Chapter 49 | Survival for All: The Tower Witch with E-Rank Talent

Or more accurately, she would not allow such a thing to exist until she, in her current weakness, had the ability to protect herself.

Furthermore, there was no guarantee that others wouldn't eventually learn to manufacture bullets.

Therefore, the safest choice was to destroy the gun.

The other party might have other firearms, but even removing just one was a boost to her own safety.

Shang Chuan: "I don't mean to blame you. I'm just reporting the results of the test."

Like hell I'd believe you.

Lan Qingyou rolled her eyes at the message.

A merchant always wants to maximize profit. You're only saying this because you want compensation. I get it.

Lan Qingyou: "Even if it's not entirely my fault, I still feel responsible. How about this: I have a crossbow and fifty Healing Potions I can give you as compensation. Also, send me the exploded gun. I want to see if I can use alchemy to repair or modify it."

Ha!

Shang Chuan was so amused he actually laughed.

What a piece of work. Not only did she want to destroy the gun, she didn't even plan to leave him the wreckage.

But what could Shang Chuan do now?

Maximizing profit was his bottom line as a merchant. Now that the sniper rifle was ruined, getting a good price for it had become the primary objective.

After all, he didn't know how to fix it. Elu'er knew how, but they didn't have the parts.

Shang Chuan: "Name your price."

Lan Qingyou smiled slightly. It seemed he had caught on, but it didn't matter. Ensuring her safety was the most important thing.

Lan Qingyou: "Fifty +30 Mana Potions and fifty +30 Healing Potions."

Shang Chuan: "Two hundred +50 Mana Potions, two hundred +50 Healing Potions, and two hundred of each +1 attribute potion. That gun didn't belong to me; I need to give my subordinate a proper explanation."

Lan Qingyou: "Deal."

Lan Qingyou didn't haggle much. A mere thousand or so potions were nothing compared to her safety.

While Shang Chuan thought he was playing on the first level, Lan Qingyou was already on the fifth.

She didn't just want the wreckage; she wanted to study the firearm to see if she could replicate one herself.

Combined with alchemy bullets, her own attack power would be significantly enhanced.

Though she had no plans to go out and fight anyone, there would inevitably be times when she'd need to personally gather alchemy materials.

Having a weapon she was somewhat familiar with would be much better.

At the very least, it would be stronger than the crossbows and daggers she wasn't used to.

Soon after, Shang Chuan sent over the gun wreckage.

Lan Qingyou also sent the other party a portion of the down payment.

She didn't have much on hand at the moment, and there was no need to give him her entire inventory at once.

They had plenty of time anyway. At most, she'd just have to spend a few days working to pay off the debt; it wasn't like she hadn't done that before.

However, when Lan Qingyou received the wreckage, she was a bit disappointed. She had expected a rifle, a machine gun, or a sniper rifle, but the other party had sent a pistol—one with a blown-out grip.

Judging by the dark brown residue on it, the owner's hand must have been injured in the explosion.

Whatever, a pistol was fine. She just wanted to study the mechanics of firearms anyway.

With that thought, Lan Qingyou began examining the broken gun in her hands.

Meanwhile, after receiving the down payment from Lan Qingyou, Shang Chuan immediately gave a portion to Elu'er.

Elu'er: "I really didn't expect that little girl to be so calculating."

Shang Chuan: "It's nothing. It was within expectations. Just as we guard against others, it's normal for others to guard against us."

Elu'er: "That's true. What's that saying you Dragon Country people have? Don't have thoughts of harming others, but have thoughts of preventing others from harming you?"

Shang Chuan: "It's 'never intend to harm others, but always guard against being harmed.'"

Elu'er: "Right, right, that's the one."

Shang Chuan smiled.

In fact, the moment he thought of using Lan Qingyou's alchemy to make bullets, Shang Chuan had already considered the possibility that she might tamper with them.

That was why, when Lan Qingyou asked for a sample, Shang Chuan had Elu'er provide a pistol bullet instead of one for her sniper rifle.

He hadn't expected her to actually go through with it.

And she had done it so cleanly.

Shang Chuan admitted he had slightly underestimated Lan Qingyou, which resulted in a significant loss of investment. Fortunately, the loss was within his tolerance.

Moreover, Lan Qingyou had given him compensation.

Since she hadn't haggled over the price, it was clear she knew the consequences of her actions—she might even have known that he knew.

But she did it anyway. This only meant that such things were an absolute threat to her, which was why she was so unscrupulous.

Shang Chuan certainly welcomed this kind of partner.

After all, the potions Lan Qingyou paid to shut his mouth would allow him to earn even more.

Elu'er: "But now we have no bullets left to use."

Elu'er sent a string of text with a hint of regret.

Shang Chuan: "It's fine. With your abilities, firearms were only ever secondary anyway. Lan Qingyou sent over a crossbow. If that doesn't work, I have bows and arrows here if you want them."

Shang Chuan didn't care at all.

Even if their side's combat power had been weakened, losing one thing often meant gaining another.

Besides, Elu'er's most important weapon, the sniper rifle, was still intact.

They could just find another way to get bullets later.

Elu'er: "Forget the bow and arrow; I don't know how to use those. Just give me the crossbow and some bolts to make do with."

For Elu'er, a crossbow was much more convenient than a weapon like a bow, which required long-term training.

The choice was obvious.

Furthermore, their talent didn't actually have high requirements for weapons; it was merely a sacrifice of some range and power.

Shang Chuan: "I'll send the rest over once Lan Qingyou's final payment arrives."

As he spoke, Shang Chuan sent the crossbow and some bolts he had collected to Elu'er.

Elu'er: "Alright. Since there's nothing else to do, I'll go get familiar with the crossbow."

Shang Chuan: "Keep up with your regular daily practice."

Elu'er: "I will."

...

While Shang Chuan and Elu'er were chatting, Lan Qingyou studied the gun barrel for a while before taking a bath. Afterward, she sat at her magic desk as usual, waiting for Gu Xiaobei to feed her.

She had grown accustomed to Gu Xiaobei's food by now.

Even though the girl seemed to be straying further and further down a dark path, the food was genuinely good, both in terms of flavor and attribute bonuses.