Chapter 70: The First Roaming Gunner Player
Experience came quickly and went even faster. Fortunately, Zhou Ning could still earn a steady stream of it through alchemy.
Once he reached the expert level in alchemy, he could attempt to acquire a powerful, god-tier formula or even try crafting Devil Fruits.
He was currently about a third of the way to mastering advanced alchemy. Zhou Ning planned to max out his skill within two days—a feat that would only be possible with the help of a "tool man."
Processing herbs was far more time-consuming than brewing potions. As Professor Weasley's teaching assistant, handling these tasks was Zhou Ning's responsibility.
He still had plenty of Flame Oil for crafting special bullets, so there was no need to make more for now. Brewing Intelligence Potions was a much more cost-effective way to level up.
According to Professor Weasley's recipe, the Intelligence Potion required Gastrodia leaves, daisy roots, and Agave d'Ague root. Daisy roots were common, and Zhou Ning already had plenty in stock. A combined portion of Gastrodia leaves and Agave d'Ague root cost about 8 Victors, leaving a decent profit margin.
So, at noon, Zhou Ning went to the Golden Oak Herbal Medicine Store and ordered a fresh batch of herbs.
Around one o'clock in the afternoon, a knock came at the door.
Zhou Ning opened the door to find the person he had already reserved as "tool number one": Jinse.
"Hello, you're more punctual than I expected." Zhou Ning did his best to adopt the tone of an NPC.
"Hello," Jinse replied, her tone a little reserved.
After inviting her to sit, Zhou Ning asked her to try processing the Gastrodia leaves and Agave d'Ague roots.
Processing herbs was a task even an alchemist's apprentice could handle. It provided a good amount of experience and increased alchemy proficiency, as long as one wasn't too clumsy. Zhou Ning planned to train Jinse to be his assistant and spokesperson among the players. As for XB... he's a good candidate too. We'll see how it goes.
The results were quite surprising. The girl's handiwork was excellent; she sorted and ground the herbs with methodical precision, saving him a great deal of trouble. She really is a future master alchemist. Quite talented!
He nodded approvingly. "Very good. I'm quite satisfied. Are you willing to accept my offer of employment as my alchemy apprentice? The salary is 8 Victors per month for four hours of work a day. Your job will be to help me process herbs. If you perform well, your salary will increase. Additionally, as an employee benefit, you'll receive a ten-percent discount on everything in my shop."
"A ten-percent discount on everything in the shop?" Jinse's eyes widened in surprise, and she was momentarily overwhelmed with happiness.
She nodded hurriedly. "I do! But I have to leave Dockland in two days and won't be back for over a month. Don't worry, I can work for free for the next two days to make up for it."
Isn't that just when the closed beta ends? She'll have to wait for the open beta to log in again anyway. Zhou Ning's lips curled into a slight smile as he nodded. "Very good. I appreciate your honesty. That's fine. I can hold the job for you."
[Wayne Stewell's favorability toward you has increased by 12. Current standing: Acquaintance.]
Having boosted her favorability, Zhou Ning pushed a standard contract he'd prepared earlier across the table to her. Seeing her sign it so happily, he felt a pang of guilt, like an unscrupulous boss.
He knew that, aside from the stingy Professor Weasley, you couldn't hire a reliable alchemy apprentice even for double the price.
His predecessor had only agreed because he could use the materials in the alchemy laboratory for free.
After she signed the contract, a prompt appeared on Jinse's panel:
[You have become the alchemy apprentice of NPC Wayne Stewell.]
[Wayne Stewell has granted you access to his private shop.]
Jinse clicked on it impatiently. She had seen the shop's inventory before on XB's live stream, but that was nothing compared to seeing it with her own eyes.
Sure enough, every item inside was discounted. The Stone Mask, originally 30 Victors, was now only 27. The Devil Fruit, originally 500 Victors, was now just 450. Jinse felt tempted by every single item.
When she clicked to the second page, Jinse froze. The class change knowledge book for the hidden class, [Roaming Gunner], originally required 30 Victors and 30 favorability. With the discount, it was now only 9 Victors!
Is this a bug? It must be a bug! Jinse couldn't believe her eyes. "Boss, is the price on this knowledge book wrong?"
Zhou Ning's lips curled into a slight smile. "There's no problem. It's a limited-time offer."
In truth, Zhou Ning had already been planning to lower the price. He had initially set the sky-high price of 30 Victors simply because he hadn't created the class yet and had just thrown a high number on it as a placeholder.
High volume and low margins were the best way to squeeze profit from players. A high entry threshold would only discourage the impatient ones. And if they don't buy the class, who will I sell my skills to?
Based on his gaming experience, the closed beta had been running for nearly three days. Including rewards from the starter quests, a high-level player like Jinse should have saved up nearly 40 Victors. If she was smart, she'd probably ask for a month's salary in advance so she could afford to learn a few skills from him after her class change.
Limited-time offer? Jinse's eyes went wide. Isn't the boss losing money on this?
What should I do? Jinse was frantic, patting down her pockets in a daze. She had less than 4 Victors to her name—everything she'd earned over the past few days. But she desperately wanted that class change book!
Changing her class now would put her light-years ahead of every other player!
If I miss this chance, who knows if a deal this good will ever come along again?
Oh, right! An idea suddenly struck Jinse. She asked cautiously, "Boss, could I possibly get my first month's salary in advance? I promise I'll work hard."
Hook, line, and sinker. Zhou Ning smiled to himself, pretending to think it over. After a moment, he nodded. "I understand completely. I agree."
Jinse, who had been incredibly nervous, was suddenly moved to tears. He's so kind! I could cry!
With the money in hand, Jinse immediately bought the [Roaming Gunner] class change knowledge book and used it.
[Would you like to change your class to Roaming Gunner?]
"Yes!"
…
[Player Jinse has purchased the knowledge book you sold. You received 8 Victors.]
[Your 'Shooting Proficiency' skill has been learned by a player. You gain 2,000 EXP and 9 Victors.]
[Your 'Mozambique Drill' skill has been learned by a player. You gain 12,000 EXP and 24 Victors.]
And so, the 8 Victors returned to his possession in less than ten seconds. It was the equivalent of getting a free laborer, while she gained a significant advantage in the game. A classic win-win.
Zhou Ning smiled as he looked at the money and experience rolling in from his new customer.
It might have been a bit of a scam, tricking a future god-tier player into becoming a Roaming Gunner, but in his opinion, the class was no weaker than any other. At least for the first season, it was quite powerful.
As for what comes later... who knows?
After making her purchase, Jinse's morale was higher than ever. She threw herself into her work with renewed enthusiasm.
Her diligence dramatically improved Zhou Ning's efficiency, and she even volunteered to extend her working hours. In a single afternoon, they prepared sixty bottles of Intelligence Potion.
"What a model employee," Zhou Ning sighed to himself.
That evening, after Jinse left, Zhou Ning didn't continue brewing Intelligence Potions. He had something more important to do.
Zhou Ning fiddled with the key he'd gotten from Elvis: Room 304 of the Green Shade Hotel.
If I'm not mistaken, the anomalous object Elvis had, [Damian's Ordinary Mirror], is most likely stored there.
In the later stages of the game, almost every local powerhouse possessed one or more of these strange, anomalous objects. Zhou Ning was very interested in the mirror that had dragged him into that unknown space.
Zhou Ning went to a nearby clothing store and spent 5 Victors and 7 Winnies on an inconspicuous shirt and pair of pants. After stashing his usual clothes in his own shop, he headed for the Green Shade Hotel, three blocks away.
He was no stranger to the place. It was one of the four logout points in Dockland, and he had even bound a rest point there himself.
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