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The little stone axes would not last very long. What if Qiu Shuyu wanted to keep them for herself?

Wouldn't they be left with nothing to do but look on longingly?

Luo Liuzi's question stumped Qiu Shuyu. How was she supposed to know how to sell them?

What was Xiaozhu doing? Why hadn't she chimed in yet?

Song Xiaozhu really had been held up for a moment...

Just as she was about to speak, a notification abruptly rang out, repeating over and over in her ears:

"Growth Quest 3 triggered. Please choose:

"Quest A: Wipe out your enemies to the last. Reward: 10 Quantum Coins, 5 Repair Points;

"Quest B: Befriend people. Reward: 5 Quantum Coins, 10 Repair Points."

Growth Quest 3 had arrived before she had even finished Quest 2?

Song Xiaozhu certainly had no complaints. She desperately needed Repair Points, and she needed Quantum Coins too-even if they were useless right now, once the Synthesizer was repaired to level 2, unlocking recipes would surely require a large number of Quantum Coins. Besides, there was Random Synthesis. Even an "Unlucky Player" could afford to gamble with enough assets.

Growth Quest 3 still offered two paths: Quest A, decisive slaughter; Quest B, treating others kindly.

Without hesitation, Song Xiaozhu chose B again.

Granted, she only needed 5 more Repair Points right now, and choosing A would get her extra Quantum Coins.

But the problem was that she was too weak to truss a chicken. She could not be some desperado who wiped people out to the last. She just wanted to make friends.

Making friends was great.

She could even offer her friends a special friendship price.

After Song Xiaozhu chose B, the notification immediately sounded again:

"Growth Quest 3. Quest progress: 1/3."

Song Xiaozhu froze for a moment, then quickly understood.

It was Qiu Shuyu.

That was right. She already had a friend.

The smile on Song Xiaozhu's lips grew more sincere. She stepped out of the shadows and greeted Tian Man and Luo Liuzi.

Tian Man and Luo Liuzi really had not noticed her earlier.

It was dark now, and the shack was very dim. Song Xiaozhu was so small and thin that any wooden plank could hide her completely.

Of course, even in broad daylight, these two, who only had eyes for the precious little axes, probably would not have noticed Song Xiaozhu.

Luo Liuzi spoke readily. "Are you Xiao Yu's little sister? I'm Luo Liuzi. Just call me Brother Liu!"

Song Xiaozhu said, "Hello, Brother Liu."

Tian Man was a little more observant. Looking at the consumptive girl standing beside the little axes, his heart skipped a beat...

Could it be... was she...

No way.

Then Qiu Shuyu said, "Ask Xiaozhu about the axes. They're all hers."

Tian Man: "!"

Luo Liuzi: "?"

Both of them were a little dazed. Luo Liuzi even blurted out, "They're... yours?"

Song Xiaozhu did not answer that obvious question, instead beginning her introduction gently. "The axes are for sale, but these four are all different, and so are their prices."

That one sentence seized Tian Man's and Luo Liuzi's attention. Neither bothered asking further questions, listening intently to her introduction instead.

Song Xiaozhu picked up the little stone axe on the outermost edge. She had carved the number 4 into its wooden handle with a knife. "This one is inferior quality. Its craftsmanship is very unrefined, and it feels the worst to use."

As she spoke, she picked up the stone axe marked with the number 3 and continued, "This one is graded quality. It's a little more comfortable to use, but slightly worse than the one Sister Shuyu used during the day."

Next came the stone axe marked with the number 2, the one with a 20% improvement in effectiveness. "This one is second grade, the same as the one Sister Shuyu used during the day... Hmm, Brother Liu and Brother Man, you used it too, right? Those two are identical."

Hearing that, Tian Man and Luo Liuzi asked in unison, "How much for this one?"

Song Xiaozhu said, "10 yuan."

Luo Liuzi hurriedly said, "I'll buy it! Sell this one to me!"

Tian Man said nothing, not because he was slow to react, but because, now that his head had cooled, he had begun to think calmly.

10 yuan...

The price did not seem high, but actually... it really was not cheap.

Axes were hot sellers at the recycling station.

The iron axe Tian Man had brought today would cost an ordinary buyer at least 17 yuan. At most, they might get a few mao off. They would never get it as cheaply as he had.

The little stone axe was easier to handle than an iron axe, extremely comfortable to use, and saved effort. But its durability was terrible. They had only chopped down one tree before it cracked.

Granted, improper use had played a part, but it was made of stone, after all. No matter how careful they were, it would still wear down very easily.

By that calculation, 10 yuan was very expensive.

At their workload, they would go through at least two little stone axes a day.

Even Tian Man, the team leader, had only earned 50 yuan. Spending another 20 on little stone axes...

It was far too poor a deal.

Iron axes suffered wear too. With the way they had chopped today, the iron axes had all sustained wear as well. Another two days at most, and they would have to replace them.

The key to an axe was its edge. Once it was no longer sharp enough, it was unusable.

A good iron axe cost about 15 yuan. Even chopping trees this large in diameter, they could use it for at least days.

That worked out to a daily cost of 5 yuan.

The little stone axe seemed cheaper than an iron axe, but it would be ruined after half a day at most. Calculating it properly, the daily cost came to a full 20 yuan.

Four times as much.

That was outrageous!

Luo Liuzi realized it too, but he still wanted to buy one...

He simply craved that feel too much. He wanted to buy one for the sheer pleasure of using it, costs be damned.

If he had money, he might as well spend it. It was not as though he could find a wife anyway!

Tian Man did not compete with Luo Liuzi for it. He looked at the so-called "graded quality" axe and asked, "How much is this one?"

Song Xiaozhu had been waiting for precisely that question. Smiling, she said, "3 yuan."

Tian Man: "!"

Luo Liuzi blinked too, wondering whether he had misheard. Why was there such a huge price difference?

Tian Man hurriedly asked, "What about how it feels to use? Is it much worse than the second-grade one?"

Judging by the price, he could not help asking, "How many times worse?"