Chapter 21: A Strange Combination

The merchant intended to stay in this town for a day to conduct business.

Qin Yu wasn’t in a rush for a day or two; he planned to take a stroll through the town while refining those 100,000 herbs into potions.

One stalk of herb could be crafted into three low-level recovery potions, two mid-level recovery potions, or one high-level recovery potion.

Low-level sold for 3 gold a bottle, mid-level for 8 gold, and high-level for 20 gold.

Naturally, Qin Yu intended to turn them all into high-level recovery potions.

100,000 high-level recovery potions sold back to the merchant at 15 gold each would bring in 1,200,000 gold after deducting the 300,000 gold cost, leaving Qin Yu with over 2,000,000 gold in capital.

Alchemy truly was a high-profit industry.

“You two, stop fighting over it…”

Qin Yu had taken Yin Feixue and Luna to the town’s tailor shop, only for the two of them to start bickering over a roll of white silk.

“I saw it first, why are you snatching it!”

“A mere servant of a servant dares to compete with your master’s master for something!”

The seamstress didn’t even dare step forward to mediate between the two girls, who had already dropped into combat stances.

“My apologies, I’ll take it all…”

Left with no choice, Qin Yu bought all the silk and cloth both of them wanted.

As for the white silk they were fighting over, he kept it for himself, deciding to give it to them only when they actually needed it.

By the time they left the tailor shop, it was late at night, and it was time to rest. Qin Yu booked a large suite at the inn.

“Xiao Xue, can you let me sleep in the Bloodwood Coffin?”

“No!”

Thud!

The sealed Bloodwood Coffin stood upright against the wall.

“Tsk, tsk. Pathetic.”

Luna couldn’t help but mock Qin Yu.

Qin Yu turned to look at her with an exceptionally kind smile that made Luna’s heart skip a beat in fear.

“What do you want?”

Sensing a trace of unease, Luna took a step back.

“What do I want? I want you to attend to me tonight, of course.”

Luna hadn’t considered that despite her mockery, she could not disobey Qin Yu. Whatever he wanted her to do, she would have to do it.

Meanwhile, other players were gradually arriving on the main continent.

The major guilds were spending massive amounts of money to strike deals with various Divine Realms to obtain Territory Cores.

In just over a week, they had already begun building their territories.

The money they provided not only secured Territory Cores but also granted them low-level unit structures from the Divine Realms.

However, there were no free lunches in this world.

While a weak power receiving aid from a strong one could initially skyrocket, what would happen when those strong powers decided to take everything back once development reached a certain stage?

One watches him build a high tower, watches him feast his guests, and watches… the tower collapse.

The major guilds relied on the sponsorship of the Divine Realms to become regional hegemons, constantly expanding their strength.

Aside from players, their armies were composed entirely of people from the Divine Realms.

When the time came for the Divine Realms to collect their profits, these guilds would collapse in an instant.

Qin Yu had seen too much of this in his previous life.

He didn’t trust the factions of the Divine Realms at all. No matter how kind or generous they seemed now, one would only realize there was no morality in the face of profit when harvest time arrived.

Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains. Qin Yu, feeling slightly exhausted, opened his eyes; he had worked himself to the bone last night.

Not because of anything scandalous, but because of potion-making.

He noticed that Luna, who had been by his side, was gone, replaced by a quietly sleeping Yin Feixue.

“Hmm?”

Then Qin Yu discovered that his clothes had been changed into a butler’s uniform.

This outfit was identical to the one Yin Feixue had made for him in his previous life.

It seemed Yin Feixue had changed him while he was asleep.

“Where’s Luna?”

Unbeknownst to Qin Yu, Yin Feixue had dragged Luna into the Bloodwood Coffin to prevent her from being too noisy and waking him up.

After a bout of incompetent rage, Luna had eventually fallen asleep inside—it was quite comfortable, after all.

“Dammit!”

Coming out of the Bloodwood Coffin, Luna clenched her small fists.

She had been forcibly dressed in a maid uniform.

Now, she truly had become a servant.

As the three of them walked down the street, most people mistook them for a noble young lady traveling with her butler and maid.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Under the gazes of the passersby, Yin Feixue acted naturally and happily.

Qin Yu didn’t care; he was used to it. Only Luna’s face was dark with what she felt was an ultimate humiliation.

“Mister Qin Yu?”

The head merchant was stunned when he saw Qin Yu.

What was with the butler outfit? Was it some special hobby?

No, it must be a disguise to hide his identity, making everyone instinctively overlook the real alchemist while focusing on Yin Feixue, who was posing as a noble lady.

“Take a look at this potion. Selling it to you for 15 gold a bottle shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Qin Yu tossed a high-level recovery potion to the merchant. The merchant looked at it and nodded repeatedly.

“Of course not!”

Average merchants couldn’t get their hands on high-level recovery potions, and even if they did, the profit margin was slim, with prices usually around 16 to 18 gold.

Qin Yu was doing him a huge favor.

“Good. Once all 100,000 bottles are finished, I’ll sell them all to you.”

“No problem at all!”

The merchant’s depression from buying 800,000 gold worth of junk was completely swept away.

Inside the town’s church.

A girl with long black hair, dressed in the starting monk’s attire, stepped out.

She let out a sigh and began walking toward another part of town.

“Do I really have to go to the Holy City?”

The girl had returned from the Radiant Sanctuary almost empty-handed, unable to compete with the wealthy players.

She had barely managed a B-rank evaluation and a character template with an aptitude of 5.

She wanted to become a true cleric or nun and learn light-based healing magic.

However, she was told she had to go to the Holy City to be officially registered with the Holy See to learn those spells formally.

The local church could teach some low-level healing skills, but it required a donation starting at 1,000 gold.

She wasn’t one of those “whale” players; she had no such starting capital.

The gaming equipment alone had cost her a fortune, and she had been forced to enter the game a day late to scrounge up the money—she had nothing left to spend.

However, she didn’t regret coming to this game world, because here, she could finally make a sound again for the first time in a long while.

After asking the residents, she learned it was a three-day, three-night journey to the Holy City.

The girl steeled her resolve; she would simply walk there.

And so, she immediately set off toward the Holy City, without carrying any food or water…

Her understanding of the game was clearly still at a novice level.

Meanwhile, Qin Yu’s group was still scavenging for necessary supplies in the town.

The residents had already memorized their appearance: a noble, elegant, and beautiful young lady; a polite and handsome butler; and a rude, ill-mannered maid.

It was a strange combination…