Or more precisely — until the day her weak self possessed the power to protect herself, she would never allow such things to exist.
On top of that, there was no guarantee someone else wouldn't eventually figure out how to manufacture bullets.
So the safest option was to destroy this gun.
The other party might well have additional firearms, but even one less weapon meant one more layer of security for herself.
Shang Chuan: "I'm not blaming you. Just reporting the test results."
'Yeah, right.'
Lan Qingyou rolled her eyes at the message.
Merchants always maximized their returns. His saying this was clearly fishing for compensation. She understood perfectly.
Lan Qingyou: "While technically not my fault, I do bear some responsibility. How about this — I've got a crossbow and 50 healing potions here. Consider it compensation. Also, send me the wrecked gun. I'll see if I can repair or modify it with alchemy."
Ha!
Shang Chuan was so furious he actually laughed.
So not only did she want to destroy the gun — she wasn't even going to leave the wreckage behind.
But what could Shang Chuan do?
Maximizing value was his bottom line as a merchant. With the gun now damaged, getting the best price for it naturally became the top priority.
After all, he couldn't repair it. Eluel could, but she lacked the parts.
Shang Chuan: "Name your price."
Lan Qingyou smiled faintly. It seemed the other party had figured it out. But it didn't matter — her own safety came first.
Lan Qingyou: "+30 Mana Potions x50, +30 Healing Potions x50."
Shang Chuan: "+50 Mana Potions x200, +50 Healing Potions x200, +1 Attribute Potions x200 of each type. That gun isn't mine — I need to answer to my people."
Lan Qingyou: "Deal."
Lan Qingyou didn't bother haggling further. A measly thousand or so potions was nothing compared to her personal safety.
Shang Chuan may have been thinking on the first level, but Lan Qingyou was already on the fifth.
She didn't just want the gun's remains — she planned to study the firearm's mechanics and see if she could replicate one herself.
Pair that with alchemy bullets, and her offensive capability would see a massive boost.
She had no intention of going out to pick fights, true, but there would inevitably be times she needed to personally acquire alchemy materials.
Having a weapon she was at least somewhat familiar with would be far better than going empty-handed.
At the very least, it'd be better than the crossbow or dagger she had no experience with.
Before long, Shang Chuan sent over the wrecked gun.
Lan Qingyou paid him a portion upfront.
No need to dump her entire stockpile on him at once — she didn't have all that much on hand anyway.
Time was on her side. Worst case, she'd dedicate a few days to brewing potions for the debt, just like before.
When Lan Qingyou finally examined the gun wreckage, she was mildly disappointed. She'd been hoping for a rifle, a machine gun, or a sniper rifle at least, but what she received was a handgun — and one with a shattered grip at that.
Judging by the dark brownish residue on it, the explosion had probably injured the handgun's owner as well.
'Oh well. A handgun is a handgun. I only want to study the mechanics anyway.'
With that thought, Lan Qingyou began tinkering with the broken firearm.
Meanwhile, after receiving Lan Qingyou's down payment, Shang Chuan immediately forwarded a portion to Eluel.
Eluel: "Never would've guessed the little girl had that kind of cunning."
Shang Chuan: "It's nothing. Expected, really. Just as we guard against others, it's only natural that others guard against us too."
Eluel: "True enough. What's that saying you Dragon Nation folks have? 'Don't think about harming others, but always think about preventing others from harming you?'"
Shang Chuan: "It's: 'Have no intention to harm others, but always be on guard against harm.'"
Eluel: "Right, right, that's the one!"
Shang Chuan smiled.
In truth, from the very moment he'd conceived the idea of using Lan Qingyou's alchemy to make bullets, he'd already factored in the possibility of her sabotaging the process.
That was precisely why, when Lan Qingyou had asked for a sample, Shang Chuan had Eluel provide a handgun bullet rather than a round from her sniper rifle.
He just hadn't expected her to actually go through with it.
And to do it so cleanly, no less.
Shang Chuan admitted he'd underestimated Lan Qingyou, which had cost him a considerable investment. But it was still within his acceptable loss range.
Besides, Lan Qingyou had offered compensation.
The fact that she hadn't even tried to negotiate told him she understood the consequences of her actions perfectly — and might even know that he knew.
Yet she'd done it anyway. Which could only mean these weapons represented an absolute threat to her, driving her to resort to any means necessary.
A partner like that? Shang Chuan welcomed her with open arms.
After all, the "hush money" potions she'd paid could be flipped for an even larger profit.
Eluel: "But this does leave us without ammo."
Eluel sent the message with a tinge of regret.
Shang Chuan: "Don't worry about it. With your skills, firearms were always just a supplement, right? Lan Qingyou sent over a crossbow. Or if you prefer, I've got a bow and arrows — want those?"
Shang Chuan wasn't the least bit concerned.
Even though their combat strength had been diminished somewhat, every loss came with its own gain.
Besides, Eluel's most important weapon — the sniper rifle — was still intact.
They'd find other ways to acquire ammunition down the line.
Eluel: "Pass on the bow and arrows — I can't use that thing. Give me the crossbow and some bolts, and I'll make do."
For Eluel, compared to a bow that required extensive training, a crossbow was far more practical.
The choice was obvious.
Plus, her talent didn't actually demand much from the weapon itself — she'd just be sacrificing a bit of range and power.
Shang Chuan: "I'll forward Lan Qingyou's final payment to you once it arrives."
With that, Shang Chuan sent the crossbow and his collected crossbow bolts over to Eluel.
Eluel: "Fine. Nothing going on right now anyway. I'll go track down some more bolts."
Shang Chuan: "Keep up the daily training."
Eluel: "Will do."
...
While Shang Chuan and Eluel chatted, Lan Qingyou studied the gun barrel for a while before calling it a night with a bath. Then she took her usual seat at the Magic Desk to await Gu Xiaobei's food delivery.
By now, she'd grown completely accustomed to Gu Xiaobei's cooking.
Although the girl seemed to be wandering further and further down a road with no visible light at the end, the food itself was phenomenal — both the attribute bonuses and the flavor.
No matter how the regional channel begged and pleaded, Gu Xiaobei remained utterly unmoved, doing things her own way.
Of course, that was what she served everyone else. Lan Qingyou's meals were consistently top-notch in color, aroma, and taste.
Even if the occasional strange ingredient showed up, at least it wasn't served whole.
Lan Qingyou: "What's for dinner tonight?"
Gu Xiaobei: "Prince Barbecue."