Magic Farm 75

Chapter 75: This Month’s Resource Zone Opens

[I Love Survival Games: Shen Ben Wuxiang, you’re really good to me.]

Though the tone was a little odd, it was clear he was genuinely concerned about Qi Yu’s health.

Qi Yu replied solemnly:

[If I ever kill a high-level mutated beast, I’ll give you all the meat.]

[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Got it, got it. Aren’t you already storing all your rations with me?]

It wasn’t the same, Qi Yu thought.

Those meals he gave to Shen Ben Wuxiang were half for himself, and half as payment and living expenses for his friend’s cooking.

But the meat from mutated beasts—that, he specifically wanted to give Shen Ben Wuxiang to help him cultivate.

Forget it, no point explaining, since it hadn’t happened yet anyway.

[I Love Survival Games: Is there anything you especially need? I can check if I have it.]

[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Stop worrying, patient. I don’t need anything. I’m already the richest person in Region 88.]

He muttered under his breath, Good thing you ran into me. If it were anyone else, with how generous you are, they’d have you tricked out of your last pair of shorts.

He knew Qi Yu’s habits. Since he was still chatting, he definitely hadn’t eaten yet, so he urged him:

[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Hurry up and eat. Isn’t it really cold over there? It’ll get cold if you wait.]

[I Love Survival Games: Okay.]

He closed the chat window and focused on his meal.

The soup tasted just like the one he’d had that morning—delicious, with a peculiar, fresh fragrance. He drank more than half the bowl in one go.

Compared to the meat he’d eaten before, the texture of high-level mutated beast meat was very different.

As soon as he swallowed, Qi Yu didn’t even have time to savor whether the meat was tender or chewy—it turned into a pure stream of energy and went right down.

Qi Yu: …

How to put it? It was good stuff, and the flavor was certainly excellent, but somehow, eating it just didn’t feel quite satisfying.

He’d developed his own philosophy about food: eating meat should be about chewing big, hearty mouthfuls—that’s what felt good.

Realizing his own thoughts, Qi Yu inwardly scolded himself for getting spoiled.

How could he dare to complain about such good food not being perfect?

Still, Shen Ben Wuxiang was right—he really couldn’t eat much of this high-level beast meat.

After finishing one portion of steak, Qi Yu felt a distinct sense of fullness.

Ever since he’d become a level-three mage, he hadn’t felt that way.

With his magic, he could go several meals without eating and it wouldn’t affect him. Likewise, even if he ate a little more ordinary food, he’d never feel “stuffed.”

This steak didn’t look like much, but it filled him up so quickly.

He didn’t know that Shen Ben Wuxiang had never expected him to finish it.

The energy in the flesh of a level-five mutated beast was extremely rich. Shen Ben Wuxiang had figured, as a mage, Qi Yu’s physical strength would let him eat about half, at most.

He had no idea his mage friend actually possessed an attack stat of 48—higher than many strength-based players.

Qi Yu didn’t know this either.

He was shocked by his own “lack of appetite,” and remembered what Shen Ben Wuxiang had said earlier. “You mages and your skinny little bodies”—wasn’t that just saying mages had low physical strength?

As a chronic sufferer of Ultimate Firepower Anxiety, Qi Yu immediately felt uneasy.

He opened the Magician’s Association shop and started searching for ways to improve his physical strength.

Answer 1: Take items that boost constitution, such as potions or attribute fruits.

Answer 2: Learn body-tempering techniques or martial skills.

Answer 3: Forge equipment with high defense attributes.

He already had the Guardian Mage Robe for defense.

As for constitution-boosting items, the Magician’s Shop didn’t sell any.

He searched for techniques and martial skills and found some.

[Movement Technique €€ Ghostly Phantom Step: Created by an unknown necromancer. Note from the necromancer: Due to my extraordinary talent and too many enemies, I set a record of being hunted for twenty years straight. Ghostly Phantom Step was created in a burst of inspiration during those chases. Once mastered, it allows one to manifest countless forms, with unpredictable movements—impossible to distinguish real from fake.]

Price: 50,000 gold coins.

[Body Technique €€ Earth Guardian: Created by earth-element archmage Rain. Note: The best-selling mage body-tempering technique, praised by countless buyers.]

Price: 100,000 gold coins.

……

Qi Yu read several descriptions. The two that tempted him most were these.

One was a movement technique that sounded formidable; the other was the best-selling body-tempering technique.

And both were the cheapest in their respective categories.

Qi Yu started weighing his options: as for movement, he’d just gotten a bunch of Azure Sky Wings, so the priority wasn’t high for now.

…Though, Ghostly Phantom Step was the only one he could currently afford.

As for Earth Guardian: a body-tempering technique, high sales, lots of praise.

He really wanted it.

The only drawback was that he didn’t have enough money—he only had 74,963 gold coins.

He was nearly 25,000 short.

The most valuable thing in his backpack was the level-three magic crystals, worth 100 gold coins each, and he had 176 left.

But he definitely couldn’t sell those.

Another way to earn money was to inscribe magic scrolls for sale.

Although he’d just knocked himself out doing that, Qi Yu wasn’t traumatized at all. In fact, after the experience, he felt his control over magic had improved, and he’d likely be more efficient now.

He just needed to watch the quantity—about a hundred scrolls a day would be enough.

A hundred scrolls, using Fireball as an example: buying materials from the Magician’s Shop cost 2 gold coins per scroll, and selling one earned 10 gold coins.

If he switched to higher-level spells, like Flame Spirit, the price would be higher, but so would the time and magic required.

Fireball was relatively easy and cost-effective. At a hundred scrolls, the cost was 200, the sales 1,000, for a profit of 800 gold coins.

It would take a month to save up 25,000.

A month’s time—whether going to Jindong City as a wandering merchant, or waiting for the real wandering merchant to come by—would be more efficient.

Sell magic scrolls to players in the region?

Qi Yu shook his head: magic scrolls were too valuable. Selling them cheaply wasn’t as good as selling to the Association shop. To sell at value, each would have to be at least 20 gold coins.

Players didn’t have gold coins, so that meant 20 Emerald Crystals, or 20 level-one beast crystals.

It would be hard to open up the market that way.

He was still pondering when suddenly, the survival panel popped up a message.

[Monthly Resource Zone Opening Announcement: From now on, players holding Resource Zone Cards may use their cards to enter the Resource Zone.]

Immediately after, a prompt appeared:

[Player “I Love Survival Games,” do you wish to enter the Resource Zone?]

Countdown: 10 minutes.

01 Survival Squad:

[Don’t Dare Open My Eyes: Did you guys just get a system notification? Resource Zone.]

[Brother Tu Mu: What’s a Resource Zone?]

[Ning Jing Zhi Yuan: No.]

[I Love Survival Games: I got the system notification.]

So, only players with Resource Zone Cards received the prompt?

He opened the regional channel, and sure enough, there were players asking about it.

Clearly, there was more than one player in Region 01 with a Resource Zone Card.

[Need a Little Money to Survive: Game master, did you get the notification?]

[Need a Little Money to Survive: After last time’s lesson, I’ll never show off anything in the regional channel again.]

[Need a Little Money to Survive: I just tried to gift you a card, but it says it can’t be gifted.]

[Need a Little Money to Survive: Damn, I’m scared! What is this Resource Zone for? Can all players with cards go? What if there are people who kill for loot?]

He also got a message from Need a Little Money to Survive.

[I Love Survival Games: I got the system notification.]

He remembered what President Sean had told him.

[I Love Survival Games: The Resource Zone is a special area where you can search for resources. What color is your card? I only know green is a safe zone—no player killing allowed.]

[Need a Little Money to Survive: That’s great! I have a green card.]

[Need a Little Money to Survive: Thanks for letting me know, game master.]

[I Love Survival Games: No problem.]

He closed the chat window and saw that people were still discussing it in the regional channel:

[I Love Survival Games: Here’s what I know—the Resource Zone contains various resources. The Resource Card is your ticket in, and each card can be used once. Green cards are safe zones.]

After saying this, he exited the regional channel.

He switched to his chat with Shen Ben Wuxiang:

[I Love Survival Games: I have something to do and might not be able to reply tonight. No need to prepare dinner for me.]

[Shen Ben Wuxiang: What a coincidence, I’ve got something to do tonight too, might not be available.]

[Your friend “Shen Ben Wuxiang” has sent you a gift.]

[Received: Charcoal-Grilled Meat Skewers x10.]

Qi Yu looked at the skewer, over a meter long, loaded with huge chunks of meat, golden and sprinkled with spices, so fragrant he couldn’t help but swallow.

[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Eat this if you’re hungry. Add some fruit yourself.]

Dan Xingyu had actually cooked a whole lot yesterday, turning half the Riftwing Beast into all sorts of different dishes.

He didn’t even know why—he could have just sent Qi Yu all his portions at once and let him ration them out, which would have been much simpler.

But he just didn’t do that, preferring instead to send each meal to I Love Survival Games at mealtime.

He thought, with a touch of gravity: maybe this is the ritual of eating with a food companion.