SOLAK Chapter 15

“Miss He Huan, perhaps you didn’t quite understand me. Allow me to introduce myself.”

Qiu Keke’s voice carried both warmth and confidence.

“My name is Qiu Keke. I’m the Logistics Director of the Taishan Mutual Aid Association. Our association would like to make a deal with you. We need to place an order for torches—quite a large order. Could you let us cut the line?”

Though she phrased it like a question, He Huan could feel the unshakable force behind her words.

Qiu Keke clearly assumed refusal was impossible.

Or rather, Taishan Mutual Aid believed no one in District E7 would dare refuse them.

To them, the association’s name was a golden banner, dazzling enough to blind others into kneeling. Where did they even get this absurd self-confidence?

He Huan rubbed her eyes, then her ears.

No, she hadn’t misread or misheard. This Qiu Keke really had said it: she was from Taishan Mutual Aid.

So now the people who had just issued a bounty on her were coming to do business with her?

Ah~ truly, in any world, this place is nothing but a farcical troupe.

Qiu Keke didn’t notice He Huan’s silence. Or perhaps she did—but simply didn’t care.

She pressed on, blunt as ever:

“We want three hundred torches, delivered in two days. Do your best to make them tomorrow night and the night after. I’ll come pick them up this time two nights from now.”

He Huan narrowed her eyes, letting a tremor of anxiety color her voice.

“But… I don’t have that much energy. I only get 100 points a day.”

“Then just come back to your shelter at midnight to craft torches. Go to bed afterward, wake up and make fifty more in the morning. That won’t cut into your daytime exploring, and your energy will still be enough.”

Suddenly, He Huan understood Li Changping’s scorn whenever he mentioned Taishan Mutual Aid.

This Qiu Keke was really asking for a beating. And the association that put someone like her in charge of logistics? Just as infuriating.

“No can do. I can’t. I need full energy when I go out.”

She sent out her last pending order, then opened her backpack.

Qiu Keke pressed harder.

“We’re talking three hundred torches. And I’m not even bargaining—I’ll pay exactly your asking price. Opportunities like this don’t come often.”

Her voice was calm, but the suppressed anger beneath it was easy to hear.

He Huan ignored her, still rifling through her pack.

If she remembered correctly, both Zhou Yuanshan’s bounty notice and Li Changping’s gossip mentioned the same thing: the Red Name had taken something from Taishan Mutual Aid.

That was the real reason for her bounty.

Among the loot from He Liang, the man she killed, there had been something the association cared deeply about.

She pulled out He Liang’s backpack and spilled its contents onto the ground.

Neatly organized tools, food, water… and a compass.

He Huan’s silence made Qiu Keke think she was wavering, so she coaxed further:

“This isn’t for my personal profit—it’s for the association. Look, I’m not lowering your price. I’m just asking you to hurry the timeline a little.

“If you help us now, the association will remember the favor. Doing business with us isn’t easy, and building good ties with us is even rarer.”

“Miss He Huan, please reconsider.”

He Huan picked up the compass, looked at it once, then laughed.

She tossed it into the air, caught it, tossed it again, over and over.

The dim bonfirelight reflected off its metal case, glowing in a hazy halo.

“Actually, I can let you pick up the torches two nights from now. But I have one condition.”

Qiu Keke: “What condition?”

“You take me into the secret realm in Fog Zone No. 3.”

At that, Qiu Keke’s nonstop chatter screeched to a halt.

He Huan wasn’t in a rush. She knew Qiu Keke couldn’t decide this alone—she’d have to report up the chain. And He Huan could wait.

The way things stood, she held the initiative. Why fear the paper tiger threats of Taishan Mutual Aid?

Even if they were the largest group in District E7, they only had around seven hundred members. There were eight thousand survivors in the district. Without them, she could still do business.

As for possible retaliation? She didn’t even consider it.

She was already on their bounty list. One more charge made no difference.

Besides, three hundred torches with such a tight deadline? There was no way they were just for member welfare.

A group like theirs, constantly recruiting and advertising, wouldn’t pour all their attention into mundane exploration.

He Huan was sure: Taishan Mutual Aid had access to secret realms. At least two, maybe more.

So her demand wasn’t excessive at all.

While Qiu Keke stalled in silence, He Huan calmly continued synthesizing higher-tier materials. Ever since reaping the benefits of advanced wood and stone, she planned to replace all her basics.

Finally, Qiu Keke responded, voice notably softer:

“How do you know we have a secret realm?”

“Just answer yes or no.” He Huan had no interest in pointless chatter.

Her impatience nearly made Qiu Keke choke. Before entering this world, she’d been a celebrity with fans swarming her. Afterward, as Taishan Mutual Aid’s Logistics Director, she’d been treated with even greater courtesy.

In these past few days, this was the first time someone had spoken to her so rudely. She was about to lash out—when He Huan spoke again.

“Yes, then yes. No, then forget it. District E7 isn’t short of buyers.”

And that was no bluff. While Taishan Mutual Aid was the largest guild, there were plenty of other groups around.

Qiu Keke recalled Zhou Yuanshan’s warning and, despite her pride stinging, forced herself to compromise:

“Our entry requirement is level five. If you can reach level five by the day after tomorrow, we’ll take you.”

“Good. Then let’s draft an order contract.”

Order contracts were the most binding agreements on the trade platform. Any term written into them would be enforced by the world itself. They protected both sides, just like her torch listings did.

Reputation was also tracked—fulfilling contracts reliably earned trust and better treatment in future trades.

Naturally, Qiu Keke wanted a contract. After all, three hundred torches’ worth of materials were worth far more than dragging along a torch-maker.

Once they signed, He Huan immediately heard the system prompt:

[The materials for 300 Lasting Torches commissioned by Party A have been received. Party B, please complete the order within the agreed time. Good luck!]

Having just handed over so many resources—after being treated so curtly, no less—Qiu Keke fumed.

She finally sent another message:

“He Huan, you’d better make those torches properly. If you dare cut corners, forget about entering the secret realm. Our Taishan Mutual Aid will teach you a lesson.”

A moment later, she received the automatic reply:

[The other party has enabled Do Not Disturb mode. Please try another method of contact.]

Qiu Keke: …

She was livid.

But He Huan was unbothered. Thanks to the trade platform’s safeguards, she didn’t worry about material tampering. She tossed the pile into her bronze chest for storage, then stretched out by the fire to sleep.

Her upgraded shelter restored energy faster. One and a half hours for full recovery normally, or just about an hour when sleeping.

If she wanted, she could burn through the entire 300-torch order tonight. She didn’t plan to go that far, but she did intend to crank out at least 200 before dawn.

Preparation was essential.

That way, she’d still have enough energy to explore tomorrow. And more importantly—

She twirled the old compass in her hand, lips curving into a playful smile.

How could a law-abiding citizen like herself let others casually slap a bounty on her? Naturally, she had a duty to teach them a proper lesson about the cruelty of this world.