"Tomorrow," Yi Lin said, rubbing his chafed wrists and trying to look mysterious rather than just frozen.
"Same price. Same rules. One per customer, per day."
Chen Yue, the newly ascended Level 6 Ice Princess, frowned.
"Rules?" she echoed. "What kind of supplier has rules like that? If I have the gold, I should be able to buy the whole stock."
"Ah," Yi Lin wagged a finger, "but power without discipline leads to... kaboom. My supplier is very strict about energetic overload. You don't want to explode, do you, Senior Sister?"
Chen Yue looked at the pile of grey dust on the ground... the remains of the potent crystal.
She thought about the rush of power that had nearly overwhelmed her meridians. It had been dangerous. If she had taken two at once...
"You may be right," she conceded, though her eyes narrowed. "You are hiding something, Yi Lin. A mortal latrine cleaner with 'trash' aptitude doesn't just stumble upon a regulated supply of heavenly resources."
"Everyone has secrets," Yi Lin said with a tired smile. "Mine just happen to be pink and squishy."
She stared at him for a moment longer, a flicker of new respect in her gaze.
"Tomorrow, then. I will bring the gold."
With a swirl of white robes, she turned and glided away into the night, leaving a trail of frost footprints behind her.
Yi Lin let out a long breath, slumping back against the wooden pillar. "She respects me. Or at least, she respects the merchandise. That's a start."
He looked around the empty, freezing plaza. He was free. He could go back to his woodshed. He could sneak out to the Ranch.
But his body betrayed him. His legs felt like lead, and his eyelids were suddenly made of iron.
"Just... five minutes," he mumbled, sliding down to sit at the base of the pillar. "Just a quick nap... then I'll go..."
He pulled his thin robes tighter, curled into a ball to preserve heat, and passed out right there on the cold stone.
"YOU!"
Yi Lin jerked awake, banging his head against the wooden post behind him. "Ow! I'm up! I didn't steal the buns!"
He blinked the sleep from his eyes.
The sun was rising, casting long, golden shadows across the plaza. And standing directly in his personal space, blocking out the sun, was Sect Master Chen.
Chen looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was messy, and he was vibrating with a manic energy that was frankly disturbing.
"How?!" Chen demanded, pointing a trembling finger at the pile of cut rope on the ground. "How did you escape?"
Yi Lin rubbed his eyes.
"Uh... good morning to you too, Sect Master. And... I had help?"
"Help? Who would help you?!" Chen looked around paranoidly. "Did the supplier come? Did he untie you?"
"Something like that," Yi Lin yawned. He stood up, stretching his stiff back. "So... are we doing business, or are you going to interrogate me until lunch?"
Chen's paranoia instantly evaporated, replaced by that familiar, desperate hunger.
"The crystal. Is it ready? Is it 'cured'?"
Yi Lin reached into his pouch. He felt the single remaining crystal. It was warm.
"One crystal, fully cured and ready for consumption," Yi Lin announced, pulling it out.
Chen gasped. He actually reached out with both hands, like he was receiving a holy relic.
"Here," Chen shoved a heavy pouch into Yi Lin's chest. "Ten gold. Take it."
The moment skin touched crystal, the reaction began.
Sect Master Chen's aura, which was usually a heavy, earthen brown, suddenly flared up.
The air grew heavy. Gravity seemed to double.
Chen's eyes rolled back in his head.
"Oh... oh, yes!" he groaned, a sound that was slightly inappropriate for a public setting. "The energy! It's... it's pushing! The wall is breaking!"
He fell to his knees, clutching the crystal to his chest.
The brown aura around him began to swirl, faster and faster, turning from a muddy brown to a bright, golden bronze.
"I can feel it!" Chen shouted at the sky.
"Level 11! The Golden Core is cracking! I am advancing!"
Yi Lin took a step back. "Uh, you do that. I'm just gonna..."
He didn't finish the sentence. A blue screen popped up, interrupting the spectacle of the Sect Master's ascension.
[Mission Update!]
[Sold: 2/5 Crystals.]
[System Alert: Ranch Upgrade Available!]
Yi Lin paused. "Upgrade?"
[Congratulations, Host! By successfully initiating commerce with high-level natives and proving your ability to not die, you have unlocked a new feature of the Dimensional Slime Ranch!]
[Feature Unlocked: The Slime Gate.]
"The Slime Gate?" Yi Lin whispered, ignoring the fact that the Sect Master was currently levitating a few inches off the ground behind him.
"What does that do?"
[The Ranch is not just a building, Host. It is a bridge. The Slime Gate allows for physical travel to the home dimension of the slimes.]
Yi Lin's jaw dropped. "You mean... I can go there? To the Slime World?"
[Affirmative. The local ecosystem is limited. To find rare slimes, exotic foods, and advanced resources, you must venture into the wild.]
[Current Gate Destination: The Dry Reef.]
[Warning: The Far, Far Range is a wild dimension. Hazards include: Feral Slimes, Tarr Slimes, falling off cliffs, and drowning in the Slime Sea.]
Yi Lin looked at the floating, glowing Sect Master. He looked at the disciples who were starting to peek out of their dorms, terrified by the commotion. He looked at his pouch full of gold.
"Hazards," Yi Lin repeated. "Falling off cliffs. Right."
But a thrill shot through him. A new world. A world full of slimes. A world where he wasn't a latrine cleaner, but an explorer.
[Would you like to activate the Gate at the Ranch-Hub?]
Yi Lin grinned.
"Heck yes."
He turned to the Sect Master, who was now enveloped in a cocoon of golden light.
"Hey! Sect Master!" Yi Lin shouted over the roaring wind of the man's cultivation. "Pleasure doing business! I'm gonna go... restock! Don't explode without me!"
Chen didn't answer.
Yi Lin didn't wait. He turned and sprinted toward the gate. He had to get his horse (if Bessie hadn't run off), get back to the hidden clearing, and open a portal to another dimension.
"This," Yi Lin laughed as he ran, clutching his gold, "is way better than graphic design."
As he vanished out the gate, he didn't notice Chen Yue watching him from a rooftop, a new layer of frost forming on the tiles beneath her feet.