Chapter 24: A Title Deed

Chen Fan led Yang Keli to the location of the wandering merchant, who stood before a small wooden shack, wearing a brown leather jacket and sporting a full, bushy beard.

He was busy organizing his wares when he heard footsteps and looked up. Upon seeing Yang Keli, a smile immediately spread across his face as he greeted them warmly: "Miss, what can I get for you today? Everything I have here is top-tier merchandise—absolutely honest prices for all, young or old."

That smile, however, made him look like a creepy, ill-intentioned uncle, and it was hard to resist the urge to punch him. Yang Keli’s anger flared up instantly at his gaze.

Chen Fan spoke up suddenly, his tone icy: "Show me your inventory list."

The merchant glanced at Chen Fan and handed over the list. Chen Fan took it and scanned the items and their required exchange materials or currency; the prices were indeed outrageously high. The cheapest items were lanterns and bookshelves, yet an iron axe required two full stacks of logs to trade.

These prices were, quite literally, "honest."

Yang Keli said indignantly from the side, "Chen Fan, this profiteer is clearly no good. Let’s not stand on ceremony—let's beat him up first."

Chen Fan shook his head slightly, signaling her to wait. He looked the merchant straight in the eyes and said slowly, "Your prices are quite unfair. In this desolate wilderness, don't you fear retribution for such extortionate demands?"

The merchant snorted dismissively. "Hmph, my prices are clearly marked. Take it or leave it; if you aren't buying, don't cause trouble here."

Chen Fan sneered. "I know the market rates perfectly well. If you’re smart, you’ll adjust your prices to something reasonable, and we can conduct a fair trade. Otherwise..."

The merchant’s expression flickered, as if struck by a sore spot, but he remained stubborn. "And what will you do? You’re going to hit me? I’m just doing business here; I haven't broken any laws."

Chen Fan’s mouth curled into a faint smile. He balled his hand into a fist and swung it toward the merchant. Although he was angry, he hadn't completely lost his head; he knew that if he didn't teach this profiteer a lesson, the man would never rein in his greed.

Seeing Chen Fan make his move, Yang Keli immediately rushed forward to join the fray. The merchant, never expecting Chen Fan to act so decisively, had no time to react and was quickly beaten until his face was bruised and swollen.

"Stop, stop! I'll change them! I'll change them right now!"

Chen Fan ceased his assault, stood up, and spat on the ground with a look of disdain. "Bah, you greedy scoundrel. You wouldn't listen to reason, so you forced my hand. Trying to extort me? You clearly don't know who you're dealing with."

"Exactly, he wouldn't listen to a polite word," Yang Keli added, standing by with her hands on her hips, looking quite arrogant.

The merchant, clutching his swollen face, struggled to his feet with a pained hiss.

"Hurry up and make the prices reasonable. We need quite a few things," Chen Fan said, frowning.

The merchant nodded repeatedly, scrambling to rearrange his goods. "Yes, yes, right away, changing them now."

Chen Fan and Yang Keli stood by, watching as the merchant adjusted his prices. Before long, the previously exorbitant costs became quite fair: one lantern for three logs, one bookshelf for four logs, one iron axe for eight logs, and so on.

Chen Fan looked at the new prices and gave the merchant a glance; this was more like it. Some prices were clearly losses for the merchant, but that was none of his concern. He wanted to strip the merchant clean, though to his disappointment, aside from four iron axes and ten bookshelves, the rest were useless decorative items.

Chen Fan handed over the materials, and the merchant accepted them, trembling as he passed over the goods, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

After verifying the items, Chen Fan turned to Yang Keli. "Alright, let's go. That’s enough for now."

But just as they turned to leave, Chen Fan whipped his head back suddenly. The merchant jumped in fright, dropping to his knees with a thud, clutching his head and begging for mercy. "Big brother, big brother, I was wrong! I won't do it again, please don't hit me anymore! Waaaah!"

Chen Fan felt a bit awkward at the sight. He cleared his throat and said, "As long as you trade honestly, I won't touch you. By the way, are you always around here?"

Seeing that Chen Fan didn't seem to be planning to hit him again, the merchant stood up slowly and replied with great deference, "I arrive here at sunrise and head back when the sun sets."

"A fairly regular schedule, then."

"Whatever you need, boss, I’ll be here every day."

Chen Fan gave him a thumbs up. "Smart."

With that, he and Yang Keli left the merchant's small shack. From that day on, the merchant’s prices became very reasonable, and if Chen Fan needed anything, the prices were always cheap.

However, this was only for Chen Fan; he continued to swindle everyone else!

On the way back, Chen Fan was already thinking about how to profit from the price difference by putting the axes on the trading platform in exchange for food. When he told Yang Keli his plan, she rolled her eyes at him. "You're a profiteer too!"

The sun slowly descended, and night was about to fall. The wind on the great plains grew stronger, and the roars of monsters began to echo in the distance.

Chen Fan opened his inventory and activated the gift pack. Once it vanished, two items remained: a set of iron leggings and a piece of paper.

"Paper?"

Chen Fan’s first thought was a map, but the operating panel already had one. He took it out with curiosity and realized it wasn't standard paper. As he unfolded it, the contents made him pause in his tracks.

Yang Keli turned back and saw Chen Fan staring blankly at the paper. "What is it, Chen Fan? What are you looking at?"

When she walked over and saw the text, she wore the same expression as Chen Fan.

"A land deed?" Yang Keli said, surprised. "Isn't this the RES plugin for territory construction?"

Chen Fan nodded and tucked it away. "I was worried about things being stolen and needing someone to stay home to guard, but with this deed, there's no need to worry at all."

This item was incredibly rare. Most people who had played Minecraft knew that with this deed, everything within a 20x20x20 block area could not be destroyed by anyone else. Although a 20-block dimension wasn't massive, it was more than enough for their current needs.

The paper also specified that five thousand gold coins were required to expand the area by one block. That price was a bit absurd; there was only a 20% chance of getting one gold coin from killing a zombie, and Chen Fan only had 49 coins so far. Saving up to five thousand would not be easy.

"I thought I wouldn't have to buy a house in this world, but it turns out I still do!" Chen Fan sighed toward the sky.

Yang Keli covered her mouth and giggled; such was life!

They chatted the whole way back. By the time they returned to the cabin, the sky was completely dark, and the outside world had once again become a playground for monsters.