Chapter 86: Choosing Cooperation

“Hmm, this is really tough to chew!” On his main body’s side, Zheng Yichen bit into a piece of tough roasted meat. The texture was good, but its extreme toughness was like chewing metal wire. Probably only someone with teeth like his could eat this kind of ‘delicacy.’ Yes, this was the texture of the Gold-Devouring Eagle’s meat after being roasted.

This meal could be said to be the longest one Zheng Yichen had eaten recently. Probably because the meat was too uniquely strong, although he didn’t eat the most this time, it was the most filling meal. Zheng Yichen digested the meat he ate extremely slowly, much slower than chewing rocks. With such digestion efficiency, the rate of getting hungry naturally decreased.

Pettyng his belly, Zheng Yichen took out the Magic Weapon Summoning Book and continued improving the magic weapons he wanted to add. Originally, the most lacking type of weapon was the staff, but Zheng Yichen had now added several types. The same went for bows. Although the number of Magic Weapon Summoners had been fluctuating, it still maintained an upward trend.

Especially after the weapons inside became more comprehensive, the number of Magic Weapon Summoners increased particularly rapidly.

“Hmm, it’s almost ready, right?” He opened a bag and looked at the items inside. Zheng Yichen nodded slightly. After focusing on development for a while, his arsenal was now fully stocked. Those Alchemical Puppets had also been fully armed by Zheng Yichen, and their combat power had skyrocketed!

After all, no matter how skilled the Native Inhabitants of this world were, they would still have to consider the combat methods from the world before his transmigration… Of course, this was assuming the weapons’ lethality and this world’s combat power were on the same level!

Also influenced by knowledge from before his transmigration, most of the weapons Zheng Yichen made now were firearms. He had a full set: automatic rifles, machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, and so on. As for close combat abilities, he said the Dragon Clan’s physique was incredibly strong and off the charts. He had never been afraid of close-quarters brawling!

Even though his body hadn’t grown much since then, Zheng Yichen believed that he was now the essence, that purification itself. It didn’t matter if his body didn’t grow; as long as his strength kept increasing, that was fine.

“Our Boss is very interested in what you provided and wants to meet separately.” Looking at Zheng Yichen, who had arrived again, Lika said to him. Sitting in the Mysterious Tavern, Zheng Yichen thought for a moment. He still hadn’t given up on the idea of opening new channels, but getting started was the hardest part. So far, he still had no leads, let alone finding someone to connect with.

First, this Alchemical Body was the biggest limitation. It had a high level of disguise, yes, but it was far from as perfect as the Necromantic Body made by Loris, which could render most Detection Magic ineffective. This Alchemical Body would be exposed immediately if it encountered some more powerful Detection Magic.

Things like life fluctuations couldn’t be faked just by disguising. In the end, Zheng Yiren had no choice but to continue connecting through the Mysterious Tavern. Of course, to develop further, he couldn’t just keep contacting through the tavern’s waitstaff. It was best to find the boss behind the Mysterious Tavern for a detailed conversation about future cooperation.

Of course, directly asking to meet their boss probably wouldn’t be that easy. Zheng Yichen used a method to test the waters, a very simple one: just take out something he made to spark their interest!

As long as he could pique the interest of the boss behind the Mysterious Tavern, arranging a meeting afterwards would be simple.

What Zheng Yichen brought out wasn’t something he had recently created but rather ideas, concepts about bars and quiet bars. Since the boss of the Mysterious Tavern seemed to have opened many chain stores, coming up with some related ideas could also attract their attention. Of course, before getting a substantial reply, Zheng Yichen definitely wouldn’t reveal everything.

“When will your boss come?”

“She is already waiting for the guest.” Lika smiled lightly and made a gesture to lead the way, taking Zheng Yichen to an inner room in the tavern. A woman whose figure was hidden behind a thin gauze curtain looked through the curtain at the arriving Zheng Yichen. She had already read the information he provided—very novel and bold ideas. Putting them into practice, without mentioning appealing to all groups, would at least be highly popular among young people.

“Do you prefer meeting people this way?” The woman behind the curtain said in a soft voice. Her voice was very peculiar; each word seemed to stir changes in one’s emotions. For example, what she said now actually made Zheng Yichen feel that he was being rude, that he should have come with his main body instead of using the Alchemical Body as a substitute… No!

The Projection hidden inside the Alchemical Body quickly shook its head, shaking off the emotional change brought by this strange thought, but he became guarded. Just now, he hadn’t sensed any magic fluctuations; the Madam Proprietress of the tavern was just speaking normally… but the mana contained within was extremely special.

“It’s not about preference, but this method is a bit better.” Zheng Yichen, his emotions back to normal, said. “Aren’t you also meeting people through a layer of gauze?”

“Heh, I can’t easily meet people in person.” The Madam Proprietress chuckled. “Of course, if you want a truly open and honest meeting, it’s not impossible~”

“I’m just here to discuss cooperation.” Zheng Yichen shook his head. He now knew that this world had many special powers, and some things were better not delved into too deeply. For example, right now, he vaguely felt that meeting this Madam Proprietress might lead to some troublesome things happening. “Besides, I can’t easily meet people in person either.”

“I’m very interested in your proposal. Are you planning to make this a long-term cooperation?”

“Long-term? No, no, this can only be called an idea. Think of it as a stepping stone.” Zheng Yichen shook his head. Things like bars might feel novel at first, but once they truly become popular, many imitators would quickly appear. Even if the equipment wasn’t exactly the same, even partial similarities could divert some attention, because this industry was just too easy to imitate.

Of course, how many customers others could take away largely depended on this Madam Proprietress’s ability to retain them. Bars were one thing, but quiet bars actually suited the current state of the Mysterious Tavern quite well.

“I’m currently studying Alchemy and Engineering, so collecting many materials is very troublesome. That’s why I want to find a suitable partner. As long as the materials are complete, I can provide manufacturing services for the bar equipment at half the production cost. Of course, limited to three sets.”

The equipment was also quite troublesome. Besides drinking vessels, things like sound systems, lighting, ice makers, refrigerators, etc., all had to be fully prepared… These would take up a lot of Zheng Yichen’s time.