All Foxes

Or rather, before she was strong enough to protect herself, she would never allow something like that to exist. Besides, there was no guarantee that someone else would not figure out how to make bullets.

So the safest option was to destroy the gun. Perhaps the other party had other firearms, but even one less gun meant greater safety for herself.

Shang Chuan: "I'm not blaming you. I'm just reporting the results of the experiment." Yeah, right.

Lan Qingyou rolled her eyes when she saw that. Merchants were all about maximizing profit. Wasn't he saying this because he wanted compensation? She understood.

Lan Qingyou: "Although this wasn't my fault, I do bear some responsibility. How about this? I have a crossbow and fifty Healing Potions here as compensation. Also, send me the destroyed gun. I'll see whether I can repair or modify it with alchemy."

Shang Chuan was so angry that he laughed.

Well, damn. Not only did she want the gun destroyed, she did not even intend to leave behind the wreckage.

But what could Shang Chuan do now?

Maximizing profit was the greatest bottom line for him as a merchant. With the Sniper Rifle damaged, his first priority was naturally to sell it for a good price.

After all, he could not repair it. Ailuaier could, but she did not have the parts.

Shang Chuan: "Name your price."

Lan Qingyou smiled faintly. It seemed he had guessed it, but that did not matter. Ensuring her own safety was what mattered most.

Lan Qingyou: "+30 Mana Potion × 50, +30 Healing Potion × 50."

Shang Chuan: "+50 Mana Potion × 200, +50 Healing Potion × 200, and two hundred of each +1 Attribute Potion. That gun wasn't mine, and I need to give my people an explanation."

Lan Qingyou: "Fine."

Lan Qingyou did not haggle over it. A mere thousand or so Potions were nothing compared to her safety.

Shang Chuan might have thought one layer ahead, but Lan Qingyou was already five layers ahead.

She did not just want the remains of the gun. She also wanted to study firearms and see whether she could replicate one herself.

With alchemical bullets as well, her offensive power would be greatly enhanced.

She did not plan to go out and fight anyone, but there would inevitably be times when she had to personally gather alchemical materials.

Having a weapon she was at least somewhat familiar with would naturally be much better.

At the very least, it would be better than a crossbow or Dagger she was unfamiliar with.

Not long after, Shang Chuan sent over the remains of a gun.

Lan Qingyou also gave him part of the payment upfront.

After all, she did not have much on hand right now. There was no need to hand over all her stock at once.

There was plenty of time anyway. At worst, she could set aside a few days to pay off the debt. It was not as if she had never done that before.

When Lan Qingyou examined the gun wreckage, she was a little disappointed. She had thought it would be a rifle, machine gun, Sniper Rifle, or something similar. Instead, he had sent her a pistol, and one whose grip had exploded.

Judging by the dark brown residue on it, the pistol's owner had probably blown up their hand.

Forget it. A pistol was still a pistol. She only wanted to study the principles behind firearms anyway.

With that in mind, Lan Qingyou began studying the broken gun in her hand.

Meanwhile, after receiving Lan Qingyou's upfront payment, Shang Chuan immediately gave part of it to Ailuaier.

Ailuaier: "I really didn't expect that. That little girl is quite scheming."

Shang Chuan: "It's nothing unexpected. Just as we guard against others, it's only natural for others to guard against us."

Ailuaier: "That's true. How do you Dragon Country people put it? Don't think about harming others, but always be prepared for others to harm you?"

Shang Chuan: "One must not harbor the intent to harm others, but one must always guard against them."

Ailuaier: "Right, right, that's it."

Shang Chuan smiled.

In fact, when he had first thought of using Lan Qingyou's alchemy to make bullets, Shang Chuan had already considered the possibility that she might tamper with them.

That was why, when Lan Qingyou asked for a sample, Shang Chuan had Ailuaier take out a pistol bullet instead of one of her Sniper Rifle bullets.

He had not expected her to actually do it.

And she had done it so cleanly.

Shang Chuan admitted that he had underestimated Lan Qingyou, costing him quite a bit of investment. Fortunately, the loss was still within what he could afford.

Besides, Lan Qingyou had compensated him.

The fact that she had not bargained showed that she understood the consequences of doing this. She might even have known that he knew.

Yet she had still done it. That could only mean these things posed an absolute threat to her, which was why she had acted so ruthlessly.

Of course Shang Chuan welcomed partners like that.

After all, the Potions Lan Qingyou had paid to keep his mouth shut would let him earn even more.

Ailuaier: "But now we won't have any bullets to use."

Ailuaier regretfully sent that line of text.

Shang Chuan: "It's fine. With your abilities, firearms will always just be support weapons. Lan Qingyou sent over a crossbow. If that doesn't work, I also have a Bow and Arrow here. Do you want it?"

Shang Chuan did not care about this at all.

Even if their side had lost quite a bit of combat power, losing something in one way meant gaining something in another.

Besides, Ailuaier's most important weapon, the Sniper Rifle, was still intact.

They could just find another way to obtain bullets later.

Ailuaier: "Forget the Bow and Arrow. I don't know how to use that thing. Just give me the crossbow and some bolts so I can make do."

For Ailuaier, compared to a Bow and Arrow that required long-term training, a crossbow was naturally much more convenient.

The choice was obvious.

Besides, her talent did not actually have high requirements for weapons. At most, she would sacrifice some range and power.

Shang Chuan: "I'll send the rest to you once Lan Qingyou's final payment arrives."

As he spoke, Shang Chuan sent the crossbow and some bolts his side had collected to Ailuaier.

Ailuaier: "Fine. There's nothing much to do right now anyway, so I'll practice with the crossbow."

Shang Chuan: "Keep up your daily practice."

Ailuaier: "I will."

While Shang Chuan and Ailuaier were chatting, Lan Qingyou studied the barrel for a while, took a bath, then sat down at the Magic Desk as usual to wait for Gu Xiaobei to feed her.

She had grown accustomed to Gu Xiaobei's food by now.

Although Gu Xiaobei seemed to be going farther and farther down a path devoid of light, the food was genuinely good, both in the attributes it added and its taste.

No matter how people pleaded in the Regional Channel, Gu Xiaobei remained unmoved and continued doing things her own way.

Of course, that was the food she gave outsiders. Lan Qingyou's meals were always excellent in color, aroma, and flavor.

Even if some strange things were mixed into them, at least they did not appear as whole creatures.

Lan Qingyou: "What's for dinner today?"

Gu Xiaobei: "Prince Barbecue."