Chapter 155: Suffering a Waterloo

The stall run by Yun Qimu and her group was still bustling with activity. Apples, strawberries, cucumbers, and a whole range of fruits and vegetables had already sold out. Even the Danmu soft candies, seasonings, and the purified water they’d brought along had all been snapped up—someone even paid a hefty price for three big barrels of water.

All that remained on the stall were a batch of coarse linen clothes and the elegant orchids, still sitting there in perfect condition.

The white orchids were beautiful, no doubt, but they were expensive and not particularly useful. While there were quite a few wealthy people here, they were only “wealthy” by Exile Star standards.

On Exile Star, survival supplies were always in short supply. Who here would have the luxury to splurge on orchids like those refined nobles outside, just for the sake of showing off? If they had that many energy coins, they’d be better off buying a few more barrels of water.

Probably, the only person on the whole of Exile Star who truly loved these orchids—despite the fact that you couldn’t eat them, play with them, and had to take great care of them—was Mo Xie.

After watching at the stall for a while, Yun Qimu and Wu Xingyu both realized that this time, selling orchids was likely to be a complete flop. Out of the ten pots, they might not even sell a single one—they’d all be left on their hands.

Wu Xingyu frowned, her beautiful face clouded as she muttered, “If only we could open up a trade route to the outside world. Orchids of this variety would fetch at least three million energy coins at auction in the Empire.”

Yun Qimu nodded in agreement, then glanced at the crowd in front of them, a hint of worry in her eyes.

She’d thought it would be easy to make energy coins in these three major cities, but after observing for a while, she realized it wasn’t the bustling, lucrative market she’d imagined. There weren’t as many “fat sheep” as she’d hoped.

The reason apples and vegetables sold so well was because they were fresh and could fill people’s stomachs, satisfying their cravings. These rare and delicious foods were so tempting that even those with little money would grit their teeth and buy one just to have a taste—after that, they could die without regrets.

But could you shear a sheep bald and expect to shear it again in the short term?

The answer, of course, was no.

Especially after she saw Longteng, one of the three major powers in Chaos City. Those guys bought everything one by one, plant by plant. The stingier ones even asked if she could split an apple so they could buy just a piece.

The big guy, Man Niu, dug around in his pockets—he was even poorer than Zhong Qiu. After scraping everything together, he only managed to come up with 2,500 energy coins—not enough to buy even a wholesale-priced apple, so he settled for a few strawberries.

But he complained the strawberries were too small. After popping four into his mouth in quick succession, his 2,500 energy coins were gone. So, on Hu Yi’s suggestion, he switched to Danmu soft candies.

A box of Danmu soft candies contained 100 pieces and sold for 600 energy coins, with a wholesale price of 500 coins if you bought ten boxes.

It was easily the best value-for-money treat at the stall. With so many candies in a box, everyone in Longteng’s group could have at least one sweet treat.

Man Niu’s 2,500 energy coins could buy five boxes of Danmu soft candies. Hu Yi also chipped in 2,500 coins for another five boxes, making ten in total—enough to get the wholesale price.

The rest of Longteng’s crew followed suit, all focusing on buying Danmu soft candies.

Wu Xingyu couldn’t help but feel a toothache at how stingy they were.

Weren’t they supposed to be one of the three major powers? Why were they even more tight-fisted than the smaller factions?

Sigh!

Yun Qimu sighed as well.

[Ding-dong—Mission issued: Please help the host find the missing artifact, the Kunlun Mirror.]

Just as she was propping her chin in her hands, lamenting how tough business was, the system notification suddenly sounded in her ears.

She was startled and asked suspiciously, “Mainbrain, we’re outside right now. Where am I supposed to find this Kunlun Mirror?”

[I just sensed the aura of the Kunlun Mirror. It’s right here in Chaos City.]

Yun Qimu’s face showed surprise, her eyes spinning with thought. “So, this Exile Star is actually deeply connected to the game? If I hadn’t come here, would you not have been able to start the game?”

Oh no, she’d hit the nail on the head!

The mainbrain quickly withdrew its little feet and changed the subject, launching into the plot: [The Kunlun Mirror is a divine artifact, originally owned by the Queen Mother of the West. It is engraved with Taiyi Xuan patterns and possesses the power to connect the human and celestial realms and break through the barriers of time and space. However, during the Queen Mother’s birthday Peach Banquet, the mirror was stolen and has been missing ever since. If the host can help find the Kunlun Mirror, Earth Village will be rewarded with a passage to the outside world.]

Yun Qimu’s eyes lit up. “A passage to the outside world? You mean outside Exile Star?”

[Yes.]

Fantastic!

It was like someone handing her a pillow just as she was feeling sleepy—the game was just too considerate.

The prospects for trade within Exile Star weren’t great, but opening up trade with the outside world would be a whole new ballgame!

“Alright, I’ll take the mission,” Yun Qimu agreed without hesitation. “Do you have any clues about the Kunlun Mirror? Like, maybe an arrow pointing me in the right direction, or someone I should talk to for hints?”

[You wish! This game is designed for players to fully immerse themselves. There’s no such shortcut.]

So, no clues then.

Sigh! Chaos City was so big—how was she supposed to find it?

Yun Qimu let out a sigh, feeling rather disappointed.

“What’s got you sighing, Village Chief Yun?”

Nearby, Pei Yu had just watched another person come by to ask about the price of the linen clothes, only to shake his head and leave, unable to afford them. Pei Yu shot Yun Qimu a wary glance.

His earlier excitement had faded a bit. He nudged Yuan An, who was frowning and didn’t look too happy.

When the chubby kid ignored him and scooted his stool further away in disgust, Pei Yu didn’t mind—he was in a good mood.

He dragged his own little stool over and continued, “Hey, chubby, you don’t look too happy either. What’s on your mind? Tell your Uncle Pei so I can have a laugh.”

Yuan An rolled his eyes. “Didn’t you notice?”

Pei Yu blinked. “Notice what?”

“Business isn’t going well. The future of our caravan doesn’t look promising.”

Pei Yu’s eyes widened. “What? Our fruits and vegetables are selling like hotcakes—how could the future not be promising? Just the sales from earlier, not counting costs, must have brought in at least a billion in profit. That’s way more than we ever made grinding mobs in Earth Village. I’ve never even seen so many energy coins before!”

Yuan An looked at him like he was an idiot. “You don’t get it.”

Pei Yu bristled. “What do you mean I don’t get it? If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll pry your eyelids open!”

Yun He also looked at him in confusion. “Yeah, Uncle Pei didn’t say anything wrong. This time, even if it’s not as good as our business outside, it’s not bad at all.”

Yuan An gave him the same look of pity. “You don’t get it either.”

Yun He: “...Then who does?”

“Village Chief Yun and Third Brother do. Look at them—they’re not happy either, are they?”

Pei Yu glanced over at the two and curled his lip. “Those two always look so serious. It’d be weird if they ever looked happy.”"