What treasure chest monster? Call me the Mysterious Merchant!

Asset Index +1, +1, +1...

Fang Qi was fed and felt very happy.

However, he can't just eat and not excrete... no, he can't just take money and not do anything.

Fang Qi had already figured it out; the task he needed to handle this time would fall to Luo Xi.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, trying to get Rosie's attention.

Rose's stomach was growling with hunger, and she was squatting among a pile of bottles and jars, picking and choosing, looking for anything she could eat.

Hearing the voice, she perked up, looked up, and asked with a longing look, "Mr. Box, is there any food, or can you waive my rent?"

As he spoke, he casually picked up a gold coin and put it in the pocket of his mage robe.

Shouldn't dragons, as wild animals, be quite resistant to hunger? How come the dragon girl with dragon blood has been eating ever since she woke up?

Fang Qi had a bad feeling that his food expenses might be very high in the future...

But now is not the time to talk about that; he's here to collect rent.

I've got the high-level alchemist Loxi with me, so why not take advantage of this opportunity!

He's already planned it out: potions will be the main product in the newbie village, and they're sure to sell like hotcakes!

As for the gold coins, consider them as wages. We can't let the dragon girl run around without giving her any gold coins...

Giving it to Luo Xi is like transferring money from one hand to the other, which can actually win people's hearts and make her feel at ease working.

"Consider the gold coins your salary," Fang Qi hinted. "However..."

"Working while studying? I'm good at that!" Little Dragon Girl was quick to offer her advice, looking around. "There doesn't seem to be much work to do here, so how about..."

Her eyes lit up: "Why don't you help me move that equipment from my dorm room in, and I'll share what I refine with you?"

Rosie had a brilliant plan: this way she could conduct experiments, save on rent, and earn gold coins—a win-win-win situation.

She was even impressed with her own wit!

Unexpectedly, this offer came exactly to Fang Qi's liking.

The two hit it off immediately and felt they had gained something.

"No problem, do it this way, do it this way... Do you understand?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Rosie nodded vigorously: "Then my rent..."

"Based on sales figures, there's a bonus of gold coins if you perform well!"

[Asset Index +1, +10, +10, +10...]

Several plates of pre-cooked food fell from the sky and hit Rose on the head.

Fang Qi was explaining the company culture to Luo Xi when he suddenly paused, a long-lost feeling of fullness welling up inside him.

+10?

What kind of dish is so expensive, yet so filling?

He glanced at them and noticed that the two dishes had temporary attributes, making them consumables in the game.

No wonder.

But he needs to hurry and keep an eye on things.

After the players ran out of gold coins, they started stuffing random things in. This time it was pre-made food, which was fine, but what if it was something like a goblin's loincloth or a bat's tooth...?

These things are disgusting to even think about. Even if they're worth a few gold coins, Fang Qi would never eat them!

Loxi scratched his head, picked up the box that had fallen to the side, smelled it, and exclaimed with delight, "It's actually something delicious made by a chef!"

"Mr. Box is so kind, even the free food is of such high quality!" She couldn't wait to choose two lunch boxes and open them, one with boiled eggs and the other with fried fish.

Fang Qi could easily see that Luo Xi wanted to get a free meal.

Oh well, I'll just consider it an employee benefit.

He was so hungry that he wouldn't let his employees go hungry anymore.

He's not some heartless boss, so he wouldn't cut even basic benefits.

"Eat a couple of bites to tide you over and then quickly prepare the medicine. The customers outside are waiting to submit their orders," Fang Qi instructed, shifting his focus to the outside world, intending to strictly control access to the food.

He won't accept D-grade junk; it has to be at least C-grade assets, like ordinary food or medicine.

"It's nothing, it won't take long," Luo Xi mumbled, popping two small fish into her mouth.

"It's been so long since I've had seafood; it's a rare treat."

She picked up a test tube from the pile of junk and stuffed it into a lump of alchemical scrap.

Magic infusion, coloring!

Dyed waste is still waste. Although Rosie didn't know why the client had such a strange request, it didn't stop her from working.

As long as she gets paid, she doesn't care about anything else.

A soft light shone in my hand, and the ominous color in the waste gradually faded away.

Finally, it turned into a tube of emerald green, thick liquid, somewhat like green yogurt.

It looks like it tastes pretty good?

Rosie nodded in satisfaction, sealed the test tube, set it aside, and began sealing the next bottle.

"Why does it keep eating and not spitting it out?" Little Wolong stuffed another bottle of beginner's life potion into his mouth, looking puzzled.

Yu Yuan tossed the pair of gauntlets that had just exploded into the crack of the treasure chest and casually said:

"It's probably because it's been continuously fed, and the prize pool has been accumulating."

He dusted off his hands: "That's about it. I don't have anything else in my bag."

"Do you want the clam shell?" Du Ge pulled out the last item from her bag.

"What are you up to by picking up this thing? Shops in the city won't accept it," Yu Yuan asked curiously.

"That NPC proprietress at the inn likes it, right? I'll secretly give her a little gift..." Du Ge grinned mischievously.

"I think she's a catgirl, what's her name in the game, Shadow Eye Clan?"

Speaking of this, Little Crouching Dragon is no longer sleepy:

"This game is so relaxing. I saw a short, chubby little thing on the street, as cute as a sausage. I really want to raise one..."

Unexpectedly, the other three all looked at him with disdain.

Finally, it was Zhenyu who spoke up: "That's the Spirit Chestnut Clan, you lolicon!"

"I'm innocent! I just thought she was well-behaved!"

Little Wolong wailed, seemingly feeling that his words were somewhat pale and powerless, so he took out a handful of bat teeth from his bag and stuffed them into Fang Qi's mouth.

Authentic bat tooth, just dropped by a monster on the road, it even has a slightly fishy smell.

"What's that awful smell?!"

As soon as Fang Qi regained consciousness, he was so disgusted by the stench that his scalp tingled. Without thinking, he immediately shut his mouth in refusal.

Unable to get the food in, Little Crouching Dragon froze on the spot.

Looking back, I realized that my teammates had all gone far away.

Zhenyu even covered her nose and retreated to the door of the secret room.

"Oh ho, it doesn't want it." Little Wolong chuckled awkwardly and put the bat tooth back into his backpack.

These items sell for three gold coins each in the main city shop; a whole bag of them could fetch a good amount of money. He didn't understand why his teammates, or even the treasure chest NPC, were so averse to them…

Fang Qi kept his mouth tightly shut, observing the four players.

The players didn't do anything else; they chatted and watched him.

It seems that these novice players don't have any good items in their hands for the time being.

Fang Qi took stock of the inventory.

After being packaged by Roche, about ten bottles of alchemical waste potion have been produced, enough for this transaction.

Without further ado, he began his performance.

Clang, clang~

First, shake the box to attract the player's attention, indicating that the item is about to be shipped.

Then put the six sealed, odorless bottles of medicine into your mouth, which is the box.

Finally, slowly open the box, creating a sense of ritual and mystery...

After a series of actions, the players were indeed drawn to the vicinity.

Little Wolong reached out to take it.

boom!

The treasure chest slammed shut, almost trapping his hand.