Chapter 144: Chapter 101: Excess Profit, the Naive Half Deer Maiden (Part 2)

Pei Ze was secretly puzzled as he walked to the end of the line and stood there.

The person in front of him glanced back. After a moment’s surprise, an enthusiastic smile immediately spread across his face.

"It’s Master Pei Ze! Are you here to use the Dark Well too?"

Pei Ze paused, his expression turning strange as he glanced at the third-year badge on the other person’s chest.

For a third-year to be calling him ’Master’ was strange, to say the least.

Noticing Pei Ze’s gaze, the student showed no signs of embarrassment. In fact, his smile grew wider as he explained, "Everyone in the academy agrees that it’s only a matter of time before you become a Wizard. I’m just adapting ahead of time."

Even Pei Ze was taken aback by his words.

’This level of bootlicking... If this were the corporate world from my past life, this senior would have a meteoric rise for sure.’

Soon, the others in front of him noticed Pei Ze and greeted him one after another, all smiles.

"Master Pei Ze is here too."

"Why don’t you go first?"

"Exactly! We have plenty of time, so we’re in no rush."

The crowd parted, making way for Pei Ze.

In the end, Pei Ze found himself at the very front of the line.

Seeing this, he didn’t decline and simply thanked everyone.

The group was instantly flattered, repeatedly telling him not to mention it.

As he turned away, Pei Ze couldn’t help but reflect on the situation.

’It’s true what they say. When you’re powerful enough, you’ll find ’nice people’ everywhere you go.’

Before long, one of the Dark Wells freed up, and Pei Ze immediately stepped forward.

Instead of immediately tossing in a Dark Stone, Pei Ze first followed the instructions on the wall, using an aura imprint to try and contact Tining.

A response came from the other side in just three or four seconds.

Only then did Pei Ze toss the Dark Stone into the well.

The surface of the water rippled. Once it settled, a vast, blue sky appeared, with the faint silhouettes of trees visible on either side.

Then, a familiar, beautiful figure appeared on the reflective surface. It was Tining.

"You finally contacted me!"

Tining looked relieved.

"I’ve been waiting for you."

"My apologies, I’ve been a bit busy," Pei Ze said sincerely before changing the subject. "But I’ve brought what you wanted this time."

At his words, Tining’s eyes lit up, and she eagerly asked, "The Moonlight Orchids? Or the Falling Star Flowers? How many do you have?"

Her wide eyes were filled with anticipation, like a child on their birthday who sees a beautifully wrapped present and can barely resist tearing it open.

Pei Ze smiled and said, "Five hundred Moonlight Orchids."

The Half Deer Maiden clapped her hands in delight. She paced back and forth, even breaking into a joyful run and circling once with a TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP of her hooves before returning to the mirrored surface to gaze at Pei Ze, her face full of gratitude.

"Thank you, Pei Ze! You’re a benefactor to my people!"

Meeting the Half Deer Maiden’s sincere, earnest gaze, Pei Ze gave a small smile. "It won’t be too late to say that once our trade is complete."

"Right, that’s right!"

Tining snapped out of her daze and nodded repeatedly, saying eagerly, "Then let’s start the trade."

The moment she said it, she seemed to realize something and scratched her cheek in embarrassment.

"I forgot to ask, what do you want to trade for?"

Pei Ze already had a list prepared in his mind and answered without hesitation, "Fury Crystals, Golden-backed Ape hearts, the skin and tendons of a Red Python..."

He listed over a dozen types of Magic Creature Materials in one breath.

These were all items he had carefully selected for their high profit margins.

"See what you have on your end. We just need to gather enough to match the value of five hundred Moonlight Orchids."

"Okay, wait for me a moment."

Tining nodded emphatically and took off again, her hooves going TAP-TAP-TAP as she ran.

Soon, a chorus of deer calls, rising and falling, echoed from the other side of the mirrored surface. It was quite pleasant to listen to.

Tining was very efficient. She returned in under five minutes and presented the items for the trade to Pei Ze one by one.

Once both sides confirmed the items, they began to draw the trading Array.

Besides acting as a channel for the exchange, the trading Array also ensures that the items match the terms specified in the trade contract—including name, appearance, properties, quantity, weight, and so on.

With a trading Array, most forms of deception can be avoided.

Of course, as long as it relies on written descriptions, there will be loopholes. It’s impossible to prevent it completely.

Demons and devils, for instance, are masters of this.

They often leave traps in the wording of contracts, causing traders to unwittingly fall for their schemes, ultimately suffering huge losses or even losing everything they invested.

That’s why many people now will immediately sever the connection without a second thought the moment they see a demon or devil on the other side of a Dark Well.

With the abilities of demons and devils, just giving them a chance to speak could lead to an undesirable outcome.

The trading Array wasn’t complex, and Pei Ze finished his side quickly.

The Half Deer Maiden, however, didn’t seem very skilled at it. He had to wait a while before he heard her say she was ready.

After placing the five hundred Moonlight Orchids on the Array, Pei Ze rested his hand on its edge and channeled his Spiritual Power into it.

As the Array activated, the Array Patterns began to glow faintly.

The pile of Moonlight Orchids in the center of the Array slowly distorted and vanished like a reflection in water. In their place, a pile of Magic Creature Materials gradually appeared.

After the light from the Array faded, Pei Ze took stock of all the materials. Once he confirmed everything was there, he placed them in his dimensional bag with satisfaction.

When he turned back to the Dark Well, Tining’s face, beaming with joy, appeared on the mirrored surface.

"The quality of the Moonlight Orchids is excellent! My kinsfolk all say they’re delicious. Thank you, Pei Ze."

Tining thanked him once more, the gratitude in her voice more palpable than before.

It seemed the Moonlight Orchids Pei Ze had brought truly helped her solve a major problem.

Pei Ze waved his hand dismissively. "We both got what we needed."

’I made a huge profit from this trade, too.’

’I can take this batch of Magic Creature Materials back and resell them for forty or fifty times what I paid.’

’In other words, I’ll make at least eight or nine thousand Magic Stone Coins from this. It’s like striking it rich overnight.’

’A few more trades like this, and my net worth will probably surpass that of some Official Wizards.’

However, Pei Ze knew that opportunities like this were rare.

And sure enough, when he asked Tining, her answer was about what he expected.

"Not long ago, my people fought a group of monsters that tried to invade our homeland. We killed many of them, which is why we have so many spoils."

"It might take us some time to gather a similar amount of materials again."

Tining said apologetically.

Pei Ze had expected as much, so he wasn’t disappointed. He waved his hand and smiled. "That’s fine. We can trade again once you have enough Magic Creature Materials."

’Even if a trade like this only happens once every few months, I’ll still be making a massive profit. There’s no reason to complain.’

’Besides, even if they don’t have Magic Creature Materials, Magic Oak Seeds are just as valuable.’

’Especially once I become a Wizard, I’ll most likely have to go to the Plane Battlefield. Having a batch of Magic Oak Seeds on hand would be a huge boost to my safety.’

"EE EE!"

A sudden, crisp cry interrupted their conversation.

It was Xiaoyi, who had popped out of the hood of Pei Ze’s robe to curiously observe Tining on the other side of the mirrored surface.

Seeing Xiaoyi, Tining was a little surprised. "A Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy!"

Pei Ze raised an eyebrow. "You have Ten Thousand Flowers Fairies on your side too?"

Tining nodded. "We do, but they’re very rare. The nectar of a Ten Thousand Flowers Fairy is delicious. I mean... my kinsfolk all love it."

Seemingly understanding that Tining was praising her, Xiaoyi proudly puffed out her chest and let out a delicate giggle.

Tining looked from Xiaoyi to Pei Ze, her expression softening as she smiled. "Ten Thousand Flowers Fairies are creatures with very keen intuition. She seems to rely on you and like you a great deal. You really must be a good person."

Pei Ze paused, glancing at Xiaoyi, looking thoughtful.

Snapping out of it, he saw it was getting late and said his goodbyes to Tining.

"This has been a very pleasant trade. Until next time."

"Until next time," Tining replied, waving with a sweet smile.

The mirrored image vanished, returning to the appearance of still water.

Pei Ze wore a reflective expression.

’Yin Xue was right. The Ancient Tree Deer Spirits really are simple and sincere.’

’If she were dealing with a more black-hearted partner, judging by the Half Deer Maiden’s behavior just now, her entire race could have been swindled into bankruptcy.’

’It’s a good thing she ran into me.’

At that thought, Pei Ze suddenly felt that he was, in fact, a good person. The last tiny trace of guilt in his heart was tossed to the far winds.

’It’s a shame I’m out of Dark Stones. If I want to trade again, I’ll have to find a way to get a few more.’

The Logistics Department didn’t sell Dark Stones. To get more, he’d have to exchange them for merit points.

Pei Ze wasn’t worried, though. If worst came to worst, he could find a way to scrounge a few off his professor.

Leaving the General Affairs Department, Pei Ze rushed over to the Logistics Department, ready to sell the Magic Creature Materials from his dimensional bag and purchase a sufficient amount of rare metals.

’Tonight, I’ll strengthen Silver Star to its critical point!’