IMC Chapter 56

After the people who wanted to buy the glowing meat had left the tavern, it seemed less crowded. Lan Qing then brought food and drinks, and the two of them ate and chatted.

Lan Qing told Shu Bao about the process of inventing the glowing meat. Ever since awakening his apothecary talent, he had gained a new understanding of the world. When handling the jackal meat, he suddenly realized that while this meat might be rare or ordinary in the real world, it was absolutely unique in the chaotic world.

Lan Qing was very curious about whether the meat would have other functions in the chaotic world. So, with the help of magical potions and magical plants, and after several experiments, he successfully developed the glowing meat.

Light sources are incredibly precious to the people of the dark world. Even though the light emitted by the glowing meat doesn’t have warmth, it gives a sense of special comfort and longing. Moreover, after consuming it, the light appears automatically without needing a light mage, light potion, or lighting tools.

After Lan Qing finished recounting the creation of the glowing meat, Shu Bao looked around with curiosity. “What about your previous boss?”

At this, Lan Qing couldn’t help but sigh. “Don’t mention it. The boss’s pride was just too strong. He ran away secretly after only a few days of work. Before leaving, he even left me a farewell note, saying he would come back after achieving success.”

Lan Qing then handed a note to Shu Bao. Shu Bao unfolded it and saw that it contained only a single angry sentence, with some strokes having even torn through the paper, indicating the writer’s rage.

【I will definitely come back leading a powerful army! You’d better be ready!】

Lan Qing touched his own neck. “Ever since the boss left, I’ve been diligently washing my neck every day. Although I didn’t notice before that the boss had a cleanliness obsession, I still feel it’s important to keep the promise in anticipation of his return.”

Lan Qing carefully put the note away, saying, “After all, when I first arrived, I caused some damage to the tavern. The boss didn’t hold it against me but let me work to earn money. I will definitely repay him.”

Shu Bao: “…” It seemed more like a threat than a farewell note, but it didn’t matter. Once they established themselves in the chaotic world, the tavern owner would never be able to take back the tavern.

The mouse extended a paw and patted Lan Qing on the head. “Then you must work hard and make the tavern thrive, so when your boss comes back, he’ll find an even better place to work.”

“Exactly, that’s what I think too.” Lan Qing smiled happily, showing his two small sharp teeth. After talking about his own matters, Lan Qing asked Shu Bao why he had come over so quickly this time.

“The task for the Lord’s Heart is complete. On the way back last time, I encountered a group of rootless grass and played a game with them for a while. After returning, I completed the task and received the blueprint for the Magic Academy. However, the construction materials are very rare…” Shu Bao said, about to take out the list he had prepared.

Suddenly, the mouse’s head turned toward the bulletin board. “Is the task to find rootless grass still posted?”

Lan Qing nodded. “Yes.” Rootless grass was elusive, and finding it depended heavily on luck. He hadn’t expected his fluffy teammate to have such good fortune.

As Lan Qing was reflecting, his fluffy teammate suddenly darted out with a burst of speed, raced to the bulletin board, quickly climbed up, and tore down the notice about finding rootless grass. Clearly, Shu Bao thought he could save the money from this announcement.

Some people in the tavern noticed Shu Bao’s actions. But after seeing which task he had removed, they lost interest and looked away.

Just as Shu Bao returned to the table with the notice, the tavern door was pushed open again. With the speed of the wind, a person arrived at the bulletin board, scanned around, and couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s the task for finding rootless grass?”

The familiar voice made Shu Bao turn around. It was a person wearing a silver mask, but since Shu Bao had some difficulty recognizing faces, it was the person’s cloak and antennae that caught his attention. Shu Bao immediately recognized the person: Fu Qing.

A person at the table next to the bulletin board took a couple of swigs of beer and replied, “You’re a bit late. Someone just took it down.”

Fu Qing: “…”

The duck that was almost in hand had flown away, and Fu Qing was somewhat frustrated. Just then, he sneezed heavily, and the sneezing wouldn’t stop, one after another. Others, initially uninterested, began to watch with curiosity, finding the continuous sneezing tiresome to listen to.

Shu Bao, who had quietly folded the notice and sat on it, tilted his head and scrutinized Fu Qing.

People around began to ask out of curiosity, “Bro, are you allergic? The boss’s magic potions work pretty well; you might want to buy some.”

“Achoo, thanks, but I don’t associate with ugly freaks. Achoo!” Fu Qing managed to say with great difficulty.

The kind-hearted person who had made the suggestion: “…” That’s what you get for sneezing so much!

Although he lost a task reward, Fu Qing still went to the boss’s table and bowed his head, staring intently at the snake and mouse.

“Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!”

Three heavy sneezes broke the silence.

Lan Qing silently used the tip of his tail to pull out a potion from the cabinet. “Anti-allergy potion. Just soak the allergen in it and stir, then drink it to resist allergies for ten days. 10 silver coins. Thank you.”

Hearing the price, Fu Qing winced visibly but ultimately handed over a small pouch. “Give me three.”

Lan Qing then pulled out two more potions. Fu Qing quickly opened the first one, frowned, dipped his finger into the potion to stir it, and then drank it all at once.

Lan Qing looked on with a trace of disdain. This person had such a strange habit of drinking! And he didn’t follow the instructions at all, not even putting the allergen into the potion. “Sir, you’re wasting the potion. Please put the allergen in and stir it.”

Fu Qing ignored Lan Qing. After drinking the potion, he felt his breathing instantly clear up and the sneezing stopped. He took the other two potions and complimented, “The potion is good.” Then he picked up a glass of wine and went to study the bulletin board.

Shu Bao and Lan Qing exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes. When Shu Bao quietly told Lan Qing that the masked person drinking the potion was Fu Qing, Lan Qing’s round eyes widened even more, and he complained to Shu Bao, “I didn’t expect that a top-tier, popular powerhouse would have such a strange habit. After all, it can’t be finger allergies, can it?”

The two couldn’t guess Fu Qing’s allergen, so seeing him studying the various tasks posted on the bulletin board, they returned to focusing on their own business.

Shu Bao handed Lan Qing the task list to review. Fortunately, Lan Qing had inherited the apothecary talent and had been doing well in the chaotic world recently, so he was familiar with the five types of task items.

“Fire Phoenix is a bird that lives in the Sea of Fire Trees. It is said to be reborn from its own flames, achieving immortality. The trees there produce flowers of flame, and the fruit of these flowers is the Fire Seed. With the Fire Seed, one can avoid all rain and awaken the talent of a fire mage.”

“Sunken Ice Crystal is typically ice that floats on the surface of water. If there’s a place where ice sinks to the seabed, it would be the Heavy Water Sea. The water there has almost no buoyancy, so the ice naturally sinks. As for the Thick Earth Crystal…”

Shu Bao used his claws to spear a piece of fruit and interjected, “Could you tell me about the Golden Snail first?”

“Of course. The Golden Snail is found in the Land of Gold Sources. It’s a continent made entirely of metal—land, mountains, and even rivers are made of metal. The Golden Snail is a giant snail that consumes metal. Depending on the metal it eats, there are also Silver Snails, Steel Snails…”

Shu Bao’s eyes grew brighter as he listened. Such a magical place still exists in the world! According to Lan Qing, most of the creatures in that land fed on metal and had evolved metal shells, making metal a part of their bodies!

It was exactly the natural mine he had dreamed of!

Of course, despite the rich resources, the danger level was also very high. The creatures living there had not only incredible defenses but also formidable offensive capabilities.

“I’ve decided. We’ll first go find the Fire Phoenix. By the way, do you have any magical potions that can make birds lose their feathers?” Shu Bao asked with anticipation, rubbing his little claws.

Lan Qing, who had been speaking non-stop about the other task items, suddenly paused. “Potion for losing feathers?”

Clearly, as an apothecary, this was the strangest potion request Lan Qing had ever heard. However, as a good teammate, he nodded thoughtfully. “Give me some time. I’ll look into it.”

Shu Bao patted his fluffy head. “It would be best if you could also research a hair growth potion.”

“Okay.” Lan Qing put on a pair of small glasses with the tip of his tail, instantly adopting the air of a researcher.

“May I join your team?” A voice from above made both of them look up. They saw Fu Qing standing by the table, having appeared there without them noticing.

Shu Bao: “…” How did this person move so silently?

Lan Qing: “…” The top-tier powerhouse is actually asking to join the team!

Seeing that neither of them responded, Fu Qing continued, “I overheard some of your conversation. Whether it’s the Sea of Fire Trees, the Heavy Water Sea, or the Land of Gold Sources, all are extremely dangerous. I think you need a powerful companion. And I not only have strength but also good looks.”

Shu Bao responded, “Your mask is indeed impressive, and your cloak and antennae are especially nice.”

Lan Qing nodded from the side. “Allow us to discuss it. We’ll give you a reply shortly.”

So, the mouse and snake went to the corner of the table to confer in hushed tones. Soon, they returned and said to Fu Qing, “We agree.”

Fu Qing bowed slightly with great courtesy. “Well then, not-so-ugly companions, may I have more information about the tasks?”

Shu Bao: “…”

Lan Qing: “…”

---