Chapter 292: Advertisements and New Features

Chapter 292: Advertisements and New Features

“The Inherited Memory of the Dragon Clan? I remember the Dragon Clan being very protective of their own,” Zheng Yichen attempted to change the subject again. Annie seemed to be easily diverted by the new topic as before.

“It was quite simple. During the period when Cursed Dragons appeared frequently, some members of the Dragon Clan also perished. By chance, I happened upon two who had annihilated each other, so I handled their affairs.”

Annie replied calmly. Zheng Yichen felt his eyelid twitching. Why did this expressionless account give him the impression of ‘finding a pair of dragons fighting each other and seizing the opportunity to play the fisherman’?

“There isn’t much to say about the Cursed Dragon, but from the Soul of that orthodox Dragon Clan member, I extracted fragments of Inherited Memory… and more.”

“?” Zheng Yichen looked at Annie, puzzled as she trailed off.

“You’ve heard me talk this far, yet you still show no additional reaction. You really aren’t from the Dragon Clan.”

“…”

Zheng Yichen now felt like turning around to have a ‘heart-to-heart’ with that woman Dan Marina. Was this what you meant by this Witch’s games being childish and her mind not quite right? Is this the kind of trick someone ‘not quite right’ could pull off?

“Alright, I’m indeed not what you’d call an orthodox Dragon Clan member, but so what?” Zheng Yichen shrugged. “I’m really curious—why can every Witch I meet see through my identity?”

Annie slightly shook her head, giving Zheng Yichen a somewhat sympathetic look. “Actually, it’s not that easy to tell. The lack of Dragon’s Aura is a disadvantage, but the Witches you’ve encountered seem… particularly adept at figuring you out. With other Witches, as long as you don’t actively expose your weakness or act smart and avoid careless talk, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Zheng Yichen slightly opened his mouth, feeling somewhat embarrassed. In a moment he didn’t notice, the corner of Annie’s lips raised ever so slightly. By the time he came to his senses, that subtle smile had vanished instantly. “So, how did you do it? Seizing a Young Dragon’s body might reduce difficulty and increase success rate, but it couldn’t achieve perfection like yours… It’s as if you were born with a disability in Dragon’s Aura. And your strength is far too weak.”

“Tch, how would I know I ended up like this?” Zheng Yichen pouted, spreading his hands. “Back then, I just closed my eyes and opened them, and when I woke up, I found myself like this. At that time, just to survive, I have no idea how many rocks and logs I gnawed on, how much dirt I ate!”

“Oh, that sounds truly miserable.” Annie gently shook her head, one hand lightly tapping her cheek. “For Dragon Clan, gnawing on rocks when starving is indeed a decent method, given sufficient digestive ability. Let’s not talk about this. How about I come find you later to collect some samples?”

“Not how.” Zheng Yichen narrowed his eyes and said frankly. Though he still seemed no match for the Witch in terms of tricks, he was now aware of certain precautions—like not easily agreeing to a strange Witch’s request for things closely related to oneself!

Besides, the Witch before him was one with Life Domain abilities. Taking some samples from himself? Who knows what she intended to do with them. And Dan Marina could easily harm someone without meeting them just by obtaining a single strand of their hair.

“It’s fine. We can get familiar for a while before discussing this.” Annie tilted her head thoughtfully, not pressing further. Zheng Yichen was connected to several Witches. From her earlier observations, he had a good relationship with Irene. Also, from what she learned from Dan Marina, Zheng Yichen had a fairly good foundational relationship with Qin. If it were someone else? For something she truly wanted, she wouldn’t need to ask for their opinion.

It was just drawing some blood, scraping some Scales… cutting a bit of flesh.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have that problem of being unable to act against acquaintances.” Annie emphasized extra. Zheng Yichen’s face couldn’t help but stiffen as he turned to leave, but she pulled him back again. “Then let’s start getting familiar using this Alchemical Avatar.”

“Huh?”

“Haven’t you considered improving this Alchemical Avatar? Relying on Magic Potions to maintain its condition is the most basic method.”

So eager?

“Not needed for now, I guess. I still have things to do…”

After finally managing to shake off this seemingly troublesome Witch who acted like she had found a new toy, Zheng Yichen arrived at the Workshop. It had been expanded by Irene, making it much more spacious. He spent extra effort rearranging things here, adding many new items before he was done. However, not being able to use the equipment in the Laboratory still made Zheng Yichen feel a bit awkward. Yet, that style wasn’t the right time to reveal.

Rubbing his hands together, Zheng Yichen pulled out an Elixir Formula to look at. It was about Purification, specifically for cleansing things that ‘polluted’ the body, like toxins, Negative Energy, or the influence of Evil God’s Power. “Hmm, an intermediate-level Elixir Formula. Let’s practice first.”

After jotting down the materials listed on the formula, Zheng Yichen moved over a chair and began rummaging through his notes in his Personal Space. He needed to analyze the general types of missing materials. Although combinations of various Magic Potion materials were ever-changing, mismatches often led to failure. Yet, from existing records, he could narrow down the trial range.

It was like matching colors, only more complex with Magic Potion materials.

“…Hmm, this… what the heck?” Working until evening, Zheng Yichen suddenly heard the alarm clock and jolted slightly, almost snapping the pen in his hand. He glanced at the stack of papers piled on one side of the desk. Before crossing over, he hated writing by hand, finding it unbearable after just a few hundred characters. Now… he could unknowingly write dozens of pages.

After organizing the analyzed plans, Zheng Yichen scratched his head. Though he had abilities to mess around, he intended to rely on his own skills. Abilities were convenient but could easily lead to dependency. Of course, having such abilities, he shouldn’t leave them unused—combine both approaches.

Zheng Yichen divided them into several sets, each being a completion plan requiring further analysis and organization. Glancing at the alarm clock, he set another timer and focused on subsequent processing. As he concentrated, a short figure quietly picked up one of the plans stacked aside to look over…

Annie’s eyebrows rose slightly. These plans were quite conventional… Hmm? Well, retracting that thought—the plans at the bottom were conventional, but the higher up on the pages, the more they broke free from conventional restraints. Some peculiar combinations gave even her a feeling of novelty.

Hmm… This lad really went astray. Though not a Witch, since he displayed Talent in the Life Domain, he shouldn’t be allowed to continue down the wrong path. As a senior in this field, she ought to help correct him.

“…” Reaching out and finding nothing, Zheng Yichen thought for a moment. He had organized eight plans, and he seemed to have only reviewed seven, right? Where was the remaining one? Groping across the table, Zheng Yichen touched something soft and pliant. Looking back, his hand was resting on a small head.

This… This must be deliberate, right? Given a Witch’s strength, logically, he shouldn’t have been able to touch her head like this!

“What are you doing?” Annie pushed away Zheng Yichen’s hand on her head, giving him a dissatisfied glance before continuing to read the plan in her hands, leaving Zheng Yichen feeling at a loss. This… Whatever, he should just leave.

By the time Annie fully understood the plan and came to her senses, Zheng Yichen had already vanished. She threw the plan aside, puffing her cheeks slightly. Was she really that detestable?

In the Magic Weapon Forum, after the appearance of advertisement spaces, the entire Forum shook again… Cough, shaking back and forth—everyone had basically gotten used to it. Many veterans expressed that as old-timers, watching the Magic Weapon Forum evolve from a plain text-only period to now was quite interesting. At least, after it enriched, there were more topics to pass the time with when bored.

Even some features Zheng Yichen hadn’t tried to implement had been explored by the broad masses of the Otherworld, like ‘online appointments’…

These advertisement spaces stirred thoughts in many. Though the prime spot was taken, the remaining six spots were still prominent, and the usage rules were publicly disclosed. While the advertisement for Fixation Potion lasted only a day, any Magic Weapon Summoner entering the Magic Weapon Forum would see the related ad introduction at first glance.

Fixation Potion—some Magic Weapon Summoners who attended that Auction mentioned it before, but information wasn’t detailed, far less than this advertisement. Now, through this ad, one could learn most information about Fixation Potion, including price and current selling locations.

Its miraculous effect intrigued many. Though useless during training, it was extremely valuable in critical moments. While the price was high-end and unaffordable for average folks, those with some assets could buy it by tightening their belts.

In truly dangerous situations, those who could barely afford it certainly wouldn’t miss out. For large or high-level Mercenary Corps, they had sufficient funds to stockpile some of this Magic Potion. Of course, this Magic Potion particularly attracted peers!

Like those Magic Cycles Zheng Yichen sold initially—many were first snapped up by practitioners of auxiliary professions in Engineering and Alchemy.

What was more stimulating was the ad explicitly stating the current available quantity of Fixation Potion—only one hundred bottles, distributed across several sales points, averaging a dozen per point. The sale time was noon the next day…

Besides, many competed for the remaining ad spaces. The top-tier spot saw the fiercest competition. Merchants who obtained Magic Weapon Summoner status for convenience saw huge business opportunities. While some chose to compete, others remained reserved, opting to watch for now. This model was first introduced in this world—its reliability was another matter.

The next day, residents of Kaja found a famous Magic Potion shop in the city crowded early in the morning. Not only were people jostling forward, but they also schemed against each other, trying to trick some away or exchange benefits for better spots.

Some even recognized notable figures among them, like a renowned Magic Pharmacist from some merchant guild or a Magic Pharmacist from some Academy… Some of these Magic Pharmacists even exchanged heated words with Mercenaries and Adventurers.

Due to this lively scene, many flocked to the Magic Potion shop. Even if most were waiting for Fixation Potion sales, with so many gathered, some who felt they might not make it settled for buying other types of Magic Potions there.

Before noon arrived, Magic Potion sales had surged dramatically. Nearing noon, buyers crowding the place had basically negotiated. With only about a dozen Fixation Potions, not all of them could get one.

As for fighting? That was even less likely—if the shop decided not to sell, they’d all be stunned. Troublemakers? There were some, but they were quickly suppressed. When sales time actually came, the process proceeded with remarkable order. Deals were made, agreements reached. Those who didn’t get one weren’t completely out of luck.

At most, they’d wait a few days for new stock. However, the ripple effects from Fixation Potion’s official release hadn’t ended when a new shake-up appeared in the Magic Weapon Forum.

—Self-Service Pick-up and Trade Function (Beta) Opened!

Publisher: Creator!

A simple post, yet attention exploded instantly. Especially after Magic Weapon Summoners learned about this new pick-up function, aside from being astonished at the Creator’s capabilities, many were skeptical. After all… placing traded goods in a ‘space’ not under one’s control seemed somewhat unreliable. For cheap items, it might be fine, but what about extremely valuable ones?

Some raised this point, only to be bluntly rebutted by Zheng Yichen.

—Extremely valuable items? Are you stupid? If it’s that kind of thing, wouldn’t you trade in person face-to-face instead of using this self-service pick-up?

Thus, skepticism dwindled. Thinking about it, valuable items basically wouldn’t use this function unless one was asking for trouble. But for cheap, ordinary items, trying it out was harmless—just costing some Mana. So why not give it a try?