As long as a spirit body was realistic enough, passing it off as the real thing was no problem. As long as it did not touch anyone, the fact that he was now a ghost would not be exposed.
As a spirit, he did not need to get physical to fight anyone. A single "Vines, entangle!" was enough to turn his opponent into a helpless fool.
If he happened to encounter some reckless brutes, Huang Cao could also play dirty and secretly drug them while they were not paying attention.
I refuse to believe I can't knock you out.
As for the army's stolen food, at least during the days Huang Cao spent completing bounty missions, he had not heard anything about it.
It had probably been covered up. After all, the amount of food was not large, and the soldiers under them could tough it out after going hungry for a while.
Wearing a black robe, Huang Cao arrived at the local administrative office and spread the gold coins in his hand across the counter. At the same time, he held his finger over a map of the city.
It showed the very center of the town, which was also the most chaotic and mixed-up area.
"I want this plot of land. I'm opening a general store."
"This place isn't cheap."
"These ten gold coins are for you to arrange it. I want the result this afternoon. Here are another ten, depending on your performance."
"Don't think about running away. That would be an extremely foolish thing to do in Kazdel." Huang Cao offered the reminder with great kindness.
The clerk stared at the ten gold coins on the counter, his eyes nearly popping out.
The plot in the center was priced at one hundred gold coins. Because various factions had been fighting over it, the price had been openly posted, but it had never sold.
It was not that no one dared to sell it. No one dared to take it.
"May I ask what you intend to use this land for, sir? Please register your relevant information on this paper."
Huang Cao glanced at the low-quality paper on the counter and had no desire whatsoever to write on it.
"Can't be bothered. You write it for me. Name: Huang Cao. Race: Undead Spirit."
Undead Spirit?
The employee stole a glance at Huang Cao and found that the other party indeed had no shadow. His body even seemed to be floating in midair.
He shuddered instinctively, and his hand moved even faster as he wrote on Huang Cao's behalf.
"Your paperwork is complete. I wish you a prosperous business."
What Huang Cao did in the town failed to attract the attention of Kazdel's officials, but what he did next shocked everyone.
I might not be able to beat you, but you definitely can't catch me either.
I even defeated Cyber Ghost. You, Theresia, have only just become the Demon King. It won't be that easy to analyze Originium.
About another week later, Huang Cao scattered all the money he had earned from the bounties. A large general store stood in the very center of the town.
Calling it a general store was actually being far too generous.
There were no shelves. It looked like a matchbox from a block-building game. As long as it had walls and a door to block the wind, it counted as a house.
It only sold one product, too: unhulled wheat.
Five silver coins per kilogram. No haggling.
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Chapter 6: This Proper World Needs More Improper People!
"What a rip-off! It's only a handful of wheat, and it hasn't even been hulled. You're charging five silver coins? Why don't you just rob us directly?"
"Exactly! I'm going to tell Her Excellency Theresia!"
The various factions in the city all turned their attention, almost in unison, to the general store that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Compared with those who had no worries about food or drink, the commoners below were concerned with much more practical matters.
After the war, Kazdel's production situation was already in ruins. Everyone was so poor they could barely scrape by, and there was practically no wealth left to squeeze out of them.
Almost every resource had to serve the war effort. The local residents were actually quite happy that a store selling daily necessities had appeared.
But these prices...
"Honored guests, this isn't expensive at all. Have you looked at the times we're living in?" Huang Cao, dressed in a black robe and floating in midair, explained to the crowd in a gentle yet professional tone.
"What's Kazdel's situation right now? We're blockaded by various countries, disasters happen constantly, and it's winter on top of that. Transportation is already difficult. My people have to eat, too. If I sell this cheaply, the supply route will be cut off, and then you'll have even less to eat."
"We have to put ourselves in each other's shoes. I'm transporting these goods with my life on the line. If you're capable, find your own supply channels and don't come looking for me."
The angry crowd fell silent after hearing this.
Just as he said, having something to sell was already good enough. What more could they ask for?
"Can't you make it a little cheaper?"
A Sarkaz woman held a hungry child in her arms and pleaded.
"It's not entirely impossible." Huang Cao revealed an evil smile, though his hood concealed his entire body.
Even so, everyone present felt a chill shoot straight to their heads.
"Families with children can buy at half price. As for those without children..."
Everyone initially thought he was about to demand something wicked in exchange for food. No one expected his next words to shock them completely.
"Childless female Sarkaz can pull their collars down a little or wear something sexy and buy at half price. Men can work for me. Once the work is done, they can also buy at half price."
Before transmigrating, Huang Cao had been a devoted Sarkaz fan.
Whenever I watched the NPCs in the story, I could not help sighing over how magnificent this race was.
Well, actually, after seeing the Banshees so often in River Valley, the lack of benefits during winter made research feel pointless.
So what if I have no highbrow tastes?
I'm a barbarian, so what!
Who plays Arknights and acts like a proper person? They're only pretending to hold out!
It was clearly one of the most serious story-driven games around, yet whenever people discussed it, aside from strength, they talked about beauty.
Tu Tu, who was on one of those ranking lists, had something to say about that.
Of course, it was impossible for him to have no ulterior motives at all. This operation was mainly intended to establish a persona for himself.
He did not make things difficult for people with families, either. The combination of "kind" and "strange" was enough to inspire all sorts of speculation.
Besides, his original plan had been to sell the wheat for only two silver coins, and even that price was five times Victoria's grain prices.
Scarcity created value. Places with highly developed economies were not necessarily expensive, and places with poorly developed economies were not necessarily cheap.
Supply and demand determined prices.
Thus, as soon as he said this, the female Sarkaz present began undoing the ties on their clothes, revealing scenery that greatly pleased someone.
As expected, this race had what it took. And because it was the middle of winter, everyone was already wearing fairly thick clothes. Fortunately, everyone here was superhuman, so a little wind and cold were nothing.
At the same time, Huang Cao merely pointed at the sign hanging on the wall. A large group of burly Sarkaz immediately understood.
They picked up tools and materials and began making shelves and other odds and ends.
By evening, the general store closed for the day. Huang Cao stared at the piles of silver coins filling the shelves, and aside from recalling the scenery he had seen during the day, he continued considering his next step.
If he wanted to continue growing, he had to come into contact with more items containing high concentrations of Originium.
But that might be drawing too much attention. What if an existence like Presis caught him...
The enemy was in the dark while he was in the open. This was not good...
Therefore, he had to find more reasonable ways to conceal his ability to purify Originium.
If he wanted to enjoy a wonderful life in the future, working hard to stay hidden was the only true path.
There were still several hundred years before the main story. Once he had developed enough, spending a few hundred years enjoying himself with money or other resources would make the whole trip worthwhile.
If the universe's destruction could not be stopped, then he might as well lie flat...
Most of the operators from the original story had not even been born yet, but the female Sarkaz and the other beast-eared girls already had plenty of charm. Their beauty was not inferior in the slightest.
Salute to the legendary Originium Beautification Pack researcher, Presis!
"It's still a little too expensive. I need to find a way to squeeze all the money out of everyone else."
What assets could the commoners of Kazdel have? The truly wealthy were all hidden within the Royal Court.
Lamian's outfit was also worth quite a lot, though she usually did not wear it while working.
That was already much better than many feudal nobles. Every single one of Kazdel's new-generation Lords of the Royal Court could be considered a loyal minister.
They just were not very bright.
Huang Cao once again opened the database in his mind. Thanks to the benefits he had received today, his brain was turning extremely quickly.
Now he was only missing a little experimentation. Only through experiments could he determine the level of his biological and medical knowledge. Otherwise, constructing a body would truly be difficult.
Medicine was easy enough to solve. The difficult part was the experimental equipment. This world already possessed basic scientific technology. After all, the Steam Knight had been invented, so medical tools such as scalpels should not be beyond them.
The knowledge in the Originium archive was broad and chaotic. Some of the technology even surpassed this era. Who knew whose memories they belonged to?
So here was the question: who possessed medical equipment in this country?
It was a question worth deep consideration. For now, however, he could also attract some people's attention by brewing herbal medicine.
...Early the next morning.
Huang Cao used his ability to force a large batch of rice to grow, each grain looking full and plump. He also set up a large pot at the entrance and began boiling herbal medicine.
"Come and take a look! Freshly brewed herbal medicine! For only five copper coins, you can drink your fill!" Huang Cao called out energetically.
But none of the men and women passing by showed any interest in the medicine. Instead, they spent all their silver coins buying food.
Huang Cao floated over and stopped a rather well-built Sarkaz, placing a silver coin in the other woman's cleavage.
"Miss, could you tell me why none of you have any interest in herbal medicine? Don't you ever get sick?"
The Sarkaz woman he questioned retrieved the silver coin and put it in her pocket, then pointed at the Originium on her chest.
"We already have an incurable disease."
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Chapter 7: A Guide to Evaluating the Sarkaz!
"I see. That was presumptuous of me."
"You're an Undead Spirit, right? Why do I feel like you aren't one? Aren't those old fogies supposed to know a lot of things?" The girl stared brightly at the black robe floating in the sky.
This shopkeeper always wore a mask and a black robe, floating in the air like a ghost.
Even if someone secretly tried to lower their head and look, no matter what they did, they could only see empty air.
"..."
Huang Cao did not answer. He merely continued brewing his herbal medicine while using a vine to hold a charcoal pencil and write a sentence on a stone slab:
Grand medicine trial promotion! Drink one bowl and receive one silver coin, plus a half-price discount when purchasing. Limited to the first fifty people.
Huang Cao had expected a commotion to break out, with many strong people relying on their physical stats to snatch these spots.
That would also allow him to be bolder with the medicine trials.
Unexpectedly, almost everyone lining up was a malnourished child. The strong adults stood to the side instead, their eyes containing neither mockery nor sympathy.
There was only hope...
Huang Cao counted and found that there were only thirty-two children. Most were malnourished, but their eyes contained a ruthless glint, and their clothes were fitted with belts holding small knives or long blades.
If nothing unexpected happened, they would become mercenaries before long, only to die inexplicably in the civil war that would erupt in the future.
The Sarkaz had extremely long lifespans. Living for one or two hundred years was nothing unusual, and some individuals could even live for four or five hundred years.
As for how Huang Cao could tell at a glance that the Sarkaz drinking the herbal medicine were orphans, it was because all the other Sarkaz with families were holding their own children. The hope in their eyes was merely the hope of observing test subjects.
These orphans had no way to make a living, while the country's economic situation and Theresia's ability were insufficient to take in all the orphans in the nation.
Only the lucky ones could enter an orphanage, and these children were clearly not lucky.
Huang Cao patiently examined the orphans' bodies and found that, aside from being infected with Originium Infection, they also had one minor ailment after another. Overall, however, they were still fairly healthy.
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