Down-and-Out Alchemist, Mass-Producing Hair Growth Pills in Space

● Upcoming: The Grill Skewers I Offer to the Gods and The Savior Wants to Restart Again Today. Their blurbs are at the end.

[Blurb]

Lin Jingrang, a dan cultivator, spent a hundred years perfecting medicine-making and alchemy, working himself to the bone until he finally ascended.

Then... he unlocked a map of a whole new world.

Lin Jingrang, charred black by the tribulation's nine days of lightning: That's it?

He decided to lie flat. Whoever wanted to work hard could do it themselves.

But...

A silk pillow that outer-sect disciples used to sleep on cost ten thousand in this new world. A meal of ordinary human food with no spiritual energy cost over a hundred. And there was a black dragon who was constantly clamoring to be fed.

Lin Jingrang, who didn't even have a Star Coin account, did a sit-up: ...

Maybe... I should make some money first, then lie flat. QAQ

-

The natives of this new world were beastfolk. Lin Jingrang, a fluffy-creature enthusiast who'd been deprived of them for ages, would crouch by the roadside and get excited for ages just watching the crowd go by.

Everything moving on this street was... fluffy! *Slurp~*

He gradually discovered that the most profitable businesses in this new world all had to do with fur care.

Lin Jingrang: Fur care...

Got it! I'll save up for ingredients and start making pills.

-

A new shop quietly opened on the Star Network. Its name was remarkably simple: [Money Comes From All Directions].

The shop stocked everything from hair-loss pills and hair-growth pills to hair-nourishing oil, all at incredibly low prices.

At first, Lin Jingrang only wanted to reel in a rich customer and make a little money, but then...

His shop was bought out!

A coal-mining cat shed his black fur and made it safely to the altar; a rabbit streamer with bald ears regained his youthful looks and became the rabbit world's unstoppable stud; a wealthy golden python, caught up in rumors of fake scales, successfully restored their color and dazzled everyone at a product launch; an actor plagued by albinism regained his looks and became an interstellar sensation...

The empire was in an uproar.

Lin Jingrang had only wanted to earn enough for meals, but his business kept expanding. Counting the zeroes in his account, he was stunned: Holy crap, people would actually pay this much for something that can't even cultivate immortality?!

Later, Lin Jingrang's troubles became:

1. How to pet adult beastfolk without looking like such a pervert.

2. How to pet underage beastfolk without looking like a trafficker.

3. How to do both of the above without being caught by the domineering, hairless black dragon at home.

[The hairless black dragon is at a disadvantage but insists on competing over fur × top who is tired of being top, a workaholic at heart but refuses to admit it, literally a sparkling gem × fluffy-creature enthusiast bottom]

Little scene:

After finishing a day's work, Lin Jingrang sneaked out to clear his head.

"What are you doing?"

A familiar voice sounded behind his ear. Lin Jingrang hurriedly pulled back the hand he'd been using to pet a kitten by the roadside, stammering, "B-Black Dragon... w-what are you doing here?"

Ao Xunzhao snorted coldly.

The kitten was so frightened by the terrifying pressure that it tumbled away, running with its arms and legs out of sync. It transformed into a child by the roadside and ran off wailing.

Lin Jingrang: ...

He'd forgotten again: this was the beastfolk world! What a blunder!

Ao Xunzhao's face was as black as his scales. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You used to sneak a few spirit beasts that hadn't gained intelligence yet. Fine. But now you've ascended and gotten bolder, haven't you? Other than being hairless, how am I worse than them?"

"Answer me! Why aren't you saying anything?"

Lin Jingrang's eyes wandered. "...I-It's just that you're hairless. That's how you're worse."

Ao Xunzhao: "..."

Another day of being furious because he's hairless.

● [Upcoming blurb 1] The Savior Wants to Restart Again Today. Please add it to your favorites~ ^·-·^ Kitty heart hands

Lin Wu graduated top of his class from Savior Academy and received the excellent-graduate benefit of a guaranteed job assignment.

The System assigned to him was aloof, but Lin Wu didn't mind. It was expressionless and good at its job.

He never expected to be blinded by the pink mist hanging in the air as soon as he entered the beginner village.

The System coughed lightly. "Sorry. This is my first time handling this kind of assignment, and I selected the wrong subgenre."

Lin Wu: "?"

The System sounded even more embarrassed. "We're currently in 99 Kisses to Make You Love Me, the female-oriented... subgenre."

Lin Wu: "???"

Lin Wu: "Something's off with you. There are two censored words in that sentence."

This definitely wasn't something an excellent graduate should have to read!

System: "."

System: "I've got a fix! If we lower the world's approval rating of you to zero, the Savior will be automatically replaced."

Lin Wu: That's easy, right? Watch me. I'll restart tomorrow!

And so, the excellent graduate made a few decisions that went against everything he'd been taught.

Excellent graduate: The first thing you do in a new world is thoroughly search every corner of the room you're in.

Lin Wu: Never mind. I'm leaving tomorrow anyway. No point wasting space in my inventory.

So he openly slacked off in the little house with the System.

The next day, instead of a world restart, he got the village chief.

"Why didn't you take anything from our house when you came by yesterday?"

Lin Wu: ?

The village chief gave you [Inventory × 1].

Village chief: "Savior, these are the things from the chest by my bed. One HP replenisher, five hundred gold coins..."

Villagers arriving one after another: "This is the mysterious glowing item from my potted plant."

"And this..."

System: [Beginner village residents' favorability +10, Savior approval +5]

Lin Wu: ...Huh? Wait, that's not what they taught us at school!

System: .

-

A guard reported that a mysterious creature was roaring in a cave on the eastern outskirts of the village.

Excellent graduate: (Loot weapons from the blacksmith) (Upgrade armor at the armor shop) (Stock up on medicine at the pharmacy) (Store valuables at home) (Save the game in time)

Lin Wu didn't want to do any of that, so he took the high-minded approach: "This is our village, and no one can stand aside... So let's draw lots! Whoever gets picked goes!"

The villagers were silent for a few seconds. "Brilliant! As expected of the Savior! He treats everyone equally! He must see the potential in all of us!" (tears.jpg)

System: [Thanks to the fresh perspective, everyone's intelligence +1, horizons +2, favorability ++15]

Lin Wu: ??? Something's off with you people.

System: Keep it up, and we'll soon earn you the title of Excellent Savior!

Lin Wu: ...I'm exhausted. Today is another day I want to restart and change worlds.

-

Later, even the System started acting strangely.

Capturable Male Lead One: "Your heart shines brighter than gold."

The System's data chains shivered at the cheesy line. "Thanks, but he's not that expensive."

Capturable Male Lead Two: (Silently gaining favorability)

System: "I hate people who act all impressive!"

Capturable Male Lead Three went straight for a wall pin without saying a word. Before Lin Wu could react, someone was already standing in front of him.

The man had long silver hair and shielded Lin Wu behind him. "Hey, buddy, back off! Show some respect! He's a proper Savior. Don't go groping him!"

Lin Wu: ??

Who are you, handsome?

●^·-·^ [And here's upcoming story 2] The Grill Skewers I Offer to the Gods. Please show it some love~

Lan Qing opened a late-night food stall. On the first day of business, he picked up a handsome helper. He'd thought the helper was strange enough, but then every customer turned out to be a whole story in themselves.

Customer A was always soaking wet, constantly muttering, "I want to reach the shore."

Customer B wore gold and red and looked like a rich tycoon, but was sleepy all day, disheveled, with eye bags almost reaching his chin. "I've got too much work! Somebody save me!"

Customer C was even stranger. No matter when he showed up, he carried a huge ball of red yarn and tried to give it to everyone. "The red thread isn't selling! Buy one, get one free!"

Customer D...

Not long afterward...

A veteran water ghost completed his own exorcism, and the King of Hell personally brought Lan Qing a commendation pennant.

The God of Wealth made it through his midlife crisis, full of vigor again. He gave Lan Qing an eighty-year trial card for turning stone into gold and invited him to his new company's annual party.

A newly minted agricultural academic turned out to be the Matchmaker himself, and devoted a whole thousand words of his doctoral thesis to thanking Lan Qing.

Lan Qing: "..."

The good news: he'd never have to worry about customer numbers again.

The bad news: his customers weren't exactly of this world.

-

Little scene:

A thousand-year-old vengeful ghost was wreaking havoc. The experts of the occult world gathered, each taking their turn: some burned talismans, some chanted scriptures, and some summoned gods.

Lan Qing, who was merely passing by and had his path blocked, silently took three skewers from his custom insulated box.

Their aroma filled the air.

Suddenly, funereal music rang out above them. The smoke cleared, and the occult world's experts saw a dignified man wearing a crown appear in his true form.

The Ghost King casually crushed the vengeful ghost who'd interrupted his meal, then rubbed his hands together expectantly. "Boss Lan, why did you bring the delivery yourself?"

The occult world's experts: Holy crap?

Lan Qing smiled kindly. "Would you dare eat it if I sent someone else?"

The Ghost King shrank back. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

The occult world's experts: "..."

Holy crap! What kind of skewers are those? Get us a skewer too!

Help! We really need some!

Theme: The people who love you will help you become a better version of yourself.