Chapter 64
The bottle of potion was brought to He Qi Pa by her, and that day was the first time He Qi Pa asked her name.
Yu Xun Ge thought about the two wanted posters at the city gate but still didn’t dare to connect her heart with He Qi Pa. She replied, “My name is Ravenclaw.”
After saying that name, she felt that He Qi Pa’s gaze on her was rather strange, but the other didn’t press the issue, and the topic passed.
Classes continued, and despite having studied with He Qi Pa for so long, she hadn’t been taught any formulas. However, she wasn’t in a hurry because her proficiency in advanced alchemy was stuck. She knew it was a problem with her foundation, much like a chef learning to cook: others explained every step clearly, but her skills weren’t up to par. She couldn’t slice the ingredients finely enough, couldn’t control the heat properly, and her stirring was uneven. She followed every step, but each one was flawed.
So, she learned whatever He Qi Pa taught her.
She hadn’t expected it to bring her such a great surprise.
Yu Xun Ge had no intention of betraying her, but just like that beta tester said, they would still meet on the battlefield, fighting for their lives. Yet, He Qi Pa would always be her teacher.
After finishing breakfast and sipping her drink, He Qi Pa curiously picked up a cigarette from the side. She wasn’t foolish; she took one out, sniffed it, and examined it before effortlessly using fire magic to light it, taking a puff.
In the next moment, the two orbs of the female specter’s eyes lit up, and it was no exaggeration to say that, at that instant, Yu Xun Ge felt He Qi Pa’s dark circles had lightened considerably.
He Qi Pa tapped the cigarette box with her fingers and said in a hoarse voice, “From now on, tuition will be paid in this.”
A thought flashed through Yu Xun Ge’s mind: So she’s into smoking and drinking on the side?
She asked, “Do you still want alcohol?”
He Qi Pa replied, “Both. Bring some of each.”
Yu Xun Ge said, “...Alright.”
Using smoke and alcohol to corrode the minds of high-level talents from other races—wasn’t that a contribution worth noting?!
Today’s class was a bit long; after 55 minutes, they still hadn’t finished. Yu Xun Ge was reluctant to leave when she heard the most crucial part. In a moment of inspiration, she transformed into a chubby orange-and-white cat and squatted by He Qi Pa’s feet. This cat form was the fattest one she had encountered recently in the backyard. While being that fat wasn’t healthy for a cat, it looked undeniably adorable.
He Qi Pa glanced down at her, paused for a moment, and continued, “After grinding the lionfish bones into fine powder, it’s best to warm them slightly with residual heat... The armadillo bile requires only three drops. If you accidentally drop too much, it’s fine. I’ve covered this knowledge point before. What do you do if you drop too much? Answer me.”
Yu Xun Ge thought, “...I see you’re deliberately making it hard for a cat.”
—“Meow...” Use the juice of the Moonlight Flower to neutralize its toxicity.
She tried hard; she was genuinely attempting to answer, but all that came out was a cat’s meow, and there was nothing she could do about it.
To her surprise, He Qi Pa seemed to understand her. She nodded and took a drag from the cigarette pinched between her fingers. “Not bad.”
Yu Xun Ge: “...”
Now transformed into a cat, Yu Xun Ge wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She would listen for as long as He Qi Pa was willing to teach. Whether it was the smoke making He Qi Pa in a good mood or the cuteness of the chubby orange-and-white cat, He Qi Pa meticulously explained every step of the potion-making process, from techniques to principles. The little specter would only come over after attending to guests, and He Qi Pa didn’t shoo her away.
At noon, while He Qi Pa was eating, Yu Xun Ge rushed back to Blue Star. Seizing the opportunity of He Qi Pa’s good mood, she had to learn as much as possible. She dashed out of her house, sped to the Yu family villa, and snatched all five packs of good cigarettes from Yu Qing Shan.
Yu Qing Shan wasn’t home; only Yi Qiu Guo was there. She curiously asked, “What are you doing?”
Yu Xun Ge replied without hesitation, “I’m leveraging connections to buy potions. I just helped Su’s family secure two thousand bottles of potions yesterday and smoothed things over with the Lin family. I need these cigarettes urgently.”
Yi Qiu Guo not only backed off but also pointed to another cabinet, saying, “There are two more packs over there.”
Yu Xun Ge exclaimed, “Mom’s vision is really broad!” After saying that, she took those two packs as well.
Once again heading to Ze Lan Star, Yu Xun Ge placed two packs of cigarettes on the table. With these two packs, she studied all day, her head spinning from the lessons. It wasn’t until the alchemy shop was about to close that He Qi Pa grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and tossed her out, marking the end of today’s class.
---
When Yu Xun Ge returned to Blue Star, it was already 9 PM. She forced herself to add a few bowls of meat soup from her game backpack for the cats in the backyard, washed up, and collapsed into bed.
Studying was a hundred times more exhausting than monster hunting, as she often said.
The next day, when she woke up, Yu Xun Ge was still a bit dazed. Her days and nights had been turned upside down, and glancing at the time, she realized it was already the 24th.
Opening her friend list and ignoring the friend requests from strangers, she opened the message from Zhao Shu Ying. Although this person occasionally sent strange messages, they were usually quite important, and she didn’t want to miss anything.
【Zhao Shu Ying】: Can you still exchange for gold coins? We still need gold coins, and we’ll still give you a 1% commission.
【Yu Xun Ge】: I can’t exchange anymore.
She had thought that exchanging 200,000 gold coins for 35 main cities would be more than enough, but in reality, the goblins didn’t have that much in savings. That Bill was already the richest goblin. While they could produce gold coins, just like she learned in goldsmithing, the coins they made for themselves were also limited. If it weren’t for Yu Xun Ge’s exchange rate allowing them to profit from the gold difference, they wouldn’t have exchanged at all.
That 200,000 gold coins had cost her a lot of effort; she had run to twenty-five main cities and talked to nearly a thousand goblins to gather it.
Yu Xun Ge calculated that, including the Undercity and Blood Moon City, she had already emptied the goblins in 27 main cities, leaving only 7 main cities where she hadn’t made connections yet.
Having her run around to meet them all would be a waste of time. She still needed to keep an eye on the Su family. The little specter spider she left with the Su family had already overheard that they were recently acquiring gold, and she was planning something.
Moreover, once she had a sufficient reserve of gold, she would need to find goblins to exchange with herself. If the remaining goblins were emptied by the Special Affairs Bureau, where would she go to exchange in the future?
Even if she could get a higher commission, 1% was the limit; any more would easily cause trouble. While she was greedy, her greatest strength was knowing how to restrain herself.
【Yu Xun Ge】: That’s the limit. Even if you offer me 10% or 20%, I still can’t exchange anything recently. According to our contract, I’ll tell you how to exchange for gold coins a year from now, and then you can do it yourselves, but right now, it’s really not possible.
Zhao Shu Ying read Yu Xun Ge’s reply to the others in the meeting room and then said, “It seems it really is the limit.”
A middle-aged man sitting across from her frowned and said in a deep voice, “Could it be that she doesn’t want to exchange with us? After all, she can exchange for herself.”
Zhao Shu Ying replied, “That’s a possibility. Before she started cooperating with us, she earned a batch of gold through her divine gift talent, but it wasn’t much. She only started acquiring gold later.”
Another person chimed in, “Is it possible she’s the player at the top of the wealth leaderboard?”
The most outrageous on the wealth leaderboard was that first place, with over 30,000 gold coins—more than what the Special Affairs Bureau had in their finances. He leaned towards the idea that this person was from some major force, casually asking.
Zhao Shu Ying thought of Yu Xun Ge’s frugal demeanor. “That’s unlikely.”
The middle-aged man said, “Ask her again if she’s selling her gold coins.”
200,000 gold coins was a fortune that one could never spend in a lifetime, but for the entire Huaxia, it was just a drop in the bucket.
【Zhao Shu Ying】: Are you selling your gold coins?
【Yu Xun Ge】: Do you have something more valuable than gold coins?
【Zhao Shu Ying】: The trust of our country.
【Yu Xun Ge】: …………………………………
【Yu Xun Ge】: If you keep this up, I’ll block you.
【Zhao Shu Ying】: You really won’t sell?
Yu Xun Ge sensed Zhao Shu Ying’s urgency. It seemed that after the game’s arrival, the pressure on the Special Affairs Bureau was indeed immense.
She rummaged through her backpack, picking and choosing until she found the items she had made while leveling up her engineering skill.
【Yu Xun Ge】: I’ve used all my gold coins to level up my professional skills. 【Exquisite Hunting Rifle】400 units 【Explosive Packs】383 units 【Scopes】500 units 【Inferior Hunting Rifles】700 units 【Landmines】1000 units
Scopes could be attached to firearms to increase accuracy, while landmines and explosive packs were one-time area attack items. As for the two types of hunting rifles, the exquisite one required level 2, while the inferior one could be used at level 0. Both were made when she was leveling up her basic engineering skills, and they were crafted in-game at a rate of one per second. In reality, it would take at least half an hour to make one.
【Yu Xun Ge】: Want them? I can sell them in a bundle for the trust of our country, and I won’t even charge gold coins.
【Zhao Shu Ying】: Why are all the others whole numbers, but the explosive packs aren’t?
【Yu Xun Ge】: Mind your own business!
【Zhao Shu Ying】: Alright, how much for the whole bundle?
Although they were low-level weapons that could be bought at the auction house, if they could be obtained without using game currency, it would be quite a bargain.
【Yu Xun Ge】: You decide.
She also wanted to test the attitude of the Special Affairs Bureau. If they took these items and genuinely offered her “the trust of our country,” she would carefully consider future opportunities for cooperation with them.
She could understand that the Special Affairs Bureau was constantly finding ways to benefit from players for the greater good, and she was willing to cooperate as long as it was a fair exchange. However, taking things for free was a different matter.
If the Special Affairs Bureau acted justly, there would be a future; if not…
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