Chapter 156 – Vanilla Forest (Part 4)

The bickering brothers, who used their arguments to bond, insisted on staying in Spirit Valley. They claimed they came to Vanilla Forest specifically for pets and Demon Refining—catching top-tier pets for their collections and using common ones to fuse with their existing pets. Occasionally, if they needed materials, they wouldn’t waste time gathering themselves—just like with the Ephedra Herb earlier, they’d buy them.

The two brothers escorted him all the way out of Spirit Valley. Before parting, Wandering Monk asked 438 if he wasn’t the least bit curious about why he wanted the Ephedra Herb. 438 admitted he was very curious but didn’t dare ask—afraid the other might propose a secret-for-secret trade. He didn’t know the Ephedra Herb’s use, but he knew plenty of powerful Demon Refining recipes. There was a good chance he’d lose out in the exchange. Wandering Monk was completely convinced by this explanation. Using a system action, he stepped forward and patted 438’s shoulder, telling him that this once-in-a-century level of confidence was precious and he should keep it up.

As soon as 438 returned to Vanilla City, he rushed into the Demon Refinery and, through countless materials and minor demons, managed to turn his Nine-Tailed Fox into an Eight-Tailed Fox. Its stats didn’t improve, and it lost a skill. From then on, he didn’t dare act recklessly.

Well, there’s always time. That’s what the optimistic 438 thought.

The western exit of the city led to Spirit Valley, while the eastern exit led to Vanilla Grassland. Compared to Spirit Valley, this was an absolutely peaceful and harmonious land where players couldn’t attack each other—they could only bend down to gather materials. The grassland had every material you could think of (and some you couldn’t), and depending on the material’s level, each gave different points. Successfully gathering would increase your score.

438 gathered until his eyes could barely stay open, and his base score finally broke 100. Whether it was the curse of the Eight-Tailed Fox or not, from start to finish, he didn’t gather a single rare material—just common ones.

Before dawn, the well-behaved 438 was already fast asleep. He didn’t know that Moriarty had used Amytis’ Blue Soulstone to transform his most familiar Crocodile pet into a Snow Crocodile, multiplying its defense and adding a Blizzard skill. Its lethality was brutal, but more importantly, the skill’s visual effects were ridiculously flashy. He also didn’t know that Wandering Monk had used the Ephedra Herb to fix his Fairy pet’s low HP flaw, joyously searching everywhere for Demon Rain 715 to freely share the secret that Ephedra Herb could cure low HP. All he knew was that he was having a fantastic dream—in it, he had become the King of All Demons. Swinging his left sleeve, colorful butterflies blotted out the sky. Swinging his right sleeve, beasts surged like tidal waves. Lifting his left foot, a whale spouted water. Lifting his right foot, a yeti roared. Finally, he smiled slightly, and the heavens shook, the sun and moon dimmed, the world returned to chaos, and only then did he—like Pangu—fall contentedly asleep, entering a dream within a dream.

The happiest thing for students is summer and winter vacations—no need to wake up early, no classes, no… Stop. The prerequisite for all this is that you don’t have a teacher for a mother.

For students, the most painful thing in the world isn’t your mom refusing to give you pocket money—it’s when you’re on vacation, and so is your mom.

Pangu 438 hadn’t been asleep for long before his mother yanked off his blanket, forcing him to separate heaven and earth—

Mother: “Get up already! What kind of grown boy sleeps in like this?!”

438: “Ugh… Mom, I just fell asleep. I’m so tired…”

Mother: “Just fell asleep? What time did you—you little brat, you stayed up late gaming again, didn’t you?!”

438: “No! I didn’t! Watch my carp flip!”

Pangu failed to flip and, under the bright morning sun, nearly fell and herniated a disc.

But there was one upside—he was fully awake now.

To be fair, 438’s mother wasn’t usually this unreasonable. She had always turned a blind eye to gaming—as long as his grades were stable and homework was done on time, he could play as much as he wanted. But this winter break, 438’s old-school homeroom teacher, upholding the principle that learning is like sailing against the current—you either advance or regress—personally crafted a set of winter break homework to prevent his beloved students from getting too wild during the holidays. 438 had blitzed through it in the first few days of the break, but two days ago, his chemistry-teacher mother suddenly decided to check it and found enough mistakes to circle the Earth five times. Furious, she ordered him to correct everything—and no computer until he was done!

Thus, the entire day was spent either eating or locked in his room fixing his winter break homework. His mother occasionally opened the door to check. The sound of her approaching footsteps was the alarm for intense studying, and every time she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of her son diligently writing, which pleased her. Satisfied, she’d close the door and leave. And the sound of her retreating footsteps? That was the trumpet call for naptime.

Half-asleep, half-awake, he endured until nightfall. His mother went to bed early at 8 p.m., so 438 was fully awake now. Tiptoeing, he turned on the computer, put on his headphones, and logged into the game, his heart pounding with excitement like a rabbit’s.

[System] Refined Into a Demon 715 has entered the game.

The Junior Demon Refiner slowly respawned in Vanilla Grassland, where he had last logged off. The grassland was still peaceful and harmonious, and there seemed to be even more players bending down to gather than the night before. People constantly logged off and disappeared, while others logged in and respawned. 438’s arrival went entirely unnoticed among these busy figures, like a grain of sand falling into the ocean—not even a ripple.

Suddenly, 438 remembered how, back in Huaxia Summit, every time the Commander logged in, it caused a stir. Because whether friend or foe, everyone was watching Milk is Mom’s movements—those movements were the bellwether for major events on the ghost server, the guiding flag for gossip.

438 wasn’t the type to seek the spotlight, but occasionally, he envied that kind of aura. He had secretly imagined that maybe one day, he’d be the center of attention too. But after those thoughts, he’d just laugh it off and go back to whatever he was doing.

Like now.

Shaking his head to dismiss those unrealistic fantasies, 438 began searching for merchant players around Vanilla Grassland. He had gathered a lot of materials yesterday, all common ones not worth much, but with his inventory slots full, selling them for a little money was better than discarding them.

There were many merchant players vending around Vanilla Grassland, most advertising “fair deals for all,” looking absolutely sincere. But after asking seven or eight in a row, none were interested. The kinder ones would explain: “These materials, you can just sell to the NPC shops. They’re not worth much.”

438 was a little unhappy. At first, it was just a twinge, then a small knot, and finally, after multiple merchant players rejected him, it became a massive ball of frustration. In the end, he steeled himself—if they didn’t want it, fine! Laozi would just stash it in his warehouse!

That’s what he said, but when 438 left Vanilla Grassland and returned to the Main City’s personal warehouse agent to open his storage, he hesitated again. His warehouse was packed with an assortment of materials, with only two or three slots left. At this rate, he’d probably have to borrow guild warehouse space like Mad Lad just to store these materials he needed to deal with. But at least Mad Lad had an excuse—his cosmetic gear was freely borrowed by his comrades. These materials of his… though he hated to admit it, they were really just ordinary. He couldn’t very well tell the Commander, “They’re extra precious because they’re soaked in my sweat.” The Commander might just chuckle and pat his head, but the Deputy would definitely give him a “Are you out of your mind?” look. TAT

Maybe… clear out the stock in his warehouse?

The sudden thought startled even himself. The materials in his warehouse were things he had saved up since he started playing—so precious that even someone as reckless as him in Demon Refining didn’t dare use them carelessly, afraid of wasting them. He stared at them day after day, growing more hesitant, more unsure how to use them, until they became ancient relics.

As 438 stared helplessly at his warehouse, a message on World Chat gave him a last glimmer of hope—

[Vanilla] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Buying all kinds of materials, no restrictions, fair prices. PS: Fair doesn’t mean “dumb and rich, come quick.” Price gougers, scram.

Merchant alts usually posted both buy and sell ads. Posting only a buy ad like this usually meant it was a regular player with personal needs. 438 had already given up on merchant alts, so No. 4 Coffin Shop was like rain after a drought, soothing his parched heart. TAT

Coincidentally, just as 438 was about to send a whisper, he looked up and saw the words “Coffin Shop” right in front of him. No. 4 Coffin Shop was also vending, and his sign was decorated with Item Mall props, making it impossible to miss.

A few steps forward, and 438 was face-to-face with his new buddy—

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Hi, I’ve got a lot of materials to sell.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Such as?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Lingzhi mushrooms, Yarrow, Angelica, Poria cocos, Corn, Potatoes, Mugwort, Geranium, Alfalfa leaves, Ginseng, Radish.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Not buying.

Where’s that no restrictions you promised?!

Can this damn game even be played anymore?!

Finally, crushed by this last straw, 438 lost all rationality and exploded—

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Why won’t you take them?! You said you’d buy anything!!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I buy materials, not trash.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: You’re the trash! Your whole family’s trash! You think common materials are worthless?! Do you even know that the highest demand is for common materials?! What Life Skiller can afford to buy Heart of Nebuchadnezzar II every day for Demon Refining and gear crafting?! Nine times out of ten, the results aren’t even worth the material cost! And sometimes, you don’t even need top-tier materials to make something good—you have to consider synergy! Synergy, got it?!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: ……

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Ugh, why am I even venting at you? You’re not a merchant alt—of course you don’t want materials you don’t need. Sorry, I’ve been getting rejected left and right, so I’m a bit frustrated >_<

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I am a merchant alt.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: ……

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: What kind of merchant alt picks such an unlucky name? Who’d do business with you?

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: You.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: So you’ll buy them after all? (⊙o⊙)！

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Nope =_=

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: But if you’re a merchant, why only buy and not sell?

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: The entire Vanilla Forest is specialized for pets and materials. Have you ever seen anyone selling finished goods at the source of raw materials?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Oh, right. You’ve got a good business sense.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Then you shouldn’t have rejected me! The customer is God. Keep treating Gods like this, and they won’t play with you anymore.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Was I the first to reject you?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: No.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Then it’s fine. I’ll go play with them instead.

Deputy, did you and the Commander lose a long-lost brother in Vanilla Forest?!

438 was totally despondent now. Fine, he’d sell his warehouse stock. What else could he do? But mark his words—from now on, he’d only buy and sell materials with normal players. If he said another word to a merchant alt, he’d be a dog!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: But what you said earlier was interesting—you don’t always need top-tier materials to make something good. It’s about synergy. How does that work?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: You wouldn’t understand…

Woof. TAT

438’s Demon Refining experience predated his college days, so when it came to explaining, he was absolutely thorough. Of course, he wouldn’t reveal his secret recipes, but some of the principles he’d summarized over the years could be shared with a buddy.

Coffin Shop must’ve been paying close attention because he didn’t interrupt once—though it might’ve just been his personality. 438 had already categorized him as the aloof, deadpan type.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Get it now?

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Yeah.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Too bad you’re not a Demon Refiner. Knowing this isn’t much use. Wait, if you’re not a Demon Refiner, why’d you ask?

The system’s online player list showed that this guy was clearly a Zombie.

The person behind Coffin Shop’s screen twitched. Ever since this private chat started, he’d been struggling to keep the conversation from derailing. But compared to most long-winded sellers, this guy’s rambling wasn’t that annoying. And his torrential Demon Refining theories weren’t just perfunctory—they actually made sense. Even if he had a whole jug of wine and only gave you a drop, at least that drop wasn’t watered down.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Weren’t you the one saying I didn’t know quality and had no future? So I’m improving my awareness.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Doesn’t look like much improvement…

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Screenshot all your materials for me—types and quantities, clear and complete. I’ll give you a bundled price.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Really???

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Before I change my mind.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: [Screenshot]

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: You work fast.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Hehe, everything’s here.

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [Queen Eva’s Blood Crystal Shoes] You have these?!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [Ancient Persian Cat’s Eye] You even have these??!!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [Blue Snow Lotus from Immortal Mountain]

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [Golden Snake Grass]

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: [Scales of the South Sea Divine Turtle]????????

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: No no, those aren’t for sale! They were just in my inventory and got caught in the screenshot. Ugh, stop listing them—it’s painful to look at >_<

You know it’s painful? Coffin Shop couldn’t stay calm. This guy’s inventory was practically an illustrated guide to Huaxia’s rarest materials! And seeing these priceless materials mixed with stuff like potatoes and peanuts that no one would take even for free—even a deadpan like him felt heartache, okay? =_=

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: How much do you want?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: I said they’re not for sale! I never planned to sell these!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: I never planned to buy the other stuff either.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: But you changed your mind after being moved by my sincerity!

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Then tell me, what kind of sincerity would move you to change your mind too?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: No forced purchases, please TAT

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Was your earlier blabbering not forced selling?

Commander, someone’s bullying your tongue-tied Demon Refiner. Help! TAT

[Local] Fair and Square: Of course it counts as forced selling. 715, ignore him—sell to me! I’ll pay double!

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: This is malicious competition! How are the rest of us supposed to operate if you drive prices up like this? Not all of us own banks, you know?

[Local] Self-Made Man: Let’s be fair. With so many items, each of us can buy one or two. Do you even have enough money to buy them all? These are practically priceless.

[Local] Iron Abacus: Are you all new to this business? Who says this kind of thing in front of the seller? You’re practically begging him to jack up prices on the spot!

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Um, can I ask a question…

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Where did you all come from?

Coffin Shop wanted to ask the same thing! He had deliberately picked a quiet spot to set up shop, and just moments ago, there hadn’t been a soul around except NPCs. Were these guys magic beans, sprouting and shooting into the sky in seconds?!

And this idiot Demon Refiner too—chit-chatting could be done in Local, but when it came to professional secrets like material synergies in Demon Refining, didn’t he know to switch channels?! If he had, Coffin Shop wouldn’t have carelessly listed those materials in Local! This wasn’t just inviting the wolf into the house—it was dangling fresh meat all over himself while doing the Gangnam Style, taunting predators: “Come on, bite me~~~~”

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: I really don’t plan to sell. Stop pressuring me [cries]

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Coffin Shop! This is all your fault! Why did you list those materials?! [wails]

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Why did you screenshot them for me?!

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: I don’t care! Now if I sell, my heart hurts. If I don’t, I feel guilty. What am I supposed to do?! [cries][cries][cries]

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Just sell them all to me.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: But that’s even more unfair to them…

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Are you the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva?!

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Stop arguing. 715, we’re merchants, not bandits. If you really don’t want to sell, no one can force you. But looking at your materials, not all are max-level—many are levels 20, 30, or 40. You’ve probably been hoarding them for ages, thinking they’re precious and useful, but in reality, they’ve just been collecting dust at the bottom of your warehouse, right?

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Uh, I didn’t know where to use them. I was afraid of wasting them if I tried…

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Understandable. That’s why you always see people on World Chat offering high prices for specific things—they must know the exact use. No one pays top coins just to collect materials like stamps. So if you don’t know how to use them, keeping them in your warehouse is just taking up space—no real use. Might as well sell them now for Huaxia Coins. If you need something later, you can always buy it. With money, what can’t you get?

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: And today, with so many of us merchants here, no matter how much you want to sell, we can handle it. This opportunity won’t come again. I don’t doubt Coffin Shop’s purchasing power—he’s famous in Silent Fortress and even the whole server. But the market hates monopolies. If you sell to him for 100 million today, tomorrow you might have to buy back for 200 million…

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Damn, my knee hurts.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Coffin Shop is famous? I’ve never heard of him…

[Local] Fair and Square: Haha, now your face is swollen too.

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Okay, let’s skip the details =_=

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Anyway, 715, think carefully about what I said. Of course I want your business, but this is a win-win. Oh, if you decide to sell, I don’t need much—just the Golden Snake Grass and Cat’s Eye. I’ll give you 30,000.

[Local] Self-Made Man: 300 bucks for two max-level materials? Why not just rob him? At most, pair the Golden Snake Grass with the Snow Lotus—and that’s practically giving it away.

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Fine, you buy it for 100,000 then. Let’s see if you can sell it for 200,000.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Actually, it doesn’t have to be that much. I didn’t specifically hunt for these—sometimes I just got them randomly from bosses or gathering.

[Local] Fair and Square: Is he bragging?

[Local] Iron Abacus: I think so…

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: No no, I mean, Silky, what you said makes sense.

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Don’t casually give people nicknames =_=

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: It’s true—these things have just been sitting there, and I don’t know when I’ll ever use them. But before, seeing them made me feel rich, whether they were actually useful or not. Now, if I sell them all to you at once, opening my inventory and warehouse will feel so empty…

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Useless treasures are just for show. A warehouse full of useless things can’t compare to one thing you truly want. If it’s emptiness you’re worried about, just tell us what you really want. If we have it, we’ll give it to you. If not, we’ll team up to get it.

Anyone with a bit of people-reading skill could tell 715 wasn’t greedy. If he made a request, it’d probably be for just one or two things. Coffin Shop didn’t believe that with so many merchant alts here, they couldn’t scrounge up one or two items.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Anything?

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop: As long as you want it, as long as we can get it.

[Vanilla] The jade of Kunshan shatters, the phoenix cries; the lotus weeps dew, the orchid smiles. Player [Qin Xiaoxiao] has lured the Golden Phoenix with masterful music!

[Vanilla] Two Elders of Beiming: Did you guys see that system message? What was that?

[Megaphone] Indian Mane: There’s a purple-tier pet in Spirit Valley! Someone triggered it with an item! Woooo!

[Vanilla] Inkblade: Whose patient is this? Come collect them. As if there aren’t enough people fighting over it already.

[Vanilla] Indian Mane: I’m all alone anyway—no chance of getting it. The more chaos, the better! Hahahaha!!!

[Local] Silk Road Merchant: Fellow merchants… I have a bad feeling about this…

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Purple-tier pets seem super, super flashy [star eyes][star eyes][star eyes]…

[As long as you want it, as long as we can get it.]

Coffin Shop had said those words, but since no one objected, it meant he spoke for all the merchants present.

And now, from the censored swearing flooding World Chat, they could imagine the bloodbath unfolding in Spirit Valley…

They were just small-time merchants buying and selling! TAT

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Purple-tier pets seem super, super flashy [star eyes][star eyes][star eyes][star eyes][star eyes][star eyes]…

[Party] Silk Road Merchant: His star eyes just doubled…

[Party] Fair and Square: No use resisting. Spirit Valley, here we come.

[Party] Iron Abacus: Aren’t we adding him to the party?

[Party] No. 4 Coffin Shop: Forget it. We’re already full with five.

[Party] Self-Made Man: The last time I partied up to fight monsters was four years ago… TAT

[Party] Fair and Square: You know what they say… No zuo no die…

[Party] Entire Merchant Squad: WHY YOU TRY?!