After checking the status of the Information Armor, Lin Ye chose to return to the Shelter.

Because the appointed time was almost here, Lin Ye did not go to the Rest Area for lunch, instead entering the spiritual energy workshop to study the items he had obtained earlier.

Little Black and the other creatures were helping Lin Ye tidy up the Shelter; they often helped him with chores.

About half an hour later, Lin Ye received a system message.

[There is a visitor requesting entry to your Shelter. Do you consent?]

"Consent."

Lin Ye stepped out of the workshop, and a deep green portal appeared in the center of the Shelter. The Middleman stepped through the portal into the Shelter.

"Hello... That outfit really suits you."

The Middleman glanced at the Abyssal Gate, and suddenly felt an urge to step back through.

"Hello, here are the two skill cards. The Waste Stones are in the storage room. How many blueprints do you have?"

Lin Ye handed the two skill cards to the Middleman; those two cards were of no use to him anymore.

"I prepared one hundred blueprints. I hope you have enough Waste Stones."

The next buyer and the Middleman had already been lined up.

"Seventy-nine in total. How about Waste Stones plus the skill cards in exchange for one hundred blueprints?"

Lin Ye was very satisfied with the Middleman's efficiency. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"One Waste Stone for one blueprint. These two skill cards aren't worth twenty-one blueprints."

If you ignored the trading environment, the Middleman was very pleased with this deal, but some details still needed discussion.

"I can also give you two Rule Crystals, Fate and Flesh. If you're not satisfied, you can go down to my basement and look at my collection."

Lin Ye could separate Rule Crystals from Rule Fragments, but he could only separate them at intervals. Mining in the Rule Mining Area could shorten that interval.

"The Flesh Rule Crystal is fine. The Fate Rule Crystal, unless you can provide a clear provenance, is not suitable for trade. Anything related to unknown fate is extremely dangerous."

The Middleman actually had channels to sell Fate Rule Crystals, but no buyer would want to be associated with a system survivor.

"Alright then, I can only take a look in the basement."

Lin Ye led the Middleman into the basement. Little Black and the little dog trailed curiously behind him; strangers rarely entered the Shelter.

"That said, I do think Fate Rule Crystals are good. It seems some clients have shown interest in such items before."

The Middleman only glanced around the basement, then suddenly stopped and turned back toward the bedroom.

"Don't rush off, I'll show you my collection."

Lin Ye said kindly.

"No need. Some things are better left untouched."

The Middleman declined Lin Ye's friendly offer.

"Is that okay? I feel like you're underselling yourself a bit."

Lin Ye followed him back to the bedroom. Little Black, the little dog, and the Scapegoat began carrying Waste Stones into the bedroom.

"It's okay. The Fate Rule Crystal is worth more than you estimated, but are you sure you want to sell it? I can't guarantee what my clients will do with it."

Seeing the items in the basement, the Middleman realized he had misjudged the value of that Fate Rule Crystal earlier.

"Will it have any impact on me?"

Lin Ye thought it probably wouldn't be a problem, but he was not an expert in this area.

"Fate is uncontrollable. One Fate Rule Crystal can't directly affect you, but it might cause others to be linked to you."

The Middleman hadn't expected to encounter such an item here. Recently one of his clients had been buying materials that could be turned into curse items at extremely high prices.

"That doesn't matter to me. I don't care about so-called fate."

Lin Ye preferred to control fate, which was also how he used Fate Rule Fragments.

"Then it's settled. If you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me."

The Middleman packed up the Waste Stones and produced the one hundred blueprints. He was very satisfied with the transaction.

"I will."

Lin Ye was satisfied too. Having someone else gather those blueprints saved him unknown time and effort; he might not have been able to collect so many himself.

After the transaction, the Middleman left the Shelter through the portal.

Lin Ye used one hundred Blueprint for Constructing a Special Spiritual Energy Core in succession. During the process, he felt some changes in his body, as a certain force stabilized his physical structure.

"Hopefully nothing goes wrong when I advance."

Lin Ye wasn't entirely sure of the blueprints' effects, but with the system assisting, it should be fine.

The system was the insurance for the Risk Hedging Plan. Without the system's backing, Lin Ye wouldn't dare attempt such a dangerous operation.

After finishing the blueprints, Lin Ye took Little Black and the others to the Rest Area for a big meal, then browsed the mall in the Rest Area for a while. When they returned to the Shelter, night had fully fallen.

Lin Ye didn't go to the workshop to study other items; he leaned on his pillow, opened the Group Chat and the Music Box, and waited for the Nighttime Activity to begin.

(522943/1000000)

"I'm ready. Mining Area Task, start!"

"I still need some more prep time."

"Did you guys grab any spiritual energy cards?"

"What spiritual energy cards? The ones produced by the system?"

"No, the ones Lin made earlier. Aren't you guys guarding the trading area at this hour?"

"What the hell?! What did I miss?"

"You didn't miss anything. Anyway, you wouldn't have been able to get any."

"I snagged a mid-tier Cut card. According to the system info, its power should be considerable."

"Huh? Lin can already craft mid-tier spiritual energy items?"

"Many big shots advanced long ago. Lin should be among the earliest to advance."

"Uh, I ran into Lin in the Game Room last time; he seemed to be only third-tier..."

"He must be hiding his strength. There's no way Lin is still a low-tier spiritual energy user."

"Right. Big shots always like to hide their power."

"I got a mid-tier Parasitism card. How do you use this thing? (Item details)"

"Sell it?"

"It probably only needs spiritual energy activation, but the system indicates this card has certain dangers. Sell it to me. I'm willing to take the risk for you."

"Creating parasites inside an enemy that can reproduce and spread... this card is terrifying."

"I really regret it, seriously."

"You beasts, your speed is insane."

"This is reaction speed. Many people who grabbed spiritual energy cards are big shots."

"Big shots are competing with us trash for cards?"

"There are differences even among big shots."

"Spiritual energy items made by Lin can also serve as trump cards for big shots."