Shang Wei approached the door, where a compact delivery drone hovered mid-air, blinking a holographic interface on its screen.
Order Delivery – Fang Fang Pets (COD) Fee for package opening already paid: 500 credits. Note: No Returns Permitted After Accept. Would you like to accept the delivery?
There was a Yes and a No.
The drone had scanned him earlier via facial recognition. His order details were already verified.
He didn't click the button. Instead, he tapped on the button on top of the crate.
The crate hissed open with a soft click, revealing the egg inside, sleek and round, its bottom half pitch-black, and the top half a smooth, radiant white. Thin strands of gold shimmered in a spiral pattern from top to bottom.
The man whistled low. "This isn't a scam…"
He finally tapped Yes on the screen.
Please pay the amount through the app or scan the QR Code and pay on the website. The words are displayed on the screen before a QR code appears on the screen.
He scanned the code and went through the payment.
Confirmed the Payment. Thank you for shopping with NovaMart. Have a good day.
The drone zipped away silently, fading into the night sky.
Meanwhile, Shang Wei carefully carried the egg to his couch and pricked his finger.
A drop of blood slid down his fingertip and touched the egg's top.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then, light surged outward in a circle. The egg pulsed, and the mana in his blood resonated, forming a soul bond with the creature hiding inside the egg.
And then the shell cracked.
A soft paw poked out.
Then, a fuzzy black-and-white head peeked from the broken shell, blinking with innocent golden eyes.
"You're real," the man breathed.
The baby panda yawned, then clumsily rolled onto his lap as if it were natural for the creature.
He reached for the bio scanner and ran it over the creature.
Species: Unknown
Element: Light
Potential: King Tier
Level: 1
The man's jaw dropped. "This is legit. This is fuc*ing legit! Indeed, it is a variant. It's not even registered in the monster database."
He stood up, holding the panda with both hands, and laughed out loud. "Hahahaha! I've hit the jackpot! I just picked up a King-Tier potential support-type for 15k credits! What dumb newbie listed this?"
He looked at the seller's name again.
Fang Fang Pets
He grinned. "If you hadn't mentioned that it is a King Tier potential, I would have thought that you are trying to make quick bucks. I don't know who you are... but I'll be keeping my eye on you."
*
The next morning, Huaxi City;
The morning sun filtered through half-closed blinds, casting soft gold stripes across Lin Fang's desk.
The baby panda, Po, that was sleeping beside him on the same bed, continued to be in its dream.
Meanwhile, Lin Fang wiped the sleep from his eyes and opened his inbox with a couple of new messages.
[13500 credits added to your account] — From Lingshan Bank.
[Congratulations on your first sale with NovaMart. We hope our partnership to prosper further.] — From NovaMart
[Sale Complete. Credits Transferred to your account after standard deduction.] — From NovaMart.
He blinked, stared at the screen for a moment longer than necessary, then opened his Summoner System Character Interface.
He can see the change in Store Earnings: 13,500 Credits. These credits are eligible for the exchange for a standard 100:1 ratio.
His hand trembled slightly. Not because the number was decently high, but it's because it is his first sale online, and it was earned in one day.
How long had it been since he made money like this through a sale? A legitimate business deal that worked?
He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the skyline. "This is just the beginning," he murmured.
Clenching his fist, Lin Fang exhaled deeply and converted the entire amount without hesitation:
*Ding!
[13500 credits have been exchanged for 135 coins]
The phone buzzed, too, but Lin Fang didn't pay attention to it. He knew it was just from the bank, the deduction of the balance from the account.
With 135 coins in his hand, he immediately purchased another Luminous Panda Egg from the system's shop and listed it again on NovaMart.
Item: Luminous Panda Egg
Price: 15,000 Credits
Then he closed the laptop.
Five Days Later;
What began as a single ripple turned into steady waves in Lin Fang's revenue.
During the past five days, Lin Fang had sold 10 Luminous Panda Eggs. All at the same price as 15000 credits.
He hasn't increased it yet.
Each one earned him a verified 13,500 credits.
And he used those credits to convert them into as many coins it's possible and buy Luminous Panda Eggs and then put them up for sale.
In the end, after the ten sales, he was left with a net profit of 40,500 credits and 45 coins.
Lin Fang sat with a small bowl of instant noodles and sighed, looking at his bank account that had grown by more than 40,000 credits in the span of five days.
He was happy.
But what's with the sigh?
Well, it was because he was beyond happy to the point that he was overwhelmed by the sales.
They were growing too fast.
It wasn't that fast, if one should point out, but for someone like Lin Fang, who could barely afford three meals a day during the past couple of years, it was indeed an overwhelming situation.
And to tackle such a situation, Lin Fang took what seemed like, atleast to him, a drastic step.
*Ding!
[40500 credits have been exchanged for 405 coins]
*Ding!
[You purchased a Luminous Panda Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[You purchased a Blazing Panda Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[You purchased a Terran Panda Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[You purchased an Electral Panda Egg. 100 coins were deducted.]
[Items have been sent to the inventory]
Returning to the real world, his eyes on the laptop, the mouse cursor hovered around the product for a second. "Let's raise the price a little." Taking a deep breath, he clicked on the new product.
[Terran Panda Egg has been listed]
[Electral Panda Egg has been listed]
[Blazing Panda Egg has been listed]
He adjusted the listing to 25,000 credits for all variants.
Then, he waited. And waited.
As expected, the new listing didn't sell within the hour.
And Lin Fang felt… relieved.
He didn't want that frantic rush again. Not right now. The slowdown was exactly what he needed.
With that thought parked safely in the back of his mind, Lin Fang turned his attention to a more pressing matter: the moving.
Everything he owned, furniture, books, boxes, tools, old posters, even his collection of unused pet collars, was stored in his Inventory Space.
The baby Panda, Po, was kept in a pet carrier even though he had a Pet inventory.
To his new roommates, all he carried was a single large suitcase filled with clothes, toiletries, and some electronic devices. Just basic stuff.
Taking a last look at the residence he had lived in for the past seven years, Lin Fang heaved out a long sigh and turned around to step out of the door.
"It's a goodbye."
By mid-afternoon, he arrived at the shared flat again, this time officially moving in. Zhi Yan welcomed him with a warm nod. "Room's ready. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge."
Li Liu didn't say much, again. Just her usual nod and soft "Hey" before returning to her handheld gaming console.
The couple who shared the third room were home at that time.
Zhi Yan did the honors, introducing his co-tenants. "C'mon, you should meet the other two."
They walked past the small kitchen and turned toward the second bedroom. The door was open, and the sound of someone laughing at a video echoed faintly from inside.
Inside, a tall woman with chestnut brown hair and bright red glasses sat on the edge of the bed, scrolling through her phone. She looked quite athletic. A bit too much for Lin Fang's taste.
He could see she had bigger biceps and a better muscular body than he did.
For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder why she was hired as a receptionist, though. Don't stores usually prefer a feminine beauty to take the orders?
"Oh, so you're the new guy!" she chirped, watching them step in. "Welcome! I'm Yu Xiaofei. You can call me Xiaofei or Fei Fei. Let me know if Zhi Yan forces you to wash dishes."
"Hey!" Zhi Yan slapped her arm playfully from behind.
Beside Yu Xiaofei, sitting cross-legged on the bed with a calm, half-asleep expression, was her boyfriend, Hao Bin. He had shaggy black hair, a gentle face, and wore a loose t-shirt with plaid pajama pants.
He gave Lin Fang a small wave. "Hey, Man. What's your age?"
"Eh?" Lin Fang was momentarily taken aback, but then said. "24."
Hao Bin replied with a nod. "I'm 27. So, you can call me Brother Hao."
Lin Fang didn't know how to react but could only nod as he maintained a smile. "Brother Hao."
Soon, after Lin Fang unpacked his clothes in his room, he returned to the living room, where all of them seemed gathered, including Li Liu.
He sat down with them on the floor to converse.
The conversation was lighthearted, and it didn't take long for Lin Fang to open up with them, although the attention was stolen by Po.
As soon as he introduced it to everyone, they just fell in love with the cute and chubby baby panda.
Po liked Li Liu the most, though. Perhaps it was because Li Liu was a monster trainer. Or atleast, that's what Lin Fang assumed.
As the sun goes down on the horizon, the ladies become busy in the kitchen, preparing dishes for the welcome dinner.
Zhi Yan chopping vegetables with practiced ease, Li Liu grumbling at a stubborn garlic peel, and Yu Xiaofei humming tunelessly while stirring a pot.
Hao Bin had already excused himself, yawning his way to the bedroom. His night shift at the call center loomed ahead.
Not having anything to do, Lin Fang also retired to his room. He started arranging his folded clothes in drawers, lining up his old chargers and a couple of vintage monster training books on the small table.
At his feet, Po waddled about curiously, sniffing corners and chewing softly on the edge of a bath towel.
*Buzz*
*Ding!
The sound came from his phone and the chime in his mind simultaneously, earning his attention.
He paused mid-fold, a shirt still in his hand, and stared at the holographic screen floating before his eyes.
[You received an Order: 1x Luminous Panda Egg, 1x Terran Panda Egg, 1x Electral Panda Egg, and 1x Blazing Panda Egg.]
He blinked. And then he stared at the screen again.
His eyes widened at once. His heart thudded like a drum in his chest. "The F**k." A scream of surprise escaped his mouth, nearly tossing the shirt aside.
Po shivered at the sudden scream and looked at its master, blinking its large, round eyes.
Four eggs? All at once? That was a hundred thousand credits in one go!
His fingers scrambled across the phone screen, bringing up the sales app. There it was: a new order, confirmed and pending shipment.
Before he could even comprehend what kind of person was buying so many pandas, his half-closed door creaked open.
Standing outside was Zhi Yan, holding a ladle in one hand and an apron wrapped over her body, a faint look of worry on her face.
"What happened?" She asked quickly. "Did something break? Or did you see any cockroach or some sort?"
Lin Fang turned toward her, beaming like the sun had risen again. "I just got an order," he said, striding toward her with childlike glee. "A big one. That's a hundred thousand credits!" His voice rose high.
Zhi Yan blinked. "Seriously?" Her face also lit up in delight, and she stepped forward, grabbing his hand. "That's great."
Lin Fang didn't even realize his hand had found hers, but he squeezed it tightly. "Zhi Yan! Your idea… your idea about going online? It just clicked! It's all thanks to you…"
He nearly shouted the last part. "I'm not trapped anymore."
"Haha… I'm so happy for you…" Zhi Yan stared at him with a smile before turning unreadable as Lin Fang stared back at his phone, speaking about his difficulties. "I've been struggling to make even a few thousand a month for the past couple of years. Living off loans just to pay off other loans… and now, look at this. One week. One week and everything's changed."
While speaking all of this, he doesn't even realize he was still holding hands with Zhi Yan, who was just silently staring at him.
Well, until…
*Ahem*
Zhi Yan flinched and turned her head, spotting Yu Xiaofei. The latter leaned against the doorframe with arms crossed, a smug look on her face. "Zhi Yan, you only told me that he is your old classmate, but didn't tell me that you were this close?"
"Huh?" Lin Fang blinked.
Zhi Yan frowned, "What do you mean?"
Yu Xiaofei pointed downward with a twirl of her index finger. Lin Fang followed her gaze and immediately froze.
His hand was still holding Zhi Yan's.