Level 3 Shelter

Li Huai badly needed Magic Power.

Although he could only draw on one percent of his C-Rank Talent, Storm Monarch, the wind blade that could sever a Dire Wolf's head was already more than enough.

But as powerful as his Talent was, it consumed Magic Power rapidly, leaving him with none to spare for using Gathering Art.

Lately, he'd mostly been trading meat with people for materials to upgrade to a Level 2 Shelter.

That was why he'd made such a promise after seeing food that could continuously restore Magic Power for ten minutes.

It was sixty times the natural recovery rate. Gu Xiaobei was only just starting out, and her food was a lot like Lan Qingyou's Crude Magic Potion.

Once she got going, she'd definitely become another Lan Qingyou.

There was no harm in giving her a little support. It was only some meat.

At worst, he could send her a wolf or a cow every day.

Gu Xiaobei: "Sure, sure."

As soon as Gu Xiaobei heard that someone was willing to make materials for her for free, a radiant smile appeared on her face.

That meant she'd only need to go out and gather some herbs or wild vegetables each day.

It would greatly reduce the danger of wandering around outside.

Li Huai: "Wait there."

After sending the message, Li Huai stood up, rolled his shoulders, straightened the collar of his suit with both hands, and walked out of his wooden cabin.

The next day.

After getting up, Lan Qingyou started preparing to brew potions, just as she had the day before.

Since she'd processed quite a few herbs yesterday, she could save a lot of time today.

But that could wait.

She went over to the Magic Desk and reached out to turn off the shrill beeping.

Then she opened her warehouse to take a look.

She'd gathered all the materials needed to upgrade to a Level 3 Shelter. She might as well upgrade first. After all, today was the last day of the Novice Protection Period.

Who knew what things would be like when she collected her reward at dawn on the eighth day?

The sooner she upgraded, the sooner she could relax.

[Would you like to upgrade to a Level 3 Shelter?]

[Please select the direction of your Shelter upgrade]

[1. Expand the Tree Hole Shelter to three times its current size.]

[2. Expand the Tree Hole Shelter to twice its current size, and add a third floor.]

Lan Qingyou selected the second option with practiced ease.

[Level 3 Shelter Facilities]

[Bedroom: Wood*500, Fur*20, Sand*10]

[Living Room: Wood*500, Stone*100, Fur*30, Sand*50]

[Storage Room: Wood*600]

[Stove: Wood*60, Stone*100]

[Fireplace: Stone*300, Sand*100, Water*20]

[First-Floor Outdoor Platform: Wood*50 (small), Wood*100 (medium), Wood*200 (large)]

[Third-Floor Balcony: Wood*50 (small), Wood*100 (medium), Wood*200 (large). Note: Regardless of size, selecting a balcony also includes a door: Wood*10 (the door does not count as a facility).]

[Third-Floor Terrace: Wood*100, Vine*10 (small); Wood*200, Vine*20 (medium); Wood*400, Vine*40 (large). Note: Regardless of size, selecting a terrace also includes a sliding glass door: Wood*100, Sand*300 (the sliding door does not count as a facility).]

[Bathroom (Expansion): Wood*500, Stone*100. Note: Selecting this expansion also includes a 50-liter Water Tank: Wood*100 (the tank does not count as a facility), and an Automatic Heating System: E-Rank Devilish Creature Crystal Core*20 (the automatic heating system does not count as a facility).]

[Apprentice Alchemy Workshop (Expansion): Wood*500, Stone*500, Iron Ore*300, Sand*100. Note: Selecting this expansion also includes a 100-liter Water Tank: Wood*1000 (the tank does not count as a facility).]

[Each Shelter upgrade allows you to modify three facilities. Please choose carefully according to your needs.]

Well, well, so that was the catch.

They said nothing was more expensive than something free. She hadn't expected them to pull this escalating-price trick even while charging her—and some facilities had gone up tenfold!

Looking over the Level 3 Shelter facilities, Lan Qingyou ultimately chose the Storage Room, the bathroom, and the Alchemy Workshop.

She couldn't help it. The extra features were just too tempting. No one could turn down a heated shower, and no alchemist could refuse a 100-liter Water Tank.

Anyone who brewed potions regularly knew how much water it took.

Having to run back and forth all the time was a real pain. Even with her Moonlight Stone Dagger, she could carry only two buckets of water at a time.

Now she could add 100 liters at once, enough for two days of alchemy.

That brought her to the problem.

Because she'd built a Level 3 Shelter, she was out of materials.

"Phew—"

Inside a Shelter, Shang Chuan had just woken up and opened the window to air out the place.

His Shelter was built into a mound of earth and looked a little like a hobbit's house.

On the first morning after he'd been forcibly transported here, he'd gone out to look around. The area around his little house was full of trees, making it well hidden and a good place to shelter.

The shelter he needed protecting from wasn't the Devilish Creatures, but other people.

As a business professional, he understood human greed all too well.

But he couldn't understand why the World Will had assigned a business professional like him to a Shelter with such a fairytale atmosphere.

At first, he'd complained a little, but not anymore. He'd settled into things by now.

Thanks to his C-Rank Talent, he monitored the prices of goods at his desk every day.

Apart from heading out every hour to use Gathering Art and spend some Magic Power, and to search for Material Treasure Chests, buying low, selling high, and spotting bargains had become some of the few ways he could survive in this other world.

With a little Creek Water on his hands, he smoothed his hair and sat down at the Magic Desk.

Time to start another day of trading.

Once he finished today's work, he'd upgrade his Shelter to Level 2 that evening and prepare for the end of the Novice Protection Period.

As a merchant, he'd already collected enough materials to upgrade his Shelter to Level 2—or even Level 3.

But he understood that the tallest tree caught the most wind.

Besides, merchants cared only about profit, not fame.

Even if there were rewards, they held little appeal for him.

At least until he had the means to survive in this world for certain, he wouldn't do that.

He took a deep breath, then noticed that one of his friends was flashing.

He opened the message and felt his heart sink.

Lan Qingyou: "Can I buy on credit?"

Shang Chuan: ...

Who else could relate? It was early in the morning, and someone wanted to buy on credit before he'd even opened for business!

But he couldn't refuse someone who wanted to buy on credit.

She was one of his biggest clients. He had to greet her with a smile.

Shang Chuan: "No one else can, but you can. The price goes up five percent each day."

Forcing himself to stay calm, Shang Chuan typed out the message.

Lan Qingyou: "No need. Get everything on the list for me. 100 Apprentice Magic Potions. I'll pay you tonight."

Shang Chuan looked over the list she'd sent.

Wood*2700, Stone*600, E-Rank Devilish Creature Crystal Core*20, Iron Ore*300, Sand*100.

She didn't need that many materials. It looked like she was planning to upgrade to a Level 3 Shelter.

At current black-market prices, he could probably make a sixty-percent profit.

A big client was a big client—she certainly knew how to spend.

Well, there he was, open for business after all.

Shang Chuan adjusted his glasses, then typed out a string of words on the desk...