The owl took one look at the scene before it, grabbed its headset, and launched into a furious half-hour tirade! The language was so filthy it was unbearable... almost reaching the level of those players from Zone 444.
Which blind, incompetent underling had claimed this human player was some big-shot tycoon? Not only did they haggle prices down to the bone, but they didn’t buy a single useful item—instead, they cleaned out all the barely profitable food like they hadn’t eaten in 800 years.
And now? Now they were here scavenging through trash! Wasn’t it better to just serve two normal players? Why fight over this lunatic? To make matters worse, they’d even lost a bunch of rare items—what a massive loss!
Especially... especially since this human player was playing with shit... Ugh... Ugh!!
Qi Xu couldn’t care less about what the owl was thinking. From the moment she entered this dungeon, it was clear that the two simplest, lowest-cost methods to raise the owl’s favorability wouldn’t work.
So she abandoned them outright and went for the far more entertaining route—absolute chaos.
Qi Xu strolled leisurely through the garbage dump. Naturally, the zoo’s trash was related to animals.
And since the owl had malicious intentions, it had led Qi Xu to the filthiest, most disgusting recycling center—one filled almost entirely with animal feces.
Qi Xu was a little repulsed at first, but after scanning the mess with her display screen, she clicked her tongue in appreciation. There were definitely hidden treasures here.
〖Starfire Insect Dung〗: "Can be used as a combustion aid. A single pellet burns more easily and lasts longer than a pile of firewood!"
Without hesitation, Qi Xu pulled out a large sack, double-checked that her gloves were secure, and started shoveling the Starfire Insect Dung inside. She didn’t stop until she was sure she’d gotten every last bit before moving on.
〖Skeletal Vajra Vulture〗: "Don’t underestimate me just because I’m a bird’s bones. I’m highly spiritual—not only can I be used as weapon material, but I can also help my master forge a deep connection with their weapon."
Another excellent find. Qi Xu pulled out another sack and started stuffing it full, planning to give these to Tie Doudou later—maybe they could even upgrade Ying Luo!
Only after ensuring not a single vulture bone remained did she reluctantly stop.
Then, digging through another pile of dung, she suddenly spotted some large, colorful pellets. Curious, she scanned them with her display.
〖Rainbow-Scaled Sky-Soaring Dragon Dung〗: "Can neutralize all poisons, whether ingested or applied externally. Also has the effect of intimidating all monsters."
Qi Xu froze. A... dragon?
Did legendary creatures like that actually exist? Her eyes sparkled with excitement—and a Sky-Soaring dragon at that, capable of flight!
If she’d known, she would’ve refreshed the animal selection a few more times. Haggling was always an option, after all.
But since she’d stumbled upon this opportunity, she could spend the next few days gathering intel and observing.
Her thoughts raced, but her hands moved even faster. In this entire garbage dump, there were only 27 pellets of Rainbow-Scaled Sky-Soaring Dragon Dung—naturally, she took them all.
After combing through the room several times to confirm there was nothing else of value, Qi Xu finally went back to the owl, though not without some reluctance.
From the owl’s perspective, it was like watching a pitch-black whirlwind covered head-to-toe in shit charging straight at it.
The owl let out a horrified screech. “Oh, NO, SHIT! Stay the hell away! Fine, fine, I’m not deaf—whatever you want to say, just say it from over there!”
Qi Xu wasn’t the least bit upset by the rejection. Instead, she pretended to be hard of hearing. “Huh? What’d you say?”
As she spoke, she inched closer to the owl, then—despite its desperate resistance—gently patted its feathers.
The owl shrieked in agony, on the verge of tears.
“I’ll take all of this. How much?”
“It’s free! Just please stay away from me!”
If not for the workplace rule that employees couldn’t actively avoid customers or ignore their requests, the owl would’ve flapped its wings and bolted long ago. What kind of nightmare was this?!
Qi Xu nodded. “Yeah, it’s just some dung. Charging for it would’ve been disgusting. Now take me to the next recycling warehouse—I’m not leaving until I’ve made a profit.”
She was outright blackmailing it now. If the owl didn’t want to waste more time, it’d better take her somewhere worthwhile.
The owl had never met a human so vile, shameless, cunning, and adept at exploiting the rules!
Its favorability plummeted, but Qi Xu couldn’t care less.
Finally, the owl gritted its teeth and spat out, “Fine!” before turning and leading Qi Xu to Warehouse No. 1.
A sign hung at the entrance:
"Entry strictly prohibited for all personnel except 〖Warehouse Managers〗 and 〖Recycling Workers〗. Violators will be fined 1,000,000 Survival Coins!"
The words were scrawled messily but were still legible.
Qi Xu smirked. The owl had finally caved. This was where a recycling worker belonged—that last place had just been a disgusting prank. Not that it was a total waste; she’d still scored some good loot.
Inside, directly across from the entrance, was a desk where a giant spider lay sprawled, lazily twirling pens—eight pens, one for each leg. Damn, this one was the real acrobat here.
Noticing the newcomer, the spider flipped over curiously. “You a recycling worker? Let me see your ID.”
As Qi Xu handed it over, she gasped in admiration. “Wow, you really are the world’s greatest web-weaver! Your legs are so dexterous!”
The spider grinned—a sight that would’ve sent chills down most people’s spines—but instead of recoiling, it extended one leg toward Qi Xu.
She immediately understood and shook it enthusiastically. “Nice to meet you! I’m Black Whirlwind. And you?”
“Rare to meet a human who isn’t scared of me. You’re interesting. Call me Beauty.”
“Absolutely beautiful! And that outfit? So stylish! You could just lounge on a web and it’d be a full-on fashion shoot—the texture of your fur is perfect, and those metallic sheens on your legs? You’re basically the supermodel of the monster world! Sweetheart, can I take a photo with you? Oh, and an autograph too! I’ll put it right by my bed!”
Qi Xu’s eyes sparkled with genuine excitement as she clung to Beauty’s leg, refusing to let go. Anyone watching would’ve believed every word was heartfelt.
“That... that exaggerated? You’re making me blush, heh heh heh...”
【Zoo Warehouse Manager Beauty’s favorability toward you has increased by 10 points. Current favorability: 15.】
Qi Xu wiped imaginary sweat from her brow. Finally triggered a zoo NPC’s favorability. Beauty seemed like the only normal one here—though there had to be a reason for that.
Probably the 〖Recycling Worker〗 identity. But that didn’t matter. As long as she could communicate... Qi Xu’s eyes gleamed with hunger as she stared at Beauty, making the poor spider freeze in discomfort...
...........
