Chapter 27: The Pumpkin Shop

Afterward, he wandered around the village for a while, just as he had done the day before.

Unexpectedly, he bumped into an acquaintance.

"Boss, where have you been these past few days? Why haven't I seen you around at all?"

Zhang Wenbin, looking travel-worn, hurried over.

Judging by the direction he was coming from, it was easy to tell he had just returned from grinding monsters in the forest. Moreover, looking at the joy written all over his face, one could guess his harvest had been quite bountiful.

Qin Yuan replied casually, "I went to grind monsters in another area."

As they spoke, he noticed two other players following closely behind Zhang Wenbin—one to his left and one to his right. One was a quiet-looking female player, roughly eighteen or nineteen years old. The other was a sturdy male player, also in his early twenties. Within this small three-person group, Zhang Wenbin, who was in the center, was clearly the leader.

*What a classic protagonist trio...* Qin Yuan thought to himself with a silent, wry observation.

"Are all the big shots this diligent?" Zhang Wenbin chuckled, looking a bit smug. "I haven't been idle today either; I finally reached level three."

"So fast?" Qin Yuan was slightly surprised.

Based on his observations over the past few days, most players at this stage were still paddling at level one, and those who had reached level two were in the minority. Someone who had already hit level three was likely among the top one percent of players.

The main reason was that early-stage players generally lacked combat experience. In terms of pure combat power, they were more or less evenly matched with monsters of the same level. Therefore, to ensure safety, they often had to form small squads with other players. But this significantly slowed down progress due to the distribution of experience points. After all, the efficiency of one person enjoying the full experience was vastly different from several people taking turns.

When he first met Zhang Wenbin, he was already quite surprised; the guy had been wandering around the forest and somehow managed to reach level two, and he had learned during their chat that the man hadn't died even once. It could only be said that in the process of leveling up, the luck factor brought by his "Favored One" talent played a significant role.

"Right, Boss, I forgot to introduce you..." Zhang Wenbin slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering, and hurriedly introduced the two members of his small group to Qin Yuan.

The female player was named Xia Lin, a level two Mage. The other male player was Zhang Tieshan, a level two Warrior.

"This big shot saved my life in the forest back then," Zhang Wenbin explained to his friends. "I thought I was going to die there, but after this big shot arrived, he scared the monsters away."

Zhang Wenbin was not a gossipy person, so he only gave a vague, rough description of the situation that day. After a brief chat, the group went off to rest.

***

The next morning.

He was awakened once again by the familiar system notification sound. Looking around, he had returned to reality. Before him was the computer screen, which he knew better than his own home.

[Time remaining until the next entry into the "Land of Spirits": 47:59:40.]

"Oh? It's lasting for two days this time. I can finally get some good rest."

Qin Yuan went to the bathroom to wash his face, and after feeling refreshed, he went downstairs to buy breakfast. Only then did he sit back down in front of the computer and open the forum. A highly trending post on the homepage caught his eye.

[Official Announcement: Beta Version V1.1 Update Notice (New Content: Pumpkin Shop, Trading Posts).]

***

New content! He immediately perked up.

[Interpretation of this update:]

[1. Pumpkin Shop: Players can purchase items from the Pumpkin Shop using two types of currency obtained in the Twisted Forest: "Pumpkin Candlelight" and "Pumpkin Essence."]

[Note: The Pumpkin Shop will gradually add new items as time progresses.]

[This feature is now live on the main game interface; all players are welcome to browse.]

[2. Trading Posts: Players can post trade requests to acquire needed items. Once a trade is successful, the item will be sent directly to the player's backpack (ignoring distance). Related functions have been added to the player's backpack.]

[Finally, thank you all for your support.]

[Sender: Land of Spirits Development Team.]

"So that's the 'Twisted Dream' they've been teasing for so long. If I calculate correctly, the next time I enter the Land of Spirits will be the 5th, which means I can enter it that very night..." Qin Yuan looked thoughtful.

He remembered hearing about this when he first returned to reality. A lot had happened since then; if not for this, he would have almost forgotten about it.

As for the subsequent trading post feature, it was quite useful. It would save him a lot of trouble, so he wouldn't have to run around just to buy a few materials. Even if this feature hadn't been added, he was planning to post on the forum later to see if he could find some Purification Powder. After all, the Sacred Pattern Fruit was still sitting in his backpack...

After reading the official update, Qin Yuan clicked the link below.

[Welcome to the Pumpkin Shop]

The screen shifted, displaying a shelf woven from black vines, hung with pumpkin lanterns on both sides. The shop was divided into two sections, each containing three items. Qin Yuan scanned them.

[Crafting Material Pack★: Open to receive some random 1-star crafting materials, quantity 1 to 9. Price: 20 Pumpkin Candlelight.]

[Alchemy Herb Pack★: Open to receive some random 1-star alchemy herbs, quantity 1 to 9. Price: 20 Pumpkin Candlelight.]

[Magic Rune Paper★ (Common): Receive 1 random Common-quality magic rune paper. Price: 100 Pumpkin Candlelight.]

[Warrior Class Equipment★ (Rare): Choose 1 out of 3 pieces of Warrior class equipment. Price: 180 Pumpkin Candlelight.]

[...]

[Magic Material Pack★: Choose 1 out of 3 types of 1-star magic materials, quantity 1. Price: 1 Pumpkin Essence (can be purchased twice).]

[Magic Material Pack★★: Choose 1 out of 3 types of 2-star magic materials, quantity 1. Price: 5 Pumpkin Essence (original price 10, enjoy a discount on the first purchase, can be purchased twice).]

[Magic Rune Paper★ (Epic): Receive 1 random Epic-quality magic rune paper. Price: 10 Pumpkin Essence (can be purchased twice).]

[Note: Purchased items will be sent immediately to the player's backpack. As time goes on, new items will be added to the shop.]

"It seems Pumpkin Candlelight is a more common material that only buys general items, while the other material, Pumpkin Essence, can get you quite a few good things..." Qin Yuan thought to himself after scanning the descriptions.

The item that interested him most was naturally the Epic-quality magic rune paper at the bottom. He had already learned about such things from the Whispering Grimoire. Every level of a spell was a qualitative leap; it wasn't just a simple numerical increase. High-level spells often possessed additional effects that lower-level ones lacked.

"But for now, I can only look and not buy. I'll have to wait until at least after the next Land of Spirits session concludes..."

After browsing the Pumpkin Shop, Qin Yuan turned his attention to the other new feature—Trading Posts.

After studying it further, he understood the process. First, if you want to request an item, you cannot set a custom price; you must follow the official fixed price. For example, if the normal market price for an item in the Land of Spirits is 5 gold coins, then a trade request must be at least 20% higher than the normal price—in this case, 6 gold coins—and you must pay in advance to post the request. If another player sees it, happens to have the item, and is interested, they can click confirm below the post, and the trade will be completed directly in their backpacks. To facilitate this, a new area had been added to the player's backpack for depositing gold coins and items.

It was quite convenient.

Qin Yuan immediately edited a trading post, primarily to acquire 200g of Purification Powder. Upon checking, the minimum required offer was 12 gold coins.

*Good grief...*

That meant the market price for this item had already reached 10 gold coins.

*Hiss...*

Although it was a bit expensive, there was no other way. Qin Yuan gritted his teeth and paid the price. Sure enough, the new feature was quite popular, perhaps because few people had posted yet. Shortly after his post went live, he received several replies.

"What is this item? (Curious)"

"Never heard of it..."

"Damn, 12 gold coins?! Are the big shots really that rich?"

It was all junk information. Besides, once he posted it, he didn't need to worry about it anymore; he would receive a system notification once the trade was completed. There was no need to worry about missing it.

He had another important thing to do next: go to the market to buy some fruit and food that he could give to the slimes on the Sky Island the next time he entered the Land of Spirits. To do this, he had exchanged three Magic Crystals—worth fifteen gold coins—at the Alchemy Shop when he returned this time. His wallet had been quite full, but it had taken a heavy hit due to the trading post for the Purification Powder.

However, he didn't plan on exchanging too much. Exchanging one gold coin for cash would be enough for daily use, as he didn't have many expenses living alone. The exchange rate for gold to cash on the forum was still as high as 1 to 200,000.

"Should I just meet one of those wealthy players on the forum who are buying gold?" Qin Yuan considered which channel would be best for cashing out. The trading post only allowed for the exchange of items produced in the Land of Spirits; cash was not included.

After a moment of thought, he suddenly realized something. Didn't Zhang Wenbin say a few days ago that he had applied to join that "Player Alliance"? Since it was an organization established by the Federal Security Bureau, they might have channels for this sort of thing.

Thinking of this, Qin Yuan immediately sent a private message to ask if there was a channel to convert gold coins into cash. Compared to private trades with uncontrollable risks, Qin Yuan certainly preferred to deal with an acquaintance.

Before long, he received a reply.

Zhang Wenbin: "Boss, you want to sell gold coins?!"

Zhang Wenbin: "We just asked, and the internal purchase price here is currently 195,000. If you don't want to expose yourself, I can exchange it in my name and then bring you the cash once it's done."

*As expected...*

Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do we trade?"

After a while, Zhang Wenbin replied, "I happen to have some time. Why don't you send me an address, and we can meet up to talk?"

Qin Yuan thought for a moment and decided not to choose his home, instead sending the location of a newly opened café downstairs.

"Got it, Boss, I'll be there right away."

Closing the computer, Qin Yuan dressed neatly and headed downstairs.