Chapter 18: So Miserable

[Sled? But there’s a shop selling them just ahead!] Mo Qianxun looked on in puzzlement. Sure enough, not far ahead was a store selling sleds.

“Do we have enough money for this?” Mo Qianxun bit down hard on her bread.

If it weren’t for the time limit, she would have taken her time to eat properly. This bread was far too hard—enough to wear down her teeth.

“Don’t worry, Host. I’ve checked the cost of living in this town. Except for magic-related items, everything else is quite cheap.”

Mo Qianxun glanced at the winter coat she’d spent a gold coin on. “Are you sure the prices are cheap?”

“Host, your coat is the most popular and best winter coat in the entire town. It’s engraved with a constant temperature magic array, much warmer than ordinary coats.” 008 noticed Mo Qianxun’s doubtful expression and knew she wasn’t convinced.

“Alright then. I still have seven gold coins and a bunch of silver coins. That should be enough,” Mo Qianxun said, patting the pouch inside her clothes.

She trudged toward the store, the snow on the road already over half a meter deep. Who knew how long it had been snowing?

She knocked on the door. A white-bearded old man opened it. “Young lady, are you a traveler?”

Mo Qianxun nodded; she supposed she was a traveler.

“Looking to buy a sled?” The old man welcomed her inside.

Upon entering, she saw a neat row of sleds lined up to her right, all sorts of varieties.

“Sleds are indispensable tools for the snow season. In this town, mine are the best. Come, take a look!” The old man led her to the sleds.

Mo Qianxun looked at them, feeling conflicted. These sleds obviously needed sled dogs to pull them, but she had none.

“Grandpa, I don’t have sled dogs. Do you have any sleds that don’t need dogs?”

The old man gave her a slightly puzzled glance, then led her to a room inside.

Three sleds were there, none with places to tie sled dogs.

“Sleds pulled by dogs are cheaper, since most families have two or three dogs. But if you don’t have sled dogs, look at these three. They’re inscribed with magic arrays and can move on their own, faster than dogs. Naturally, they cost more.”

Mo Qianxun eyed the three sleds and decisively chose the white one.

“How much?”

“Five gold coins!”

“Whoa!” That sled cost more than all her backpack gear combined.

“Grandpa, could you lower the price a bit? I don’t have that much money on me!” Mo Qianxun looked at him pitifully.

The old man glanced at the bread in her hand. Hmm, truly a poor child, clearly living frugally—she didn’t even spare a bowl of warm milk.

“In that case, for someone as pitiful as you, I’ll take four gold coins!”

“Can’t go any lower?”

“Nope. This sled has magical enhancements, and anything involving magic is never cheap.” The old man looked calmly at Mo Qianxun, certain she would buy it.

Mo Qianxun sighed. “Alright then, four gold coins it is. But you have to teach me how to operate it!”

“No problem. It’s simple—you just hold down the switch and grip the steering lever.” The old man demonstrated, and it did look easy.

The newly certified driver took the stage. Mo Qianxun gripped the steering lever, bid the old man farewell, took a deep breath, and pressed the button hard.

Whoosh—

“Ah! Too fast!” Her scream rang through the entire town.

Curious onlookers peeked from windows, only to see a black dot speeding away and deep sled tracks in the snow.

Once she adjusted to the sled’s speed, Mo Qianxun relaxed and followed the system’s route, rushing toward the buyer’s location.

Luckily, this sled had a roof, protecting her from the falling snowflakes.

“008, since I bought this sled, can I take it back with me?”

“Of course. Since it’s yours, you can take it wherever you wish.”

“Then the magic array on it won’t fail, right?”

“Have you seen the Jiuyou Grass fail?”

“Uh… right, forgot.”

With her new means of transport, efficiency soared. Mo Qianxun soon found the buyer, John Lin.

Looking at the young man in green before her, Mo Qianxun hesitated. “Are you really John Lin?”

“That’s me, yes!”

“…Here is your potion. Please take it and don’t forget to leave a five-star review!” Mo Qianxun handed over the bottle and turned to leave.

But after just one step, John Lin stopped her.

Mo Qianxun looked back in confusion, seeing John Lin blush as he pulled out… a bracelet?

“Mr. John Lin, what’s this?”

“I just want to sincerely thank you for braving such a harsh snowstorm to bring me the potion from a distant town. I desperately needed it. Without it, my trip would have been in vain. So, thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome. You placed the order through our platform and have already paid for it.”

“This bracelet I made in my spare time. It contains the power of the wind. I’m giving it to you as a token of friendship. There might be times I’ll need your help again, and I hope you’ll understand.” John Lin placed the bracelet in Mo Qianxun’s hand.

Mo Qianxun: …

“Mr. John Lin, are you… preparing for the worst?”

John Lin scratched his head awkwardly and laughed nervously twice. “Well, my memory isn’t the best—I often lose things. So, I might need your help delivering stuff again in the future.”

Mo Qianxun understood.

“I’ll keep this. If you ever need errands done, just place an order through our platform. I guarantee delivery.”

“Thank you, thank you!”

“Well, I’ll be off then!”

“Goodbye!” This time John Lin’s reply was crisp, waving goodbye.

Back on her sled, Mo Qianxun opened her phone and checked the order details. When she saw the buyer information, she fell silent again.

“008, didn’t you get his age wrong? He looks about twenty-something, why does it say forty-five?”

“Host, please don’t doubt the system’s accuracy. He really is forty-five, but as a magician, his lifespan is longer and he ages more slowly than ordinary people.”

“…If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it. The order has been successfully delivered. Can we return now?”

“Understood, Host!”

After 008 spoke, Mo Qianxun and the sled vanished.

Nearby, John Lin, who had just watched the scene, was left speechless: …!!!