“This is actually more troublesome…”
An Mengyue hadn’t thought much of it at first, but after hearing Lin Ran’s words, her expression instantly turned serious.
First, regarding the wooden houses— in theory, no one could approach another wooden house; you could only stay in your own home.
Lin Ran had tried this the first time he arrived and found it was impossible to get close to other wooden houses.
Second, the people who came were all [ordinary people].
Who among those who could get past the Second Wave Offensive so early didn’t have some skills?
You should know, in his new student group with 99+ messages every day, there were still only a few people talking, and most of the students in the school were still struggling through the second wave.
There’s no way it’s just such a coincidence that all the ordinary people who passed the Second Wave Offensive gathered in front of his own house, right?
Lastly, and the most crucial evidence— just looking out the window made it clear.
Most wooden houses had nothing in front of them, but in front of the human wooden house that An Mengyue had shown him earlier—the one that had killed the Slumber Eater—there was a group of people.
This meant only those who had passed the Second Wave Offensive could encounter this group of people now.
So, in the game, under what circumstances would you meet a large group of people with an obvious purpose who suddenly appeared?
“Hidden Event—or perhaps a Hidden Quest. The trigger condition is probably passing the Second Wave Offensive as early as possible.”
Lin Ran pinched his chin and spoke his deduction.
“Huh?”
An Mengyue looked up, her face full of question marks.
“Isn’t that a good thing? Why would it be troublesome? Remember to come spend your crystal cores here if you earn any from Hidden Quests.”
After saying that, An Mengyue yawned and almost wanted to go back to sleep for a bit.
“Hey, Merchant, just go to sleep. Soon the money earned won’t have anything to do with you.”
It took An Mengyue a moment to react before she realized Merchant referred to her, and she immediately puffed up in anger and retorted:
“All my prices are marked clearly and are as honest as can be! Where am I a Merchant!”
“Besides, I have no combat ability at all. Wouldn’t going down there be suicide?”
Though she said this, the moment she heard there was money to be made, she grinned and stuck tightly behind Lin Ran.
Those Little Dolls, who were also full of anticipation, originally wanted to follow, but were immediately glared back by her.
Seeing her instant mood swing, Lin Ran was deeply impressed.
Whether she agreed or not, he didn’t press the issue and continued with his plan.
“You’re the only one here with crystal cores.”
“And my requirement is that, during the upcoming negotiations, you lend me a stake of ten crystal cores.”
“Lastly, put your tail away.”
An Mengyue nodded.
That was no big deal, after all, it was just a loan.
Lin Ran shouldn’t be shameless enough to default…right?
Just…did he really plan to negotiate business with those NPCs downstairs? Did he want to buy something?
“I’ll give you ten percent of the total profit afterward.”
“Deal! Boss, I’ll guide the way! Sir! This way!”
The two of them walked to the front door, took a deep breath, and then opened the wooden door.
Outside the door stood a crowd of people, about seventy or eighty, all armed.
Most of them held wooden swords and staffs—the lowest grade weapons.
Those with torches probably had the strongest weapons among them.
As for strength, they were actually quite average.
At the front was a burly man with a scar on his face.
When he saw Lin Ran come out, he immediately pointed his rusty broadsword at Lin Ran’s face.
“You’re the owner of this wooden house, right? We’re from the Adventurers’ Guild. The High Priest in the City detected a magic beast here. We’re here to inspect on orders. If there really is one…”
Then he saw An Mengyue behind Lin Ran, only half her head sticking out.
“Holy crap! A magic beast! There really is one!!”
He was so shocked that the broadsword in his hand trembled, and he even took several steps back.
Wait, even this scar-faced brute had to act like this?
The other Adventurers’ Guild members, however, reacted completely differently.
Upon seeing An Mengyue, they all confirmed the message was true.
Then, they could begin the righteous trial—no, burning and pillaging—in the name of justice!
“Hand over the magic beast and the house, or you are a criminal against humanity!”
“Ah—human, lost and bewitched by the magic beast, let the flames redeem your soul—”
“Stop talking nonsense and burn him! This is a traitor to humanity!”
A group of people, waving torches and crude weapons, shouted with fervor, saliva flying everywhere.
Facing these hostile people, Lin Ran wore a harmless smile.
As expected, An Mengyue, the Slumber Eater, was the core of this Hidden Event.
Because, when it came to magic beasts, the only one everyone in the world could obtain was this Slumber Eater.
What the Hidden Event wanted to test was how players responded to sudden incidents and their attitude towards the Slumber Eater.
Would you hand over the Slumber Eater, give up the right to store transactions, and be forever unable to use crystal cores in the post-apocalyptic world?
Or would you defend the Slumber Eater to the death, fight the enemies, and risk being hunted down by the kingdom’s top brass, possibly having an army sent against you?
Either way, the outcome probably wasn’t great.
Only the best choices would bring rewards.
You could either negotiate and save the Slumber Eater’s life, earning her loyalty.
Or, use your fists and beat back all the enemies.
This was the trouble Lin Ran mentioned.
However, his choice was always the third option.
He scratched his head, put on a puzzled expression, and asked in confusion:
“Magic beast? What magic beast? Did you all get something wrong?”
A woman in a white priest’s robe raised her staff and scolded, pointing it at Lin Ran’s nose.
“What are you talking about? The magic power here is so obvious! Anyone could sense it!”
“Oh~ So you meant magic power!”
Lin Ran clapped his thigh in sudden realization.
“Ah, this is a huge misunderstanding!”
His exaggerated acting made An Mengyue behind him want to find a hole and bury herself.
This is too embarrassing, bro, please tone it down.
Lin Ran turned back into the house and, a moment later, walked out holding a green plant.
It was Slime Grass, which on the surface looked no different from a weed.
But the moment he brought it out, all the mage and priest class NPCs holding staffs emitted sharp screams.
“My god! What is that! Slime Grass? The magic contained can only belong to Slime Grass!!”
“That’s the legendary root of all slimes, only found where slimes are born!”
“Isn’t Slime Plain near the Demon King City? Legend says the first magic beast the Demon King tamed was a slime. Slimes are weak, but the Slime Plain is protected by the Demon King!”
“Damn, is this what slimes eat to reproduce? How luxurious!”
Lin Ran nodded with a smile.
It seemed the world on the other side was low-magic overall.
Though it was another world, it couldn’t threaten the Demon King at all.
And Slime Grass, to them, was an absolute luxury.
Come to think of it, the experiences of this legendary Demon King were very similar to his own…
Lin Ran shook his head, dismissing his thoughts, and refocused on the present.
“Yes, the massive magic power you all sensed is not from a magic beast, but from this!”
Lin Ran raised the Slime Grass higher.
“Allow me to introduce it solemnly—this is a rare plant I obtained after much hardship from Slime Plain: Slime Grass!”
Seeing this, An Mengyue more or less understood.
Lin Ran probably wanted to trade the Slime Grass to these people at a high price for crystal cores, right?
But…
“According to your theory, if these people are a sudden event, they won’t appear again later. So this is a one-time deal.”
“I feel it’s more practical to just rob them of their crystal cores.”
An Mengyue leaned close to Lin Ran’s ear and whispered.
“That’s why you’re the best—so direct. A Merchant really can make big money with the simplest methods.”
“You said Merchant again! You’re still calling me a Merchant! I’m angry, truly angry! The crystal cores are going to have interest!”
As the two whispered, the scarred man thought for a while before finally speaking.
“This magic level probably doesn’t need identification. We were too rash. If it was just the magic power of Slime Grass, I apologize for our earlier actions.”
The scar-faced leader bowed seriously to Lin Ran.
Not a bad person, actually.
“Of course, according to Adventurers’ Guild regulations, a basic search is required. We need to confirm there are no magic beasts inside the house.”
He gave a signal to several Elite Adventurers behind him, and those people passed Lin Ran expressionlessly and entered the wooden house.
An Mengyue panicked immediately, instinctively grabbing Lin Ran’s sleeve.
Limu, Vira, and the others were clearly hiding on the second floor.
They’d definitely be found!
She was about to speak but was stopped by Lin Ran’s reassuring gaze.
“Relax. They’re much more reliable than you.”
“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have personally brought you here—I’d never be at ease letting you hide.”
“You’re still teasing me!!”
The scarred man acted nonchalant, taking a small notebook from his pocket and speaking to Lin Ran.
“Young man, I trust you aren’t hiding anything. While they search, shall we discuss the terms for Slime Grass? You’re selling, right?”
They were just adventurers and could only make the lowest-level purchases.
In truth, they didn’t have that much money.
If Lin Ran had more stock, such an important item would be reported to the King upon returning to the city, and a royal merchant group would be dispatched.
At that moment, the search team returned, shaking their heads to indicate nothing was found.
As expected, it would be strange if they did.
The slimes had immediately hidden in the Sewer, and as long as the Little Dolls stopped functioning, they were indistinguishable from ordinary dolls, with no detectable magic power.
“So, regarding Slime Grass, what’s your price?”
Hearing this, Lin Ran pretended to think for a moment.
The scar-faced man thought Lin Ran was about to quote an astronomical price and was ready to report to the King.
But what Lin Ran said next shocked everyone present.
“No, it’s not for sale.”
He then took out three fresh Slime Grass stalks and the ten crystal cores he’d borrowed from An Mengyue.
“These ten crystal cores are your base wages.”
“And these Slime Grass are your sales bonuses. Anyone who sells my goods can exchange them for Slime Grass from me!”
“I am now officially hiring you as my exclusive merchant team, to assist me in selling products!”
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