Volume 1, Chapter 3: Jack the Wandering Merchant

Early the next morning, Lin Yi stepped out, eager to check on his Minion warrior. Upon reaching the barracks and finding it empty, he grew suspicious. "Does this Minion have self-awareness, or is there something special about it?" he wondered.

He decided to wander the perimeter, refusing to believe an NPC warrior would abandon his castle so soon—unless, of course, he had somehow been too demanding. Fortunately, about ten meters from the castle gate, he spotted the warrior: a yellow-skinned, yellow-haired fellow, roughly 1.5 meters tall, wearing a crooked hat.

To Lin Yi’s surprise, the Minion was brandishing a sword to block a stranger. A solitary monocle hung over the Minion’s left eye, bobbing with every movement like a drunken dancer—an utterly comical sight. The stranger was draped in a pitch-black, lustrous robe that seemed to soak up the moonlight, rustling with every step. Most hilarious was his beard, a chaotic, tangled mess that seemed to hide countless mysteries and crafty bargaining tactics. Overall, he looked exactly like a "sly" merchant who had just escaped from a fairy tale book—at once laughable and suspicious.

The moment the mysterious man spotted Lin Yi, he beamed with excessive enthusiasm. "Honorable King Tianyi, I am a merchant from distant lands. You may call me Jack." He tipped his hat and bowed.

*Ugh... why does his smile make me want to punch him? How strange!*

Intrigued by the merchant’s behavior, Lin Yi approached, signaled the Minion to stand down, and stood guard, refusing to let his guard down. The merchant, seeing the path cleared, broke into a grin that made Lin Yi’s stomach turn.

"You claim to be a merchant," Lin Yi said impatiently, "yet I see no goods, no caravan. This makes little sense."

The merchant, as if expecting the question, smiled craftily. "Honorable King, you may not know this, but I am a wandering merchant; I have no need for a caravan."

"No caravan, no goods? Are you trying to swindle me?" Lin Yi feigned anger, though he was curious to hear what came next.

The merchant, unfazed by Lin Yi’s irritation, bowed. "Your Majesty, perhaps you are new to these lands. My goods are, of course, stored within my own inventory."

Jack gave a casual wave, and a glowing screen appeared before Lin Yi. It displayed seven categories: Potions, Tools, Construction Materials, Food, Seeds, Equipment, and Sundries. Before Lin Yi could inspect them, the screen vanished. He glared at Jack. "If you're a merchant, why won't you show me your wares?"

Jack smiled. "Honorable Majesty, my goods are rather expensive. I assumed you lacked the gold to pay for them."

Lin Yi dropped the act. "The customer is king! You don't even grant the customer the right to look at the goods? Is this how you do business?"

Perhaps the words hit home; Jack paused and considered them. "Very well, I shall show you, Your Majesty." The screen reappeared.

Lin Yi first tapped on the "Potions" tab. The first item was a Life Potion. The description read: *Tier 1, restores 600 HP for units and 330 HP for heroes; recovers an additional 200/110 HP per tier. Also effective on the King.*

Lin Yi was overjoyed, imagining how useful it would be—until he saw the price. His heart sank. A single Tier 1 Life Potion cost 10,000 gold or 15,000 holy water.

*A profiteer! A total swindler!* Lin Yi screamed internally. *My storage cap is only two thousand, and you want ten thousand? This is madness!*

Jack, observing the changing expressions on Lin Yi's face, smirked and twisted the knife. "Your Majesty, I suggest you look at the Tools, Construction Materials, Seeds, or Sundries. I estimate those are the only ones currently useful and affordable for you."

Lin Yi wanted to curse, but stopped himself. *Forget it. If I can't afford it, I shouldn't look, lest I regret it later.*

He tapped the "Tools" tab:
Hoe: An essential farming tool, 100 gold.
Sickle: An essential tool for harvesting, 100 gold.
Axe: An essential tool for logging, 150 gold.

He dared not scroll further, as every subsequent item exceeded two thousand gold. He lamented his poverty—what kind of king was he?

Shifting his focus, he checked the "Construction Materials" tab: 5 stones for 1 gold, 10 logs for 1 gold. He felt slightly better seeing something he could actually afford. He then checked "Sundries" and "Seeds": a plot of fertile farmland for 500 gold, 10 pounds of wheat seeds for 100 gold, 5 pounds of corn for 100 gold...

After tallying his balance—1,000 gold and 100 holy water—he looked at Jack. Suddenly remembering he hadn't collected his daily resources, he tapped his watch. A second later, his balance jumped to 2,000 gold and 1,100 holy water. He felt a bit more relieved.

He calculated his needs: farm tools were a must, or he couldn't till the land. Seeds were essential, too; even if he didn't feel hunger yet, it was likely a temporary system feature, and having food would encourage future NPCs to stay. He also needed to buy farmland, as tilling it by hand would be the death of him.

With his choices made, Lin Yi told Jack, "I want this, and that..." Soon, his gold and holy water were reduced to zero.

Jack was delighted. He closed the screen and stretched his back. "A successful transaction. You are a decent King, and I’ve made a smaller profit than usual. You know how to buy what is useful. I look forward to our next trade."

Listening to this, and staring at his empty coffers, Lin Yi felt a strange sense of unease, as if he had been played. In that very instant, he watched, wide-eyed, as Jack the merchant vanished into thin air like a ghost.

The sudden disappearance left Lin Yi stunned. He stared at the spot where Jack had stood, his mind blank, unable to comprehend what he had just witnessed.

After a long while, he regained his senses, though the shock and fear had faded. After all, in a world where seven billion people had inexplicably been transported to a strange land, what was truly impossible? Calming himself, Lin Yi decided to return to his quarters. He needed to be alone to sort through and digest the items he had just acquired.

With a heart full of anticipation, he hurried back toward the castle.