Chapter 113: Chapter 113

Mu Ying walked into Copper Coin General Store, her face beaming with joy. The initial attempt at breeding petrified lizards had succeeded—her efforts over this period had finally paid off. No one else knew about it yet, so she could only share her happiness with 559.

“What good stuff did you bring?” 559 leaned in, intrigued.

Mu Ying cleared her throat and glanced around.

559 immediately understood—there were other people in the shop.

He led Mu Ying to the reception room.

With a wave of her hand, Mu Ying produced two large sealed wooden barrels, which appeared on the floor.

559 sniffed the air. He seemed to catch a faint scent of blood, and suddenly realized something, his eyes lighting up.

“Is this petrified lizard blood?”

Mu Ying nodded. “The territory’s petrified lizard breeding has seen initial success. This is the result.”

559 lifted the lid and confirmed that it was indeed fresh petrified lizard blood—premium quality, with no stone powder added. “You really are my lucky star!”

He caressed the two barrels as if they were treasures.

When Mu Ying left Copper Coin General Store, there was an extra gold coin in her pocket.

Petrified lizard blood was indeed a lucrative business—just one blood collection had earned her a gold coin.

These creatures were naturally robust and large, so drawing this amount of blood didn’t affect them much. They’d recover after a while.

If only there were something to help them recover blood faster.

Mu Ying thought for a moment, then went to the plantation to pick some leaves of the Largeleaf Blood-Boosting Grass, and also fetched a bag of its seeds from her house.

“Largeleaf Blood-Boosting Grass: a perennial herb with clusters of purple flowers. The leaves are sweet and have the effects of quenching thirst, replenishing qi, and enriching the blood…”

This grass was a mutated plant she’d collected from the forest.

After teleporting to the breeding camp, Mu Ying crushed the leaves and mixed them into minced meat.

After two weeks of feeding, the petrified lizards visibly perked up.

Time to draw blood again.

But Mu Ying didn’t rush. She teleported back to her treehouse to prepare dinner.

As the meal was nearly ready, her guest arrived as promised.

“Boss Mu, if you have something to say, just say it. No need to be so polite—making such a big spread, it makes me feel bad,” Liu Luoluo glanced at the table, nearly drooling.

“Don’t be shy. I do have something I want your opinion on. Come, let’s eat and talk,” Mu Ying said.

Liu Luoluo relaxed. With so much good food, even if Boss Mu wanted her to sell herself, it’d be worth it.

“I’m the lord of the territory. You’ve guessed that, right?” Mu Ying picked up a slice of meat and put it in her mouth. It was cooked just right and tasted great.

“Cough, cough—” Liu Luoluo hadn’t expected such a bombshell right off the bat and choked a little.

Oh no, how could she be worthy of knowing such a secret? Don’t tell me Boss Mu wants me to swear loyalty or something?

Why am I weirdly excited about this?

Liu Luoluo shook her head, pushing away those messy thoughts.

“I guessed as much. Wow, I didn’t expect you to trust me so much. I’ll keep it a secret—no one will get it out of me!”

“It’s not that serious. Honestly, a lot of people have probably guessed I’m the lord, but they don’t have direct evidence and don’t dare ask me,” Mu Ying took a sip of juice. “So you don’t need to feel burdened by this secret. I’m asking you because you’re the only priest in the territory, and your healing spells are pretty good. I have a job offer for you.”

“!” Liu Luoluo’s mouth formed an “o.” “A job? Like what Professor Su and the others do?”

Mu Ying nodded. “Same pay, but a different job. You’d be managing the breeding camp.”

“Breeding?” Before the apocalypse, that kind of job wasn’t exactly glamorous. But after the apocalypse, who cared what the work was—as long as it paid, it was great.

“You know about petrified lizards, right? I learned from 559 that their blood is extremely valuable, so I started thinking about breeding them…”

Mu Ying explained the whole situation to Liu Luoluo.

Liu Luoluo’s class had already reached its limit, and she didn’t have any offensive spells. She relied entirely on healing spells and working at the clinic to earn a living.

Now, as the manager of the breeding camp, she’d be more of an overseer—not required to be there every day. There were two full-time staff and a few temp positions she could fill as needed.

With this arrangement, she could balance both the clinic and the breeding camp, so there was no reason to refuse.

They agreed to visit the breeding camp together the next day. Liu Luoluo left Mu Ying’s treehouse with red eyes.

After her class advancement had hit a wall, Liu Luoluo had been under a lot of pressure.

Though she was still the only priest in the territory, minor injuries could be treated with all the Ophiopogon everywhere, and serious injuries went to the clinic. Her role had become much less important.

Even her status in the team had dropped a lot. If it weren’t for being one of the original mountaineering team members, and for Si Qing often helping her out and encouraging her to work at the clinic, she might have had an even harder time.

But after tonight’s meal, everything was different.

A bleak future was suddenly illuminated by a ray of hope. As long as she worked hard, she’d never have to worry about starving again.

“I have to do my best—I can’t let Boss Mu down. I’ll practice my healing spells before bed tonight!”

Liu Luoluo clenched her fist.

The next day, Mu Ying brought Liu Luoluo and went to the quarry camp to find Professor Du.

Mu Ying had positioned Professor Du as the territory’s business manager. Since the breeding camp was the first place in the territory to generate external revenue, it was only natural to have her take a look.

She taught Liu Luoluo how to cook the spiked blood-boosting meatballs, while Professor Du went to check out the ranch.

After tossing the meatballs in, Mu Ying reminded her, “You must wait until all the petrified lizards are fully sedated before going in. Just in case, you should also smear a little petrified lizard blood on your eyelids, like this.”

Mu Ying took out a small bottle, squeezed out two drops, and dabbed them on her eyes. Liu Luoluo followed suit.

Looking at the massive creatures outside, Liu Luoluo felt a bit nervous. “Are you sure they won’t wake up halfway?”

“Don’t worry. The potion we used when cooking the meatballs is like a super-strong anesthetic from before the apocalypse. They won’t wake up until the time’s up.” Once all the petrified lizards had collapsed, Mu Ying and Liu Luoluo carried the barrels and stepped through the isolation shield.

Mu Ying demonstrated how to draw blood, how much to take, then how to heal the wound and wipe away any leftover blood. “Got it? Your turn.”

The petrified lizards didn’t move at all during the process, so Liu Luoluo relaxed and got a little excited. “Don’t worry, this is right up my alley. I studied nursing before the apocalypse—this is way easier than giving injections.”

Liu Luoluo’s hands were steady. She pierced, drew blood, and healed in one smooth motion.