CHAPTER 245: CHAPTER 237: PURCHASING TREASURES

"Looks like there’s no loot dropping in this kind of battle." Han Qiwu sighed helplessly as he strolled into a nearby alleyway, mining while enjoying the show.

A crowd ganging up on a lone target—everyone’s bold when the numbers are in their favor.

Three snow monsters bullying one snowman? The scene was downright R-rated.

About ten minutes later, just as Han Qiwu was busy mining, a system prompt appeared in front of him.

[Congratulations! You successfully assisted the Snow Monster Tribe in winning their monthly battle!]

[Combat Contribution Rate: 63%]

[Based on your performance, you can choose three rewards from the list below]

[Reward 1: 12,000 gold]

[Reward 2: Jade ×30]

[Reward 3: 50% Energy Snowman’s Heart]

[Reward 4: Thick Fur of the Snow Monster]

[Reward 5: Call of the Snow Monster]

[As your contribution rate exceeds 50%, you receive an additional reward option]

[Bonus Reward 1: Ice Mushroom Parent Stock ×2]

"I get to pick three options? That’s a lot!" Han Qiwu exclaimed in surprise. It seemed the number of options was tied to his contribution rate.

If he’d known earlier, he wouldn’t have just stood there watching the fight.

A bit of a loss, really.

Still, since it’s a monthly event, there’s always next month. He’d aim for an even higher contribution rate then.

Bringing his thoughts back to the rewards, Han Qiwu quickly began analyzing the six options.

The first two options, money and materials, were usable and worth considering. Tentatively noted.

Reward three had piqued Han Qiwu’s interest—after all, you could never have too much defense for an Ice Snow Armor. Missing a chance to upgrade would be foolish.

Rewards four and five, however, held little appeal for Han Qiwu.

"They’re so ugly; what kind of call are they supposed to make?"

"Summon them to gross out the enemies?"

"Besides, they’re so underpowered that I wouldn’t even want them as cannon fodder."

"Nah, hard pass."

Moving on, Han Qiwu realized the bonus reward was the true prize among the six options!

Ice Mushroom Parent Stock?

This was a must-pick treasure!

After reviewing all the options, Han Qiwu quickly selected Reward 1, Reward 3, and Bonus Reward 1.

Perfect timing—he needed to visit the traveling merchant later today anyway. Might as well stock up on some cash while he could.

No point regretting not having enough money when a rare treasure showed up.

After making his choices, the three rewards automatically appeared in Han Qiwu’s inventory.

At the same time, the green markers on the surrounding snow monsters began to vanish, with both sides reverting back to being enemies.

What surprised Han Qiwu, however, was that none of the snow monsters around him made a move.

Each one gave him a glance before turning and bolting away.

"Weird..." Han Qiwu scanned his status bar and finally figured out why.

[Snow Clearing Warrior: For 30 minutes, intimidate ice- and snow-type creatures within three meters, preventing them from initiating attacks.]

Snow Clearing Warrior??

Just because he wiped out thirty or fifty snowmen in one go earlier?

What kind of absurd name was that?!

Slightly exasperated, Han Qiwu sighed and turned his attention back to his rewards.

The money was already credited to his account.

He pulled out the Snowman’s Heart and pressed it against his Ice Snow Armor.

"Ssssss..."

The Ice Snow Armor absorbed the Snowman’s Heart in an instant, digesting it completely after just a few moments.

[50% Energy Snowman’s Heart Effect: Defense +20, Movement Speed on All Terrain +10]

"That’s such a great result!" Han Qiwu nodded in satisfaction before taking out the Ice Mushroom Parent Stock to examine it more closely.

The Ice Mushroom Parent Stock was much smaller than a regular Ice Mushroom, with a cap and folds covered in tiny crystalline projections.

[Ice Mushroom Parent Stock]

[Use: Cultivation]

[Cultivation Conditions: Ice-snow environment, no direct sunlight, no watering needed]

[Spore Radiation Range: 5×6]

[Special Effect - Propagation: Spores released from the Ice Mushroom Parent Stock will grow into Ice Mushrooms in an ice-snow environment]

[Maturation Time: 7 days or more]

[Note: The properties of cultivated Ice Mushrooms differ from those collected in the wild]

"Wait, I can actually grow mushrooms?" Han Qiwu was thrilled.

An Ice Mushroom Parent Stock could cover 30 plot tiles, and each Ice Mushroom sold for 300 gold. If the plot were fully grown, one batch would net him 9,000 gold!

With two Ice Mushroom Parent Stocks, that would be 18,000 gold!

18,000 gold with no watering required!

Simply delightful.

As for the ice-snow environment, Han Qiwu did some quick calculations. Each Ice Lotus could convert a 3×3 area, and he currently had six of them, enough to cover a 6×9 grid—54 tiles in total.

The two Ice Mushroom Parent Stocks would need 60 tiles altogether.

Just barely enough.

"I should try to find a few more Ice Lotuses when I get the chance." Han Qiwu tucked the items away and returned to mining at a nearby spot.

[You’ve discovered a staircase.]

Feeling a bit tired, Han Qiwu looked around, packed up the Snowman Miner figurine, and descended the staircase.

[You’ve reached Level 60 of the mine.]

The Level 60 mine looked similar to Level 55, with its snowy landscape dotted with an icy river.

Han Qiwu circled the riverbanks twice.

While he didn’t find any Ice Lotuses, he did stumble upon some wild yam roots and wild yam plants.

"Perfect—wild yam roots can treat the Little Prince to a nice meal, and the wild yams can be used to fool Xiao Zhu." Han Qiwu tucked the items away and left the area by cable car.

This mining trip was highly fruitful: [Iron Ore]×61, [Jade]×46, [Ice River White Fish Fry]×1, [Ice Lotus]×6, [Ice Mushrooms]×2, [Ice Mushroom Parent Stocks]×2, [Snow Monster Essence]×1, [Snowball Incubator Blueprint Fragments]×2, [Snow Lotus Fruit]×5, [Snow Amber]×9, and 12,000 gold.

After leaving the mine, Han Qiwu headed straight to the blacksmith’s shop. He kept just enough jade to craft a mayonnaise machine and sold the rest of his materials.

The total earnings: 14,200 gold.

"This should definitely be enough now." Han Qiwu checked his wallet: 37,339 gold. Feeling pleased, he hopped on his bike and headed to see the traveling merchant.

Deep in the woods, the traveling merchant was bored, munching on sunflower seeds as he tugged on Xiao Zhu’s ear while lecturing, "Look, Xiao Zhu, this time you’ve gotta be tough. Don’t be so soft-hearted!"

"Oink oink." Xiao Zhu, dressed in bright green clothes covered in floral prints, let out two muffled grunts. It was unclear if it was agreeing or not.

"Screeech!"

Han Qiwu skidded to a stylish stop on his bike and greeted with a grin, "Yo, buddy, you’re here early!"

"I’ve been waiting for hours! Hurry up and see what you want." The traveling merchant huffed from behind the display counter, shoving a parchment scroll at him.

Han Qiwu wasn’t offended.

After all, he had gotten the better of their trade last time.

The merchant’s irritation was reasonable.

Han Qiwu accepted the scroll and began reading it.

[Item List]

[Regular Items]:

[Wood]: 40 gold, Remaining: 500.

[Stone]: 30 gold, Remaining: 500.

[Weekly Refresh Items]:

[Ancient Eight-Section Brocade Manual]: 5,000 gold, Remaining: 1.

[Note: A set of exercises that greatly alleviates back injuries.]

[Thunderfruit]: 4,000 gold, Remaining: 2.

[Note: A special fruit ideal for feeding livestock and pets.]

[Jade Pixiu Statue]: 5,000 gold, Remaining: 1.

[Note: The Pixiu statue brings many benefits.]

[Dragon Beard Grass Seeds]: 600 gold, Remaining: 10.

[Note: Dragon Beard Grass is premium forage grass with special properties.]

[Spring Mixed Seeds]: 200 gold, Remaining: 10.

[Note: These seeds can grow various crops. Growth cycle: 15 days.]

[Hidden Item List Unlocked: No]

"The items today are pretty decent." Han Qiwu was slightly surprised, but remembering his lucky encounter last time, he decided to try unlocking the Hidden Item List again.

Glancing discreetly at the nearby Xiao Zhu, who was watching him expectantly, Han Qiwu raised his brow in a small gesture.

Picking up Han Qiwu’s subtle cue, Xiao Zhu slowly began edging closer to him.

"What kind of discount are we talking today?" Han Qiwu shouted to the merchant, stalling for time as Xiao Zhu prepared itself.

"Hey! These are top-notch items today, things that rarely ever appear. The best I can do is 10% off," the merchant snapped, waving dismissively.

"Alright, 15% discount, and I’ll buy more stuff." Han Qiwu negotiated while mentally taking notes.

No wonder rare items like Pixiu and Dragon Beard Grass Seeds were up for grabs today.

It was all thanks to Pixiu Attraction and Dragon Attraction effects.

He sneaked a glance at Xiao Zhu’s position, then quietly slipped two wild yams out of his sleeve and handed them over.

"Chomp chomp."

Xiao Zhu didn’t stand on ceremony, chomping down on the yams with relish.

"What are you feeding it this time?!" Noticing the noise, the merchant quickly realized something was up and dashed out from behind the counter.

Seizing the moment, Han Qiwu tossed two more wild yams toward Xiao Zhu.

The clever Xiao Zhu gobbled one yam and used its hoof to pull out a crumpled slip of grass parchment hidden in the cracks of a nearby shelf, tossing it to Han Qiwu.

"Pleasure doing business," Han Qiwu chuckled, unfolding the parchment to check its contents.

[Life Enhancement Potion]: 4,000 gold, Remaining: 3.

[Note: This potion increases health points by 10-30 maximum.]

Damn, what a steal!

Life Enhancement Potions!

Finally, you’re here!

Because his health cap had been too low, Han Qiwu had missed out on so much good food.

All three—it’s just 12,000 gold.

Sold!

The merchant looked resigned as he walked over, extending a hand toward Han Qiwu. "Fine. Gimme two wild yams."

Handing over the yams, the merchant tossed them into his food prep box. A few seconds later, he pulled them out, fully cooked.

"How’d you do that? Cook it so fast?" Han Qiwu asked, curious.

The merchant ignored the question and savored a piece of yam with his chopsticks.

"Delicious," he said with genuine delight.