“Mr. Lin Ran, let me confirm again, the goods will be delivered tomorrow, correct?”
Scarface sat in the living room, repeatedly confirming every piece of material information Lin Ran provided.
With the divine skill Read Mind, Lin Ran maintained the upper hand throughout the negotiation.
He had already made these adventurers completely obedient.
[Instant noodles that can be eaten with just hot water, magic items that light up the surroundings without needing magic, tools you can grab at will, and even divine artifacts that stop bleeding when applied to wounds…]
[These things are even more useful than magic, and the price is only one crystal core?]
[Damn it, that old dog priest in the city charges fifty crystal cores for a single healing spell!]
[This isn’t a merchant, this is a great benefactor!]
Of course, Lin Ran wouldn’t tell them that he could get all these things from the convenience store for zero cost.
Nor would he mention that if bought from An Mengyue, like instant noodles, one crystal core could buy a day’s supply.
But from him, one crystal core could only buy a single pack.
However, these modern snacks and little gadgets were just for these otherworld natives, making a profit from the technological gap.
His real target was to trade with other “players” trapped in the apocalypse like himself.
And the items for trade were the potions brewed by Vera.
[This Lin kid really doesn’t look like a charitable rich heir; no matter how you see it, he’s just an ordinary young man.]
[What is his purpose… Could it be that he wants me to promote that strange potion he holds?]
[But the ingredients are Slime Mucus and Wood Ash, both are classic Alchemist materials, it does seem like a reliable potion.]
“Ah, thank you.”
Receiving the water passed by Vera, Scarface expressed his thanks, his thoughts still running.
[Sigh, the people below are already obsessed with Slime Grass. This business can’t be refused anymore. Let’s just take it one step at a time. Lin kid doesn’t look like a profiteer, either.]
[Speaking of which, this Lin kid really has good fortune, having such a beautiful Wife… so enviable, sigh… She’s sensible, beautiful, and even skilled in Alchemist.]
[So nice… Compared to the tigress at my house… comparing people just makes me angry.]
Yes.
At the moment, Vera was interacting with these people as Lin Ran’s Wife.
The reason was simple—while searching the building earlier, Vera had appeared in front of them and claimed it directly.
After gaining a title, she obtained the ability to mimic human expressions.
Her body also became smoother, indistinguishable from a real person to the naked eye.
Even when probing magic reserves, with the puppet’s powerful Read Mind ability, it was easy to convince the other party that the Slime Grass was responsible.
“Currently, we only have this type of potion for sale, which can treat simple wounds, but more varieties will be available later.”
“The price is five crystal cores. What do you think?”
“Of course, you can buy it yourselves. But I would prefer if you sell it at the [Wooden Cabin].”
Lin Ran spoke at the right time, pushing a bottle of potion to the front of the table.
[Five?! That’s almost ten times less! The price is way too low! If this enters the market, those old priest bastards can forget about doing business for life!]
[But… Wooden Cabin? Come to think of it, many such Wooden Cabins have appeared in the world recently, similar to Lin kid’s. Let’s have the adventurers try it out.]
Lin Ran himself was also surprised.
His original plan was to set the price at three crystal cores, but he quoted five for bargaining.
Unexpectedly, the other party agreed immediately and even felt it was cheap, so he wouldn’t miss out on the extra profit.
After thinking for a long time, Scarface intended to haggle a bit.
But seeing Lin Ran’s label, as if he could see through everything, he finally made up his mind and nodded solemnly.
“Fine, I agree. Pleasure doing business.”
He had to admit, when facing Lin Ran, he felt like a child whose thoughts were completely exposed.
Every idea seemed to be guessed, making it impossible to gain any benefit beyond Lin Ran’s promises.
Taking the welcome gifts, he went to Vera to get the first batch of goods, and the adventurers soon left.
An Mengyue hurried downstairs, and Lim and the other Slimes finally emerged from various water pipes and drains.
“Phew… I almost suffocated… Master really can negotiate.”
“You actually made them your workers, huh? And you call me a profiteer? Look at the price you set!”
As the surroundings grew lively again, becoming just like usual, Lin Ran smiled contentedly.
He hadn’t forgotten—this was a hidden event.
With a hidden event resolved, there should be a hidden reward, right?
He opened his phone, and sure enough, a message popped up.
[Congratulations, you have resolved the hidden event from the Adventurers Association!]
[Your Dream Eater Merchant was not harmed, earning 60 points]
[You were not harmed, earning 10 points]
[The Adventurers Association did not decide to report to the King for a punitive expedition, earning 30 points]
[Congratulations, your total score for this hidden event is a perfect 100, making you the first human to resolve a hidden event with a perfect score!]
[You have earned an S+ Grade rating, and a Special Enemy will appear in the next wave.]
It was the same account that had previously announced the apocalypse, but this time it was a private message.
Moreover, these voices appeared directly in his mind like a system.
Even if he turned off the phone, it wouldn’t help.
He had to wait for it to finish reading to regain peace.
After all, external signals had almost all been cut off.
It wouldn’t be long before power and internet were lost as well.
It seemed the Creator of the Apocalypse used some special means to turn phone messages into a more efficient brain-to-brain transmission.
But…
Why does the best reward still mean a Special Enemy appears!
Lin Ran ranted internally.
Looking at the thing on his phone screen—a giant spinning wheel—it seemed whichever one was selected would appear as the Special Enemy.
But the wheel was filled with Lion Griffin, Angel, and Dragon, making Lin Ran suspect the S+ reward was deliberately meant to trap him.
How was he supposed to fight a Dragon now!
But, since that would be during the third wave of attacks, he planned to use this time to go back to the convenience store in the dormitory and bring some supplies.
During these few seconds of contemplation, the Special Enemy had already been generated.
The broadcast sounded directly in his mind:
[Special Enemy—Mimic Chest has been randomly selected]
[Monster Characteristics: Special organisms that parasitize treasure chests; some coexist with the chest and claim its wealth, others are pure parasites that consume the beings opening the chest]
[Special Note: This round’s Mimic Chests are all pure parasite types. Upon defeat, the treasures within can be obtained.]
[Mimic Chests will appear additionally in the third wave; please ensure to eliminate them]
Lin Ran nodded.
From this, at least Mimic Chests came with loot drops, making them quite appealing as Special Enemies.
At that time, as long as he didn’t touch the chest, and dealt with other enemies first before opening it, there wouldn’t be any combat issues.
With this decision made, Lin Ran called out to Vera and Lim, preparing to return to the dormitory and carry out a zero-cost shopping spree at the convenience store.
The dormitory door was not far from the Wooden Cabin, and the three soon entered.
A flash of white light marked the scene transition.
However, the next moment…
“There’s a treasure chest!”
Like catching a chick, Lin Ran grabbed the pouncing Lim under his arm to prevent her from causing trouble.
At the same time, he immediately prepared for battle.
Not surprising—
He had just been warned that Mimic Chests would appear in the third wave.
And upon returning to the dormitory, he saw a chest big enough to fit two people placed right in the center.
…