'All of them!'
Shang Chuan desperately wanted to say it, but he knew he couldn't.
The most important trait of a mature merchant was keeping a poker face in the presence of enormous profit.
So he forced himself to calm down, then launched into an eighteen-turn brainstorm.
After several days and multiple transactions, he was fairly confident he had a decent read on Lan Qingyou as a person.
She was the type who wouldn't blink at any price if she thought something was worth it, and wouldn't accept something for free if she deemed it a waste of space.
Generous by nature. She didn't nitpick — or rather, she didn't like counting every little gain and loss.
The fact that she'd sent him bonus potions as a "cleaning fee" when she learned he'd been washing test tubes proved it.
Was it really a cleaning fee?
No — it was compensation for the time he saved her!
And that was precisely why he'd been willing to extend her credit this morning when she came asking.
If he asked to swap all the mana potions for healing potions, Lan Qingyou would absolutely agree — and immediately.
She'd even continue coming to him whenever she needed materials in the future.
But that was exactly why he couldn't do it.
The longer-term the client, the more carefully one had to manage the relationship — and one's own image.
Nobody liked greedy people.
Even greedy people didn't like greedy people.
Shang Chuan: "How about... thirty?"
In Shang Chuan's estimation, thirty was neither too many nor too few. A number the other party definitely wouldn't object to — and a number that wouldn't keep him lying awake at night in regret.
After hitting send, Shang Chuan let himself fall backward against the wall with a heavy thud.
"Sss—"
Only when his clothes pressed flat against his back did he realize his entire back was drenched in sweat, and had gone cold.
'What a grueling psychological battle that was.'
'Good thing I didn't let the short-term gains cloud my judgment.'
Looking at his final message in the chat, Shang Chuan felt a small swell of pride.
How many merchants could do what he just did — stare down a mountain of profit and still hold the line?
Lan Qingyou: "[OK]"
Ding.
The remaining payment arrived quickly. The mana potions were the +30 variety, but Shang Chuan couldn't be bothered to care about that right now.
After all, they'd never specified whether it would be +50 or +30.
His eyes were glued entirely to the healing potions — red, festive-looking things that practically radiated good fortune.
He reached out, lifted a test tube of healing potion, and studied it closely, as though admiring a priceless treasure.
Sure, it looked a bit like a country bumpkin ogling a jewel.
But to a merchant, any item with massive profit potential was a priceless treasure.
With that thought, he started upgrading his shelter with one hand while navigating to Lan Qingyou's shop in the exchange with the other.
She'd already given him his share. Whatever was left, she'd surely list for sale — even if only part of it. He needed to strike first and grab more healing potions.
Unlike the private deal earlier, the shop was fair game. No need for courtesy — buy as much as humanly possible.
But his shelter upgrade finished and she still hadn't listed anything.
Was his read wrong?
And then — the shop refreshed.
First came the +30 mana potions, followed by the healing potions.
"Holy crap! I open the desk the second I get back and this is what I see!"
"Healing potions! Finally, we've got HP restorers! A shame my buddy already bit the dust."
"Trading for E-rank Monster Crystal Cores — and two cores per potion? Isn't that a bit steep?"
"There are also trades for blueprints and books right next to it. If you think it's expensive, go check those out."
"More +30 Crude-level? Not even a single +50 Apprentice-level?"
"Obviously just her practice batch. So basically we're the guinea pigs."
"Then don't buy any. Your hands sure moved fast, though."
"You're one to talk — Shang Chuan, that sleazy merchant, swiped 36 in one go! Why don't you complain about him?"
"That damned black-market scammer."
"If I ever run into him, he's going to have a very bad day."
Reading the chat, Shang Chuan smiled faintly.
Threats like these were a constant in his line of work.
If Lan Qingyou's inbox was buried under friend requests, his was buried under "friendly greetings."
But why was Lan Qingyou trading healing potions for E-rank Monster Crystal Cores? And a full hundred potions' worth?
From what he'd observed, she could mass-produce around two hundred of any given potion per batch.
Putting up half of them for crystal cores was... unusual.
'Does upgrading to Level 4 require E-rank Monster Crystal Cores?'
He'd just checked — the jump from Level 2 to Level 3 had meant a tenfold increase. If Level 3 to Level 4 scaled the same way, it was entirely plausible.
If so, should he buy this intel?
He'd skipped buying the Level 3 requirements back when the Level 2 upgrade hadn't been too difficult.
But with the escalating material demands and rising difficulty, plenty of people would pay good money for Level 4 specs.
Having already snapped up 36 healing potions, he decided to go ahead and buy the intel.
With that in mind, he pulled open the nightstand drawer under his desk and took out a blueprint.
Something the other party should find interesting.
Shang Chuan: "[Single-Use Tray Balance Blueprint] — materials included. In exchange for Level 4 Shelter intel."
Lan Qingyou: "Base materials are 10x the Level 3 requirements, plus 100 units of Obsidian, 10 units of Magic Crystal, and 10 D-rank Monster Crystal Cores. Keep in mind that everyone's shelter upgrade requirements differ, so adjust your expectations accordingly."
The reply came fast, but the contents made Shang Chuan frown.
He knew about Obsidian, but in seven days he'd only managed to acquire a dozen or so pieces.
As for Magic Crystals and D-rank Monster Crystal Cores — forget seeing them, he'd never even heard of them.
Not that dwelling on it helped right now.
As a merchant, he was well aware that upgrade requirements varied by person, but the tenfold increase in base materials and crystal cores was all but guaranteed.
Those two pieces of intel alone would fetch a tidy sum.
Moreover, Lan Qingyou's information made it clear that her crystal core purchases had nothing to do with the shelter — which meant they were for alchemy.
And this was no small insight.
Shang Chuan's instincts told him that Monster Crystal Cores likely had uses far beyond shelter upgrades. If Lan Qingyou was incorporating them into her alchemy, couldn't they have applications elsewhere too?
Regardless — once D-rank cores hit the market and E-rank cores started dropping in price, stockpiling a batch couldn't possibly hurt.
Even if he guessed wrong, the losses would be minimal.
Just as Shang Chuan finalized his plan and pulled out a notebook to jot it all down, Lan Qingyou, on her end, was also frowning.