Arrears Paid

"Whoa! More than twenty people died in a single day? Looks like things really are dangerous out there."

As night fell, Lan Qingyou finished portioning out some of the potions. Then she poured the potions that the Medicine Bag and Dagger needed to absorb into the Wooden Barrel, sat down at her desk, and ate the food Gu Xiaobei had sent over with Steel Wool while checking the Regional Channel.

The moment she sat down, she noticed that the number of people in the region had dropped by more than twenty.

That was what had prompted her earlier exclamation.

Fortunately, her household was now basically self-sufficient.

Aside from going out every night as the Green Ghost to collect treasure chests, she had no reason to leave.

So what did it matter to a weak alchemist like her if the world outside was a blood-soaked battlefield?

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Just then, Shang Chuan sent her a message.

Shang Chuan: "Can you make bullets?"

Lan Qingyou: ?

Lan Qingyou was completely baffled.

Wait, what do you take me for?

I'm an alchemist. I brew potions and elixirs. And you're asking me to make... Hmm? It seemed... not entirely impossible, actually?

She'd never done it before, but didn't alchemy involve working with minerals?

This was certainly a whole new field to explore.

So Lan Qingyou replied, "I'll need the relevant knowledge, sample dimensions, and tools. I can't guarantee I'll succeed."

Shang Chuan: "What exactly do you need?"

Lan Qingyou: "Basic Mineralogy, measuring tools, and minerals."

Shang Chuan frowned slightly when he saw Lan Qingyou's reply.

It seemed he'd expected too much from Lan Qingyou as an alchemist.

But then again, that made sense.

From the looks of her, she hadn't had access to firearms back on Blue Star. Even now that she'd become an alchemist, making bullets would still be a little difficult for her.

If he wanted her to make bullets, naturally, he'd have to provide everything she needed.

Clearly, Lan Qingyou also intended to get the supplies for free.

Oh well. For the sake of his team, and so that he could survive in this world, this was a necessary investment.

Just like when he'd asked Ailuaier to kill Mickey earlier.

Maner had certainly wanted to escape Mickey's control.

But the bigger reason was that Mickey had reached into his team.

Shang Chuan couldn't accept that.

Merchants valued their lives, especially in an unknown world like this. Protecting himself was the top priority.

Shang Chuan: "I'll gather everything for you. Once you have it all, how many days do you think it'll take?"

Lan Qingyou: "If there are enough materials and I can make it work, probably three to five days. If it doesn't work, I guess firearms just aren't suited to this world."

Lan Qingyou didn't overpromise, leaving some wiggle room for both of them.

Shang Chuan: "All right. Wait for me."

After getting a clear answer from Lan Qingyou, Shang Chuan set his network of contacts in motion.

Meanwhile, Lan Qingyou sat happily at her desk and waited.

Who didn't like getting things for free?

"Chirp, chirp—"

As if it could sense Lan Qingyou's good mood, Steel Wool perked up too.

"Oh, little one, you've already finished half a kilo of meat?"

Seeing Steel Wool squint and grin like a meme, Lan Qingyou picked it up and rubbed it against her cheek.

She had to admit, Steel Wool's fluffy fur was soft and very comfortable against her face.

Steel Wool seemed to enjoy it just as much, nuzzling against Lan Qingyou's cheek.

For a moment, it was hard to tell whether Lan Qingyou was rubbing against Steel Wool or Steel Wool was rubbing against Lan Qingyou.

If you're enjoying this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The sound of a message from a friend rang out again.

Thinking it was Shang Chuan, Lan Qingyou opened it, only to find that it was from Li Huai.

Li Huai: "The Obsidian I promised you last time, plus a hundred pounds of Flame Bell. Also, I got two books today."

After leaving that message, he said nothing more.

Lan Qingyou didn't mind.

They were business partners, after all. There was no need for small talk.

She was curious about the books he'd found, though.

So she accepted his trade request.

Was this the benefit of getting paid upfront?

Lan Qingyou was a little surprised when she saw the two books.

Basic Herbalism Karim Continent Magic Beast Illustrated Guide.

She already had Herbalism and had even memorized it, but the Karim Continent Magic Beast Illustrated Guide was exactly what she needed right now.

She'd been at a loss over how to hatch the Elf Butterfly Pupa.

And now, here it was.

Lan Qingyou couldn't wait to flip through the book. She didn't even look at the Flame Bell she'd been longing for, and quickly found the page about the Elf Butterfly Pupa.

Uh...

After reading the description, Lan Qingyou was speechless.

She could ignore the parts about how beautiful and gentle they were, or how they were messengers of the flowers. Just one sentence was enough to leave her stumped: "Each Elf Butterfly Pupa requires a Mana Crystal to assist with hatching."

She wanted one of those too.

Unfortunately, neither The Profiteer, with his extensive connections, nor the brute with overwhelming strength had ever seen one.

Where was she supposed to find a Mana Crystal in that case?

So...

If she couldn't find one, she might as well set the matter aside for now.

It wasn't as if she had to hatch the Fairy Butterfly Pupa right away.

"Maybe one will turn up on its own when the time is right?"

Having gained a basic understanding of this other world, Lan Qingyou had come to expect that things were random and haphazard. She took it in stride.

Then she turned her attention to the hundred pounds of Flame Bell.

Although Li Huai had said it was a hundred pounds, he'd probably been a bit rough when harvesting it. Quite a few weeds and droplets of water were mixed in.

It looked as though he'd rinsed it once, but there was still plenty of debris.

Lan Qingyou didn't say anything about it.

Li Huai was basically giving it to her for free. Even if half of the hundred pounds were weeds, she wouldn't complain.

Getting things for free was a joy in itself.

There was still plenty of time, so she might as well rinse it again herself. Besides, she was waiting for Shang Chuan to get back to her.

So Lan Qingyou fetched some water from the Spring of Rest, sat on the floor, and began sorting the herbs.

As she sorted them, she planned out the next day's work.

She would make Explosive Potions, Flame Potions, and Fire Resistance Potions—a whole batch of attack potions—and become a real bomber.

Just thinking about going out to fight monsters made Lan Qingyou move three times faster.

As for the Fire Resistance Potions... those were custom-made for Li Huai.

She figured his shelter might be somewhere like a volcanic environment. Otherwise, how could he have found so much Flame Bell?

But custom-made potions were bound to cost more.

She'd already decided on the price: two bottles for one pound of Flame Bell.

After all, she couldn't find this stuff in the forest. Since Li Huai had a source, she needed to stock up and make as much as she could.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Just as Lan Qingyou was enjoying the show, Shang Chuan's message finally arrived.