A huge thanks to GreenKitea and NyxVervaine for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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Farmer? 

Chairman Sean: “If I may ask, that fruit you just took out…”

Qiyu replied modestly: “I grew it all myself.”

For a moment, Chairman Sean’s eyes lit up astonishingly.

“Qiyu, does this mean you can provide me with a steady, long-term supply of the fruit you just gave me?”

Qiyu shook his head. “I can certainly grow them. However, I live in Star Forest, so I don’t know when I’ll be back in Gold Hole City next.”

If it were anywhere else—no matter how far away—Chairman Sean would have been able to guarantee with confidence, “We at the Borg Chamber of Commerce have the best caravans; we can go and pick up the goods ourselves.”

Unfortunately, Qiyu lives in the Star Forest.

A place, according to legend, that ordinary people cannot reach.

He sighed regretfully, then fixed his gaze intently on the beautiful fruit in Qiyu’s hand.

Since future business was out of the question, he had to make the most of the present opportunity.

“This is also a mutated magical plant—it’s called the ‘Irritable Tomato.’”

Qiyu cradled it carefully, afraid something might go wrong, and didn’t dare hand it over to Chairman Sean without hesitation: “Once this fruit has mutated, it can no longer be eaten.” Chairman Sean and the others couldn’t see the Survival Panel, so naturally they couldn’t read the plant’s information either.

Qiyu had no choice but to explain it to them: “After mutation, they transform from delicious food into weapons.”

“A weapon?” Leslie leaned in curiously. “This soft little fruit? Can it hurt someone? How? ‘Irritable Tomato’—it can’t possibly have such a bad temper that it’ll explode on its own, can it? Haha!”

Qiyu hadn’t tested it yet.

All he could say was, “Is there a place where we won’t cause any damage? We can test it out there.” 

“There’s a training ground right in the backyard,” President Sean quickly replied.

After all, this shop specialized in selling magical items; whether it was weapons or other goods, customers always wanted to test them out. Qiyu followed Chairman Sean to a very open area, where he sensed a deep surge of magic emanating from the ground.

“What’s underground?” he asked curiously.

Chairman Sean replied proudly, “Qiyu, you have a keen eye. I had a high-ranking mage set up a restoration array here.”

He gestured with his hand, inviting him: “Feel free to experiment as you like.”

Leslie stared intently at the tomato in Qiyu’s palm: “How is this supposed to be a weapon? Do I need to cast a spell?” Qiyu had no idea—perhaps he could try using it as a throwing weapon?

No sooner said than done, without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the tomato and slammed it hard onto the ground. 

Chairman Sean: ??? 

Leslie: ???

No, was it really that casual? But then—

“Boom!”

A burst of flames shot skyward.

All three instinctively took a few steps back.

When the lingering embers and black smoke finally cleared, a pitch-black crater appeared on the smooth stone floor.  

There was no trace of the irritable tomato. 

Qiyu opened his eyes, his astonishment no less than that of Sean and his son standing beside him.

The power of that irritable tomato was even slightly stronger than expected.

It seemed perfectly capable of serving as a substitute for an elementary magic scroll.

However, it had one major drawback: once the mutated plant was picked, it had only a 15-day shelf life. Qiyu had tested it—even when stored in a high-level storage backpack, the countdown could not be delayed.

He currently had 400 irritable tomatoes in his backpack; using them all for himself alone would be a bit of a luxury.

But if he sold them to players on the regional channel, this kind of weapon—perfect for a surprise ambush—would be a trump card they’d be more than happy to keep up their sleeves. Yet the biggest problem with the irritable tomato is precisely that it can’t be stored for long.

However, Qiyu had an idea: although they can’t be stored for long once picked, what if he planted them in his territory as defensive plants, just like the gale grass? 

After all, when he first planted sunflowers, the only one that didn’t yield a harvest has been thriving ever since.

As Qiyu pondered this, an explosion blew a hole in the ground. Magic began to surge, and earth elements swiftly repaired the surface; in just a few moments, the ground was smooth again.

The little country bumpkin stared in wide-eyed amazement. 

He asked Chairman Sean, “Is this magic array for sale?”

President Sean shook his head: “A high-level magic array like this can only be created by a high-level mage specializing in the Earth element.”

He seemed to remember something and said, “We can’t buy them on the open market, but perhaps you can purchase them at the mages association’s internal store.”

He added enviously, “As everyone knows, the mages association store carries the most comprehensive selection of magical goods in the world. It’s just a shame that, as non-members, we can’t gain access to it no matter how much we’re willing to pay.”

Qiyu took these words to heart. There were so many items in the mages association store; he’d browse through them slowly once he got back. For now, the most important thing was…

Leslie seemed thoroughly amused by this little guy’s stubbornness. “If I’d had this yesterday in the Black Rock Mountain Range, I would’ve just pulled a few out and thrown them over—they might’ve even paid up.”

“Wouldn’t that be a great way to really screw them over?” 

President Sean also marveled, “Mr. Qiyu, your hands must have been kissed by the Goddess of Nature herself. Otherwise, how could you have grown so many wondrous magical plants?”

As for these fruits, aside from the emerald crystal peaches, the rest—due to their mutated nature—can only last 15 days, but they’re still quite appealing.

Shop, shop, shop!

He’ll head back today and have someone start drafting the invitations right away to build hype for the “Star Forest Produce Auction”!

On the market, elementary magic scrolls sell for 40 gold coins each. In the end, the Borg Chamber of Commerce bought up the entire stock of irritable tomatoes at half the price of an elementary magic scroll—that is, 20 gold coins each.

Chairman Sean insisted that they pay for the one used in the experiment as well.

400 irritable tomatoes yielded 8,000 gold coins. 

Qiyu’s personal savings immediately reached 88,990. 

Upon learning that Qiyu truly had no other fruits left, Chairman Sean looked disappointed.

Qiyu：……

The Borg Chamber of Commerce—they’re really loaded. 

After wrapping up the deal, it was almost noon, so Chairman Sean invited Qiyu to join him for a meal.

Qiyu was actually quite tempted—with Chairman Sean being so wealthy, he was sure to serve up all sorts of delicious food. But he had to leave Gold Hole City first thing in the morning and still had a lot to do, so he couldn’t afford to waste too much time. Reluctantly, he had to decline.

He took out a translucent green card and asked President Sean if he knew what it was.

These were the mysterious cards he’d obtained earlier from opening treasure chests—there were two green ones in total. 

Chairman Sean glanced at it and explained, “This is a resource zone card—it’s like an admission ticket. Green indicates a safe zone.”   

“Resource zone?” Qiyu asked curiously. “What’s that?”

Chairman Sean said, “The resource zone contains all kinds of resources. For example, as a mage, you might need magical plants, magical materials, or even magic crystal mines… and so on. You must hold a resource zone card to enter. Each card grants one entry.” 

That sounds very useful.

“Where is the resource zone?”

Chairman Sean shook his head: “It opens at random times and locations each month. When it opens, cardholders will receive a notification.”

Qiyu silently took note.

He asked again, “Have you heard of the Stellar Trade Fair?”

“The Stellar Trade Fair?” President Sean asked in surprise. “Have you… or your elders received an invitation?”

Qiyu chose to remain silent.

Sure enough, President Sean dropped the subject and said, “Master Jin, the successor to the Oradi martial saint, is hosting this grand trading festival. Tickets are worth their weight in gold.” 

He sighed, “Our Borg Chamber of Commerce has been trying for many years, but we’ve never managed to secure a single seat.”

Qiyu silently took note once more.

Chairman Sean explained, “The Stellar Trade Fair is held during the last month of spring every year. No one knows the exact location; all guests with admission tickets will be teleported to the venue when the fair begins.”

He said enviously, “To traverse countless regions and open a teleportation channel—only someone with the power of a martial saint could do that, right?” 

The country bumpkin pressed further: “What’s a martial saint?” 

President Sean: “……”

Even Leslie, who had been quietly standing by like a prop, was stunned. Hiding behind his hood, Qiyu looked right back at them with complete confidence.

The country bumpkin was once again brought up to speed: the martial saint, another class—the “swordsman”—at Level 5.

Like Mages, Swordsmen are divided into Levels 1 through 9 in the early game.

Chairman Sean was a Level 5 swordsman.

An 8th-level swordsman is revered as an Earth Warrior, equivalent to a magister. A 9th-level swordsman is revered as a sky warrior, corresponding to a grand mage.

Above Level 9 lies the legendary tier: Demigod.

A demigod-level Swordsman is a martial saint. A demigod-level Mage is a magic saint.

Qiyu’s first reaction upon hearing this was, “So there’s someone even more powerful than a magister?” No sooner had he finished speaking than he suddenly raised his hand to cover his head.

Chairman Sean asked with concern, “Qiyu, are you all right?”

Qiyu lowered his hand in confusion and carefully scanned the area with his mental energy: “I’m fine. It must have been a hallucination.” 

It felt as though a gust of wind had just tapped him on the head out of nowhere. 

But he was indoors—where could the wind have come from? Besides, he didn’t feel anything on his head, and there were no traces of magic or mental energy in the vicinity. 

It must have been a hallucination after all.