Qiyu checked the trading channel and found that things were exactly as Civil Engineering Brother had said.
【Civil Engineering Brother: I’ll post a reminder in the regional chat.】
He was as helpful as ever.
【I Love Survival Game: They might not listen to you. And if our guess turns out to be wrong, some people will blame you.】
【Civil Engineering Brother: No big deal. It’s not like we’ll ever meet in person. Let them yell at me all they want. It won’t hurt me.】
【I Love Survival Game: Suit yourself.】
Sure enough, shortly afterward, Civil Engineering Brother shared his suspicions in the regional chat channel. However, he was careful to conceal where the information had come from, revealing nothing about anyone else.
He was always active in the group chat, so plenty of people recognized his ID.
Just as Qiyu had predicted, some believed him, but many more remained skeptical.
A few even asked whether he had stumbled upon some special opportunity that allowed him to know so much. They urged him not to keep everything to himself and to share whatever information he had.
Qiyu wasn't particularly good at interacting with people, especially in a massive chat channel with 100,000 members. He simply scrolled through the messages in silence, picking out whatever information might prove useful. As for the supplies he had obtained today, he immediately used the backpack expansion card.
He listed the high-quality wooden axe on the trading page, specifying that he would give priority to offers of wood.
As for the basic building upgrade blueprint, he had originally hoped to use it as a shortcut to upgrading his log cabin.
When he placed the basic building upgrade blueprint on the workbench, the previously hidden requirements for upgrading to a Level 2 Shelter finally appeared.
Level 1 Shelter: Sturdy Log Cabin. Durability: 220/220. Upgrade Available.
Upgrade Requirements: 400 Green-Quality Wood, 200 Green-Quality Stone Materials, 50 Glass, 50 Green-Quality Iron Ore, 5 Basic Furniture, 2 Plants, 1 Tier 2 Shelter Blueprint.
Compared to the Level 1 Shelter, the requirements for upgrading to Level 2 had increased significantly. Qiyu now had a pretty good idea why the upgrade requirements hadn't been displayed before.
He was certain that green-quality wood and stone materials couldn't be found anywhere within the safe zone.
Most likely, those materials would only become available outside the safe zone once the newbie period ended.
【Basic Building Upgrade Blueprint: Can be used to upgrade any basic building within the shelter. Currently upgradeable building: Fence.】
Well, so much for taking a shortcut.
But wait—he could upgrade the fence?
Qiyu made a mental note of that.
He placed the fireplace he had obtained from the fine iron chest in the living room. As soon as he set it down, it automatically merged with the wooden cabin.
Just then, a notification from the "01 survival squad" lit up.
It was Tranquility Yields Transcendence and Dare Not Open My Eyes. Both wanted to buy a wooden bed and mattress from Qiyu.
【I Love Survival Game: Prepare the materials yourselves. I’ll charge 5 units of wood per item as a processing fee.】
【Dare Not Open My Eyes: Got it! Thanks, boss!】
【Tranquility Yields Transcendence: Thanks.】
Almost everyone had obtained a high-quality axe today, so their efficiency at chopping trees had improved considerably. Charging a mere 5 units of wood for processing was practically an act of charity.
But Qiyu had his reasons. He wasn't particularly good at dealing with people, yet his trades with the three members of the group had gone smoothly so far. This was a good opportunity to build some goodwill.
After thinking it over, he sent Civil Engineering Brother a private message.
【I Love Survival Game: Do you still have the blueprint for that simple trap from last time?】
【Civil Engineering Brother: I don’t have any spare blueprints, but I can craft the traps myself. Do you need some, boss?】
【I Love Survival Game: What are your terms?】
【Civil Engineering Brother: I already have the crafting materials. One trap for either 10 units of wood or 250g of food. How does that sound?】
Qiyu sent over 500g of barbarian fang boar meat, and before long, the other party sent him two simple traps in return. Qiyu placed one of them outside the wooden cabin.
The trap was called a "ground spike." Menacing, dark-green wooden spikes jutted upward from it. Once deployed, it could not be retrieved.
【Civil Engineering Brother: Boss, these ground spikes don’t just deal damage. They also have a sedative effect. They won’t take down mutated creatures instantly, but they’ll slow them down and weaken their combat effectiveness.】
【I Love Survival Game: How many can you make?】
【Civil Engineering Brother：？】
【I Love Survival Game: I want 100 of them.】
【Civil Engineering Brother: ???】
Qiyu cherished his current life.
And precisely because he cherished it so much, he couldn't bear the thought of losing it or watching everything he had built be destroyed.
Once the three-day newbie period ended, the world would no longer be safe, and he had no idea what he might face.
Since all his fears stemmed from a lack of firepower, wouldn't the solution be to make sure he had plenty of it?
【I Love Survival Game: Can you do it?】
【Civil Engineering Brother: Yes!】
Qiyu immediately initiated a trade.
He put up 25 kg of barbarian fang boar meat. Once Civil Engineering Brother completed the transaction, the item would be automatically claimed. 1
【I Love Survival Game: Are you interested in this?】
He sent over the details of the unique-quality dagger.
【Civil Engineering Brother: You’re selling this, boss?】
【I Love Survival Game: I’d prefer to trade it for something that can strengthen my shelter’s defenses.】
Civil Engineering Brother smiled wryly.
Weapons were valuable, and weapons that increased attack stats were even more so. He knew that something this good wouldn't come cheap.
Still, seeing Qiyu offer up so much meat and even put a stat-boosting weapon on the table, his estimation of 【I Love Survival Game】's abilities rose even higher.
【Civil Engineering Brother: Big Shot, I don’t have what you’re looking for, but I can ask around among the other players. The newbie period is almost over, though, so I’m afraid it’ll be hard to find what you want.】
Qiyu suspected that he knew quite a few players.
He didn't care who ended up with the dagger. As long as he could trade it for something satisfactory, that was all that mattered.
Just as he was about to close the chat window, another message from Civil Engineering Brother appeared.
【Civil Engineering Brother: Hey, boss, if you have anything else you want to sell, send me the details. I’ll see if I can find you a buyer.】
Qiyu was puzzled.
But this was exactly what he wanted.
【I Love Survival Game: What do you get out of it?】
【Civil Engineering Brother: You don’t have to pay me anything, Boss. But if you get anything good in the future, could you give me first priority, or let me handle the trade for you?】
Civil Engineering Brother gritted his teeth and decided to reveal part of his hand.
【Civil Engineering Brother: I wonder if you’ve heard of “unlocking professions”?】
Being such a chatterbox, he had gotten to know plenty of people through the chat channel and completed numerous trades. Somehow, that had led to him unlocking the 【Merchant】 class.
【Civil Engineering Brother: Whenever I successfully close a deal, I can earn a share of the profits.】
So that was it.
Qiyu understood.
There was no such thing as kindness or generosity without a reason. Hearing Civil Engineering Brother explain his motives actually put Qiyu at ease.
【I Love Survival Game: I still have quite a lot of meat. You can ask around about it while you’re trading. I’d prefer to exchange it for cotton, cashmere, or plant seeds.】
Civil Engineering Brother readily agreed, and Qiyu headed over to his farmland.
The sunflower buds had begun to open, with a few pale-yellow petals stretching outward as though basking contentedly in the sun. Qiyu noticed a small icon had appeared beside the countdown timer at the top of the screen.
【Water shortage. Please water the plants immediately to avoid affecting the harvest.】
Water.
Qiyu thought for a moment, then cast a Waterball spell.
The ice-blue ball of water flew into the air and burst with a soft "plop," scattering into pea-sized droplets.
【Watering successful. Plant comfort level increased.】
The sunflowers seemed satisfied, and so was Qiyu.
For now, this was about the best he could manage with the Waterball spell. It was perfectly suited to watering plants. But if he could refine it further, turning the Waterball into a fine mist infused with toxic substances...
Wouldn't that make it far more lethal?