Life Essence

".This again? This time, there were Essence Fragments of the Toxin Module (Corrupted Ivy) and Essence Fragments of the Regeneration Module (Corrupted Monkey Bread Tree)."

Whenever Lu PingAn had time to pay attention to the system notifications, it was usually already after the fact.

After yet another battle, as the beasts on the ground began turning to ash, Lu PingAn finally had time to inspect his gains.

This was not the first time he had seen Essence Fragments of an XX Module.

When he had used the Touch-Me-Not Mine before, Lu PingAn had discovered an "Essence Fragment of the Explosion Module (Corrupted Touch-Me-Not)" in his miscellaneous inventory.

But it could not be used. Twenty-six numbers were piled up in the system warehouse, and he could not take them out either.

The investment target, Corrupted Touch-Me-Not Flower, has died. The investment has completely failed.

Entering liquidation mode. Liquidating its remaining assets. Insufficient assets available; its Life Essence will now be extracted to offset the debt.

Extraction successful. Obtained one unranked Essence Fragment of the Explosion Module.

That was all. There was no more detailed explanation.

In Lu PingAn's understanding, it was like the bank had invested in you, you went bankrupt or even died, and the bank salvaged whatever it could from your inheritance.

Whatever was recovered became the bank's assets.

"Very capitalist. Very streetlamp. But how exactly am I supposed to use these essences?"

And the term Life Essence made Lu PingAn think of Gardeners again.

Plant the seeds, cultivate them with care, wait for the fruit trees to mature, then harvest the fruit.

The three kinds of Essence Fragments already numbered nearly fifty in total, yet Lu PingAn still could not find a use for them. They did not even have physical forms, so he could not take them out.

He had asked Chris about them. She said she had never heard of them, did not know, and was not interested.

Perhaps she had her own guesses, but after losing the plot, she had once again begun lacking initiative.

"At least this means the life force I spent brought some returns. Not a loss, not a loss at all. I'll leave them there for now. I'll find a use for them eventually."

Since he could not find a way to use them now, Lu PingAn could only console himself like this.

Calling the useless items in his warehouse "not a loss" made him look exactly like a mobile game player who had failed a gacha pull.

".Should we rest for a while, or keep going deeper?"

Xue En, who had finished cleaning up the battlefield, walked over and handed him the spoils of war left behind by the monsters.

According to mercenary rules, he only had the right to receive a share afterward and could not directly claim spoils of war.

Lu PingAn packed away these Tier 1, zero-value spoils of war and glanced at the sky. It was about time to make adjustments.

"Let's go. We'll wait by the main road. Hopefully we'll run into them today."

This was already the morning of their third day here. Nearly half of the precious week-long pre-exam sprint had already been used up.

Lu PingAn had not turned back along the way, instead conducting hunting training efficiently with Xue En's cooperation. Poor Cat Cat had been stood up, but after one wasted trip, she probably would not come again.

There was no helping it. Communication across secret realms and worlds had always been an unsolvable problem.

Even if she came in to look for him herself, it would take too much time, not to mention the high chance of missing him.

But as always, anything could stop except investments and profit-sharing. They were the foundation of Lu PingAn's rapid growth.

"This buff costs fifteen hundred this time? Fine, we accept. Will there be one tomorrow?"

"Not sure. We'll see."

This was the main road through the forest region. Lu PingAn completed a transaction with two Tier 1 Gardeners, and both sides were very satisfied.

Yesterday, at this very same spot, the buff had been given out for free.

After all, in the vast forest and within a limited time, it was not easy to find two Gardeners willing to accept buffs from strangers.

They were a man and a woman, both Tier 1 students who had come here to train. The two classmates had formed a team and brought along two combat-oriented companions or mercenaries.

Watching the Gardener students leave under the vague protection of their companions, Lu PingAn felt that Xue En had probably been holding back. The problem with low-level Gardeners was not that they lacked combat ability—they were simply burdens on the battlefield.

In the memory fragments from yesterday's profit-sharing, Lu PingAn had seen several instances of the two Gardener "employers" falling into danger and their companions risking their lives to save them.

".Those guards look like they have it pretty rough."

"This is what normal Gardeners are like. Those companions are not losing out either. They train through combat while taking a share of the Gardeners' income. It is basically an opportunity to cultivate with logistics fully covered and free healing."

Low-level Gardeners had no combat ability. Their goal in coming here to train was actually to search for, cultivate, and harvest various magical plants.

During the harvesting process, spending money to hire combatants to protect themselves was the normal way a Logistics Department Gardener profession operated.

Lu PingAn had shared quite a bit of experience with them regarding cultivating and harvesting magical plants. Even his skill with the Gardener's Three-Piece Set had improved considerably, and he found it much easier to control magical plants.

"Heh. So we're the abnormal ones."

Chatting and laughing, the two prepared to return to the depths of the woodland and continue today's training.

But suddenly, Lu PingAn frowned. He saw something unpleasant.

The Gardener group ahead had been stopped. A group of people blocked their way; some were asking questions, while others held up a Wanted Order for the "Bomb Demon" and said something.

".Those scumbags."

Xue En spat on the ground, utterly disdainful.

"They are looking for the Bomb Demon again?"

Lu PingAn spoke thoughtfully, with meaning behind his words.

Hearing that, Xue En smiled.

Lu PingAn's abilities were right there. As someone who always thought too much, he had long figured it out, but he chose to play dumb.

".Looking for the Bomb Demon? With a casually drawn sketch? They are just using it as an excuse to earn some extra money. Just watch."

Things unfolded exactly as Xue En expected. In the end, the two Gardeners pulled long faces and took out their bags of spoils of war and magical plants for inspection. A pile of things was eventually taken from them.

And it was not over yet. When they headed back, they would not be exempt from the entrance fee at the exit.

The Dragon Snake Gang members seemed dissatisfied with the amount. Cursing, they kicked the male Gardener, and the two sides nearly came to blows.

But there were seven or eight people on one side and only four on the other, two of whom were burdens. In the end, they did not fight. Another batch of items disappeared from the Gardeners' little bags.

And when their gazes turned toward Lu PingAn and Xue En as their next targets—

"What are you looking at, scumbags?"

Xue En spat on the ground again, not giving them the slightest face.

Yet those Dragon Snake Gang members acted as though they had seen nothing. They simply walked past, directly ignoring Lu PingAn and Xue En.

"This—"

"They are just a bunch who bully the weak and fear the strong. If the people behind them were not a little troublesome, they would have been... heh."

The people behind them? Something like this actually had backing? Was it not just a few immature brats gathering together and pretending to be a lively social organization?

Lu PingAn asked, and Xue En did not hide it. This was a "secret" everyone familiar with the place knew.

"Isn't there a Green New Pharmaceuticals shop by the entrance? Some mid-level manager or professor of theirs needs a large amount of low-level magical plant materials for experiments, preferably freshly picked, but does not want to pay. So... you understand."

Green New Pharmaceuticals? Was that not Senior Zhao Ying's stall? Was it their professor, mentor, or team leader?

".Is this really necessary? All for something like this? No one does anything about it?"

"Who would? In Green New Pharmaceuticals' eyes, the entire secret realm is their company property. They merely tolerate them. It helps them declare ownership and authority, and lets them handle a little dirty work on the side. Anyway, the only people they can offend are newcomers. As long as nobody actually dies, even if someone cannot stand it, there is not much they can do."

Seeing that Lu PingAn still could not quite understand, Xue En continued.

"For example, if an enemy of Green New enters this secret realm, High-Level Professionals calling themselves the 'Dragon Snake Gang' will come in and kill them. Let Senior Brother give Junior Brother a piece of advice: the Inner World has never been a peaceful modern society. Many people kill casually because they find things troublesome. When hiring mercenaries, you must learn about their character and sign a contract beforehand. You were lucky to run into me."

Senior Brother Xue En took the opportunity to teach Junior Brother a lesson. Knowing it was well-intentioned, Lu PingAn silently nodded to show that he understood.

The road back into the forest was utterly unremarkable. But by the evening of that day, the objective of Lu PingAn's trip finally came time to bear fruit.