Chapter 212: Now That’s a God-Given Blind Box
The next morning, when Lu Wei woke up, he felt no discomfort at all.
His mind was clear, his body felt light, and he didn’t have even a hint of a hangover.
This was mainly because he hadn’t actually gotten drunk last night.
The packet of “hangover relief powder” also played a part.
‘Hmm… Lu Wei knew about this stuff. He’d even stocked it from Old Yor before.’
‘But it seemed he still hadn’t sold any.’
‘The reason, judging by the current situation, probably wasn’t that “it didn’t work well.”‘
‘On the contrary, it was precisely because it worked too well that no one bought it.’
‘After all, this world didn’t have any kind of “drinking culture” for business or social pressure. People drank to get that hazy, carefree feeling and forget their troubles.’
‘But one packet of “hangover relief powder” and poof, you’re sober.’
‘Wouldn’t that make the whole drinking session a waste?’
“Alright, stop cleaning up. We’ll be late if we don’t leave now.”
Around 8 o’clock, Lu Wei stood in the front yard. The donkey cart beside him was already piled high with Wooden Boxes of all sizes.
“Hmph, so now you’re blaming me.”
By the well, Bai Ya mumbled as she put down a pot-scrubbing cloth and wiped her hands on her apron.
“If you hadn’t woken up so late, we’d be there by now.”
“Ahem, let’s not talk about that.”
“But it’s true. I told you to drink less…”
“Stop! Are you ever going to drop it?”
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop talking. Let’s go, let’s go.”
Bai Ya pouted, took off her apron and draped it over the clothesline, then looked worriedly at the little female donkey currently licking Lu Wei’s shoes.
“Speaking of which, can Xiaohui even pull all these boxes?”
“Don’t worry, I already tested it. No problem at all.”
As Lu Wei spoke, he tugged on the reins. Sure enough, Xiaohui immediately started walking, pulling the cart and following him out of the yard.
But her pace was a bit slow, and it looked like she was struggling.
“You call this ‘no problem at all’?”
Bai Ya was stunned for a moment, then hurried to catch up. “I feel like Xiaohui is going to work herself to death before we even get there.”
“No way. A donkey’s stamina is beyond your imagination. She’ll be fine once we get on the main road.”
“Oh… It doesn’t seem to be changing at all.”
“We’re on a bit of an incline now. It’ll be fine once we reach the flat road.”
“Oh… It still doesn’t seem to be changing.”
“This is a dirt path. It’ll be fine once we get to the gravel road.”
“Oh… Still no change. Wait, she’s even slower now.”
“Right…”
About ten minutes later, Lu Wei frowned at the plodding little donkey, then turned and glared at Bai Ya.
“So what are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and push the cart!”
At nine o’clock, the Central Plaza was at its liveliest.
The morning dew had been evaporated by the sun. Across the plaza, the heavy oak doors of the Adventurer Association were wide open, and groups of Adventurers were either gathered in front of the bulletin board, deep in discussion, or standing under the colonnades inspecting their Equipment.
From time to time, church-kept pigeons would fly overhead, diving down at the opportune moment to peck at food scraps on the ground.
Meanwhile, a donkey cart loaded with boxes was parked quietly in the eastern corner of the plaza.
‘That’s right. Lu Wei was planning to set up a stall here to sell his blind boxes.’
‘After all, the only people who would buy this kind of thing were Adventurers, and this was the place in all of Heitai Town with the most Adventurers.’
‘So it was undoubtedly the perfect spot to set up a stall.’
‘Hmm… Actually, according to the Town Hall’s regulations, setting up stalls near the plaza is forbidden.’
‘But Lu Wei had already obtained a “special operating permit” from Reck.’
‘For a qualified Crafty Merchant, “bribery” and “trading power for money” were also required courses.’
“Alright, let’s unload.”
After spotting Reck and Marcus in the crowd, Lu Wei and Bai Ya immediately started moving the boxes off the cart.
Their strange behavior, of course, attracted the attention of many people.
“Hey, what are those two doing?”
“No idea. Hey, look, there’s a sign.”
“‘Lucky Box, 3 silver per box’… What’s a Lucky Box?”
“How should I know? Sounds interesting, though.”
“Let’s go check it out…”
Soon, after Lu Wei set out the “signboard” he had just made yesterday afternoon, people gradually started to gather around, asking him what a “Lucky Box” was.
But Lu Wei was in no hurry. He waited until a dozen or so people had gathered before finally calling out loudly:
“Good morning, everyone!”
“As you can see, these boxes are called Lucky Boxes—or blind boxes for short!”
“As for what a blind box is and what it’s for, well, that story begins three days ago!”
‘As everyone knows, “storytelling” is also a necessary Skill for a Crafty Merchant.’
‘Especially for something like a “blind box,” you need a convincing enough story to get people to recognize its Value.’
‘But Lu Wei’s business was too small right now to get endorsements from official organizations like the Town Hall or the Adventurer Association.’
‘This world didn’t have things like “collaborations” or “IPs” either.’
‘Fortunately, however, there were “gods.”‘
‘And so…’
“Just three days ago, right after one of my daily prayers, I suddenly heard the divine voice of the Goddess of Fortune!”
“It was as if it came from the depths of the void, yet it was also right beside my ear!”
“Her voice was so clear, I knew it was no hallucination! It was Her, answering my prayers and bestowing upon me a great oracle!”
Standing on the cart, Lu Wei’s voice was loud and his expression solemn, each word ringing with power.
The surrounding crowd stared with wide eyes, their faces filled with astonishment.
Only Bai Ya kept her head down, fidgeting with her fingers, wishing she could find a hole to hide in.
It was obvious. Although Lu Wei had repeatedly stressed to her that ‘this is just a normal marketing tactic’ and ‘everyone else does it too,’ she was still deeply ashamed at that moment—
‘She felt like an accomplice, helping Lu Wei deceive everyone.’
But in reality, her worries were completely unnecessary.
Because not everyone was as gullible as she was.
After all, in this world, it wasn’t at all uncommon for people to “claim they received an oracle and use it to run a scam.”
Even if most people hadn’t experienced it themselves, they had all heard stories.
And even if they hadn’t heard stories, they weren’t about to blindly believe the word of a total stranger.
So, after a brief moment of shock, whispers immediately broke out in the crowd.
“Hey, did you hear that? He said he ‘linked up’ with the Goddess of Fortune.”
“Tsk, tsk. A few days ago, a beggar said the same thing. Said he’d received an oracle from the Moon Goddess, telling me to give him a few Copper Coins.”
“So what was the oracle?”
“That I should give him a few Copper Coins.”
“Huh?”
“…”
The whispers gradually grew into loud doubts, and in less than two minutes, the atmosphere had turned sour.
But Lu Wei didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. He waited until the crowd had mostly finished their discussion before continuing:
“Quiet! You may not believe what I say, but I must convey this oracle to you all, exactly as it was given to me!”
“Three days ago, the great Goddess of Fortune said—”
“‘I see that mortals are bound by a determined fate, that they have lost their reverence and anticipation for surprise. This is a disregard for my authority!’”
“‘Therefore, She has infused a wisp of divine ‘Light of the Unknown’ into the mortal world, transforming it into these seemingly Ordinary Wooden Boxes! And She has instructed me to share this gift of fate, filled with infinite possibilities, with every one of Her Believers, so that everyone has the chance, for a small price, to touch a great miracle far beyond what they have paid!’”
“So, this is not a gamble, nor is it a transaction. It is a sacred ritual!”
As the crowd stared in renewed shock, Lu Wei waved his arm grandly, his voice rising again, full of passion:
“Your piety and anticipation will create a Resonance with the Goddess’s Divine Power, ultimately manifesting as the item inside the box you choose!”
“It could be a practical gift, or it could be an opportunity beyond your wildest dreams!”
“And each one costs a mere three Silver Coins!”
“Now, who will be the first to answer the oracle and receive this grace, meant exclusively for the Believers of the Goddess of Fortune!”
It had to be said, Lu Wei really had a Talent for public speaking.
He stood on the cart with his chest puffed out, scanning the crowd with an incredibly frank and open expression. At first glance, he really did look like he had a Goddess backing him up.
But the crowd’s reaction was about what he expected.
Although they were clearly moved, the moment they heard money was involved, they immediately started looking at each other. No one stepped forward to “answer the oracle.”
‘And at times like this, it was time for the actor to take the stage.’
“I’ll give it a try.”
A moment later, Marcus, who had been lying in wait in the crowd for some time, walked to the front. He put on a deliberately helpless expression and sighed.
“Sigh, I’ve had the worst luck these past few days. If what you’re saying is true, I hope I can get a little good fortune out of this.”
“If it’s fake, well, I’ll just chalk it up to my bad luck.”
“My luck is already terrible enough as it is.”
As everyone watched, Marcus grumbled as he untied his coin pouch and took out three Silver Coins.
Lu Wei jumped down from the cart, mentally praising him, ‘Good acting,’ while accepting the Silver Coins with a solemn expression.
“The Goddess of Fortune will bless you. Please, choose any one of these boxes.”
“In that case…”
Marcus feigned hesitation, looking back and forth before finally choosing a small box, second from the left on the second row.
Without a doubt, this too had been arranged with Lu Wei last night.
“This one it is. Can I just open it directly?”
He held the box in his hands, confirming with a final glance.
Lu Wei nodded gravely.
“That’s right, just open it. When you do, a colored mist will rise from the box, representing the Value of the item inside.”
“Huh? A colored mist?”
“Yes. White represents Ordinary, blue represents Rare, green represents Extraordinary, and gold represents Legendary.”
“Ah! So gold is the best?”
Marcus continued his dramatic performance, sighing again after his initial surprise.
“Sigh, my luck has been so bad lately, I’m sure it’ll be white.”
“No. As the first person to answer the oracle, I believe the Goddess of Fortune is watching this very moment.”
Lu Wei also continued to “play the part of the Goddess,” shaking his head gently.
“Perhaps your luck is about to turn around, right now.”
“I hope so.”
Marcus felt the time was ripe. He took a small step back to let the crowd get a better look.
Then, feigning nervousness, he held his breath and began to open the lid, little by little.
At the same time, everyone around him stared intently at the widening gap, wanting to see what was inside this so-called “god-gifted blind box.”
For a moment, the area around the donkey cart was dead silent.
Even the crowd gathered by the mission board in the distance, who had been picking out quests, cast curious glances over.
“What’s going on over there?”
“I just heard something about a box from the Goddess of Fortune.”
“Really? This box…”
WHOA!!!
Suddenly, a tidal wave of commotion erupted.
Immediately after, nearly everyone in the plaza turned to look toward the donkey cart.
And then they saw a cloud of shimmering green mist rise up from the crowd, looking exceptionally conspicuous in the sunlight.
The next second, amidst the clamor of surprised cries, a loud voice rang out clearly for all to hear—
“Green! It’s a grace of the Extraordinary Level!”
“Congratulations! This friend, whose Name I do not know!”
“You have received the favor of the Goddess of Fortune!”