Chapter 174: Bossman, Do You Have Time Tonight?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
System Notification: [The System used Beginner-level Alchemy and consumed low-quality vitality crops to make 3 Beginner-level Face Rejuvenating Pill.]
The System said, “Host, you have a higher charisma. Go and hoodwink him, best if he could buy it every month…”
Fang Ning complained, “Are you letting me do everything shameless? Didn’t I ask you earlier to offer to cover their alchemy businesses, what did you say? You say it’s troublesome…”
The System said, “They have several hundred thousand people, how would I be able to synthesize all of their needs? I can only take some higher level transactions.”
Fang Ning had an idea. “If that’s the case, let’s target these Pond-level powerhouses and open an internet shop for them. I’ll let Zheng Dao take care of it as well. Every one of your System Skills was so badass, isn’t it wasteful to just leave it around. You don’t need to do much, just take one of your multithreads to do a little bit when you’re free. It’s fine if it’s just a little bit, rare things are more expensive, after all…”
The System said, “Hey, Host, you’re thinking fast.”
Fang Ning said, “Then what about the commission?”
The System said, “Five percent.”
Fang Ning was lazy to bargain. “You’re stingy, I’m not even gonna try bargaining. Gimme back my body and let me look at the effect these pills have.”
Fang Ning took his body back, read the effects, and took the pills to Ren Ruofeng.
Ren Ruofeng saw the three jade-green pills on Vigilante A’s hand that emanated a refreshing scent. Anyone who could sense it would know it was not a normal pill.
This high-quality stuff was not something the Truth Department’s alchemists could synthesize as they had neither the time nor the provisions to develop such a profitable beauty product… Maybe someone would, but they would not waste time and ingredients to develop something for the public.
At this point, he had a new money-making idea that can collaborate with his friends at the Aristocratic Cultivation Club.
Fang Ning said as he gestured at the three pills, “This is the secret Face Rejuvenating Pill from my tribe. You just start with soaking it with water, wait for it to melt a little bit, and wash your face daily with it. Use one pill every month and it will fade scars, calm your pimples, remove your blackheads et cetera. If you use it long enough, it might even give you a glow and help you get laid.”
The effect he mentioned were all true. Anything that the System produced must be fine stuff.
The effects were not the element he needed to convince the buyer, but the price.
Ren Ruofeng nodded along. With his intelligence, there were not many people who could fool him.
He could tell within seconds of looking at it that it was a complicated process to produce the pill and not something anyone could make.
He asked, “How much are you selling?”
Fang Ning said calmly, “This pill was made with thousand-year-old snow lotus, ten-thousand-year-old tuber fleeceflower… and such with a complicated processing method. I’m busy with cultivating and upholding justice everywhere, so I can only produce ten every month.”
Ren Ruofeng kept nodding as he listened to the ingredients list. “I know, okay.”
He traced his finger in the air, outlining a price.
There was cash as well as crops.
Ren Ruofeng was not stupid, the price he offered was not sky-high, but it was still a pretty good deal when compared to the System’s cost.
Fang Ning could only sigh in response. ‘No wonder advertisements for skin care were so popular. Homebodies like me who never take care of their appearances have never paid attention to an industry like this and its money-making potential…’
Fang Ning continued saying, “Sure, I trust the reputation of the Truth Department. I’ll let you use these three pills first. As for the payment, just send it over together with the materials for the flying sword.”
Ren Ruofeng took the three pills and thanked Vigilante A before parting their ways.
Vigilante A left immediately while Ren Ruofeng stared at the pill levitating in his palm in deep thoughts.
“What a meeting in the wind and on the clouds. The wind didn’t come, and the clouds didn’t congregate, but I do smell the stench of copper… (TM: ‘Copper stench’, Chinese saying meaning ‘the capitalistic pursuit for money’)”
Ren Ruofeng was calm in responding to such an accusation, he said, “Hong Yunjiao, I’ll give you one of the pills. Just shut your mouth and never tell it to anyone else.”
Hong Yunjiao said, “That’s more like it. What about next month?”
“Next month? Starting next month, Vigilante A would definitely auction it, he’s not an idiot,” said Ren Ruofeng silently.
Hong Yunjiao was going to say something else, but her tone shifted. “Something strange was reported by the Snares Below. I have to go check it out now, so you go and check on the guys tuning up the spiritually-controlled mechs.”
…
Vigilante A hurried home while Fang Ning stayed in the System Space. He flipped open his precious game book and looked up Ren Ruofeng’s information.
[Ren Ruofeng. Sex: Male, Likes: Planning, Skincare. Age: 73. Remarks: The technique he cultivates resets his appearance to 18 years old. Identity: The Truth Department’s Think Tank Group Captain.]
[Alignment: Neutral Righteous.]
[Power Level: Pond-level Powerhouse. Description: A swimming pool-size, depth unknown, extremely intelligent, extremely dangerous.]
Fang Ning was speechless after reading that. “No wonder this old fart dared to claim to be eighteen-years-old. I registered to be eighteen-years-old for fun on my I.D., but he really thought himself was one.”
The System said, “I don’t care how old he claims to be. I only want to know when he will send the flying sword materials and the payment for the pills.”
Fang Ning gave it a thought and asked curiously, “Sir System, you are currently working on two pieces of equipment, namely a Legendary Interspatial Equipment (TN: Previously called Legendary Space Equipment. Reading ahead, it seemed like this updated term is more accurate) and a legendary leather armor thingy. You also have an artifact perfect for luring monsters that need just a little bit more to complete. And now you are adding a flying sword to the list? How long are you planning to take to complete all these items?”
The System said, “Can’t I splurge a little on experience points? The Land of Heritage has so many bloodthirsty demons anyway, it would be enough for now. Oh right, after your break, I want to go back to the pond to fish, I have yet to have a chance to use the envenomed porcupine meat.”
Fang Ning said in his usual defeated tone, “I knew you would be obsessed about it. However, let me remind you that the meat can only be used a few times. After the initial two or three rounds, the demons would no longer take the bait. No, you can’t go and fish, you are not efficient by just fishing. Let’s wait for the end of the year and net them all.”
The System said, “I know.”
…
After returning, Vigilante A announced to the two dogs that he will be going into seclusion for ten days.
Xue Ba’s progress in cultivation was good, so it was allowed a holiday for ten days. On the other hand, Brett did not improve at all, so it needed to work extra hard.
Fang Ning did not have to worry about Zheng Dao as he was much more determined than Fang Ning will ever be…
Brett hung its head low and agreed morosely.
As soon as Fang Ning left, Xue Ba picked up its phone and started calling.
“Hey Dan Dan, I have a ten-day break, you can come over to my place tomorrow.”
“I’ll let you read some books and we’ll have a feast.”
“That’s right, it’s the good ol’ Fang’s restaurant. My master is very familiar with their owner. I can ask him to cook a really nice meal for you…”
Xue Ba, the yellow dog, did not know that the owner of the Fang’s Delicious Catering Chain, Fang Ning was going to replace his mechanical puppet the following day.
With Fang Ning’s personality, not only did he not have the System’s cooking skills, even if he did, he would not have cooked, so Xue Ba’s date was doomed from the start…
Brett, the black dog, heard it and asked, “Who’s Dan Dan? The name sounds familiar.”
Xue Ba said without any expression, “Of course it sounds familiar. Remember the white Labrador we tried to hit on when we first descended to Qi City?”
Brett immediately recalled and yelped. “Oh, I remember we took turns but we both failed. Her master said I was a rural dog without a dog tag, and she said you were not local and asked you to play with yourself…”
Xue Ba was smug but maintained its calm expression as it said, “She came looking for me, this is what the saying ‘Intelligence can change fate’ means…”
The black dog looked at the rows of books at the back and then to its torso that was constantly growing beefier and more muscular. Its eyes kept swimming around as it sighed at itself.
‘Ugh, life is so unfair. Only several months had passed and the yellow one had already succeeded in a reversal, but I’m still here, doing push-ups, being alone…’
‘Looks like the Venerable White Dragon didn’t lie to me. Atmospheric Morality Technique can really raise one’s class and help them get laid.’
At this thought, Brett clenched its jaw and lowered its head. “Bossman, do you have time tonight?”
…
The next morning at Fang Ning’s restaurant.
Fang Ning restored his original look and sat in his Mercedes-Benz that his restaurant owned and arrived at the street where the restaurant was located.
At one end of the street, a construction project was going on as machines and vehicles filed in and out of the street and turned it into a huge construction area. After half a year of absence, he nearly could not recognize the original structure of the street.
Fang Ning had transferred information from his mechanical puppet the night before, so he could understand the situation pretty clearly due to his cultivation-strengthened brain.
A large plot of land had been bought over by Fang’s Delicious Catering Chain with the help of the Qi City’s Chamber of Commerce. An upper-class food-and-drink complex was planned to be built there.
Fang Ning’s Mercedes-Benz driver looked radiant. Working at Fang’s Delicious Catering Chain, his pay and benefits had been really satisfactory. He said, “Boss, you’re going to get richer soon. I heard anyone who’s anything in the country had been trying to come into Qi City to invest in projects and settle here. When that happens, your business must become even more popular! Now that the hero is here, no one dared to even make a fuss in the restaurant, our operation was as smooth as silk.”
Fang Ning chuckled. With a true dragon watching over the restaurant was a pretty solid guarantee.
Each of those important people had their resources and information about who they could bully and who they could not.
The news about Fang’s Delicious Catering Chain being Vigilante A’s personal restaurant had already become common knowledge. Vigilante A’s fame was constantly climbing, information such as his birth as a true dragon, his rating of Pond-level powerhouses, his official ranking being a Grade-A were all recorded in intelligence organizations’ files and could be easily bought.
That was a huge safety charm.
The only regrettable thing was that he had way fewer opportunities to flaunt his power. His restaurant manager, Zhao Ying had never contacted Vigilante A regarding anything that was unfair.
Fang Ning asked his driver to stop at a hotpot restaurant that had been temporarily converted into a parking lot. It had six floors and had been rented by Fang’s Delicious Catering Chains to serve as a transition office.
Arriving at the manager’s office on the sixth floor, Fang Ning found Zhao Ying.
A white hamster was sitting on her table, slowly nibbling at a chestnut. Its eyes darted about with liveliness.
As it saw Fang Ning’s entrance, it glanced at him for a split second before continuing to attack the chestnut as if nothing had happened.
Fang Ning did not mind it. It was on the sixth floor, far from the kitchen or the dining hall. He would not limit his employees if they like keeping pets.
He remembered that Zhao Ying really like small animals. Both Xue Ba and Brett mentioned before that when they were trying to dine in the restaurant, she was trying to feed them leftovers instead of chasing them away. They even misunderstood that she was looking down on them at the time.
