Qi Xu used to go for the longest time—even up to a month—only washing his hands and private parts. His hair would get so greasy it dried out, and eventually, he just rented an electric clipper for 10 minutes and shaved his head completely bald.
This way, he didn’t have to wash it anymore, nor did he have to touch it and feel disgusted. But for some reason, his mood took a nosedive for several days afterward.
Now, he didn’t have to worry about any of that anymore. Just thinking about it made him happy.
These days, Qi Xu didn’t just want to survive—he wanted to live with quality. That was important. Otherwise, every day would feel aimless, like trudging forward as a mindless zombie, which was utterly draining.
Qi Xu posted the materials needed for the water condenser in the group chat: “Anyone need a basic water condenser? Send me one extra of each material. If you’re missing something, you can substitute with something else.”
He set the price outright. Right now, he was probably the only one in the entire region with a crafting station, but eventually, others would unlock theirs too.
Basic water condensers would become worthless sooner or later. For the people in this group, Qi Xu saw no reason to hide anything—he just laid out the price plainly.
As for free crafting services? Yeah, no. He wasn’t about to do that.
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang: “OMG, boss, you’re insane! You actually have a crafting station? And the blueprint for a water condenser?!”
Chief Beauty Officer: “Me! Me! Big bro, look at me, I’m begging!”
Chinese Master Chef: “I go through a lot of water—can I get two? I’ll throw in extra materials and even cover your breakfast every day. Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ”
Old White Dragon in the Waves: “COOL! Boss is a legend—just charging one extra material? I want two as well, and I’ll add more supplies!”
Warwolf 009 sent a thumbs-up emoji and immediately transferred the materials. He’d had a water condenser before but traded it for fever meds with Invincible Black Whirlwind, and he hadn’t gotten another one since.
In the end, everyone except Retired Magical Boy sent over their materials. Qi Xu received eight orders—three from Chinese Master Chef, two from Old White Dragon in the Waves, and one each from the others.
Retired Magical Boy stayed silent, so Qi Xu focused on fulfilling the existing orders first.
A while later, Retired Magical Boy privately messaged Qi Xu with a voice note—one that sounded like he was laughing maniacally.
“Hahaha! They say fortune favors the bold—guess what I just pulled today?!”
Back when he’d been poisoned, Retired Magical Boy had already revealed his real gender in a voice note. Qi Xu hadn’t pointed it out, and Retired Magical Boy had stopped pretending.
When Qi Xu saw the item description Retired Magical Boy sent him, his jaw nearly dropped.
[Medicine Duplication Bowl: Any medical item or tool related to healing, placed inside my belly, will duplicate into a brand-new copy every 24 hours!
But remember to collect them on time—my belly isn’t that big. If it gets too full, I can’t make any more copies!]
Qi Xu was still figuring out what to trade or rent for this bowl when Retired Magical Boy sent it over directly.
“I can never repay you for saving my life, but this is the best thing I’ve got. I’ll pay you back for the rest later, okay?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Qi Xu accepted it. “After I duplicate the meds, I’ll send you a copy of everything!”
Then he sent Retired Magical Boy two basic water condensers, but the other party didn’t accept them.
Retired Magical Boy: “╥﹏╥ Now I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“Don’t worry. Just give me first dibs on any good stuff you pull in the future. I think your luck’s insane—how else would you get something this broken?”
Qi Xu had never even heard of something like this before.
Retired Magical Boy: “Deal!! You saying that makes me so happy—I suddenly don’t feel like a useless waste anymore.”
Invincible Black Whirlwind: “You never were. Don’t underestimate your ride—it might seem like dead weight now, but it’ll be OP later. Keep at it.”
Retired Magical Boy: “Got it!”
Qi Xu examined the Medicine Duplication Bowl closely.
It looked… kind of pathetic. Just a beat-up, rusty metal bowl.
Its “belly” could hold up to 20 types of medicine.
Qi Xu emptied his medical kit: fever meds, cold medicine, hemostatic bandages, detox pills, cough syrup, anti-inflammatory drugs, bruise ointment, and the legendary Instant Recovery Miracle Pill—eight items in total.
The moment he placed them inside, the Instant Recovery Miracle Pill got kicked out.
[You think you can duplicate something this OP? Get real!]
Qi Xu’s face darkened. Okay, fine, but did it have to be so rude about it?
Just then, Bubbly Girl Guo Degang tagged Qi Xu in the group:
“@Invincible Black Whirlwind Boss, are you selling the water condensers in the main chat? If so, I’ll be your hype man.”
Old White Dragon in the Waves: “Yeah, we can fake some competition, drive up the price.”
Qi Xu had planned to sell in the main chat anyway, so he replied with a simple, “Sure.”
Then he headed straight to the public channel.
Invincible Black Whirlwind:
Basic Automatic Water Condenser: Produces 500ml of drinking water and 1000ml of utility water daily.
Price: 9 iron scraps, 6 glass, 10 plastic, 3 silver, 3 cotton.
If you’re short on materials or don’t want to pay in resources, you can substitute with other items or tools. No basic food accepted.
Not only had Qi Xu tripled the required materials, but he’d also added cotton to the list.
The people in the group chat suddenly felt like they’d scored a massive bargain—some even debated whether they should send him something extra. Thank goodness they’d made it into the boss’s inner circle.
Player 1001: “Holy crap! Boss, I’ll take one!”
Light Fills the World: “Did you pull a crafting station and the blueprint? Can you post the blueprint details? Why does a basic water condenser need cotton? For filtration? Also, isn’t the price a little steep?”
Invincible Black Whirlwind: “Say one more word, and I’m not selling to you.”
Blessed by Luck: “@Light Fills the World Shut the hell up! If I miss out because of you, I’ll spend 24/7 cursing your ancestors eight generations back!”
Bubbly Girl Guo Degang: “Exactly. If you don’t want it, don’t buy it. The rest of us do. Honestly, the price is more than fair—never worry about water again, and with extra utility water, you can even wash up a little.”
Old White Dragon in the Waves: “Any purchase limit? I’ll take three!”
Retired Magical Boy: “Two for me! Get in line!”
With them hyping it up, Qi Xu instantly got over a dozen messages—some sending materials outright to place orders, but most trying to haggle or asking if certain materials could be swapped for alternatives.
........
