Chapter 75: Competition Is Everywhere

“Really! That’s wonderful!” Lu Kuan was truly overjoyed this time and hurriedly said, “How much do you have? I can pay for them.”

Old Tao waved his hand, smiling, “No need for that. We have plenty here.”

…

Ten minutes later, Lu Kuan bid farewell to Old Tao and left Qingshui Village with a light heart. By now, his backpack was bulging with five hundred stalks of Shadowgrass, completely filled to the brim!

Old Tao hadn’t lied. The people of Qingshui Village had lived by the water for generations. Even though Shadowgrass was rare, over the years, their stockpiles had reached astonishing numbers!

In this nearly isolated town, the residents had no idea of Shadowgrass’s true value and used it mainly for their own needs.

Knowing this, how could Lu Kuan not be thrilled?

In the auction house, Shadowgrass of quality five to seven sold for about two gold coins per stalk, while quality eight fetched ten times that amount!

Lu Kuan spent all his coins, buying up every Shadowgrass he could find. He even signed an agreement with Old Tao: from now on, Lu Kuan would purchase all surplus Shadowgrass from the village, and any profits from reselling would be split equally between them.

Initially, leveraging his information advantage, Lu Kuan could have claimed a larger share, or even kept all the profits for himself, leaving the villagers with nothing.

But considering the task he had just taken on, Lu Kuan weighed the pros and cons and decided that winning Old Tao’s goodwill was more important. Compared to such a grand quest, a few coins were mere trifles.

As it turned out, Lu Kuan’s decision was indeed correct. After the agreement was made, Old Tao’s favor toward him increased by a hundred points—a boon for future quests, no doubt.

With this in mind, Lu Kuan glanced down at his quest log.

“Race Against Time (Difficulty B, Timed Quest)

Old Tao’s saber-toothed tiger is at death’s door and urgently needs a suitable antidote! Adventurer, use your wits and connections to solve this problem as quickly as possible.

Lord Old Tao is waiting. The entire Qingshui Village is waiting.

Time remaining to complete the quest: 47 hours and 33 minutes.”

A two-day limit… That should be enough, Lu Kuan thought to himself.

Then he hurried on his way. As soon as he was close enough to use a Return Scroll, he teleported back to town.

He deposited the surplus high-quality Shadowgrass in the bank. The rest, sorted by quality, he placed in the auction house. Only then did he head to the home of Master Tailor Mitchell.

Upon entering, the scene inside the tailor shop startled Lu Kuan. What had once been a cold, empty room was now crowded with bustling players, lively and noisy.

Moreover, Mitchell, who usually sat on the first floor, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, three unfamiliar NPCs busily attended to customers, presumably hired by Mitchell for the occasion.

As players’ levels increased and resources became more abundant, business at NPC shops was bound to flourish—at least until players could afford to buy land and open their own shops in the city.

That, too, was an integral part of Lu Kuan’s long-term plan. If, in the future, he could snatch up prime real estate in the heart of a city like Rapids Harbor at the earliest opportunity, it would be a hugely profitable venture. Half of his current frenzied money-making was for this reason.

But that was far in the future. Lu Kuan pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present.

Judging by the situation, Master Mitchell had likely retreated upstairs for some peace.

Lu Kuan made his way through the crowd, preparing to go up, but was stopped by a young human male mage who raised his hand.

“The second floor is private. Entry is forbidden.” The mage’s tone was icy, his expression standoffish.

Surprised, Lu Kuan glanced at him, but when he caught sight of the black-and-white “Apprentice Badge” on the mage’s chest, he immediately understood.

When players apprentice under NPCs of master level or higher, they receive such a badge, granting them free access to practice skills at the NPC’s side and other perks.

But the badge isn’t permanent; other players can replace him at any time and take his place.

The mage’s badge at least meant he had a decent favor rating with Master Mitchell, so Lu Kuan wasn’t annoyed. Smiling, he explained, “I have an appointment with Master Mitchell.”

“I wasn’t informed. Any appointments go through me. Do you have the master’s token?” the mage retorted, clearly hostile as he eyed Lu Kuan.

Oh? Does he see me as a rival?

Lu Kuan was still preoccupied with the Qingshui Village quest and grew impatient at these words, frowning, “I’ve been here a hundred times. Since when do I need a token just to go upstairs? Move aside!”

He spoke with force, exuding an unspoken authority. The mage was startled, then quickly snapped, “You dare throw your weight around here? Guards!”

Hearing the call for guards, Lu Kuan was truly annoyed: using your apprentice badge as a pretext for authority? You’re just a trainee, and you dare boss people around in the tailor shop? That’s arrogance taken too far.

The guards outside heard the commotion and immediately entered. The mage looked at Lu Kuan with smug satisfaction, but at that moment, a frail, aged voice echoed from upstairs.

“What’s all this noise? I can’t even take a nap… Is that Old Deer? Come up, won’t you~”

The tailor shop fell silent at once. Everyone looked at Lu Kuan with curiosity, but most were gleefully watching the mage’s embarrassment.

Clearly, the mage had been unpleasant to others as well, and now that he’d been put in his place, some even whistled, openly mocking him.

Lu Kuan glanced at the mage’s ashen face and ignored him, striding upstairs.

The second floor was larger than Lu Kuan had imagined—a reinforced loft, where the white-haired Mitchell sat by the table in a recliner, smiling warmly at him.

“Master, I’ve gathered all the materials,” Lu Kuan went straight to the point, handing over the items he’d prepared.

It wasn’t difficult to pick out twenty stalks of high-quality Shadowgrass from a full backpack of herbs. When Mitchell examined them carefully, he was instantly pleased.

Lu Kuan thought to himself that this was the best he could do. Whether he’d get the large backpack reward would depend on luck.

But he knew the backpack quest wasn’t finished yet.

“All the materials are ready. According to my original plan, I can begin making the backpack for you now. However, my favorite sewing needle was borrowed by my niece. Without it, my success rate for crafting magical items drops considerably…”

Mitchell’s face showed a hint of apology as he said, “Would you mind running to the City Lord’s Mansion and retrieving the needle for me, or shall I make the backpack now with ordinary tools?”