Chapter 199
“A Dream Drift Bottle Accelerator?”
Hearing Tang Yu’an’s words, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.
After a moment, he said, “This is really amazing. It’s exactly what we need.”
“Yeah!” Tang Yu’an grinned excitedly. “Let me see how to use it.”
He took out the Dream Drift Bottle Accelerator and saw that it was a small clock with a button on top.
He first checked the item’s description:
[Dream Drift Bottle Accelerator]
Description: Special Item
Function: Allows a Dream Drift Bottle on its return journey to immediately return to the user.
Cooldown: 72 hours
“72 hours?” Tang Yu’an calculated. “So, it can only be used once every three days?”
And it wasn’t quite what he’d imagined—the accelerator could only shorten the return journey, meaning at most it could save 50% of the time.
“But that’s still great! Cutting the time in half is a huge help.”
For example, delivering items to Cosona’s dimension usually took about half a month for a round trip. If they could save half that time, they’d be able to deliver the remaining water much sooner.
Of course, the timing wasn’t easy to control, as they couldn’t predict when Cosona would send the bottle back. They’d have to make a rough estimate.
Tang Yu’an pressed the button experimentally, and a system notification popped up:
[Please install the “Dream Drift Bottle Accelerator” on the “Dream Drift Bottle” interface to activate this feature.]
Tang Yu’an stood up and checked the window where the Dream Sea was displayed. After some fiddling, he managed to fix the clock to the bottom-right corner of the window, where it seamlessly integrated with the window frame.
[Advanced Function Unlocked: Drift Acceleration. The button is now ready for use.]
Zhou Qi nodded thoughtfully. “It seems this function would normally only be unlocked after reaching a higher merchant level. We’ve gotten early access to it.”
“Hehe, that’s awesome!” Tang Yu’an cheered and pressed the button.
Since the accelerator could be used once every three days, and the bottle they were sending to his parents wouldn’t reach them so quickly, he figured testing it now wouldn’t hurt.
[Do you want to spend 1,000 points and 1 Dream Fragment to instantly return all Dream Drift Bottles currently on their return journey?]
Tang Yu’an: “…”
He knew the system wouldn’t be so generous!
Still, it was just 1,000 points—he had earned 1,898 points from the lottery earlier, so it was manageable.
But… Dream Fragments?
Tang Yu’an paused to recall. Indeed, every time he completed a transaction with a Dream Wisher, he received one Dream Fragment. However, he hadn’t known what they were for until now.
So, this was their purpose?
He quickly checked his inventory and saw that he currently had 67 Dream Fragments.
Though it wasn’t a lot, it was enough for now.
It seemed that in the future, whenever possible, he’d need to retrieve more Drift Bottles to gather Dream Fragments.
Tang Yu’an confirmed the deduction.
As soon as the points were deducted, the clock attached to the window frame began to spin rapidly, and the window emitted a pulsing glow.
When the clock’s hands stopped spinning, Tang Yu’an noticed that three new Drift Bottles in different colors had appeared outside the Dream Sea’s glass window.
[All Dream Drift Bottles on their return journey have now been retrieved. Please check your inventory.]
Tang Yu’an quickly opened the window and collected the three bottles.
The first bottle, a gray-blue one, was from Cosona’s dimension. This time, it contained three Spatial Capsules, which expanded the bottle’s capacity to 30 cubic meters.
Although the three Spatial Capsules were incredibly tempting, Tang Yu’an still filled the bottle with water and sent it back into the Dream Sea.
Cosona and her people were relying on the water for survival, and since the capsules were part of the customer’s transaction, he couldn’t take them for himself just because he needed them.
If he really needed a storage solution, he’d have to use points to buy a Spatial Pouch from the Dimensional Store.
After dealing with Cosona’s bottle, he turned his attention to the other two bottles—one purple and one green.
He checked the IDs at the bottom of each bottle:
MR23582 (Apocalyptic World)
DM386881 (Low-Magic World)
Deciding to start with the Low-Magic World bottle, he opened it.
A glowing orb floated out of the bottle and slowly rose into the air. From within the orb, a language Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had never heard before echoed out, interspersed with animalistic growls.
However, thanks to the Translation Pack, they were able to understand what the Dream Wisher was saying.
“Hello, Tang Yu’an. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Mo Sang from the Feathered Tribe, and I love your name.”
For this particular bottle, Tang Yu’an didn’t use the “Mysterious Merchant” persona to communicate with the Dream Wisher. While this approach carried some risks, it seemed to have worked well this time.
Mo Sang’s voice sounded like that of a young woman, friendly and respectful as she began her conversation with him.
“Although I don’t know if you truly exist, if you can really grant my wish, please guide me to a way to heal my tribe members.”
“Ever since the rainy season began, more and more of my tribe members have fallen ill. Even my mother has succumbed to sickness, and my father is running himself ragged every day. I’m worried that sooner or later, he’ll collapse as well…”
It seemed that this young lady named Mo Sang was in quite a predicament. Her voice carried a heavy sense of sorrow.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi began to deliberate.
“After the rainy season started, many people in the tribe got sick? Could it be some kind of epidemic?”
“Maybe they’re living in a tropical rainforest?” Zhou Qi speculated.
From her speech, which seemed interspersed with animal-like growls, it was highly likely that she was from a primitive tribe.
However, based on the dimensional code, this was a low-magic dimension, so there should be some extraordinary powers, akin to abilities, present in their world.
“How about we send her a few cold remedy pills? She can grind them into powder and dissolve them in water to drink,” Zhou Qi suggested.
Cold remedy pills were a safe option. Considering the possibly different physiology of these primitive tribespeople, a single pill might be too potent for them. Diluting it would be a safer approach.
“Alright, let’s send her three pills for now,” Tang Yu’an agreed.
They had accumulated over a hundred cold remedy pills by now, and three pills only cost 100 points. Giving them as a trial wouldn’t hurt.
Zhou Qi approved of the plan.
Tang Yu’an placed three cold remedy pills into the bottle, then explained the usage instructions to Mo Sang. He ended by saying:
“Since your tribe’s situation is urgent, and as a gesture of goodwill, I’ll gift you these three cold remedy pills as a welcome gift.”
“If you could, in exchange, tell me more about your tribe and the place you live, I would greatly appreciate it. I’m very curious about your world.”
“Of course, if you find the cold remedy pills effective and need more, you’ll have to offer something of equivalent value in exchange.”
After finishing his explanation, Tang Yu’an sealed the bottle and promptly tossed it back into the Dream Sea.
[You have completed a loss-making transaction with a Dream Wisher. XP +6, Dream Fragment +1.]
Great! The Dream Fragment he had used earlier had been replenished!
Tang Yu’an then turned his attention to the other bottle—the purple one.
“I’ll open this one now?” he asked.
“Wait,” Zhou Qi interrupted. “Let’s use the Double Points Card first.”
Today was the grand opening of the Jufeng Grocery Store, and business was booming. On top of that, Lan Yunqing, eager to secure a spot in Store #5, was frantically making transactions.
Using the Double Points Card at this time would be highly beneficial. Since it was already past noon, they could even continue fishing for Dream Drift Bottles and making deals with Dream Wishers later tonight.
“Oh, right!” Tang Yu’an suddenly remembered and quickly took out the Double Points Card. He activated it, and the card dissolved into glowing particles.
[Employee “Lan Yunqing” completed a profitable transaction with a returning customer. Points +78 (Double Points Card in effect), XP +1.]
[Employee “Xiao Cao” completed a profitable transaction with a returning customer. Points +68 (Double Points Card in effect), XP +1.]
[Employee “Hai Jing” completed a profitable transaction with a returning customer. Points +240 (Double Points Card in effect), XP +1.]
[Employee “Lin Zhen” …]
Watching the points balance skyrocket, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.
When Grandpa Li started buying potatoes and sweet potatoes in the evening, the points would spike again!
With the Double Points Card in effect, earning a profit of 200,000 points in three days was absolutely doable!
In his mind, Tang Yu’an could already see the Spatial Pouch being added to his inventory, along with loads of supplies ready to be sent to his parents.
Feeling satisfied, Tang Yu’an closed the notifications and picked up the purple bottle.
“Alright, I’m opening it now?”
“Go ahead,” Zhou Qi nodded.
Tang Yu’an pulled the cork off, and a bright orb of light floated out, rising to the ceiling of the attic. At the same time, a weary voice, clearly belonging to a young man, spoke up.
“Tang Yu’an? From some eastern country? I seem to remember that’s the naming style over there.”
“If this bottle isn’t something I conjured up in a delusion, then have you not suffered from invasions by mutant beasts and plants? Or… is this bottle something you invented to save yourselves?”
“This bottle looks ordinary, but it seems to contain a kind of power. I can’t comprehend it with my current knowledge, and even Xiao Yuanbing can’t sense it. For a moment, I thought I’d finally gone mad from the pressure.”
“I really am on the brink of losing my mind… Grandpa Fei Li starved to death yesterday. Before he passed, he told me to carve up his flesh to feed the children…”
“But I couldn’t do it… I just couldn’t…”
“I’m a human being. I’m Tuls, the youngest and most talented engraver in the Roland Empire, the pride of Siayasa! I can’t do such a thing… please, stop forcing me…”
The young man’s voice trembled, his tone full of despair.
From his words, it became clear that his world was suffering from a devastating famine, as well as… mutant beasts and plants?
Did he mean mutated lifeforms? Judging from his description, it seemed the mutated plants in his world were extremely aggressive.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi couldn’t help but think of the Giant Wood Forest. Without the Shadow Umbrella, they would have died countless times in that deadly place.
The code MR23582 confirmed it—this was an apocalyptic dimension.
Gradually, the young man’s sobbing ceased, and his emotions stabilized.
“Although I don’t know if you truly exist, talking to you has made me feel a lot better.”
His voice was gentle and refined, suggesting he had a kind disposition.
Thinking of his current predicament, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. If he were in Tuls’ shoes, he would probably have broken down as well.
“I am Tuls, an engraver of the Roland Empire and a proud citizen of Siayasa. I wonder if you’ve heard of us?”
“If you can provide us with food, I am willing to trade anything for it.”
It was clear that the young man, Tuls, while not entirely convinced by the Dream Drift Bottle, still held onto a sliver of hope.
“I’ve placed a stone cabinet inside the bottle. The left side of the cabinet is engraved with a restoration rune. Simply infuse it with magic power, and the cabinet will return to its original size.”
“There are some beast crystals inside the cabinet, harvested from the bodies of mutant beasts. I’m sorry, but we can’t provide weapons or equipment for trade right now since we need them to defend ourselves.”
Hearing this, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi froze for a moment.
They picked up the purple bottle and carefully examined its bottom, where they indeed noticed something inside.
Tang Yu’an tilted the bottle, letting the small object slide out. What emerged was a miniature cabinet—so tiny it was about the size of his pinky fingernail.
This miniature piece of craftsmanship could actually enlarge?
Meanwhile, Tuls’ voice continued:
“Although beast crystals are small, they contain immense energy and can serve as a substitute for magic crystals as a power source… You might find them useful.”
“If you’re willing to trade food for them, please place the food inside the stone cabinet. Then, infuse magic power into the rune on the right side, and the cabinet will shrink automatically.”
“Once the cabinet has been reduced, you can place it back into the bottle… Please note that the cabinet can only hold non-living objects for now. Otherwise, the runes might collapse and burn out.”
“I’m currently researching runes that could shrink living beings. If I succeed, it might solve our food crisis… But I’m afraid the children won’t be able to hold on until then…”
“Anyway, once you’ve shrunk the cabinet, simply place it into the bottle and send it to my dream in the same way. I’m counting on you!”
With that, Tuls’ voice finally came to an end.
Tang Yu’an held the miniature stone cabinet in his hands, exchanging a glance with Zhou Qi. Everything Tuls had described felt so magical, full of a mysterious arcane charm. But there was one big problem.
“What exactly is ‘magic power,’ and how are we supposed to infuse it into the runes?”
Tuls likely couldn’t understand what it meant to deal with people from other dimensions. He seemed to assume they lived in the same world and thus would naturally know what magic power was and how to use it.
The issue, however, was that they didn’t.
Tang Yu’an scratched his head and placed the miniature stone cabinet on the small table. Then, he rummaged through the item inventory and pulled out a magnifying glass.
Peering through the magnifying glass, they could see that the tiny cabinet was exquisitely crafted, covered in intricate engravings that converged on the left and right sides of the cabinet.
These must be the shrinking and restoration runes Tuls had mentioned.
“Do you think ‘magic power’ might be the same as psionic energy?” Zhou Qi speculated.
“Shall we give it a try?”
Tang Yu’an was about to channel some wind energy into the runes when Zhou Qi stopped him. “We don’t know how big this cabinet will get. Let’s not risk breaking the attic floor.”
“Oh, right! Then let’s go to the alternate dimension.”
The more time they delayed, the more Tuls and his people would suffer. It was better to go to the alternate dimension, where time passed more slowly, to test it out.
With the miniature stone cabinet in hand, they used the teleportation array to travel to the small house in the alternate dimension.
Since all the fertilized eggs in the incubation room had already hatched, the incubation room was temporarily closed. The household robot had taken up making clothes and bedding in the meantime.
When the robot noticed Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi returning, it came over to greet them.
“Master, all the clothes have been completed. Is there any other task you’d like me to do?”
“Not for now. Thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s no trouble. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go rest now.”
The robot then moved out of the wooden house, found a spot in the yard, and began sunbathing to recharge.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi also stepped into the yard, placing the miniature stone cabinet on a flat patch of ground. Tang Yu’an directed a stream of wind energy into the restoration rune on the left side of the cabinet.
As soon as the wind energy touched the rune, Tang Yu’an felt it being rapidly absorbed. The process was incredibly fast, and within seconds, he felt completely drained of energy.
His face turned pale, and he collapsed onto the ground. Zhou Qi quickly stepped forward to support him, but Tang Yu’an shook his head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Tang Yu’an’s attention remained fixed on the miniature stone cabinet.
The cabinet, having absorbed the wind energy, began to glow with a faint greenish-blue light, which soon enveloped the entire cabinet.
The glowing orb around the cabinet grew larger and larger, forcing Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi to back away.
Even Wang Cai and Yin Bi, who had been out scavenging in the Giant Wood Forest, were drawn by the commotion. They perched on some rocks around the small house, curiously watching the scene unfold in the yard.
Under everyone’s gaze, the blinding light gradually faded, revealing a massive, sturdy stone cabinet in its place.
The cabinet stood two meters tall and one meter thick. The intricate engravings on its surface gave it an ancient, mysterious aura, as though it were a relic from some long-lost civilization.
It was hard to believe that it had originally been the size of a pinky fingernail!
“If we had a stone cabinet like this, we wouldn’t even need a Spatial Pouch anymore!” Tang Yu’an said excitedly, circling the cabinet.
“Uncle Tang and Auntie Tang probably wouldn’t be able to restore the cabinet without abilities,” Zhou Qi pointed out, shaking his head.
“Ah, true…” Tang Yu’an sighed.
As they talked, Wang Cai and Yin Bi jumped into the yard, sniffing curiously at the stone cabinet.
However, unlike Tang Yu’an’s excitement, Wang Cai bared his teeth at the cabinet, growling lowly. Meanwhile, Yin Bi turned and grabbed the hem of Tang Yu’an’s shirt, tugging him away from it.
“What’s wrong? Is it dangerous?”
Tang Yu’an’s heart tightened. He didn’t believe Tuls was a bad person—surely he wouldn’t have sent them something harmful, right?
However, the reactions of Wang Cai and Yin Bi forced them to exercise caution.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and said, “Cast Light Blessing on me. I’ll open it to check.”
Tang Yu’an hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
After all, they had the protective barrier active. If there was truly anything dangerous in the stone cabinet, it should be expelled outside the barrier, right?
Tang Yu’an cast Light Blessing on Zhou Qi and then retreated to a safe distance with Wang Cai and Yin Bi.
Unfortunately, the Violet-Red Pillow of Rest hadn’t been upgraded yet, so it couldn’t achieve 100% damage reduction. Otherwise, Tang Yu’an would’ve happily brought it out to lie down on.
Once everyone was safely distanced, Zhou Qi channeled wind energy to cover himself and approached the cabinet. He grabbed the handle, opened the cabinet door quickly, and immediately stepped back.
A strong smell of blood rushed out, causing Wang Cai and Yin Bi to bark and growl at the cabinet, filled with hostility.
However, the danger Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had anticipated did not materialize.
The cabinet was empty, with nothing visible inside—except for the second shelf at the top, which held several crystals of various colors, glimmering faintly in the sunlight.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi exchanged a glance and carefully approached the cabinet.
Standing in front of it, they confirmed there were no attacks or hidden traps. Their attention shifted to the crystals, which seemed to be the source of the bloody smell.
The crystals were stained with dried dark-red patches, clearly the source of the metallic, blood-like odor.
Although the crystals looked similar to psionic energy stones, they were clearly not the same thing.
Tang Yu’an cast an appraisal spell on one of the crystals.
[Would you like to spend 30 points to appraise this item?]
[Points successfully deducted! Appraisal results are as follows:]
[Name: Tier-3 Star Beast Core]
[Value: 300 points per piece]
[Origin: MR23582, GM23575…]
[Description: A core from a Tier-3 Star Beast, formed after it absorbs and condenses psionic energy. The energy within is chaotic and violent. Direct absorption may result in harmful side effects—use with caution.]
“These must be the beast cores Tuls mentioned that can substitute for magic crystals. They’re definitely different from psionic energy stones,” Tang Yu’an said.
Zhou Qi, studying the appraisal information, speculated, “Psionic energy stones seem to be natural minerals formed in the environment, while these beast cores are condensed by Star Beasts themselves.”
Star Beasts likely existed on a higher life tier. Even Wang Cai and Yin Bi, just from the scent of blood on the cores, seemed unnerved and scared.
Once Tang Yu’an confirmed there was no immediate danger, his curiosity led him to pick up one of the cores.
The moment his fingers touched the core, he thought he heard the faint roar of a beast in his ears, startling him so much that he dropped it immediately.
His heart racing, Tang Yu’an turned to Zhou Qi, only to see Zhou Qi staring at the core with an increasingly odd expression. Tang Yu’an, realizing something was wrong, immediately used his inventory system to collect all the cores into the portable storage space.
Zhou Qi blinked and came out of his daze.
“Was it the spirit parasite awakening again?” Tang Yu’an asked nervously.
Zhou Qi nodded.
Tang Yu’an’s heart sank in fear. Even absorbing the relatively mild and pure energy from psionic stones could provoke a reaction from Zhou Qi’s spirit parasite—there was no telling how much worse it could be with these chaotic, violent cores.
They’d have to make sure to ask Tuls not to send such items in the future!
Once the cores were stored away, Wang Cai and Yin Bi calmed down as well. They circled the stone cabinet, sniffing at it curiously.
After thoroughly inspecting the cabinet and satisfying their curiosity, Tang Yu’an said, “Let’s prepare plenty of food for Tuls and his people!”
“Alright,” Zhou Qi agreed.
Zhou Qi, having successfully suppressed the spirit parasite again, stared at the cabinet and added, “Since it can’t hold living things, we’d better avoid putting fresh fruits and plants inside, just in case.”
“Got it. We’ll stick to processed goods!”
Tang Yu’an used points to exchange for 10 Kilos each of whole wheat flour, sweet potato flour, all-purpose flour, and bread flour. He also added dried chicken, dried beef, salt, and glucose powder, carefully choosing items to ensure they were useful.
Considering that Tuls and his people were likely short on water—they hadn’t even cleaned the blood from the beast cores—Tang Yu’an filled a few large bottles with water and threw in several crystal stones. Since Tuls could use magic, he’d probably know how to extract water using the crystal stones.
“What about medicine? Should we send some?”
“Yeah, let’s send some basic supplies.”
They added rubbing alcohol, hemostatic powder, cotton swabs, bandages, and several common antibiotics to the cabinet.
Altogether, the items cost nearly 10,000 points.
With the remaining space in the cabinet, they decided to include materials they’d collected from mutated creatures—hard exoskeletons, sharp mandibles, and claws. They also added one of the mantis blades they had previously traded to Gan Lin.
Once they were sure everything was in place, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi closed the cabinet. Zhou Qi channeled fire energy into the shrinking rune on the right side.
The runes on the cabinet emitted a dazzling light, and the cabinet began to shrink under their watchful eyes, eventually returning to its miniature size, no larger than a fingernail.
Unlike Tang Yu’an, who had been exhausted earlier, Zhou Qi showed no signs of fatigue after the process.
Tang Yu’an sighed enviously, “I really need to keep training!”
The two returned to the attic of the Peace Grocery Store, placed the miniature stone cabinet back into the Drift Bottle, and left a message for Tuls:
“Hello, Tuls. We’re very glad to have earned your trust. We’ve prepared some food for you; we’re not sure if it’s enough, but if it isn’t, we’ll send more next time.”
“We’re also very interested in the runes you mentioned. Are the weapons and equipment you talked about also inscribed with runes? Do they have special effects?”
“So, in addition to food, we’ve provided you with some materials. We hope you can use them to create stronger weapons and equipment for us.”
“One more thing, if I may ask: Are you able to craft spatial items that don’t require magic to use?”
“Looking forward to your reply, and wishing you and the children safety through these difficult times!”
