“That’s a Shadow Cat, right? And what it’s playing with is… a beach subspecies of slime?”

There was only one chair in the room, which had been given to the guest. Victor leaned his hips against the edge of the table, watching the cat parkour its way around chasing the slime, then raised an eyebrow slightly at Nan Liujing.

“The island’s doing well, isn’t it?”

Nan Liujing gave a soft “Mm-hmm.” “Thanks to you.” 

“Me?”

“Yeah, this slime was made using the slime maker I bought from you.”

“Ah, so that’s how it is,” Victor said, rubbing his chin. “I was just thinking, beach-subspecies slimes are pretty rare in the wild.”

Hearing this, Nan Liujing glanced back at the glass ball rolling around in the cat’s paws: “Rare? I poured a whole bunch of sand into the machine.”

Victor shook his head. “Artificial breeding and natural reproduction are two different things. Under wild conditions, it’s difficult for slimes to thrive on the beach.”

“However, the beach subspecies of slimes can produce glass, and they’re beautiful to look at. Whether bred in captivity for their output or raised purely as ornamental pets, there’s a market for them.” Victor tapped the glass orb with his finger. “For something like this, I’d buy them at 500 Sol each.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.” Victor winked at him with his left eye.

500 Sol… Nan Liujing couldn’t help but ponder the feasibility of this venture.

Material costs were practically negligible—all he needed was sand. Whether he collected it on his own island or mined it on a Resource Island, he could easily obtain plenty.

The tricky part was the time cost. The slime maker’s operating hours were fixed: 6 hours per unit. Even if he strictly adhered to a schedule for sleeping and waking up, in a 24-hour period, even at full capacity, it could only produce 4.

Four units are worth 2,000 Sol—that seems like a good deal, but you have to factor in his losses.

First, the buff he’d get from sleeping for a full 8 hours is definitely out of the question; he’ll lose 50 Stamina every day.

If he has to time it so he uses the machine once every 6 hours, he’ll definitely be hampered while exploring the Resource Island. Considering that the round trip on the ship takes two hours, the exploration time on the Resource Island can’t exceed 4 hours—and that’s not something he can control.

Once that limit is exceeded, he’ll lose at least one slime—which is a quarter of his income. Nan Liujing shook his head: “Forget it. Selling this would be a loss. I’d rather make a few more baked apples.”

“Oh, speaking of baked apples, I’ve sold all the ones you sold me last time.” Victor clapped his hands. “They sold really well—the customers all said they tasted amazing and praised your skills to me.”

“No, actually, it’s the system’s skill…” Nan Liujing smiled. “Thanks. If you liked them, come back next time.”

Victor looked at him: “Did you bring any baked apples today?”

“Not really… I’m out of ingredients.” Nan Liujing paused for a moment before continuing, “I brought some other items, but before that, I’d like to ask you about something.”

“Hmm?”

Nan Liujing took a deep breath: “Are there any typhoons coming up soon?”

Victor blinked. “Hmm, didn’t you know? It should have been on the news by now.”

“I just happened to miss it… Is there really going to be a typhoon?” Nan Liujing still clung to a faint glimmer of hope. “Everyone in town seems calm—it doesn’t look like a town about to face a disaster.”

“Disaster? No, no, no—what are you talking about?” Victor laughed and shook his head. “Just what kind of pampered young master did you come out of? A is hardly a disaster—it’s just a regular occurrence.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm, do you know there’s a stretch of water called the Mysterious Passage deep in the Impermanent Sea?” 

“I think I’ve seen it on the news. What’s going on in it?”

“Typhoons’ atmospheric cyclones form there,” Victor said. “The climate in the Mysterious Passage is different from other seas. It’s already hot and dry there, and every so often, it gets so hot you’d think the sun was about to fall out of the sky—the ocean seems like it’s about to be baked dry. Whenever that happens, the typhoon makes its appearance.”

“Right now it’s just in the formation stage. In a few days, the typhoon will gradually move out of the Mysterious Channel into other waters.” Victor wiggled his fingers, mimicking a little person walking, “From east to west, pushing its way across.”

“It’ll come over to our area… after 9 days, I guess.” Seeing Nan Liujing’s expression growing increasingly grim, Victor smiled and said reassuringly, “Is this your first time going through this? Don’t worry—according to the Meteorological Bureau’s observations, this typhoon won’t be too severe. As long as you stay indoors while it passes, you’ll be fine.”

As he spoke, he reached out and patted the wall of the room: “Even a house this old can withstand the strongest typhoons. Trust our construction standards, young master.”

No wonder the locals didn’t take typhoons seriously—to them, a typhoon was just a reason not to go out. As long as they stayed home, they’d be fine…but the players certainly didn’t have such nice lodgings!

Nan Liujing’s mouth twitched, and he couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose before saying, “My place isn’t nearly that nice.”

Victor blinked, recalling the small wooden cabin he had glimpsed from afar at the docks: “Ah…”

“Hmm, that’s true.” Victor propped his chin on his finger, blinked, and let his gaze drift to the upper left corner, clearly reminiscing and pondering. “You’re talking about the Basic Farmhouse? The architectural style is ancient—to be blunt, it’s even older than this inn. No island would keep such an old, rudimentary dwelling anymore—I’m actually curious where you got the blueprints from.”

If you’d met other players, you’d know my Basic Farmhouse is practically a mansion! There are tens of thousands of people living in makeshift shelters that let the wind blow right through them!

Nan Liujing gritted his teeth and said humbly, “So, when it comes to typhoons, a house like this…”

“This isn’t good~” Victor spread his hands. “But this typhoon isn’t that strong—it shouldn’t blow the house away. At most, some rocks and pieces of wood blown by the wind might smash the roof and windows. Just find a corner to hide in and tough it out.”

“…I just feel like your attitude today is really annoying.” Nan Liujing tried to hold back, but couldn’t resist. “Have you always been such a pain in the neck?”

The last time they met, Victor had struck him as a cheerful, handsome guy.

“After all, that was just business.” Victor raised the corner of his mouth. “Business is business, and personal matters are personal—I know how to keep the two separate.”

“Oh, so you don’t have to maintain good relations with clients in your personal life?” The sales industry in your world must be way too easy. Nan Liujing gave a cold laugh, sat up straight in his chair, and asked seriously, “Have you ever been punched by a Shadowcat owned by an angry client in your personal life?”

Hei Tang rolled past their feet, slime trailing behind her. Her ears twitched, and she cooperatively stopped to meow once.

“Hahahaha, I concede.” Victor was amused; after laughing twice, he raised both hands in surrender, his expression and tone finally becoming a bit more serious.

“So, if I’m not mistaken, you heard the news about the typhoon coming and, worried that your little island wouldn’t be able to handle it, you rushed over to Olive Island in a panic to figure out what to do, right?”

Nan Liujing clenched his fist, weighed up their respective fighting abilities, and then realized that, after all, the other man was a native and a merchant—it wouldn’t be worth it to burn bridges with him.

With a sigh of regret, he lowered his fist and let out a deep breath, releasing both the frustration that had been choking him and his anxiety about the typhoon: “That’s right!”

“That was quite a sigh. Are you that scared?” Victor laughed, turned toward the door, leaned out, and called, “Jenny, are you there?”

Nan Liujing’s gaze followed his retreating figure, puzzled by his sudden change of plans: “Hey, we didn’t finish our conversation…” 

“I’m here, Victor! What’s up?”

Nan Liujing was forced to shut up.

“Could you bring us two cups of coffee up here? Thanks.” 

“Sure! Coming right up!”

The quick clatter-clatter-clatter of the little girl’s footsteps echoed. Victor didn’t let her in; he just stood by the door, exchanged a few words, and then the footsteps clatter-clatter-clatter faded into the distance.

Victor closed the door and walked back, holding the tray with one hand. He gently placed the steaming black coffee on the table and pushed it toward Nan Liujing: “Have a drink to calm your nerves. You don’t look as well as you did the last time we met.”

Nan Liujing stared at the dark coffee in his mug. The familiar bitter aroma filled his nostrils, and memories of staying up all night to meet deadlines while studying abroad—guzzling five cups of iced Americanos—instantly flooded his mind, causing him to calm down almost instinctively.

“…Thanks.” He picked up the small spoon resting on the rim of the mug and stirred the coffee, watching the steam rise. Nan Liujing couldn’t help but let a hint of disdain show. “Hot Americano…”

What a tasteless guy. If I wanted to torture myself, why wouldn’t I just drink Chinese herbal medicine?

Victor was holding a cup of hot coffee himself; he took a leisurely sip: “Do you like it? There’s milk and sugar here if you want some.”

“No, thanks.” Nan Liujing cupped the cup, blew on it briefly, then took a cautious sip. The bitterness made the corner of his brow twitch. “…Please pass me a sugar cube, thanks.”

Victor silently pushed the sugar bowl across the table.

After downing half the cup of coffee, Nan Liujing finally calmed down completely: “I’m sorry for my rude attitude just now. I was clearly asking you for information, and you didn’t even charge me, yet I suddenly snapped at you…”

“Don’t worry about it. My joke went a bit too far, too,” Victor chuckled. “To be honest, I’m not entirely blameless either. When I saw you downstairs just now, you looked so tense. I was partly trying to provoke you to help you relax.”

Nan Liujing rubbed his nose and looked up at Victor.

Victor stood in front of him.

The tall, long-legged man stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the table, his fingers wrapped around a mug—a composed posture.

Since they were indoors, he wasn’t wearing a jacket. His black, form-fitting long-sleeved undershirt was rolled up, revealing his well-defined forearms, while the high collar covered his neck, only serving to accentuate the shape of his Adam’s apple.

“It’s certainly a challenge to withstand typhoons when buildings aren’t very sturdy, but we’re not completely helpless,” Victor said. “Have you heard of typhoon barriers?”

“Typhoon barriers?”

“It’s a type of facility that, while it can’t completely defend against typhoons, helps reduce the damage they cause,” Victor explained. “There are also things that can fully withstand typhoons, like primary protective shields—100,000 sol each. I have some in stock. Want to buy some?”

“…Tell me more about the typhoon barriers.” 

In comparison, typhoon barriers are much cheaper, but unfortunately, since the buildings on each island are already sturdy enough to withstand typhoons, no one specifically manufactures typhoon barriers anymore.

The only reason these barriers haven’t fallen into disuse is that many farmers are unwilling to spend money on glass greenhouses. When a typhoon strikes, they need the barriers to protect their farmland.

Victor mentioned that the town’s carpenter shop sold blueprints for typhoon barriers. Nan Liujing’s interest was piqued, and he immediately decided to go ask about the price.

But look at Victor—he was kind enough to say so much and treat him to coffee, and now that he’s gotten the information, the other guy just kicks him to the curb. Isn’t that a little unfair?

Nan Liujing felt a faint pang of guilt.

“Well,” Victor said, setting down his coffee mug and smiling, “Shall I take you there?”

Nan Liujing was taken aback: “Is that okay? Won’t it get in your way?”

“It’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do today anyway. It’s your first time in Olive Town, right? I’d be happy to show you around.” The two stepped out of the room and down to the lobby, where the innkeeper called out to them: “Victor, what time are you planning to leave today?” 

“Before dark. Why?”

“Can I borrow your boat for a bit? There seems to be a problem with the batch of tableware we ordered from Qingci Island earlier, and I’m going to have a serious talk with Old Hank today.”

Victor chuckled. “You want to borrow it? Watch out—your old bones might fall apart.” 

“Stop rambling. Just tell me—can I borrow it or not?”

The two exchanged a glance. Victor shrugged, pulled a set of keys from his pocket, and tossed them toward him: “Be careful.” 

“Don’t worry. Don’t you trust my skills?”

Olive Island is a medium-to-large island covered with olive trees. With olives at its core, a series of industries have sprung up, and the town itself was born from this humble olive.

The biggest star and mainstay of the local economy is, of course, olive oil. There are four oil-pressing workshops in Olive Town alone, and the largest and most famous one is located at the town’s entrance, directly across from the Orange Inn where Victor was staying.

It is said that the inn was named after the innkeeper’s wife, who was from Orange Island.

A mandarin orange tree was specially transplanted right in front of the inn, but for some reason—whether it was a failure to adapt to the local climate or something else—the tree barely survived here. It took seven or eight years before it finally bore fruit, and even then, the fruits were small, sour, and astringent—so much so that even birds wouldn’t eat them.

Victor stepped out of the shop and casually plucked a small orange from the tree beside him. As he peeled it, he pointed to the tree and said to Nan Liujing, “That’s the most prestigious place in town; their olive oil is the best.”

Nan Liujing thought for a moment—they already had more than half a bottle of olive oil at home, so there was no need to buy any for now—and simply replied with an “Oh.”

“Two houses down is the carpenter’s shop,” Victor said. He slipped a segment of the orange he’d just peeled into Nan Liujing’s hand, tossed the peel aside, and clapped his hands. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Nan Liujing said without a second thought, instinctively popping a segment into his mouth—only to freeze a second later. “……”

“Meow?” Hei Tang looked up; it was now cradled in its owner’s arms again, and from this angle, it could clearly see Nan Liujing’s contorted face. 

Nan Liujing struggled to swallow the sour orange in his mouth, grimaced, and couldn’t help but consider a possibility—was that bastard Victor doing this on purpose?

But watching his striding figure—which screamed “serious” from head to toe—he began to have second thoughts. Walking a few quick steps to catch up, Nan Liujing turned his head just in time to catch the corner of Victor’s mouth curving upward before he could pull it back. “Hey.”

Victor turned to look at him innocently: “Hm? What’s up?”

His deep blue eyes sparkled with a playful smile.

“……” Nan Liujing smiled back and slowly raised the cat in his arms. “Hei Tang, scratch him!” 

“Meow?”

“No, no, no! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Watching Victor get chased halfway down the street by the cat, Nan Liujing chuckled softly and walked into the carpenter’s shop. A brass wind chime hung above the entrance to the carpenter’s shop; whenever someone passed by and the wind blew, it produced a crisp, tinkling sound.

The interior was neatly arranged, filled with a rich scent of wood and a faint whiff of varnish. Behind the counter stood a man with an odd appearance.

He sported a pair of small sideburns and a face covered in wrinkles; he looked to be in his forties or fifties, but his head was small and his neck thin. Although the counter obscured most of him, revealing only his head and neck, he gave off an odd, disproportionate impression.

Nan Liujing paused for a moment, then regained her composure and walked up with a smile: “Hello, may I ask…”

“Aha! A new face!” The shopkeeper interrupted him enthusiastically, shouting, “A new customer has arrived! Uluru must give him a warm welcome so that he becomes a regular at the carpenter’s shop!”

His head vanished from behind the counter in an instant, startling Nan Liujing.

A dwarf, barely knee-high to Nan Liujing, emerged from behind the tall counter, nervously rubbing his hands together. He trotted over to Nan Liujing and said eagerly, “New guest, what can I get for you? Your loyal friend Uluru is here to serve you! Are you looking to build a new house? Or do you want to expand your animal shed? Uluru thought you might want to make some beautiful and practical new furniture—how about a rosewood double bed? With rose patterns carved into the bed legs—Uluru is very skilled at carving!”

Nan Liujing was taken aback for just a moment, and in that brief pause, Uluru had finished his rambling.

After finishing, he looked up at him expectantly, rubbing his little hands together and swaying slightly.

Nan Liujing was silent for a second, then smiled and said, “That all sounds great, but I actually came here to ask if you sell blueprints for typhoon barriers.”

“Typhoon barriers!” Uluru exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. “Uluru has them! Uluru’ll go get them right now!”

The little dwarf scampered behind the counter, hopped onto a tall stool—it turned out he’d been standing on it the whole time—and rummaged frantically through several drawers before suddenly holding a worn parchment aloft: “Found it! The Typhoon Barriers blueprints!”1

“Let me see!” Nan Liujing hurried over.

【Typhoon Barrier Construction Blueprints】

【A blueprint showing how to build a Typhoon Barrier. Please tear off and use.】

【Typhoon Barriers】

【Category: Item】

【Enclosing important buildings with this fence provides some protection against typhoons.】

【Materials: Wooden Planks x80, Magic Crystal x1.】

Nan Liujing gasped—that’s so expensive!

Uluru explained from the side, “One typhoon barrier protects one building; it automatically expands or contracts.”

Nan Liujing finally breathed a sigh of relief—that was more or less what he’d expected.

If he’d been told the barrier had to be assembled piece by piece like a fence, he might as well have just lain down and waited to die.

“How much does this blueprint cost?”

Uluru held up one finger: “10,000 sol.”

“……” Nan Liujing clutched his piggy bank; aside from Alfonso’s 4,800, the only money that was truly his was 6,720.

He poked his head out of the carpenter’s shop and saw that Victor had returned at some point—dusty, with disheveled hair, holding Hei Tang by the scruff of the neck with one hand and whispering something to the cat.

Hei Tang stretched out into a long strand in his hand, glancing at him with dead fish eyes. When they saw Nan Liujing come out, both man and cat turned to look at him.

“What’s up?”

“Meow?”

Nan Liujing took Hei Tang into his arms, then turned to Victor. Clearing his throat, he smiled: “Want to do a little business with me?”

Victor raised an eyebrow.

A Demon God Pendant, golden lettuce, smoked venison chops… After dumping a whole bunch of odds and ends on Victor, Nan Liujing returned to the carpenter’s shop clutching his piggy bank.

Thud!

The piggy bank stood proudly on the counter, its belly bulging! Nan Liujing said with a smile, “Checkout!”

After leaving the carpenter’s shop, Nan Liujing asked Victor to show him the way to the town bank, where he cashed Alfonso’s 4,800 sol into a check.

He spent an extra 10 sol on an empty envelope, slipped the check inside, sealed it, wrote the address, and dropped it—along with 50 sol for postage—into the mailbox on the street corner.

Another item on the to-do list was crossed off.

He had completed everything he needed to do in Olive Town and even learned how to prepare for the typhoon. Feeling light and carefree, Nan Liujing decided to take a stroll with Victor.

The two walked aimlessly; Victor faithfully kept his promise to show Nan Liujing around, taking the time to point out every shop.

“That’s the blacksmith’s shop—they make weapons and farm tools. Old John inherited the craft from his grandfather, so the quality is unbeatable.” 

“That’s Good Taste Bakery. Hmm? Oh, it’s a chain; they hand out coupons every now and then.”

“This is a butcher shop. Lately, there’s been a shortage of livestock from Olive Ranch, which has affected business here. We’ve been getting by these past few days on the cured meat we smoked earlier.”

“This is a seed store run by the Harvest Association. Farmland? The Harvest Association doesn’t sell that. You’ll have to go to the Earth’s Breath Agricultural Association… No, Olive Town doesn’t have a branch of theirs.”

“This is the new owner of Olive Ranch.” Victor stopped in his tracks and looked at a young man leading a dairy cow ahead of him. He sighed silently, a hint of regret in his voice. “After the old rancher passed away, he inherited the ranch, but he’s not doing a good job. Not only has eighty percent of the farmland been left fallow, but he’s also let ninety percent of the animals the old rancher left behind die.”

Nan Liujing glanced ahead: “Why is he leading a dairy cow?”

“He probably can’t afford to keep them anymore and is getting ready to sell the cows,” Victor said, shrugging. “Claude’s house is up ahead. Remember the butcher shop we passed earlier? That’s run by Claude.”

Normally, that butcher shop would be open for business, but with the recent severe shortage of goods, Claude only stays open for an hour or two each day—he’s already closed up and gone home.

Nan Liujing was surprised: “He wants to sell the cow to the butcher? That’s such a waste—that cow is clearly in the prime of her life.”

“To be precise, it’s a young heifer that’s only recently reached maturity,” Victor said, carefully examining the cow’s build. “It looks like she’s just given birth and has just started producing milk. It really is a shame.”

Nan Liujing couldn’t stand it anymore. He hurriedly called out, “Wait for me!” and rushed over.

Victor watched as he ran up to the dejected rancher and spoke rapidly. The rancher shook his head.

Nan Liujing grabbed the young man’s arm and spoke several sentences in a firm tone; the other man finally nodded hesitantly.

A moment later, Nan Liujing returned, beaming as he led the cow back, exclaiming, “What a steal! A cow this good for only 4,000 sol!”

“4,000?” Victor raised an eyebrow slightly. “A dairy cow this good usually goes for no less than 12,000.”

Nan Liujing raised an eyebrow at him as well: “I told him, ‘If you’re going to sell dairy cows as beef cattle, don’t expect to get the price of a dairy cow. If he sells it to the butcher at that price, this poor creature will just end up on the cutting board, but if he sells it to me, it can happily graze in the pasture.”

“After that, he agreed.”

Victor smiled: “Impressive.”

……

“This path leads to the market in Olive Town.”

Victor stopped at a stone-paved intersection where a tall bulletin board stood. He tapped it lightly with his fingers. “Many towns on the islands have markets, but Olive Town set aside a specific plot of land just for the market. Thanks to this dedication, combined with the town’s favorable market policies, this market has become quite famous. Every time the market is held, merchants and travelers from the surrounding areas flock here in droves, making it as lively as a festival.”

“I see.” Nan Liujing looked at the bulletin board, where several notices resembling large posters were posted. The one in the center was titled *Olive Town Market Rules*, which all buyers and sellers must follow.

They were mostly basic rules like “No squatting,” “No eating on the house,” and “No stealing.” Next to it was a poster titled “This Month’s Top Sellers.” 

【This Month’s Top Sellers】 

【Jewelry】

【Minerals】

【Animal Products】

【Agricultural Products】

There is a line of small print below.

【Items sold at the market that meet the definition of “trendy goods” automatically receive a 20% premium.】

At the end is a schedule indicating that the market is held every week from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

“Which day of the week is it?” A 20% profit bonus is incredibly tempting; Nan Liujing is even considering whether to time his arrival just right to participate next time.

He wasn’t sure if he would make it in time; if there were only one or two, he really wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

“Hm?” Victor said. “Yesterday.” “……”

He was amused by Nan Liujing’s indescribable expression: “No, why do you think I’m here today? I rushed over yesterday to attend the market, and since it ended late, I just stayed at the inn for the night.”

“You actually don’t know what day of the week it is? That surprises me.”

“What can I do?” Nan Liujing protested. “We don’t have a calendar at home, and the newspaper never says what day of the week it is—it’s not my fault!”

“That’s true—Heart of the Rising Sun Publishing never prints the day of the week in the newspaper.” Victor thought for a moment, then looked at Nan Liujing. “Do you have a subscription to the newspaper?”

“Um, yes. Why?”

“The newsbird delivers the Chamber of Commerce Weekly to you every few days, right?” Victor said. “That day is Sunday. If you really can’t remember, just use this to remember.”