Chapter 19
Sizzle~
When the first raindrop landed on the greatsword, the Fire Mage was locked in a fierce battle with the Flame Lizard.
“What a pain. Would you mind dying?” the Fire Mage said coldly, holding the lizard’s snapping jaws apart with the greatsword.
The lizard couldn’t talk, so it answered by twisting sideways and knocking the Fire Mage flying with its tail.
As the two fought, a light drizzle had begun to fall. Judging by the usual pattern, the Fire Mage and the Flame Lizard had at most 1 minute.
Boom, boom, boom!
The Fire Mage summoned a series of fireballs and hurled them at the lizard, driving it back just as it opened its jaws. Seizing the chance, the Fire Mage retreated behind the rain shield’s barrier to rest, while the other contractors kept pouring damage into the Flame Lizard.
As the rain grew heavier, the Flame Lizard realized it wouldn’t be able to deal with this band of hairless “Scavengers” anytime soon. It twisted its body and slithered back into its nest.
Seeing that the enemy had finally retreated, the Fire Mage breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the Fire Mage was just a mage. Though the Paradise hailed them as a powerhouse, without mana, there was nothing they could do.
Watching the raindrops patter against the barrier, the Fire Mage sighed. “Let’s rest for a while. At our current pace, it won’t be long before we reach that enormous structure.”
The Paradise hadn’t told everyone where the mission target was, but the Fire Mage’s instincts, honed by completing many missions, had led them toward the nearby Iterator superstructure.
If Mo Xi had been there, she would have immediately recognized what kind of creature the target boss was. Unfortunately, she was currently aboard the transport ship, studying the Slugcat.
“So Slugcats are basically cats?” Mo Xi asked, rather surprised as she watched the kitten inside the scanner.
The Engineer nodded. “This species is very similar to cats. Aside from being hairless and having a slightly chubby tail, all its other traits are the same.”
“Hmm...”
The Engineer thought for a moment, then picked up the Slugcat kitten and held it half a meter above the ground before suddenly letting go.
The next moment, the Slugcat kitten flipped over in midair without anything to push off of and landed safely on its feet. Seeing this, the Engineer nodded. “Just like a normal cat, it lands on its feet.”
Mo Xi had seen it too. She blinked, thoughtful. “Does that mean Slugcats are liquid, just like cats? As long as their heads can fit through, the rest of them can follow?”
The Engineer fell silent for a moment, but still nodded. “In theory, yes.”
Mo Xi held the tiny Slugcat kitten and looked it over from every angle. The more she looked, the more she liked it—and not for any particular reason beyond its cute little expression.
Slugcat: +-+
As Mo Xi watched, the Slugcat leaped onto her shoulder. Seeing the kitten keep its balance all by itself, Mo Xi nodded with satisfaction.
“Burp~~~~”
The sudden strange noise made Mo Xi turn around. She spotted the helpless bartender by the bar counter and walked over curiously.
Following the bartender’s pointed glance, Mo Xi saw the dwarf captain lying on the bar counter, posing as a water dispenser with a bottle of booze in his mouth, and fell silent.
The bartender said helplessly, “The captain’s already drunk half our alcohol stock. He drinks here every day, so I have to remind everyone that anyone without goggles is a chair, and anyone wearing goggles is a dwarf.”
As soon as the bartender finished speaking, the dwarf captain lying there suddenly objected. “I’m not short! I’m a full 9 millimeters taller than the rest of my people!”
The bartender and Mo Xi exchanged a glance: Fair enough.
A moment later, in the potion lab.
Mo Xi set the Slugcat on a nearby chair and patted its head. “Stay here and take a nap. I have some things to take care of.”
Watching the Slugcat obediently lie down and close its eyes, Mo Xi smiled, then turned and headed for the potion-brewing station.
“There are still plenty of free materials from the Paradise. If my success rate is high this time...” Mo Xi murmured, stroking her chin.
Thanks to the boost from her Academic Gloves, Mo Xi’s Potioncraft level had now reached LV9. It might seem like only a two-level increase from LV7 back when she was in the Paradise, but the experience required grew exponentially.
In other words, improving her Potioncraft would only get slower from here on.
Of course, that was something to worry about later. For now, Mo Xi just wanted to use the Paradise’s free materials to brew some Life Potions.
Although the potions she brewed couldn’t be taken out of this world, permanent-stat potions could be consumed while they were here. That meant the many staff aboard the transport ship were all potential customers.
Would they buy them?
Don’t forget, Life Potions increase the Stamina attribute, and Stamina is the key attribute that determines maximum HP. Who wouldn’t want a bigger health bar?
She brewed with practiced ease...
Some time later, Mo Xi rubbed her aching head and looked at the ten Life Potions before her and the several bottles of perfect-quality Recovery Potions beside them. She was very pleased.
A moment later, in the transport ship’s main hall.
Mo Xi cleared her throat as she looked at the curious crowd. “Ahem. I called everyone here mainly for two things.”
“First, I’ve brewed a lot of perfect-quality Recovery Potions. I’ll put all of them in the supplies storage area, so anyone who needs one can take it.”
Mo Xi paused and looked around at everyone. “The second thing is simple. I have a batch of permanent-stat potions that I plan to sell for 10% less than the standard price.”
As she spoke, Mo Xi placed ten Life Potions on the table.
Why was Mo Xi selling the potions to the staff at a 10% discount?
The answer was simple: everyone had been helping one another these past few days.
For example, the Engineer made all kinds of little tech toys for everyone, while the bartender invited them to try new drinks... In short, Mo Xi liked this atmosphere, free of scheming and backstabbing, so she had decided to lower her prices.
The dwarf captain, sitting nearby and watching the commotion, curiously checked the Life Potion’s attributes. That was when his eyes widened.
As a well-traveled captain, he wasn’t about to be shocked by a green-quality potion. What surprised him was the word “Sublimation” after its quality.
“Some kind of top-tier Potioncraft talent? No wonder the Paradise assigned me to this transport ship.” The dwarf glanced at Mo Xi, his thoughts churning.
Unlike the dwarf captain, who was lost in thought, the staff present went wild as soon as they saw the Life Potion’s attributes.
“I’ll take one.”
The taciturn blacksmith spoke first, claiming one Life Potion.
As the number of Life Potions dwindled to nine, the staff exchanged glances, then immediately began bidding like mad.
Watching everyone’s enthusiastic response, Mo Xi thought to herself, “Life Potions are more popular than I expected~”