Chapter 1057 – Mo Lan’s Travel Diary 10

Sylvia didn’t actually enjoy sitting up straight to study books—unless the book was about something she was truly interested in.

Before, she could spend an entire day happily poring over the descriptions and pictures of various landscapes on the magic map.

Now, she had developed an interest in arithmetic—an indispensable subject for running a shop and making money.

Yet this thin little booklet was like a candy whose sweetness she’d only just begun to taste before it was gone, leaving her itching for more.

“Is there really… no way to study ahead a little?” Sylvia propped her chin in her hands, her gaze wandering across the Card Shop interface. “If I can’t calculate discounts and multiples, how am I supposed to set prices for the general store’s merchandise?”

“What if I sell at a loss? What if I price things too high and nobody buys them?”

“Don’t worry,” Mo Lan said with a smile, then communicated through her contracts. “Zhizhi, Clack, Sentai—come here for a moment.”

In an instant, a monkey, a vine-chair, and a skeleton appeared.

“You can ask them for help from now on,” Mo Lan said.

In truth, she could have simply displayed the discounted prices and tiered pricing for different contract customer groups directly on the Card Shop interface.

But to nurture her daughter’s freshly sprouted curiosity about numbers, she chose the “dumbest” yet most vivid approach.

Sylvia’s eyes widened in surprise, her gaze darting back and forth between the three of them. “You all… know arithmetic?”

Zhizhi hopped onto the counter, puffed out its little chest, and slapped its paws down with resounding thumps.

“I’m super smart! I’ve finished both volumes of Mo Mo’s Mo Mo’s Mo’s 《Basic Mathematics Mo, and I’ve also studied 《The Earth Business Compendium》Mo, 《Introduction to Accounting》Mo, and other books. I even have experience running my own shop at a profit! Clack and Sentai both learned their arithmetic from me!”

The more it spoke, the prouder it became, its fluffy tail curling high into the air. “Hire me as your financial advisor—money management, accounting, price verification, full one-stop service—for just—”

It held up five fingers, enunciating clearly: “5 Gem Coins a day! Pick me, pick me!”

Before Sylvia could even react, Clack had already silently raised a cardboard sign it had prepared in advance.

Written in neat handwriting, the sign read:

“Accounting assistant Clack. On standby 24 hours. Absolutely precise, never makes errors. Desired daily wage: 2 Gem Coins.”

Sentai’s vines, meanwhile, curled around another sign—clearly one it had just woven from bark—which read:

“Accounting assistant Sentai. Many vines, fast hands. In addition to answering basic arithmetic questions, also offers complimentary shelf-organizing service. Daily wage: 3 Gem Coins. At your command.”

Sylvia looked at one, then the other, her little mouth hanging slightly open, unable to speak for a long while.

She had borrowed 1,000 Gem Coins from her mother and hadn’t even bought a single card yet, but hiring help would already cost her a sum.

Even at just 1 Gem Coin per day, ten days would be 10 Gem Coins, a hundred days would be…

She counted on her fingers, growing more alarmed the more she calculated.

Arithmetic really was an essential skill! Learning it was the same as earning money.

She silently resolved that once school started, she would study arithmetic diligently, so she wouldn’t have to spend money hiring someone to do her sums in the future.

Poverty had given Sylvia a self-taught epiphany about saving money. Her eyes darted around, and a perfectly calibrated expression of difficulty appeared on her little face as her voice softened a few degrees:

“I’m still not quite sure which of you three is actually the best at arithmetic… C-could I test you? Whoever answers best, I’ll hire!”

All three little ones froze in unison.

Sentai’s vine tip turned toward Clack, Clack’s skull turned toward Zhizhi, and Zhizhi’s tail tip sneakily brushed against Mo Lan’s arm, its eyes practically screaming: “Master, this wasn’t in the script!”

How could Mo Lan not know what little scheme her daughter was cooking up?

But she actually felt rather pleased.

The child hadn’t simply picked the cheapest option, nor had she gone for the most expensive one. Instead, she’d come up with the idea of “try before you decide.”

Though it was essentially an attempt to freeload labor, this kind of quick-wittedness and budding business sense was quite commendable.

She secretly told the three little ones through their contracts: “Agree to it!”

Zhizhi immediately caught on. It slapped its little paw on the counter with a crisp smack: “Sure! Test me however you want! If I, Zhizhi, can’t answer, I’ll write my name backwards!”

Clack silently held up its sign and scribbled an addition: “Okay!”

Sentai’s vine gently tapped its tip in agreement.

Sylvia felt a surge of delight inside, but she fought to maintain her “I’m being very serious” expression.

“Please wait a moment!”

She spun around, her little fingers flying across the Card Shop’s light screen so fast they left afterimages.

Every card priced under 1,000 Gem Coins that the Tatari could use was marked by her.

Then she turned back, cleared her throat, and spoke in the manner of the arithmetic problems from the booklet:

“Suppose the customers I’ll be facing are Tatari whose maximum shop level is only 4. My purchasing capital is 1,000 Gem Coins. I need each of you to select a certain number of cards from these options to form a ‘purchasing plan.'”

“Please note: total purchasing cost cannot exceed 1,000 Gem Coins. Tatari Card Shops all enjoy a ten percent discount, which is approximately 1.8 times the Witch Card Shop price.”

“Please calculate the total expected profit for your chosen plan.”

“Whoever can come up with the plan with the highest total profit within the time limit has the strongest ability—and will be the one I prioritize hiring!”

“Easy!” Zhizhi whipped out paper and a pen, gripped the pen in its little paw, and began rapidly scanning the card information on the light screen while scribbling calculations on paper.

Meanwhile, Clack and Sentai stood frozen in place, completely lost.

The ghostly flames in Clack’s eye sockets flickered with confusion, and Sentai twisted and squirmed in agitation. Neither of them knew how to even begin tackling this complex task of “determining a purchasing plan and calculating profit.”

Sylvia blinked, a bit puzzled. “Aren’t you two… going to start?”

Mo Lan smiled helplessly. She walked over and gently pressed her daughter’s shoulders, explaining in a warm voice:

“Sylvia, the problem you’ve given doesn’t just require arithmetic—it also requires knowledge of product selection, how to put together an assortment, and the ability to predict market demand. It’s already beyond the scope of an ‘accounting assistant.’ Only a financial advisor could handle it!”

She pointed at Zhizhi, who was scribbling furiously. “Zhizhi has led the planning of a startup shop before and has real experience, so it’s up to the task.”

Then she turned to Clack and Sentai. “Clack and Sentai only have basic arithmetic skills as ‘accounting assistants.’ They can only calculate based on your specific instructions. For example, if you tell them ‘calculate what 1.8 times the Witch Card Shop price of {Insect Repellent Powder} is,’ they can give you the answer quickly.”

“Between the two of them, Clack has higher accuracy, while Sentai is slightly faster at calculations.”

Sylvia’s face lit up with sudden understanding. “No wonder Zhizhi costs more!”