Chapter 203
It didn’t take long for Old Mo and Wen Qingqing to agree on the terms of their deal.
Each block of ice, capable of melting into 20 liters of water, would be exchanged for one Flame Stone. The total transaction would involve 300 units, and both parties agreed to conduct the transaction at night.
[Clear Snow]: Sounds good, I’ll contact you tonight!
[Little Troublemaker]: Great! I’ll start a thread in the discussion area. In the future, we can use that to coordinate our trades.
[Clear Snow]: Sure!
Seeing Wen Qingqing’s reply in his newly created thread, Old Mo, in the real world, became so excited that he accidentally plucked out a strand of his beard.
It hurt, but the grin on his face didn’t fade.
The total amount of water from these ice blocks would amount to roughly 6 cubic meters, enough to sustain 100 people’s drinking needs for 50 days at a minimum. Even though this deal required the same 300 Flame Stones that the Dream Merchant would trade for over 12 to 13 cubic meters of water, Old Mo didn’t feel like he was losing out.
After all, he already had over 100 loyal followers. If each follower could find just one Flame Stone a day, he could gather 300 Flame Stones in only three days.
Moreover, the blessings of the Dream Merchant and Gan Lin were a rare gift, not something to be relied upon consistently.
From Wen Qingqing’s tone, Old Mo sensed this was a sustainable, long-term trade opportunity.
Compared to the Dream Merchant—who could only communicate through dream bottles—a fellow colleague like Wen Qingqing was much more convenient to deal with.
Old Mo turned to Gan Lin and said, “We’re holding another ceremony tonight.”
“Huh?” Gan Lin blinked, looking confused. “But we haven’t dug a new well yet, and I haven’t spoken to the Great Divine Merchant in my dreams.”
Old Mo patted his shoulder and said, “This time, you don’t need to dream.”
Gan Lin looked disappointed but asked, “Did the Great Divine Merchant reach out to you directly?”
“More or less,” Old Mo said vaguely. He gave Gan Lin’s shoulder another firm pat. “The ceremony will proceed as usual, but you don’t have to get knocked unconscious this time—just close your eyes and pretend to sleep.”
Gan Lin’s eyes lit up, and his disappointment vanished, replaced by excitement.
He had never truly experienced the ceremony before. Finally, he’d have the chance to witness it firsthand!
*
In the submerged ruins of Desolate City, aboard the traveling camper van.
Tang Yu’an quickly noticed the ongoing conversation between Wen Qingqing and Old Mo. When Zhou Qi returned from clearing the road, Tang Yu’an shared the news with him.
Zhou Qi opened the message board, read through their exchange, and couldn’t help but smile.
“The Flame Dragon and Ice Flame regions are starting to trade their resources. They no longer need to rely on the Dream Merchant to exchange goods. This really is a historic achievement.”
Not only would this facilitate direct trade between the two regions, but it also relieved Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an of the burden of constantly managing dream bottles.
“Now, even if we’re tied up with other tasks and can’t fish out dream bottles, their trades won’t be affected,” Zhou Qi added.
“That’s such a cool way to describe it!” Tang Yu’an’s eyes sparkled. “I’m going to write that down!”
He immediately opened his personal log and recorded this as one of the major events of the First Year of the Home Calendar.
Of course, this log was currently private, accessible only to him and Zhou Qi. If made public, it would expose their identities.
Tang Yu’an stared at the list of recorded events and suddenly had an idea. “Zhou Qi, what if we share this calendar system on the forum?”
Zhou Qi paused, considering the suggestion before nodding. “That’s not a bad idea.”
The system didn’t display a standardized date or time, likely because there wasn’t a unified time system across the wastelands and fortresses. If they introduced the calendar system through a forum post and employees began adopting it, it could pave the way for widespread use.
Zhou Qi suggested, “Let’s launch it under your in-game persona first. Once it gains traction, we can have one of our godly personas endorse it, solidifying its legitimacy.”
Having divine backing would certainly make it easier for employees to accept.
“Got it!” Tang Yu’an enthusiastically agreed.
Soon, employees browsing the forum discovered a new post by the popular storyteller “Eastern Sweet Tang.”
Curious, they clicked in, only to find that it wasn’t another novel. Instead, it was titled:
[Home Calendar System]
[Posted by: Eastern Sweet Tang]
Post:
Inspired by the novels I’ve read, I believe historical records are incredibly important. So, I’d like to share a simple calendar system with everyone. Starting today, I’ll update the date in this thread daily. Feel free to share your daily life with timestamps using this system, or start your own threads to document events!
Concept Explanation:
The Home Calendar System divides a year into 12 months and a month into 30 days. The current year is Year 1 of the Home Calendar. Today is Year 1, Month 2, Day 5.
(Note: Replies to this thread must include a timestamp using the Home Calendar System. Any replies without timestamps will be deleted!)
The employees who clicked in to read were momentarily stunned. Only those who had undergone Store No. 1 employee training immediately grasped the significance of the post.
[Reply 1 | Changqing]: Year 1, Month 2, Day 5, Noon. Front-row seat! Is this how we’re supposed to reply?
Tang Yu’an quickly replied to the comment with a thumbs-up: “Exactly right!”
He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Old Grandpa Li’s response. His grandpa always understood his intentions and was happy to cooperate.
[Reply 2 | Panshi]: Year 1, Month 2, Day 5, Noon. Oh, I get it now! So tomorrow we’ll write Month 2, Day 6?
[Reply 3 | Fish in the Water]: Year 1, Month 2, Day 5, Noon. Got it. By the way, Tang, when’s the next novel coming? I’m ready for a new story!
[Reply 4 | Little Troublemaker]: Year 1, Month 2, Day 5, Noon. Wow, you guys are really going all out with this! Leaving my mark here—after I trade for the ice blocks tonight, I’ll come back to record it. Thanks, Divine Merchant!
[Reply 5 | Greenish Blue]: Year 1 of the Home Calendar? Why use this kind of calendar? The fortress uses Post-Catastrophe Year 65 for its timekeeping.
[Reply 1 – Eastern Sweet Tang (Original Poster)]: Because we want to establish a new home in the wasteland and create a new history. By the way, Little Green, this post didn’t follow the reply format, so it’ll be deleted soon ^^.
[Reply 6 | Greenish Blue]: Year 1, Month 2, Day 5, Noon. Fine, is this the correct format? Creating a new home, huh. It’s a nice idea, but with the unstable climate of the wasteland and the dangers of mutated creatures, it seems like a long shot.
[Reply 1 – Eastern Sweet Tang (Original Poster)]: You’ve got to try, right? ^^
[Reply 2 – Changqing]: Heh, I think those issues won’t be a problem.
[Reply 3 – Greenish Blue @Changqing]: What do you mean?
[Reply 4 – Changqing]: If I get the chance to show you our home, you’ll understand.
When Chi Hao read Changqing’s comment, he felt something was off.
When he saw Lan Yunqing’s reply under the same thread, he couldn’t help but ask about it in their private chat thread.
[Greenish Blue]: Do you know what Changqing is talking about?
[Red as Fire]: I have a bit of an idea. I’m still figuring it out myself. Maybe the next time you come looking for me, I’ll have an answer.
[Greenish Blue]: Is it related to the Mysterious Merchant again?
[Red as Fire]: Yeah, I think… they might actually be some kind of deity.
Even Lan Yunqing?
Chi Hao furrowed his brow, but after hesitating for a moment, he chose not to argue.
Whether they were a god or not… time would tell.
*
That evening, Old Mo waited anxiously.
Finally, the thread he had created in the discussion area refreshed with a new reply.
[Clear Snow]: Year 1, Month 2, Day 5, Evening. I’m ready. Little Troublemaker, are you there?
[Reply 1 – Little Troublemaker]: I’m here! Did you use the new calendar system? 300 Flame Stones are ready.
[Reply 2 – Clear Snow]: Haha, yes! It’s kind of fun to use, and it’s good for keeping track of time.
After a brief discussion, they settled on the trading process.
Because they worried about other employees sniping the items from the storefront, they agreed to set the listing price very high. However, since Wen Qingqing only had a little over 300 points, they couldn’t set it too high.
[Little Troublemaker]: Everyone here is decent. If we leave a note in the storefront listing, it should be fine.
Although Old Mo’s reassurance didn’t entirely ease Wen Qingqing’s nerves, she could only focus on monitoring the trading area carefully.
In the real world, Old Mo stood solemnly on a patch of open ground.
In front of him wasn’t the empty well they had used previously but rather a metal box resting on the ground.
This box, which he had commissioned a metal-based ability user among the congregation to build, was 3x3x1 meters in size, large enough to store 6 cubic meters of ice.
He had also wrapped the metal box with low-temperature cloth. While it could only maintain a temperature of about 10°C, combined with the metal’s insulation, it would extend the lifespan of the ice.
With this success, Old Mo began to think about making more such boxes to use as makeshift freezers.
Beside the metal box, Gan Lin lay obediently on the ground, playing his usual role as the holy son communicating with the Commercial God.
The gathered followers numbered over a hundred, but this time, there were also two new faces among them.
These two were none other than the gang leaders Scar Liang and Scorpion, who had been captured a few days ago.
They hadn’t managed to escape the congregation of over a hundred followers. Although their weapons had been confiscated, they weren’t otherwise harmed.
During the day, they had accompanied other followers to collect Flame Stones, and in the evening, they were given water and food in return by the so-called “Apostle.”
The generosity of the Commercial God’s followers left them dumbfounded.
Providing enough water for over 100 people daily was a massive feat. Back in their gang, they were lucky to get the same amount of water in a day—for everyone combined.
For those lower in rank, even a single bowl of water a day was considered a luxury.
But here? The amount of water they used to cherish as a luxury was considered standard allocation in the Commercial God’s teachings?
Though they were technically captives, they quickly found themselves adapting to the new environment. Tonight, they even heard that the Apostle was about to perform another miracle!
Wait… didn’t they just see a miracle two days ago when they were captured?
How could these “miracles” be so frequent?
Yet the other followers didn’t seem surprised—after all, each miracle meant more water and food. As far as they were concerned, the more, the better!
Scar Liang and Scorpion knelt on the ground, their resentment evident. But with figurative knives to their throats, they had no choice but to lower their heads.
Still, they secretly observed Old Mo, eager to see for themselves if this “miracle” was genuine.
Old Mo, unfazed by their skepticism, focused on the transaction.
After finalizing the deal with Wen Qingqing, he glanced at the pile of Flame Stones beside the metal box. Raising his arms, he loudly recited today’s prayer.
When the prayer concluded, Old Mo immediately listed the 300 Flame Stones for sale in the system’s storefront.
In less than a second, the 300 Flame Stones were purchased by Wen Qingqing.
At the same time, Wen Qingqing’s 300 blocks of ice were listed in the storefront, and Old Mo immediately knelt before the metal box in reverence.
In the next moment, the 300 blocks of ice fell with a loud crash into the metal box.
Unlike the silent appearance of water in the well from previous rituals, the clattering of ice made quite a commotion, startling everyone present.
The gathered followers looked up in surprise, seeing wisps of white mist rising from the metal box. Meanwhile, the Flame Stones they had collected were nowhere to be found.
Soon, they felt a cool breeze blowing through the air.
“Thank the great Commercial God for granting us these solid ice blocks!” Old Mo shouted, and the congregation instinctively echoed after him.
Seeing that the transaction had been completed, Gan Lin quickly scrambled up from the ground. He leaned over the metal box, staring at the blocks of white ice inside, his eyes wide with astonishment.
“It’s really ice! Just like the kind you can only find inside the fortress!”
Hearing the “Holy Son’s” exclamation, a few of the earliest followers of the Commercial God couldn’t help but get up and gather around the metal box.
“Wow, it’s so cool here! These are real ice blocks!”
Old Mo slapped away the hands of those trying to touch the ice. “This is pure ice, and once it melts, it can be used as drinking water. Without my permission, no one is allowed to touch it!”
The followers immediately retreated, not daring to step out of line.
Looking at the crowd, Old Mo said calmly, “As long as you believe in the Commercial God, strictly follow the doctrine, and work hard, the God will grant us more ice blocks.”
“Believe in the Commercial God, and you will have ice. You will have food, clothes, and shelter. All of these things will come to you!”
After a brief silence, the open ground erupted in cheers, louder than ever before.
Even Scar Liang and Scorpion joined in.
They were already considering whether to return to their gang and recruit more people to join the congregation. If they brought in more followers, wouldn’t their status improve, allowing them to gain more resources?
“Do you think Old Mo is just putting on a show again?”
Inside the RV, Tang Yu’an watched the glowing points on the map in Old Mo’s area and couldn’t help but speculate.
Zhou Qi switched on the headlights, guiding the RV forward slowly.
Hearing Tang Yu’an’s comment, Zhou Qi chuckled lightly. “He traded for so much ice today; he needs to account for its source somehow.”
“Seems like Old Mo’s position is becoming more secure,” Tang Yu’an said. “When we eventually go there to set up a branch store, it should go pretty smoothly, right?”
“If we go in disguise, it should be fine.”
Tang Yu’an nodded, then added, “Brother Yunqing is almost done with the branch manager qualification task.”
The popularity score for the 5th store was less than 100 points away from 3,000, the required threshold for completing the task.
Brother Yunqing had only been transferred to the 5th store for a few days!
But thinking about the sharp contrast between Yunqing and Chi Hao, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but sigh.
Ever since buying a new house for him in Huangyan Valley, Chi Hao had only completed a dozen or so profitable trades before heading out on another adventure.
Still, through selling fresh meat, he’d earned a decent amount of points from the trading area and had finally acquired the fuel he’d been dreaming of.
“Brother Yunqing should be able to become a branch manager tomorrow. What should we plan for next?” Tang Yu’an asked.
Zhou Qi parked the RV and considered for a moment. “Isn’t his payday coming up soon?”
Tang Yu’an checked and nodded. “It is—just three days left.”
“We’re going to have to pay him close to 150,000 points in wages, right?” Zhou Qi said in a faintly exasperated tone.
This included the 5% personal points and the 10% inventory points that Yunqing was entitled to, all deducted from Tang Yu’an’s total point balance.
Hearing this, Tang Yu’an clutched his chest in mock anguish.
“That’s so much! 150,000 points!”
Even though his point balance had climbed back to 500,000, he was still planning to buy two more spatial pouches.
Zhou Qi contemplated for a moment and said, “Inventory points are necessary for trading and benefit both sides, but personal points… We might be able to find a way to reduce that a bit.”
“Huh? What are you planning to do?” Tang Yu’an asked, his curiosity piqued.
Zhou Qi smiled faintly, pulling out pen and paper to start drafting a training plan for the 5th store’s branch manager.
*
The next day, in Lanhu Town.
Lan Yunqing spent just over an hour boosting the store’s popularity score to 3,000 points. His personal point balance also exceeded 10,000.
Exhaling deeply, he temporarily handed over trading responsibilities to his subordinates and left the grain store.
Those who had come to trade for grain, hoping to catch a glimpse of their leader, looked disappointed as Lan Yunqing wrapped up so early.
“Ah, why did the lord leave so soon?”
“Let’s just come back tomorrow. He’ll definitely trade grain with us again.”
This grain exchange program had been running for nearly a month now. Sometimes there was more, sometimes less, but the townspeople had grown accustomed to it.
“I’ll come line up before dawn tomorrow!”
“I’ll beat you there!”
In an instant, two-thirds of the crowd dispersed, leaving only the most devoted rice lovers in line.
Lan Yunqing arrived outside Store No. 5 and entered the protective barrier, concealing his figure.
[Congratulations! You’ve triggered the elite task: “Upgrade the Store.”]
[Description: The store’s popularity score has reached 3,000 points, meeting the upgrade conditions.]
[Task Objective: Deduct 10,000 personal points to upgrade the “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” to Level 1.]
[Task Reward: Successfully pass the Mysterious Merchant’s evaluation.]
[Conditions met. Would you like to complete the task immediately?]
Lan Yunqing reviewed the panel and decisively selected “Yes.”
[Reminder: Due to the store upgrade, 10,000 points from your personal wages have been deducted.]
[The “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” has been upgraded to Level 1. Keep up the great work!]
[Congratulations! You’ve completed the elite task: “Branch Manager Evaluation.”]
[Thanks to your outstanding performance, the Mysterious Merchant has appointed you as the “5th Branch Store Manager” and unlocked the branch manager panel for you. Please check the main page for details.]
A series of notifications popped up in quick succession, leaving Lan Yunqing momentarily overwhelmed.
After carefully reviewing all the prompts, he raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised. He had assumed the 10,000 personal points for the store upgrade would be deducted directly from his account.
Unexpectedly, the system had deducted the amount from his unpaid wages instead.
This made the Mysterious Merchant seem quite considerate, Lan Yunqing thought. A truly benevolent deity, as one might expect of the Commercial God.
Since it was unpaid wages that hadn’t yet been credited to his account, he didn’t feel much of an impact. To him, as long as the points were used to strengthen Lanhu Town—whether through exchanging for resources or upgrading the store—they were well spent.
He opened the Branch Manager Panel to take a look.
Apart from data such as the store’s popularity score, it also showed how many employees the branch currently had. Unsurprisingly, there was only one employee listed—himself.
He already knew that Mo Ke was an employee of another branch.
As Lan Yunqing pondered what additional privileges came with being a branch manager, another system notification popped up.
[Congratulations! You’ve triggered the general task: “Open for Business.”]
[Description: Congratulations on becoming the branch manager of “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch.” Currently, the store remains in a “Closed” status. You need to change its status to “Open for Business.”]
[Task Objective: Change the “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” status to “Open.”]
[Reward: The “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” will be open to the public.]
Lan Yunqing read through the task details and then reopened the Store Panel, where he noticed the words “Closed” prominently displayed under the status section.
Was this the reason why the townsfolk hadn’t been able to enter?
With this in mind, he tried clicking the “Switch Status” button next to “Closed.”
On the other side, Tang Yu’an immediately received a notification.
[The branch manager of “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” is requesting to change the store status to “Open.” Would you like to approve this request?]
Tang Yu’an looked over at Zhou Qi, hesitating as he asked, “Do we really have to?”
Zhou Qi nodded. “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Since he chose to unlock more privileges, this is the price he has to pay.”
“Alright then.”
Tang Yu’an approved Lan Yunqing’s request, which deducted 5,000 points from the latter’s monthly wages.
Just like when upgrading the store, the actual cost of unlocking the store’s status change was only 500 points, but they had opted to deduct the rest through wage adjustments.
Of course, the reason for the deduction was something Tang Yu’an had cleverly filled in himself.
Lan Yunqing soon received the system notification:
[The “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” is now “Open.” Operating hours are from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.]
[Due to the status change, 5,000 points have been deducted from your unpaid monthly wages.]
It required points to change the store status?
Lan Yunqing glanced at the message but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, his attention was drawn to the commotion outside the store as the noise from the onlookers grew louder.
He noticed someone stepping under the rain shelter of the shop.
So during “Open” hours, the store was accessible to the public?
What about outside of operating hours? Would the protective barrier remain active?
Lan Yunqing pondered for a moment. As he saw someone cautiously inching closer to the entrance, he furrowed his brows and switched the store status back to “Closed.”
Although another 5,000 points were deducted, he decided it wasn’t necessary to open the store to the public just yet. After all, the task had already been completed.
Still, if the protective barrier prevented townsfolk from entering the store altogether, what purpose did its existence serve?
Just as he was contemplating this, a new system notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You’ve triggered the elite task: “Unlock Overnight Guest Invitation Feature.”]
[Description: During normal operating hours, customers can only enter the store during business hours. To allow overnight stays, you need to unlock the Overnight Guest Invitation Feature.]
[Task Objective: Deduct 200 popularity score points and 20,000 personal points to apply for unlocking this feature through the Store Panel.]
[Reward: Gain the ability to invite guests to stay overnight at the 5th branch store.]
After sending out the task, Tang Yu’an waited anxiously, but Lan Yunqing didn’t keep him waiting long.
[The branch manager of “Peace Grocery Store – 5th Branch” is requesting to unlock the “Overnight Guest Invitation” feature. Would you like to approve this request?]
“Wow, 20,000 points. Brother Yunqing didn’t even blink!” Tang Yu’an exclaimed in astonishment.
Zhou Qi chuckled lightly. “He’s sharp. He knows this feature will come in handy for the future development of his store and the town.”
Tang Yu’an clicked “Approve,” still marveling at how decisive Yunqing had been. 20,000 points, gone in an instant!
Lan Yunqing immediately received another notification:
[The “Overnight Guest Invitation” feature has been successfully unlocked for the 5th branch store.]
Lan Yunqing sighed as he read the notification. He wasn’t one to hesitate when making important decisions.
Although this required a substantial investment of points, the benefits of unlocking such a feature were obvious—especially since his store was located in a relatively remote region.
Now, he could house travelers and traders overnight, strengthening the store’s reputation and fostering a sense of security for those who chose to stay under its protective barrier.
It was a win-win.
With the new feature unlocked, Lan Yunqing’s confidence in the future of the 5th branch store grew stronger.
