Chapter 38: Son of the Plane
The trade zone was located southwest of the old city, less than a ten-minute walk away. A few minutes later, Zhou Ning arrived and began searching for a suitable alchemy shop.
In the game, the trade zone was the place players knew best, as it was the hub for learning life skills and trading goods. You could always see players setting up stalls or dueling there. Seeing it so empty now was a little unsettling.
He inquired at several alchemy shops, but their laboratories were either too rudimentary for his needs or far too expensive. He had briefly considered the West family's alchemy shop, but they only dealt in high-end boutiques. He'd checked their prices, and even with a discount, they were more expensive than anywhere else. They were out of his league.
After checking several more shops, Zhou Ning unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance: the other survivor from Jason Nat's haunted house, Richard Pesa.
In the few days since they had last met, Richard's face had grown a little pale, though his naturally fair complexion made it hard to be sure. He was walking hurriedly down the street, and when he saw Zhou Ning, he stopped in his tracks before breaking into a warm smile.
"Hello, Wayne! Thank you so much for your help last time. I wanted to come to Vic University to thank you in person, but you know, the campus has been on lockdown these past few days."
"You're welcome," Zhou Ning said with a smile. "I was just trying to protect myself."
"It may have been self-protection for you, but you saved my life," Richard insisted. He glanced around and asked, "Are you looking for something? I'm quite familiar with this area, maybe I can help."
Zhou Ning didn't stand on ceremony. "I need to buy some herbs and rent an alchemy laboratory."
Richard's interest was immediately piqued. "Herbs? You came to the right person! I can get you a discount. As for an alchemy lab… I have a few unused ones at my family's place. You're welcome to use one anytime."
Zhou Ning was taken aback. Several unused alchemy labs? Does his family own a gold mine?
"Wait, what is that?" Zhou Ning asked, looking curiously at a strangely shaped building under construction in the distance.
"It's something like a workhouse," Richard explained. "A place where people can work in exchange for food and shelter."
"Oh, I see," Zhou Ning nodded. Lost in conversation, he hadn't realized they had walked along the canal bank and arrived at Richard's family herb shop.
That sign looks familiar! Golden Oak Herbalist. Zhou Ning's eyes widened. Wait, isn't this the Herbalism trainer's shop from the game?
In the game, the shop was owned by an elderly couple, who he now presumed were Richard Pesa's parents. Zhou Ning looked at Richard with new appreciation. The guy seemed unremarkable, but he was clearly more than he appeared.
A few boys who looked to be middle-school age were gathered on the steps of the shop, playing a game called "Weathering with You." He remembered a similar group of NPCs from the game in his past life. Reality was a faithful reproduction.
Richard's mouth twitched. He walked up to the boys and raised his voice. "Leandro, if I remember correctly, shouldn't you be studying alchemy right now?"
"No way, alchemy is boring!" a young man with black hair and a scar on his face shot back, sticking his chin out defiantly. "I want to be the man who controls the weather!"
Hearing that familiar, dramatic teenage declaration, Zhou Ning's heart skipped a beat. He recognized him.
It's him—Leandro de Pesa! One of the Sons of the Plane who appeared across all four game versions!
More importantly, Leandro was the central figure of the future level 60 main storyline. You couldn't even start the main quest chain without him. He was definitely a powerful connection to have. Furthermore, the future Leandro would offer several top-tier universal skills that any class could learn. Befriending him now was a golden opportunity.
Who would have thought that the random passerby he'd rescued would turn out to be Leandro's brother?
Despite his rebellious attitude, the future Son of the Plane was no match for his older brother. After a stern lecture, Leandro's fate was sealed, and he followed Richard inside obediently.
"Who's he?" Leandro asked, his mood quickly shifting from sullen to curious as he looked at Zhou Ning.
"This is my savior, Wayne Stewell," Richard said. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have made it back."
"Oh, thank you very much!" Leandro said, bowing respectfully to Zhou Ning.
[Leandro de Pesa's favorability toward you has increased significantly.]
Not bad, Zhou Ning thought. An unexpected bonus, and I don't even have to grovel for it.
The rest of the process went smoothly. For a large chain of herb shops like theirs, the quantity Zhou Ning needed was a drop in the bucket. However, since he planned for this to be a long-term arrangement, he insisted on paying. They eventually settled on a 20% discount, a good deal for both of them.
Richard hadn't been bragging about the alchemy labs, either. His family really did have several sitting empty. One of them was perfect for Zhou Ning. It was located near Vic University, making the commute convenient. The facilities were also comprehensive, not much different from the labs in the university's alchemy building. It even had a small cot for resting, so he could stay the night if he didn't feel like returning to the dorm.
Most importantly, the price was right. A typical lab rental cost about 2 Roshen per hour, or at least 4 Victa a day. Richard was only asking for 30 Victa a month, which was perfect for someone on a tight budget like him. The only catch was that Zhou Ning had to look out for Leandro at the university.
After some consideration, Zhou Ning was shamelessly tempted.
Besides, he mused, does a protagonist like Leandro really need my protection? It's more likely to be the other way around!
They finalized the rent at 30 Victa a month, with one month's rent and one month's deposit paid upfront. They also arranged for someone to deliver the herbs to him periodically.
Zhou Ning expressed his thanks and chatted with Richard for a few more minutes until a butler brought out a lease agreement. After they both signed, Zhou Ning counted out sixty Victa in cash with a pained expression and handed it to Richard.
Richard took the money without bothering to count it. His expression suddenly turned serious. "Wayne," he asked with concern, "have you had any nightmares or heard any strange noises these past few days?"
He's experiencing it too.
Zhou Ning, who had suspected as much, replied, "Yes, I had a nightmare just last night."
Richard's face was grim. "You too? I knew it…"
Seeing his dejected expression, Zhou Ning thought for a moment before choosing his words carefully. "From what I've heard, many people experience this after surviving a sacrifice. The Ascetic Church and the Sun Watchers should have ways to alleviate or even solve the problem."
"The Ascetic Church?" Richard's eyes lit up for a moment, then he shook his head with a wry smile. "No, I follow the Goddess of Nature. The Ascetic Church wouldn't allow a pagan inside. As for the Sun Watchers… we can talk about them later."
The two chatted a while longer before Richard departed with a heavy heart.
By the time Zhou Ning finished setting up the alchemy lab, it was nearly dinnertime. Just as the forecast had predicted, a heavy rain began to fall outside. The strange thing was that less than two hundred meters away, the sun was still shining.
Zhou Ning quickly ate and then got busy organizing his new laboratory.
It's a bit pathetic, he thought, but at least I have my own little base in this game world. To celebrate, I'm pulling an all-nighter…
After tidying up, Zhou Ning sat at his new desk and began trying to decipher the set of alchemy books he had just acquired. The method was simple; he'd read the instructions on a forum in his past life. He just needed to convert the Luins text into Old Faric, then combine the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth words of each line into new sentences.
In his past life, the player who found this had quest prompts guiding them, which made the translation a simple task. Zhou Ning, however, had to do it all word by word.
It took him a full four hours to decipher the entire book.
"Done!" Zhou Ning exclaimed, rubbing his sore wrist.
Not only had he cracked the code, but the four hours of translation had also netted him 4,000 experience points—a pleasant surprise. He reread the decrypted text, and a prompt appeared on his panel.
[You have obtained the epic skill book: Windgun's Alchemy Notes.]
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