Gan Lin replied. “This time, we dug the well a bit deeper—about 10 cubic meters.”

“Good.” Tang Yu’an nodded. “I’ll trade with you again tomorrow in the dream. Be prepared.”

“Of course, of course.”

Gan Lin was overjoyed that the Mysterious Merchant didn’t mind the extra 2 cubic meters they had dug this time. “We’ll be fully prepared. Today, all the flame stones will be offered to you.”

The three-wheeled bicycle granted by the Mysterious Merchant last time had been extremely useful, and they still had plenty of wheat and brown rice left.

Thanks to the low-temperature fabric, the food remained fresh for days, and Old Mo had even laid a sheet over the well to reduce water evaporation.

Now that they had sufficient food and water, Gan Lin felt happier than ever.

In truth, Gan Lin fully believed Old Mo’s stories about the Mysterious Merchant and felt deep reverence and gratitude.

At that moment, another mechanical-sounding voice spoke.

“You should emphasize the Mysterious Merchant’s benevolence to your followers, especially the life-saving aspects. Be detailed.”

Although curious about who this voice belonged to, Gan Lin dared not ask, assuming the speaker was someone close to the Mysterious Merchant.

“Understood. I’ll remember,” he replied.

Even though Gan Lin had offered to give all the flame stones as tribute, Tang Yu’an didn’t take them for free. Instead, he sent over five sheets each of low-temperature and normal-temperature fabric.

[You completed a profitable transaction with a Dream Wisher. Points +4,680, EXP +6, Dream Fragment +1]
[You received 196 pieces of flame stones…]

After Gan Lin’s dream light dissipated, Tang Yu’an opened the third bottle. Unfortunately, this new Dream Wisher was frightened and woke up after saying only a few words.

The fourth bottle was from Wen Qian.

As soon as Tang Yu’an heard it was from the Dream Wisher in Ice Rock Fortress, he perked up.

“Mysterious Merchant… Mysterious Merchant…”

She murmured softly but didn’t specify her request.

Tang Yu’an had to prompt her, “I’m here.”

Wen Qian sounded delighted. “You’ve returned!”

“Yes, ma’am. Why did you call me?” Tang Yu’an asked directly.

“I… I’d like more flame stones,” Wen Qian stammered, sounding a bit embarrassed.

“Did the last batch of flame stones help?”

“Yes,” Wen Qian replied gratefully. “They saved my life. With the flame stones, my room stayed warm for a long time, unlike coal, which burns out quickly.”

“What do you need more flame stones for?” Tang Yu’an asked. “They’re hard to store due to their high temperature and pose a fire risk.”

Especially when stored in large quantities, their heat could be dangerous.

After hesitating, Wen Qian admitted, “I want to share them with my neighbors. They’re also struggling against the cold and won’t last much longer.”

Tang Yu’an was surprised. “How will you explain where the flame stones came from?”

Wen Qian had thought long and hard before deciding to help. In fact, she had already taken in a mother and her two children from a neighboring household.

Although her home was cramped, it was warm enough for everyone to survive.

As for the source of the flame stones, she told them the truth—that she had traded with a deity in her dreams. The deity had taken away the ice and snow in her yard and left the flame stones behind.

Her neighbors, naturally skeptical of such a story, concluded that Wen Qian must have awakened a mysterious ability.

In this world, anything inexplicable could conveniently be attributed to abilities.

Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi exchanged a glance, both slightly exasperated. Why were they always being deified? At least no one in Ice Flame Fortress seemed to believe in gods.

A mysterious ability was a decent excuse.

Wen Qian’s words also revealed her kind heart and good relationships with her neighbors.

So, Tang Yu’an agreed to the trade with Wen Qian, exchanging 20 flame stones for the fresh snow that had fallen in her yard.

[You completed a profitable transaction with a Dream Wisher. Points +7,812, EXP +6, Dream Fragment +1]
[You received 85 cubic meters of ice and snow]

With this, all the day’s trades with Dream Wishers were complete.

Seeing his points balance increase by over 60,000, Tang Yu’an felt thoroughly pleased. A few more trades like this, and all the points spent today would be recovered!

He threw Wen Qian’s bottle back into the Dream Sea and prepared to use the teleportation array with Zhou Qi to return to Lanhu Town to sleep. After all, with Mo Ke downstairs, it seemed safer to sleep at their designated spot to avoid raising suspicion.

However, as the teleportation array activated and its glow illuminated the room, a thought suddenly struck Tang Yu’an.

When they returned to the attic of Shop No. 5, he turned to Zhou Qi and said, “Brother Qi, do you think we could bring Kang Kang here to communicate with the Lanhu Forest?”