Chapter 27: Players Set Up Stalls to Make Money

Su Qingyue sat to one side, listening quietly to their conversation.

Seeing that the players were feeling a bit down, she smiled. "You can give her a few Sound Transmission Talismans. That way, she can contact us if anything happens."

"Happy-Go-Lucky" brightened up instantly, his earlier gloom vanishing. "That's right! Once I hit level twenty and reach the Foundation Establishment stage, I’ll be able to fly over on my sword to help if anything comes up!"

They had been worried that once they left, the little girl and her grandmother might die due to any number of chaotic reasons. After all, in this ancient world, an elderly person and a child were far too vulnerable. But now, they had no need to worry.

The players packed up the items they intended to sell and headed excitedly toward the city center. Finally, they were about to start their first attempt at running a stall to make money in this holographic game! It was hard not to feel a little thrill. They wondered if their first pot of gold would come easily—surely it wouldn't be a problem?

Having tasted the food of this world, they were full of confidence. They could check the attributes of their jerky; the cooking time and texture were perfect, absolutely sublime. Not to mention, the seasonings they used were a complete set obtained from random system supply crates, tasting just as good as, if not better than, anything used in the modern world. There was no way they couldn't conquer these ancient people who were still stuck using bitter, gritty, unrefined salt!

"Step right up, take a look! Freshly cured wild boar jerky, pheasant jerky, and rabbit jerky! Only 20 wen per catty!"

As soon as "Feilong Zaitian" shouted this, countless eyes turned toward them, and in no time, the players' stall was surrounded. Although there were many people, most were hesitant, casting skeptical glances.

"Really 20 wen a catty? Are you trying to swindle us? Is this... rat meat or something?"

The commoners couldn't be blamed for their suspicion. In this era, pork usually cost 15 wen per catty, and since the weight is reduced by at least half when dried into jerky—plus the cost of curing and spices—jerky should have cost at least 40 wen per catty. That these people were selling it for only 20 wen was simply too cheap! Could they be scammers?

Lan Ling thought for a moment. "How about this? We’ll provide samples for tasting. You’ll know the quality once you try it, won't you?"

This offer tempted the crowd, but the rational ones remained wary. "What if it’s rat meat or tainted, and we get sick after eating it?"

"Exactly! Medicine is so expensive! There's no need to suffer just to save a few coins! What if we end up dead?"

The players were left speechless. They were amused and frustrated, knowing for a fact that the food was perfectly fine. After reaching level ten, players could see attribute bars next to the food they crafted. Su Qingyue had set this up specifically to prevent players from dying of food poisoning and inflating the server's death toll. Honestly, could they please stop dying for such bizarre reasons?

If there were any issues with the food, the attributes would show it. The key was how to convince the locals. The flavor had been personally seasoned by "Did You Eat Today?", and the players had tested it themselves—the texture was so good they couldn't stop eating. If they weren't trying to sell it, they would have devoured the whole lot!

Xiao Mo rolled her eyes, then quickly pulled a pile of items from her storage ring. Suddenly, a heap of goods appeared before them: wild boars and pheasants that hadn't even been processed yet. The crowd was startled by the sudden appearance of the carcasses. Xiao Mo pointed at the pile and said, "Look! Fresh game hunted yesterday. These are the carcasses we haven't processed yet; the quality is guaranteed. They were roasted with the spiritual energy of a fire-attribute cultivator—it's absolutely safe!"

Before anyone could react, she pulled out a knife and, to the horror of the onlookers, slashed her own hand. Blood even splattered onto a few passersby who couldn't dodge in time. A ball of white light surged from her palm to the wound, and before their very eyes, it healed completely. "I also have a Light Spirit Root and can heal myself. If you get sick from eating this, I’ll heal you!"

A heavy silence fell over the crowd. After a long moment, a villager spoke with a complex expression: "Are you... Immortals?"

Oh, right. In this world, they called cultivators "Immortals."

"That's right, we are!"

Finally, a few people plucked up the courage to take a piece of jerky and taste it. The moment they took a bite, their eyes widened. Their expressions vividly illustrated the phrase "lighting up"—their eyes seemed to glow as if lit by lightbulbs.

*Are we dreaming?*

Just one bite, and they felt intoxicated, lost in the savory, wonderful texture, doubting if this was real! Heavens, how could there be such delicious food in the world? It was simply too good! Even the Emperor probably couldn't eat something this divine, right? This jerky was amazing! Was this what Immortals ate? Truly magnificent!

"I want five catties! No, wait—ten!"

"I want twenty!"

"Give me forty!"

Those who had tasted it scrambled to grab the jerky, while those who hadn't stood by, bewildered.

"No way, is it really that exaggerated? Is it actually that good?"

"Isn't it just jerky? Have these people never eaten in their lives?"

"Too exaggerated. Are they shills?"

Although 20 wen was cheap, commoners didn't have high incomes; why would they spend so much on snacks? But these doubts vanished the moment the brown jerky touched their tongues. The others widened their eyes: "...Don't grab it all! I want thirty catties!"

"I want some too, twenty catties!"

The players had been at it for several hours, and their haul of prey was terrifying. There was no helping it; ordinary hunters would be exhausted after catching just a few beasts. But the players, who could respawn after death, seemed tireless, hoarding a massive pile of wild rabbits, pheasants, and boars. Even after the weight loss from drying the meat and setting aside a portion for their own rations, they still had nearly a thousand catties left.

The jerky was savory, chewy, and seasoned with over a dozen spices, with a long shelf life. It was snatched up in less than half an hour. It was simply too delicious! In a world lacking in culinary variety, the people had never tasted anything like it. By the end, they even had to implement purchase limits just so those still in line had a chance to buy some.

That night, many people walked home with sacks in their arms, their faces flushed with joy as they ate:

"(Chew, chew, chew) You tell me, (chew, chew, chew) how is this so good? What exactly is it made of? The flavor is so complex! There must be over a dozen different tastes!"

The players did a rough tally. "Nine hundred catties in total; we brought in 180 taels of silver."

"Excluding the leisure players who didn't hunt and those who died too many times to count, we have 70 people to split it among. That's 2.5 taels per person."

"That much?"

It was only half an hour of work, and each person earned over two taels of silver! That was incredibly profitable! Don't underestimate those two taels. An ordinary commoner in this ancient world would struggle to earn two taels in an entire year of hard labor. The game they had caught in one afternoon was worth a commoner's annual income—it was an absolute windfall!

Not to mention, the players had almost no overhead. At most, they spent countless lives, but a player's life was the least valuable thing of all. To them, a single medicinal herb capable of restoring health was likely more important than their own lives.