Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 73: We Have No Money

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

“A Desktop Farm?”

“As the name suggests, it’s a farm that can be placed on a desktop. It was developed to solve the problems of traditional farms—large space requirements, long farming times, and high entry barriers.

“It’s said to use the latest dimension and biotechnology. I don’t know the exact principles, but it supposedly contains a complete ecosystem. As long as you don’t exceed the carrying capacity of the environment, there’s no need to feed it, and it accelerates growth rates. Even complete beginners can use it easily.”

Yan Wu patted the terrarium. “However, due to the high manufacturing cost, Artifact Technology only made 99 of them, and the one I have here is technically a scrap item—the only functional environment is the volcanic ecosystem with a farming limit of 1,000 pounds.”

At this point, Yan Wu seemed a bit embarrassed, scratching his beard-covered chin.

“The volcano setting doesn’t support many types of ingredients, and the 1,000-pound limit is a bit low. But if it were more useful, something this good wouldn’t end up with a scavenger like me in such a remote place.”

Ma Lu kept his expression neutral. “Can I take the Phase Shifter, the Very Beaver, and this scrap Desktop Farm?”

“Sure, the Phase Shifter is 60,000 star coins, the Very Beaver is 80,000, and I bought the Desktop Farm for 140,000, so I’ll sell it to you at the same price—no profit. That’s 280,000 star coins in total.”

“Huh?”

“That’s not expensive. Even though I sell second-hand and defective goods, I only make about 10% profit.”

Yan Wu explained, “The main issue is that there are no official routes here, so we rely on smuggling, which makes shipping costs high.”

“No, I mean… what are star coins?”

“…………”

“You don’t have star coins?” Yan Wu frowned. “Star coins are the official currency of the Great Alliance.”

“I’m just a native Earthling and only recently got into… multiverse matters.” Ma Lu looked hopefully at Old Wang.

But Old Wang simply said, “I don’t have star coins either.”

“Give us one minute.”

Ma Lu pulled Old Wang aside and whispered, “Didn’t you bring a wallet or a bank card when you came over?”

“Star coins are a special type of digital currency. You need an e-wallet and a key to complete transactions.”

A sense of dread washed over Ma Lu. “Don’t tell me your wallet and key happen to be in a damaged sector?”

Old Wang nodded and then added, “The Desktop Farm would be incredibly useful for us, and we have to get it. Even though it’s heavily damaged, No. 6—”

Ma Lu quickly covered Old Wang’s mouth. “I know, I know. You can’t lie and aren’t suited for negotiating. Let me handle this.”

“But we don’t have any money.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve recently realized that the highest level of a transaction is making something out of nothing. Just don’t speak.”

Ma Lu returned to Yan Wu.

The werewolf remained patient. “So, have you figured out how to raise the money?”

Ma Lu nodded. “We’re a bit short on cash at the moment, so we were wondering if we could borrow some from you?”

Yan Wu’s expression turned odd. “You want to borrow money from me and then use it to buy my goods?”

“My partner here is a Cosmic Chef. Once our restaurant is up and running, we’ll have a way to make money. We can host visitors from other dimensions and earn star coins from them, and then we’ll be able to pay you back.”

Yan Wu shook his head, “In the fourth year of Jinglong, Li Chongmao was still the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but seventeen days later, he abdicated to Prince Li Dan. Who can predict the future? Although this dimension is indeed in dire need of a Cosmic Chef, 280,000 star coins is no small sum. This is our first meeting; it’s not realistic to just lend you the money.”

Ma Lu felt embarrassed—being a descendant of the Yan Empreror’s lineage, he didn’t even know who Li Chongmao and Li Dan were and had to quickly look them up on his phone. This werewolf, on the other hand, could rattle off their names as if he had met them in person before.

However, seeing that Yan Wu had refused, Ma Lu didn’t panic and quickly proposed a new plan. “If you’re worried about not getting your money back, we can offer you collateral.”

Yan Wu’s expression softened slightly. “Do you have items worth 280,000 that you can use as collateral?”

“Well, how about the three high-dimensional artifacts we’re buying from you?” Ma Lu cleared his throat. “Since you’re already a second-hand dealer, you should have no trouble reselling them if you get them back.”

???

Seeing Yan Wu’s silence, Ma Lu quickly added, “Don’t worry, I can guarantee that we won’t damage those three artifacts. If we can’t pay you back, you’ll get them back in perfect condition, ready for resale. Plus, when our restaurant opens, you’ll be our permanent VIP—30% off on all dishes.”

Yan Wu raised an eyebrow. “40% off, and besides that, you need to prove you have the ability to pay me back.”

“How do we prove that?”

“You’ll have to cook a dish that impresses me.”

Yan Wu grinned. “I must warn you, though I haven’t had anything truly delicious in over two thousand years and I’m not particularly picky, satisfying me is no easy feat. You’ll need to come up with something far better than Queen’s Crisps. If you can do that, I’ll agree to your proposed deal.”

“Deal.”

Ma Lu and Old Wang exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

This werewolf’s sense of smell was truly keen—he could even detect the lingering scent of Queen’s Crisps on them.

“Very well. I’ll reserve those three high-dimensional artifacts for you and won’t sell them to other customers, but don’t keep me waiting too long.”

With that, the hardware store owner waved them off, signaling that the discussion was over.

Yan Wu was easier to negotiate with than Ma Lu had anticipated. If he hadn’t agreed to the “I’ll use my own items as collateral” proposal, Ma Lu had a third plan ready.

That plan involved paying off the 280,000 star coins by repairing high-dimensional artifacts for Yan Wu, but doing so would inevitably reveal No. 6’s existence. This would make it difficult for Ma Lu to come back to Jinxin and continue picking up faulty high-dimensional artifacts like the Desktop Farm at low prices.

From his conversation with Yan Wu, Ma Lu had already realized that No. 6 was even more valuable than he initially thought.

As long as the reclusive Craftsman never showed himself, No. 6 remained the only entity in this universe capable of upgrading and repairing high-dimensional artifacts.

Although Yan Wu seemed upright, he was still a werewolf, and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t harbor any ulterior motives. Keeping this in mind, Ma Lu only considered this backup plan as a last resort.

It was best if they didn’t have to use it.

However, this meant they had to come up with a dish that could truly impress Yan Wu.

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