In the first-floor living room.
Mason picked a corner that didn't ruin the room's aesthetics and placed the Recovery Bin.
Clunk!
A wooden chest, roughly the size of a small coffee table, materialized in front of him.
He tapped the top of the box.
With a soft creak, the lid opened automatically.
Man, this is giving me serious Stardew Valley Shipping Bin vibes. This MC world keeps getting weirder.
"Come on! Let's go sell some of the stuff we've gathered over the last few days."
"Right!"
The two of them crossed the living room and headed down into the basement storage.
They returned a few minutes later with their inventories completely stuffed.
"Let's see what the exchange rates are like."
Mason tossed in a stack of Cobblestone first.
[Cobblestone (64): 0 World Coins]
Alright. So even the magical Recovery Bin didn't want the trash that covered literally the entire world.
Next, Mason tossed in a handful of Wheat.
[Wheat (64): 50 World Coins]
Minecraft Wheat took about five days to mature. Fifty coins for a stack was a little low, but not unacceptable—especially since a single square meter of farmland here yielded far more than just one piece of Wheat.
He started tossing in other items to test the waters.
[Copper Ingot (64): 50 World Coins]
[Iron Ingot (64): 100 World Coins]
[Tomato (64): 50 World Coins]
[Raw Salmon (30): 120 World Coins]
[Fishing Rod: 3 World Coins]
[Bow: 5 World Coins]
[Bow (Punch II): 7 World Coins]
[Bow (Infinity): 105 World Coins]
[Leather Cap: 8 World Coins]
[Leather Pants: 11 World Coins]
...
After a thorough testing session, they calculated that dumping everything would yield 875 World Coins. Crops and ores were sold by the stack, while crafted gear was priced proportionally based on the raw materials used to make it.
Using the displayed prices, Mason could reverse-engineer the value of basic materials they hadn't even tested yet.
For example, a Fishing Rod required two String and three Sticks.
Sticks had zero value, which meant two String sold for 3 World Coins. A full stack of String would be roughly 96 coins. Assuming the system rounded down hidden decimals, String was likely in the same tier as Iron Ingots: 100 World Coins per stack.
The same logic applied to Leather—also 100 coins per stack.
It felt very similar to the mechanics of the Equivalent Exchange mod.
But there were differences, too.
The premium added by enchantments, for instance.
Common enchantments seemed to follow a strict mathematical progression: Level I added +1 coin, Level II added +2, Level III added +4, and Level IV added +8.
But the noble, high-tier Infinity enchantment? One instance of Infinity was worth more than a hundred common enchantments. It slapped a flat +100 World Coins onto the bow's base value.
Having figured out the market values, Mason retrieved the Iron Ingots and the Infinity Bow from the bin, leaving behind 670 World Coins' worth of items to be sold.
Currently, fishing was more profitable than farming. But once they expanded their agricultural layout, having only two people sit around fishing all day would become a massive waste of time.
Keqing saw the same mathematical reality.
"Mason!" she declared. "Tomorrow, let's go clear some fields out on the western plains!"
"I was thinking the exact same thing. Fishing is fast money, but it's not a long-term solution. Let's go check out the General Store now."
Mason led the way out of the villa, with Keqing following closely behind. They stepped into the front yard, which was currently arranged like a small, neat garden.
Like the blueprints, the General Store was deployed as an actual, physical structure. It looked a bit like an old-school roadside newsstand.
Mason placed it down. The holographic wireframe solidified, constructing the shop layer by layer as if 3D printed.
Thud!
The General Store made its grand entrance.
It was a circular kiosk, about three or four meters tall. The interior walls were lined with transparent cubbies displaying various goods. On the front counter rested a glowing holographic screen—the purchasing interface.
"That's incredible. Is this the technology from your world too?" Keqing asked.
"Not quite! This is the kind of stuff you only see in movies and sci-fi games. We usually call this aesthetic 'Cyberpunk'."
Gotta love the Random Shop, Mason thought dryly. The art style of the first three mandatory items is completely inconsistent.
He split the touchscreen hologram into two separate windows so he and Keqing could browse at the same time.
[Cobblestone (64): 20]
[Andesite (64): 20]
[Copper Ingot (64): 100]
[Iron Ingot (64): 200]
...
[Wheat (64): 200]
[Wheat Seeds (64): 50]
[Apple (64): 100]
...
[Salt (500g): 10 World Coins]
[Soy Sauce (600ml): 10 World Coins]
[Cooking Oil (5L): 100 World Coins]
[Fabric (5 sq. meters): 50 World Coins]
...
[Sweet Flower (12): 100 World Coins]
[Jueyun Chili (12): 200 World Coins]
[Teleport Anchor: 2,000 World Coins]
[Vision: 10,000 World Coins]
The inventory was staggering.
And it was clearly categorized by the three active worlds.
Yes, three worlds.
The first was the Minecraft world, containing most vanilla MC resources. However, the ores stopped at iron. Because they hadn't discovered Redstone, Lapis Lazuli, or Diamonds yet, those items were grayed out and unpurchasable.
Then came the mod-specific worlds.
The Simple Earth Architecture mod unlocked a massive variety of goods from Mason's previous life on Earth, mostly daily necessities and groceries.
The Maid Contract mod, having established a link with Keqing, added a selection of items specifically from the world of Teyvat.
Overall, Mason was thrilled with the General Store.
It truly lived up to the name "General." It sold absolutely everything.
"Alright, we can stop window-shopping. We can't afford any of the big stuff anyway. Let's head inside and get some rest."
"W-Wait a second!"
Keqing, having figured out the touchscreen without any help, zoomed in on the fabric and sewing kit section.
"Let's buy some of this fabric. You've been wearing the exact same clothes for a week. When winter comes, you're going to catch a cold. And don't look at me like I'm just some spoiled rich girl—I'm actually very good at making clothes."
She rolled up the sleeves of her pajamas, looking immensely proud of herself.
Mason froze. Then, a helpless, incredibly fond smile spread across his face.
"Keqing. What am I supposed to say to you?"
"W-What's wrong? Is it too much money? If it's a waste, we... we don't have to."
"No."
Mason reached out, took her soft hand, and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles.
"I'm just saying, if you keep spoiling me like this, I'm going to turn into a useless man who literally can't survive without you."
"You're exaggerating. You've been working really hard learning swordplay from me."
The sudden, deep affection in his eyes made her blush furiously.
"Mm. You look beautiful when you're shy, by the way. And I don't need to wait for the future—I already can't live without you."
"Ah!"
Keqing yelped as her perspective suddenly shifted. Strong arms scooped her up off her feet.
"Come on! Let's go fight another three hundred rounds!"
"No! I'm going to break!"
Tonight was destined to be another sleepless night.
...
The next morning, 9:00 a.m.
Mason woke up and instinctively reached out to pull Keqing closer, only to grasp empty air.
Rubbing his messy hair, he spotted a neatly folded pile of clothes on the nightstand. He realized Keqing had, once again, woken up bright and early to take care of the house.
"I really am being trained into a useless kept man. No! I can't let myself fall this far!"
He got dressed at top speed and hurried downstairs.
Keqing was sitting on the sofa, carefully cutting a few yards of deep blue fabric. Judging by the cut, she was making a traditional Liyue-style tunic.
As for where she got the money for the fabric—Mason had transferred a share of the World Coins to her last night, since the coins could be materialized as physical currency.
"Keqing."
She paused her cutting and looked up at him, a bright smile breaking across her face. The whole room seemed to light up.
"Good morning, Mason. Are you hungry?"
Mason walked over, picked up a lock of her purple hair, and breathed in the faint, elegant scent of orchids.
"Where I come from, we have a saying: beauty is a feast in itself. Waking up to see my beautiful, capable Keqing is better than eating the finest delicacies in the world."
"Hmph. Smooth talker."
She said it, but her expression made it very clear she loved hearing it.
"I'll handle the cooking today," Mason declared. "And I'll take care of plowing the new fields, too. You stay home and rest, or just go for a walk around the area."
Keqing blinked. That wasn't what they had agreed on yesterday.
But looking at Mason's gentle yet absolute determination, she understood. It seemed her one-sided pampering had slightly bruised her little man's pride.
"Pfft! Alright. In that case, I expect great things from your cooking!"
"Don't worry. There's no such thing as a man from Sichuan who can't cook. Prepare to be fed until you're delightfully chubby!"
Mason marched toward the kitchen, practically glowing with energy.
A deeply happy smile touched his lips.
Hardworking. Beautiful. Generous. And incredibly understanding.
This version of Keqing was his, and his alone.
Transmigrating to another world was... absolutely fantastic.