Upgrade Requirements for the Level 4 Shelter

I want it all!

Shang Chuan really wanted to say that, but he knew he couldn't.

The most important thing for a mature merchant is to remain composed in the face of massive profit.

So, he forced himself to calm down and began a complex, multi-layered brainstorm.

After several interactions over the past few days, he was confident that he had a certain understanding of Lan Qingyou.

She belonged to the type of person who wouldn't care about the price if she felt it was worth it, but would find it a nuisance even if it were free if she felt it wasn't.

Moreover, she was generous and didn't haggle, or rather, she didn't like to dwell too much on gains and losses.

He could tell from the fact that she had even given him a "hardship fee" when she found out he had been cleaning test tubes earlier.

Was that really a hardship fee for him?

That was a savings fee for the time he had helped her save!

It was also because of this that he had been willing to let her buy on credit when she approached him this morning.

If he asked to trade all the Mana Potions for Healing Potions, Lan Qingyou would definitely agree, and she would do it immediately.

She would even continue to come to him whenever she needed supplies in the future.

But precisely because of that, he couldn't do it.

The longer-term a client is, the more one needs to carefully manage the relationship and one's own persona.

No one likes a greedy person.

Even if that person is just as greedy themselves.

Shang Chuan: "Then, let's go with 30."

In Shang Chuan's view, 30 wasn't too many, nor too few; it was a price she definitely wouldn't haggle over, and a price that wouldn't keep him awake at night thinking about the deal.

After sending that message, Shang Chuan leaned back heavily against the wall behind him.

"Hiss--"

Only when his clothes pressed against his back did he realize his entire back was soaked with sweat and chilled through.

That had truly been an intense psychological battle.

It was a good thing he hadn't let his vision be blurred by the immediate profit.

Looking at the last message he had sent in the friend chat, Shang Chuan couldn't help but feel a little proud.

How many merchants could do what he did, keeping their principles intact even when profit was at stake?

Lan Qingyou: "[OK]"

Lan Qingyou quickly sent over the remaining payment. Although the Mana Potions included were +30, Shang Chuan wasn't in the mood to worry about that right now.

After all, there hadn't been a specific agreement on whether they should be +50 or +30.

His eyes were glued to the bright red, festive-looking Healing Potions.

He reached out, picked up a Healing Potion, and examined it closely, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

Even if he looked like a country bumpkin.

But to a merchant, isn't any item with high profit a rare treasure?

Thinking this, he began upgrading his Shelter while simultaneously opening the Trading Post to find Lan Qingyou's shop.

Since she had already given him the potions, she would surely put the rest up for sale. Even if it was only a portion, he had to be the first to snatch up more Healing Potions.

Since he was buying from the shop, there was no need for the earlier politeness; he would just buy as many as he could.

As it turned out, he had finished upgrading his Shelter, and she still hadn't listed them.

This couldn't help but make him wonder if his judgment had been wrong.

However, just at that moment, Lan Qingyou's shop began updating its inventory.

It started with the +30 Mana Potions, followed by the Healing Potions.

"Holy crap! I just got back and opened my Desk to see such explosive stuff!"

"Healing Potion! A health-restoring potion has finally appeared, though it's a pity my brother already kicked the bucket."

"Trading for Apprentice Grade Devilish Creature Crystal Cores? And two for one potion, isn't that a bit much?"

"Aren't there options to trade for blueprints and books on the side? If you think it's expensive, go look at those two instead."

"It's +30 Rough Grade again. Is there not even a single +50 Apprentice Grade one?"

"Needless to say, she's definitely just practicing. We're basically just her test subjects."

"Then don't buy it, why are you moving so fast?"

"Don't talk about me, that profiteer Shang Chuan snatched up 36 of them the moment they dropped, why don't you go talk to him?"

"That damn black market merchant."

"Don't let me run into him, or he's going to have a rough time."

Shang Chuan smiled slightly as he looked at these chat logs.

For him, threats like these had never been in short supply.

If Lan Qingyou's side was buried under friend requests, then his was buried under "affectionate" greetings.

However, why would Lan Qingyou want to trade Healing Potions for E-Rank Devilish Creature Cores? And a full one hundred of them at that?

Based on his previous observations, the other party could mass-produce two hundred potions at a time.

Taking half of that stock to collect Devilish Creature Cores was somewhat abnormal.

Could it be that upgrading to a Level 4 Shelter also required E-Rank Devilish Creature Cores?

He had taken a look just a moment ago; the requirement had increased tenfold from Level 2 to Level 3, so it wasn't impossible for it to increase another tenfold from Level 3 to Level 4.

If that were the case, should he buy this intelligence?

Initially, because upgrading from Level 1 to Level 2 wasn't too difficult, he hadn't bought the intelligence for Level 3.

But as the required materials grew and the difficulty increased, there should be quite a few people interested in the upgrade conditions for a Level 4 Shelter.

After quickly consuming 36 Healing Potions, he decided to buy the information after all.

Thinking this, he took a blueprint out of the bedside drawer under his table.

The other party should be interested in this thing.

Shang Chuan: "[Disposable Tray Balance Blueprint] plus materials, buying the intelligence on the Level 4 Shelter."

Lan Qingyou: "The base units increased tenfold from the Level 3 requirements, plus 100 units of Obsidian, 10 units of Mana Crystal, and 10 D-Rank Devilish Creature Cores. However, everyone's shelter upgrade conditions are different, so you'll have to gauge the specifics yourself."

Lan Qingyou replied very quickly.

To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that upgrade materials could be directly deposited into the upgrade slot to reduce the values shown, Lan Qingyou felt her storage slots would have exploded from being over capacity.

But Shang Chuan frowned after seeing this.

He knew about Obsidian, but in the past seven days, he had only collected a dozen or so.

As for the Mana Crystals and D-Rank Devilish Creature Cores, let alone seeing them, he hadn't even heard of them.

But it was useless to think about that now.

As a merchant, he was well aware that everyone's shelter upgrade conditions were different, but the tenfold increase in base units and the requirement for Devilish Creature Cores were certainly unavoidable.

These two pieces of information alone were enough for him to make a profit.

Moreover, judging from the intelligence provided by Lan Qingyou, her collection of E-Rank Devilish Creature Cores didn't seem to be related to the shelter, so they must be used for alchemy.

Don't underestimate this piece of information.

Shang Chuan keenly sensed that Devilish Creature Cores might not be as simple as just being used for shelter upgrades. Since Lan Qingyou might be using them for alchemy, did that mean they could be used in other areas as well?

Whatever, once D-Rank Devilish Creature Cores appeared and the price of E-Rank Devilish Creature Cores began to drop, hoarding a batch would never be a mistake.

That way, even if he guessed wrong, he wouldn't lose much.

Just as Shang Chuan made up his mind and took out a notebook to record this matter, Lan Qingyou was also frowning.