Chapter 13
The Paradise, Trade Market.
In the bustling Trade Market, Mo Xi sat behind her counter, resting her cheek on one hand as she stared into space.
Sales of the potions had gone more or less as she expected: Recovery Potions sold the most, followed by Fireproof Potions, and lastly Fire Resistance Potions.
As an ordinary potion that gradually restored 10%, the Recovery Potion appealed to a broad audience. On top of that, Mo Xi was selling it for 5% below the standard price, so hardly anyone haggled; people glanced at it as they passed and bought it outright.
Although one or two contractors occasionally tried to get an even lower price, Mo Xi was entitled to refuse their haggling since she was already selling it 5% below standard. After weighing the pros and cons, they accepted her price.
Unlike the steady sales of Recovery Potions, Fireproof Potions could only temporarily increase resistance, so their audience was limited to contractors who prioritized playing it safe.
After all, no one knew whether they would encounter a fire-based danger in the future. With the possibility of dying to some other attack, few were willing to invest in protection for a future that might never come.
And the Fire Resistance Potion?
As a potion that permanently increased an attribute, its price of just 1,999 Paradise Coins made it dazzlingly attractive. But the fact that it only increased Fire Resistance was enough to make it fall into obscurity.
Fire Resistance Potions and Fireproof Potions were in the same boat: a tiny audience and a high price.
Ordinary contractors at Tier 1 normally earned no more than around 10,000 Paradise Coins from a world. Given that, the Fire Resistance Potion’s price of nearly 2,000 Paradise Coins made it seem like terrible value for money.
Was Mo Xi unaware of all this?
Of course she was. She had put it on display purely for people to see.
That was because, at a Trade Market stall, you could choose whether to turn on the quality effects for any displayed item. For example, a green-quality item would glow green.
And a max-rated green potion shone brilliantly~
It was just like the barbershops in Mo Xi’s previous life, with walls covered in photos of handsome men and beautiful women to lure people inside.
When people entered the shop and realized they’d been duped, the high-quality, low-priced Recovery Potions were like all those 9.9-yuan coupons, enticing some of them to buy and drawing in more foot traffic.
As long as enough people were drawn in, someone would eventually try buying something else.
That was marketing.
“I feel like I just can’t find the right customer...”
Mo Xi looked at the necklace on her stall, glowing green, and shook her head helplessly.
This kind of gear with a specialized attribute was much like the Fireproof and Fire Resistance Potions: highly specialized, with a very limited audience.
The difference was that, unlike the potions that boosted resistance, the Butler’s Necklace directly increased damage.
What did that mean?
It meant the situation was completely opposite to the potions’. The fewer potential buyers there were, the harder potions were to sell; but with this necklace, the fewer buyers there were, the higher the price!
Suppose Mo Xi had an unpopular class and all the skills she learned dealt Dark-attribute damage. Then getting suitable equipment would be extremely difficult.
The class was unpopular precisely because Dark-attribute gear was hard to come by. In that situation, if she came across a piece of equipment that looked rather unremarkable but could be incredibly useful with just a little enhancement (and only took up the necklace slot)...
What should she do?
A. Spend a fortune to buy it.
B. Bet that the seller didn’t know its worth and name a random price.
C. If the seller was a staff member, investigate their identity without a second thought, then use an outrageously expensive world-selection item to enter the same world as the seller, kill them, and gamble on the tiny chance that the item would appear in their loot chest.
After thinking it over, Mo Xi realized that even the worst-case scenario would just mean spending some time haggling with someone. So she waited without a care.
But what Mo Xi hadn’t expected was that the person she was waiting for immediately chose D. Beg shamelessly?
“Please sell me this equipment at a low price!”
At a loud shout, a girl in a black robe, utterly unconcerned with her dignity, threw herself down beside Mo Xi’s leg with a thump, right in front of everyone.
If not for the Paradise’s collision protection, Mo Xi had good reason to suspect that the girl’s leap just now would have sent her flying.
Looking at the black-robed girl performing a live-action version of “prostrating herself” at her feet, Mo Xi’s eye twitched.
Mo Xi: “4,000 Paradise Coins isn’t a high price.”
Girl: “Please, I only have 1,000 Paradise Coins left.”
Mo Xi: “1,000 Paradise Coins isn’t even enough to cover the equipment’s standard price.”
The girl fell silent. She took a deep breath, then spoke as if she were throwing caution to the wind: “I have wandered alone for half my life, lamenting that I have yet to find a worthy lord. If you will not reject me, I am willing to take you as my adoptive mother.”
Mo Xi: ?
For a moment, Mo Xi had no idea how to react to the black-robed girl. She clearly wanted to buy the equipment, so she wasn’t just causing trouble, but the price she was offering was incredibly low.
While Mo Xi was thinking, the black-robed girl gave a light cough and spoke in a different tone: “Oh~ my dearest Mother, I...”
Before the black-robed girl had finished speaking, Mo Xi couldn’t help blurting, “That’s not the issue with how you speak, hey! And where did you even learn that weird translationese?!”
Seeing that the black-robed girl said nothing, Mo Xi rubbed her temples, her head aching.
Because of Mercy and Potioncraft, Mo Xi was burning through Paradise Coins at an incredible rate. If possible, she hoped to get a good price for this piece of equipment.
Seeing Mo Xi fall silent, the black-robed girl suddenly spoke as if she’d thought of something: “If all else fails, I can trade items instead.”
As she spoke, the black-robed girl pulled a pile of miscellaneous items out of her storage space and laid them in front of Mo Xi. Her meaning was obvious: Mo Xi could pick whatever she wanted.
Looking over the pile of odds and ends, Mo Xi began examining them carefully.
A mage’s staff, which seemed to be a weapon the black-robed girl had replaced, judging by its durability. Its attributes didn’t suit Mo Xi.
A green-quality monocle, which Mo Xi had discarded because it required Agility to equip.
“What is this?”
After looking through the pile, Mo Xi suddenly noticed something and picked up a piece of equipment.
[Sunflower Circlet]
Quality: Green
Origin: Unknown
Durability: 10/10
Rating: 22
Effect—Friendliness: Healing effect +5%
Effect—Photosynthesis: Mana recovery speed +5% during the day
Hidden Effect—Flower: After supplying the equipment with a certain amount of life energy, it will transform into a Sunflower Seed.
(Note: This effect manifests for the Angel class.)
Equipment requirement: Intelligence 11 or higher.
Description: Sunflowers, sun fruits; beneath the Sun Tree, you and I.
Price: 2,000 Paradise Coins
Though Mo Xi had discovered the hidden effect, she kept her expression calm. After giving it only a brief glance, she set it down and turned to inspect the other items.
After a while, Mo Xi regarded the black-robed girl, who was watching her expectantly, and pondered for a moment. Then she pointed at the Sunflower Circlet and another item. “I’ll trade you the necklace and the Fire Resistance Potion for these two items.”