Magic Farm 73

Chapter 73: An Untutored Soul

[Brother Tu Mu: Should I put them up for sale now?]

Brother Tu Mu first posted an announcement in the regional channel.

[Brother Tu Mu: Friends, the game master has generously donated 2,000 plastic raincoats, priced at 1 Emerald Crystal each. I’ll be listing them on my personal trading page shortly, limit one per player, transaction fees not included. If you already have a raincoat, please don’t rush to buy—leave a chance for those who don’t.]

Qi Yu hadn’t opened the regional channel at first, but when Brother Tu Mu posted, he noticed his personal panel flashing several times.

When he opened it, he saw Brother Tu Mu’s message—shining in golden light and pinned to the top of the chat.

Huh?

There was a feature like this?

[Cockroach Tastes Weird: The game master is truly righteous!]

[By the Roadside: 1 Emerald Crystal each? Game master, you’re awesome!]

[Grind King: Game master, you’re awesome. I can finally take a break. Everyone, go buy raincoats—stop pushing me to make straw rain capes, I really can’t grind anymore.]

[Grumpy Bro: At a time like this, selling essential raincoats for just 1 Emerald Crystal each—let’s see if anyone from the Temple of the Gods feels even a little ashamed.]

After posting the pinned message, Brother Tu Mu immediately put all 2,000 raincoats up on the trading board.

They were gone almost instantly!

[Super Bubble Voice: I got one! Haha, it really was only 1 Emerald Crystal. Thank you, game master! Thank you, Brother Tu Mu!]

[Hundred Ghosts Against the Stream: Why can’t I buy one? What’s going on?]

[Brother Tu Mu: Anyone who’s ever spoken ill of the game master has been added to his blacklist. I got the blacklist from him. If you’ve slandered him, then don’t buy our goods.]

That was as clear a declaration of allegiance as could be.

Immediately, some people started cursing, and others questioned whether it was too much to cut off someone’s hope of survival over a careless remark.

[Brother Tu Mu: Don’t make it sound so dramatic. We’re just not letting you buy things. Everyone’s hope of survival is in their own hands—no one else is responsible for it.]

[Cockroach Tastes Weird: I will always support the game master!]

[Be a Good Person: Right? The game master rarely speaks in the channel, but every time he sells something, it’s both crucial and cheap. The Screaming Lily of the Valley before, now the raincoats—when hasn’t it been charity?]

Qi Yu didn’t know how these people had started praising him again out of nowhere.

[I Love Survival Games: It’s not charity. I wouldn’t do something at a loss for others. At 1 Emerald Crystal, I’m still making a profit.]

This time, when he spoke up, everyone seemed used to it.

[Cockroach Tastes Weird: I get it. The game master is a cold, aloof number one—a cold, aloof boss who would never say a soft word. He’s really… I’m crying.]

[Be a Good Person: Love him even more. Who wouldn’t want to support a boss who won’t sweet-talk you, but will sell you cheap, essential supplies in a cool way?]

Qi Yu switched to the 01 Survival Squad chat.

[I Love Survival Games: Info €€ Crimson Flame Feather Set—does anyone need one?]

[Don’t Dare Open My Eyes: That’s good stuff! I want it, I want it!]

[Brother Tu Mu: Want +1. Game master, you really have a bottomless bag, don’t you?]

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: Good stuff. How do I buy it?]

[I Love Survival Games: No need to buy. Just give me some cotton. I have plenty of Cashmere Flowers and Crimson Flame Feathers.]

Every time Don’t Dare Open My Eyes made some strange new potion, he would share it with the group for free.

Ning Jing Zhi Yuan was the same—if he crafted a weapon with good stats, he’d always offer it to the group first.

Brother Tu Mu was the group’s news king; almost all the latest regional news came from him, and whenever he got his hands on something good in a trade, he’d let the group know first.

As Brother Tu Mu put it, “You give a peach, I return a plum.” A set of Crimson Flame Feather bedding was well within his means.

Since he said so, no one else stood on ceremony; instead, each of them messaged him privately.

[Received Cotton x750.]

Qi Yu: ?

He just hadn’t bought extra cotton, but these guys seemed to think he was short on it, and each gave him a ton.

This, perhaps, was what it felt like to have friends?

The ornament didn’t need cotton; the Crimson Flame Feather Pillow required Cotton x10, and the Crimson Flame Feather Quilt needed Cotton x20. For three sets, he’d only need 90 units of cotton.

He crafted three sets of three-piece bedding and sent them to the three in the group.

Then he made a set of quilt and pillow for himself and put them on his bed.

The quilt and pillow were fluffy and soft, with golden flame-colored covers.

Qi Yu, intrigued, pressed down with his hand—his whole hand was swallowed by the warm, plush quilt.

Tonight, he’d get to sleep hugging such a comfortable quilt?

He was already starting to look forward to nightfall.

The others in the 01 Squad were equally delighted:

[Don’t Dare Open My Eyes: This is amazing. The moment I got it, my room—cold as an ice cave—instantly warmed up.]

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: This quilt is so light, like holding a cloud. It radiates heat, like hugging a soft, warm little stove.]

The merchant was more direct:

[Brother Tu Mu: Game master, do you have extra Crimson Flame Feather sets for sale?]

[I Love Survival Games: If there’s enough cotton, I can sell 95 sets.]

He’d bought 100 sets’ worth in Jindong City, plus the materials for his own set.

He’d keep two extra for himself; the rest could all be sold.

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: How much cotton are you short? I still have some here.]

[Don’t Dare Open My Eyes: Me too. I was planning to make a cotton quilt, but this is way better.]

Qi Yu calculated the cotton he already had, plus what he’d just received from the group. To make all 95 sets, he was still short by 2,000 units.

[I Love Survival Games: My idea was, if anyone has their own cotton, they can bring it to me for the trade. The price will be a bit lower.]

He could have bought enough cotton in Jindong City, but Crimson Flame Feathers were rare, while cotton was a resource everyone could get. Having grown used to bartering in the apocalypse, Qi Yu naturally wanted everyone’s materials to be put to use.

[Brother Tu Mu: I’m not sure of the exact value of Crimson Flame Feathers and Cashmere Flowers, but they’re clearly from mutated beasts or magical plants. Game master, the Crimson Flame Feather set is different from raincoats—it’s for the top-ranked players. If you want to keep things simple, it’s best to sell them as finished products.]

[Brother Tu Mu: Game master, what price are you thinking?]

[I Love Survival Games: 20 Emerald Crystals.]

[Brother Tu Mu: ?]

[Don’t Dare Open My Eyes: ?]

Even Ning Jing Zhi Yuan couldn’t help but say:

[Child, I know you’re kind-hearted, but in a place like the survival game, you still need to think more for yourself.]

Twenty Emerald Crystals—that’s 200 units of wood. Even for ordinary players who’ve survived this long, that’s nothing.

And this isn’t just a single item—it’s a set: a special-effect warming quilt + pillow + ornament.

Even Jesus would call you a saint.

Qi Yu realized they’d misunderstood.

He explained:

[I don’t know those players. I’m not doing charity.]

The total cost for a set was only eight gold coins.

And in Jindong City, one Emerald Crystal could be exchanged for five gold coins. That was already more than ten times the profit.

He explained briefly, without mentioning Jindong City, only that he had a special channel for buying materials, so the cost wasn’t high.

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: Child, let me ask you a few questions. Can others access this channel you mentioned?]

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: Was it easy for you to obtain this channel?]

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: If others knew about it, could they easily replicate it?]

Qi Yu thought about it. First, you’d need a message bottle. Then, the bottle would have to issue a commission, and the location would have to be the Blackrock Mountains.

And, by coincidence, there just happened to be a Jindong City outside the Blackrock Mountains.

He also had a high-level storage backpack filled with wood and mutated plants, which he could sell for a lot of gold—so he wasn’t short on money.

He was also a certified magician and had received a large salary.

Putting it all together, he fell silent.

Forget about others—even if he tried to do it all over again, he might not be able to repeat it.

After all, the message bottle seemed random—last time, it brought a good friend. Next time, it might not bring a commission for the Blackrock Mountains.

And from the map he’d opened, there was a vast stretch of gray between Blackrock Mountains and Star Forest. If not for the commission and the wild carriage, he wouldn’t have been able to leave Star Forest at all.

[I Love Survival Games: At present, no one but me could do this. Even I might not be able to repeat it.]

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: So you only calculated the pure item value, but forgot all the added factors.]

[Brother Tu Mu: Exactly. Game master, if you price things a bit lower than others, people will appreciate it. But if the price is too low, many will just think it’s not worth much, rather than feeling you gave them a deal.]

Ning Jing Zhi Yuan and Brother Tu Mu were practically spelling things out for him, teaching him sincerely.

They’d all guessed by now that Qi Yu probably wasn’t very old.

Because, after spending more time with him, it became clear that beneath the “aloof number one” exterior was a soul utterly unfamiliar with the ways of the world.

The other members of the 01 Survival Squad tacitly avoided mentioning this, and each silently decided—not only would they never bring it up, they’d help Qi Yu keep it hidden.

So no one could use it to morally blackmail him.

Of course, Qi Yu had no idea what they were thinking. If he did, he’d definitely protest seriously.

His lack of worldliness wasn’t due to simple kindness, but because, in his previous life, everyone who survived was too busy staying alive to bother learning about the ways of the world.

He might not be great at social maneuvering, but when it came to fighting mutated beasts and enemies, no one from Blue Star could match him.

Why did these people think he’d be the one to suffer, anyway?