Jessica’s group had already put together a rickety, makeshift shack.
Since they didn’t have an axe, they could only gather fallen branches and deadwood from the ground, resulting in a total of only 27 units of Wood.
"Chief, how did they get so much Stone over there?"
Grrumble~
Jessica’s stomach growled loudly from hunger, yet she remained as stubborn as ever.
"What’s the use of Stone? Can you eat it? Hurry up and keep looking for food!"
The girls who had chosen to follow Jessica silently lowered their heads.
Many of them had tears in their eyes.
"If we had known this would happen, we never should have listened to Jessica."
"Can we still go over there now?"
"Yes. Lily and Abby were accepted into Eden Garden earlier."
By now, quite a few Tribes had carefully analyzed the world announcement, especially the warning about needing light after nightfall.
Everyone reached the same conclusion.
Wood was currently one of the most valuable resources.
Almost no one was willing to exchange their Wood.
Seeing this, Elena immediately posted another message in the Regional Chat.
[Eden Garden (Level 1): 4 units of Stone for 1 unit of Wood. Minimum trade: 200 units of Wood.]
As soon as the message appeared, it caused quite a stir.
[Freedom Tribe (Level 1): Is that really true, Leader of Eden Garden?]
[Ironfang Tribe (Level 1): Although it’s tempting, Wood seems extremely important. I wonder how much we’ll need to keep the fire burning throughout the night.]
[Mortal to Immortal Tribe (Level 1): What?!]
Very soon, Elena received a private message from a Tribe called Sleepy Dog.
[Sleepy Dog (Level 1): Leader of Eden Garden, we’ll trade.]
The trade was completed successfully.
Grace immediately activated her SS-Rank Talent — Resource Doubling.
In an instant, the 200 units of Wood became 400 units.
The Tribe’s open area was almost overflowing with resources.
After finishing that trade, Elena continued searching the Regional Chat and soon found someone looking to exchange Hemp Rope.
Using 20 units of Wood and 50 units of Stone, she successfully traded for 50 units of Hemp Rope.
As for Ethan, he was naturally resting. Although Grace was the Chief of the Tribe, he was living even more comfortably than the Chief herself. Seeing this, Grace wanted to say something several times but ultimately held herself back.
At that moment, Ethan was lying comfortably on Elena’s fair, soft thighs with his eyes closed, enjoying the rare moment of peace. With his girlfriend handling the Tribe’s trading affairs, he didn’t need to worry about those trivial matters.
Grace silently glanced at Emily, and Emily immediately understood what she meant. She nodded, and the next moment, Ethan suddenly found himself thrown onto the ground.
"What the fu—" Before he could finish cursing, he met Emily’s cold gaze and instantly swallowed the rest of his words.
"...Nothing."
Seeing Ethan’s defeated expression, Elena couldn’t help chuckling. She then took out a scroll and handed it to Grace.
It was a [Stone Arrow Crafting Scroll: After learning this blueprint, Stone Arrows can be crafted at the Forging Table. Each Stone Arrow consumes 1 unit of Wood, 1 unit of Stone, and 1 unit of Hemp Rope. Crafting Time: 1 minute per Stone Arrow.]
"This is great stuff! How much did it cost?" Ethan immediately asked excitedly.
This Crafting Scroll meant their Tribe would no longer have to worry about running out of arrows.
Grace immediately activated Resource Doubling, doubling the Hemp Rope.
"It cost 100 units of Wood to trade for," Elena replied. "I think it was worth it. But where did the Forging Table come from?"
Ethan also approved of Elena’s decision, but he didn’t know where the Forging Table came from either. In this world, they could only take things one step at a time.
"Upgrade the Tribe," Grace commanded.
The moment she spoke, 200 units of Wood, 100 units of Stone, and 50 units of Hemp Rope vanished into thin air.
The entire Tribe was instantly enveloped in a brilliant white light so dazzling that everyone instinctively closed their eyes. A few moments later, the light gradually faded, and all of the shabby thatched huts had disappeared.
In their place stood five small log cabins, built from rough wooden planks and sturdy logs. Each cabin rested upon a simple stone foundation, making it much sturdier than before. The five cabins surrounded a larger bonfire built from neatly stacked stones, while beside the main cabin stood a sturdy wooden workbench, the Forging Table.
[Level 2 Tribe: Log Cabins. Primitive wooden cabins built with basic craftsmanship. Although they are still somewhat crude and lack durability, they are sufficient to shelter against ordinary wind and rain. Unlocked Building: Forging Table.]
Level 2 Tribe.
"Holy crap..." Ethan wasn’t particularly good with words, so that was the only exclamation he could manage.
"Ahhh! Our Tribe has upgraded!" Christy cheered excitedly.
Sophie gently stroked the rough wooden wall of one of the cabins, her eyes filled with excitement. She silently thanked herself for making the right choice by following Grace.
Meanwhile, both Grace and Emily wore satisfied smiles.
Not far away, Jessica gritted her teeth so hard that her back molars nearly shattered.
[Congratulations! Eden Garden has become the 6th Tribe in the world to upgrade to a Level 2 Tribe. Reward: Bronze Treasure Chest ×1.]
This time, there was no sound notification. Instead, a line of golden text continuously scrolled across the chat page of the Tribe Deed.
"We’re actually only sixth?" Ethan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So there are already five Tribes in the world that have upgraded to Level 2 before us."
Instantly, the Regional Chat exploded with activity.
[Freedom Tribe (Level 1): It’s the Leader of Eden Garden! They’ve already reached Level 2?]
[Ironfang Tribe (Level 1): So strong.]
[Mortal to Immortal Tribe (Level 1): Holy crap, the Leader is amazing!]
Eden Garden’s upgrade caused quite a stir among the surrounding Tribes. The Mortal to Immortal Tribe was especially shocked. After all, Eden Garden had just purchased Stone from them before immediately trading it away at a rate of 4 units of Stone for 1 unit of Wood.
They couldn’t understand what Eden Garden was trying to accomplish.
Grace simply replied calmly,
[Eden Garden (Level 2): For fun.]
[Sleepy Dog (Level 1): Is the Leader of Eden Garden the only Level 2 Tribe in our region? The first-place [Cradle] and second-place [Mother Hunter] Tribes aren’t from our region, right? What a pity. Otherwise, we could have gotten close to the Leader. They even received Gold Treasure Chests as rewards.]
From the chat, Ethan learned several crucial pieces of information.
First, world announcements only appeared on Tribe Deed’s chat page. Once they disappeared, there was no way to view them again.
Second, Gold Treasure Chests contained even better rewards than Bronze Treasure Chests, meaning the stronger Tribes would only continue pulling farther ahead.
At that moment, Elena carried over the Wooden Treasure Chest she had obtained during exploration, along with the Bronze Treasure Chest they had just received as a reward.
Looking at Grace with an expectant yet slightly playful smile, she asked, "Chief, shall we open the treasure chests?"
At the same time, Sophie and Christy also looked at the two treasure chests with anticipation.
After all, opening blind boxes was something almost everyone loved.
"Alright." Grace smiled and opened the Wooden Treasure Chest first.
[Whole Wheat Bread ×5]
[Stone Pickaxe ×1]
[Stone Axe ×1]
"Not bad. We actually got three items." She then opened the Bronze Treasure Chest.
[Bronze Dagger ×1]
[Rice Seeds ×10]
[10 kg Cotton Quilt ×2]
Without hesitation, Grace activated SS-Rank Talent—Resource Doubling.
In an instant, the Whole Wheat Bread became 10 loaves, the Stone Pickaxe became 2, the Stone Axe became 2, and the two Cotton Quilts became four.
The Bronze Dagger and the Rice Seeds could not be doubled.
The four girls present couldn’t help letting out excited cries.
The rewards were simply too generous.
Realizing they might attract monsters, they quickly lowered their voices again.
Elena immediately picked up one of the soft cotton quilts and hugged it tightly, unable to put it down.
Having a warm quilt to sleep under in a place like this felt like a luxury.
"Chief, can I have one cotton quilt, please?" Elena asked with a pout, looking expectantly at Grace.
She didn’t care about the other rewards.
She simply wanted to sleep comfortably tonight.
Before Grace could answer, Ethan suddenly interrupted.
"You can... and you can’t," he said with a grin.
Elena blinked in confusion.
"...I was asking the Chief. Why are you interrupting?"
Ethan leaned closer and whispered into her ear,
"We should take one complete quilt. The two of us can share it tonight."
Elena’s cheeks instantly turned slightly red.
She didn’t reply, only lowered her head and gave a tiny nod.
This naughty pervert... She already knew exactly what he was thinking.
Emily, who had been standing nearby, naturally noticed the little exchange between the two.
She narrowed her eyes at Ethan before giving him a warning glare.
That brat... Even in a place like this, he still couldn’t behave himself.
Grace also noticed the whispering between Ethan and Elena, but she simply smiled helplessly.
"Since we only have four cotton quilts, we can’t let everyone have one individually," she said after thinking for a moment. "For now, we’ll distribute them according to the Tribe’s current needs."
She picked up the quilts one by one.
"The first quilt will go to Ethan and Elena. They’re already a couple, so they can share one without any problem."
"The second quilt will be shared by Emily and me. We don’t mind sharing for the time being."
"The third quilt will go to Sophie and Christy."
Finally, Grace put away the last quilt.
"As for this one, I’ll keep it in the Tribe’s storage for now."
Seeing everyone’s puzzled expressions, Grace explained calmly,
"Eden Garden has only just been established. Resources are still scarce, and everyone is contributing in different ways."
"This remaining quilt will serve as a reward."
"Whoever makes the greatest contribution to the Tribe in the future, whether through combat, gathering resources, exploration, or any other outstanding achievement, will be given priority to use it."
"As our resources continue to increase, everyone will eventually have their own quilt. Until then, we have to use every item wisely."
Hearing Grace’s arrangement, everyone nodded in agreement. It was both fair and motivating.
Even Emily glanced at Grace with approval. She had to admit that Grace truly possessed the qualities of a capable leader.
At that moment, another group of students returned carrying wood.
The moment they stepped into the Tribe, they froze.
The shabby camp they had left behind had completely transformed.
Log cabins stood neatly around the central bonfire, while piles of Wood and Stone nearly filled the open space.
"Oh my God! Is this really our Tribe?"
"Did the Chief open some incredible treasure chest?"
"Nonsense. How could the Tribe transform this much just from opening a treasure chest?"