Kagashi boarded the train as the fog billowed behind him.
He shook the moisture from his clothes and walked to the main control computer.
The screen was lit, and the train’s level indicator had changed from “Level 0” to “Level 1.”
On the interface, the Trading System, train warehouse system, and Construction System were all lit up, their icons flashing with a faint blue light.
[Construction System (Level 1)]
[Description: Various facilities can be built inside the train to improve the quality of life for the crew.
Currently available projects will increase as the train level rises.]
[Currently Available Materials: Wood × 40, Stone × 0, Iron Ore × 0.]
Kagashi clicked on the Construction System.
The moment the interface popped open, he was stunned for a second.
Countless options were arranged on the screen by category, looking like a product catalog from some home renovation software.
[Basic Furniture]
Tables, chairs, stools, beds, storage cabinets, bookshelves, clothes racks…
everything from the simplest folding chairs to bunk beds with drawers was available.
Below each icon, the required quantity and type of materials were listed.
A simple single bed required Wood × 10 and Iron Ore × 5.
A double bed required Wood × 20 and Iron Ore × 10.
A set of table and chairs required Wood × 8 and Iron Ore × 3.
From bathrooms and shower rooms to tables and chairs, anything could be built.
As long as there were enough materials.
“What kind of survival game is this?” Kagashi muttered to himself.
“It’s more like a renovation simulator.”
But one can’t make bricks without straw.
He needed to get materials.
Trading System.
Kagashi opened the Trading System, and quite a few items were already listed on the interface.
There were dozens of scattered listings for buying and selling, but the transaction volume seemed low.
Everyone was testing the waters, and no one knew how to price the items they held.
After thinking for a moment, he took a pack of Baixiang Instant Noodles from the warehouse and looked at it in his hand.
To other survivors, this thing might be more precious than ore.
After all, not everyone had an infinite supply of food.
Kagashi opened the listing interface and entered the information:
[Item: Baixiang Instant Noodles (1 pack)]
[Price: Basic Materials × 10 (Any combination of Stone, Iron Ore, or Wood)]
[Remarks: Long-term offer, private message for bulk orders.]
Confirm listing.
A system prompt flashed by, and his item appeared at the very top of the trading list.
Kagashi didn’t rush to close the Trading System; instead, he sent a message in the chat box.
“Buying basic materials: stone, iron ore, and wood are all accepted.
One pack of instant noodles for 10 materials.
Private message me if you have a large amount of materials.”
After the message was sent, the chat box was quiet for about two seconds.
Then it exploded.
“Instant noodles?
You have instant noodles?”
“One pack for 10 materials?
Isn’t that too expensive?”
“Expensive?
Think about it, would you trade 10 stones for a pack of edible noodles?”
“I’ll trade!
I’ll trade!
I have 20 stones, I’ll take two packs!” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“I only have wood, is that okay?”
“Didn’t you read the message above?
Stone, iron ore, and wood are all fine, he said so.”
Ignoring the clamor in the chat box, Kagashi opened the chat system and searched for keywords.
“Hay”
“Clothes”
“Bedding”
He remembered seeing a message in the chat box earlier about what could be made with hay in the Construction System.
After scrolling for a long time, he finally found the message, sent by a player named “Wilderness Survivor.”
“I found out that hay can be used to make clothes and bedding in the Construction System!”
“While it’s no match for real clothes, at least you won’t be naked.
A set of hay clothes only takes 5 hay to make, and bedding takes 10 hay.”
Someone replied below: “I tried it.
The hay clothes are very rough and prickly, but it’s better than being naked.”
“The bedding is the same, thin and hard, but sleeping on it is better than sleeping directly on the floor.”
Kagashi closed the chat box, opened the Construction System, and typed “hay” into the search bar.
Sure enough, the options popped up.
[Hay Clothes (Simple)][Hay Bedding (Simple)]
Kagashi glanced at the hay in his warehouse.
He had pulled quite a bit in the residential area earlier and had left it piled up unused.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make a few sets of bedding.
He first made five sets of hay bedding.
[Ding!
Consumed Hay × 50.]
A faint blue light flashed, and five sets of bedding appeared in the carriage.
Calling it bedding was a stretch; it was actually just a thick layer of hay mats tied into squares with coarse hemp rope.
It felt stiff to the touch and was indeed thin and hard.
But at least it was better than sleeping directly on the floor.
He went back to the Trading System and refreshed it.
A new message immediately popped up on the screen.
[Trade Alert: Your item “Baixiang Instant Noodles” has been sold × 1.
Obtained: Stone × 10.]
Someone bought it.
Kagashi’s eyes lit up.
Refresh.
Another one.
[Trade Alert: Your item “Baixiang Instant Noodles” has been sold × 1.
Obtained: Wood × 10.]
Refresh again.
[Trade Alert: Your item “Baixiang Instant Noodles” has been sold × 2.
Obtained: Stone × 10, Iron Ore × 10.]
Trading alerts popped up one after another, at a speed that surprised even Kagashi.
Everyone bought only a little, one or two packs, with the most being three packs by a single person.
But every little bit added up.
Kagashi nodded with satisfaction, listed another batch of instant noodles, and then sent a message in the chat box:
“Still buying.
Priority for large quantities.
Long-term offer.”
Just as the message was sent, a private message popped up.
The sender was someone named “Lisa.”
Kagashi clicked on her avatar to take a look.
Lisa: “Hello, I saw you’re buying materials.
I have quite a bit of stone and iron ore.
Can I trade them for instant noodles?”
“Also, could you make it a bit cheaper?”
Kagashi replied: “How much do you have?”
Lisa: “400 stone and 350 iron ore.
If I trade it all, can you handle it?”
Kagashi did the math in his head.
400 stone plus 350 iron ore was 750 materials in total.
At 10 materials per pack, that would be 75 packs of instant noodles.
75 packs.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
“I can handle it.”
“I can give you 100 packs, but you have to tell me, how is your carriage’s collection ability so strong?”
The other side was silent for a few seconds, then replied:
Lisa: “There are quite a few people in our carriage, over 20, all of them women.
A few of them awakened abilities mainly for mining.”
“That’s why we have so many materials.”
“It’s just that we have no food source.
With over 20 mouths to feed, the little bit of food we find at the stops isn’t nearly enough.”
Over 20 people, all women.
Kagashi raised an eyebrow slightly.
It seemed that the crew members on every train would awaken abilities, though most were geared toward daily life.
Lisa: “I saw you’re trading noodles for materials and was wondering if we could have a long-term partnership.
We’ll handle the mining, and you provide the food.
That way, everyone survives.”
Kagashi leaned against the carriage wall, his fingers lightly tapping on his knee.
A labor force of over 20 people.
If he could provide a stable food supply, the other party could provide a stable supply of materials.
A win-win situation.
[Sure.
100 packs of instant noodles.
Let’s start the trade.]
[Lisa: Thank you!
I’ll start it right away.]
The trade confirmation prompt popped up.
Stone × 400 and Iron Ore × 350 arrived.
Looking at the numbers ticking up on the screen, Kagashi was in a great mood.
Kagashi opened the private chat with Lisa and sent a message:
[Supplies received.
If you have stone or iron ore in the future, feel free to trade with me anytime.]
[Lisa: Okay!
We’ll keep mining on our end.
By the way, can we change the flavor of the instant noodles?
Eating the same one all the time gets a bit tiring.]
Kagashi’s mouth twitched.
[Only Baixiang.]
[Lisa:…Alright, Baixiang it is.]
Kagashi immediately opened the Train Upgrade System again.