[Song Ci’an: What kind of raincoat is it? Qiu, I have an umbrella here. It’s made of animal skin, so it’s quite heavy, but it’s very large and can be temporarily used as a camp umbrella. I just tested it—you can’t start a fire in the rain, and torches will be extinguished. I made an extra one. If you need it, I can trade it to you.]
Xia Qiu was startled. She subconsciously looked down at the campfire in her territory and tried to add materials to ignite it. Sure enough, she received a system prompt.
[Friendly Reminder: Cannot ignite a campfire when the Dampness Value is too high.]
[Xia Qiu: Ahhh, yes, yes, yes! My camp only has fences—no walls and no roof... Right now, I can only stand here helplessly in my raincoat!]
[Xia Qiu: I only have one raincoat, so I can’t put it in the trading box to show you. It has 800 durability, and wearing it drains 20 durability per hour.]
[Song Ci’an: Okay. Then I’ll have to trouble you to make a raincoat for me, Qiu. I’ll go to the world channel to trade for materials. As for the umbrella, just see what materials you have in abundance, Qiu. Anything is fine with me.]
After clarifying the materials needed for the umbrella, Xia Qiu rummaged through her meager resources. In the end, she traded ten vines, two flints, and twenty pinecones for Song Ci’an’s animal-skin umbrella. Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still stunned the moment she opened it.
[Animal-Skin Umbrella: A great helper for the rainy season. Once opened, it can prevent rainwater from drenching your pitifully few belongings. It can also be used on sunny days. (Durability: 3,000. Drains 20 durability points per hour on rainy days. Consumption doubles under extreme rainstorms and extreme sun exposure. Repairable.)]
Just as Song Ci’an had said, the umbrella was heavy and massive. Once fully opened, it was about the size of a king-size bed, nearly covering the entirety of Xia Qiu’s currently tiny territory.
[Xia Qiu: Ci An, this umbrella of yours is seriously huge... If you add a cover to it, it could even be used as a tent, right?]
Xia Qiu didn’t know how much of a workaholic Song Ci’an was as a Hunter. She only knew that right after she asked her to help make a raincoat, she immediately turned to the world channel to trade animal skins for raincoat materials. So far, the only fur-bearing animals Xia Qiu had encountered were those infuriating gray rabbits in the meadow. Oh, wait, she hadn’t even "encountered" them—she hadn’t managed to touch them at all.
With the animal-skin umbrella secured, Xia Qiu temporarily took off her precious raincoat and stored it in her inventory. Wearing it constantly drained its durability, which she couldn’t bear to waste. After crafting the raincoat for Song Ci’an, she looked at her remaining small chunk of flint. She pondered for a moment before opening her chat window with Yan Chi.
[Xia Qiu: Mr. Yan, do you need a raincoat? I offer a crafting service, and it’s super affordable!]
[Yan Chi: ...]
Five minutes later, Xia Qiu joyfully received the raincoat materials and her crafting fee from Yan Chi—Mushroom Ball Soup x2.
[Mushroom Ball Soup: Stewed with delicious fungi from the dense forest and fresh meat balls made from flat-billed beasts. Consuming it instantly restores 50 hunger points. For two hours after consumption, it decreases your Dampness Value by 0.5 and restores 1 Spirit Value point per minute.]
She had to admit, Mr. Yan was incredibly generous. He had casually handed over two portions of this special recovery food, which was an absolute necessity for the rainy season. However, as an Architect, how did Yan Chi obtain food that reduced Dampness Values so quickly?
Given the rarity of the two portions of food, Xia Qiu chatted with Yan Chi for a bit longer, taking the opportunity to recommend Song Ci’an’s animal-skin umbrella to him. The convenient thing about adding friends was the ability to recommend other players’ contact cards. Xia Qiu was just playing matchmaker anyway; whether the deal went through depended on if the two of them could reach an agreement.
Just from the name alone, the "Long Rainy Season" sounded like a prolonged challenge. People couldn’t just walk around in raincoats forever; they would eventually need a massive animal-skin umbrella like that.
After setting up the connection, Xia Qiu returned to the world channel and searched for keywords like "raincoat," "waterproof," and "rain protection." To her surprise, not a single person in the world channel was selling raincoats. Rarity drove up prices. If she had extra raincoats to sell right now, they would definitely fetch a premium. It was only the beginning of the rainy season. The lack of raincoats on the market was simply because everyone’s first thought was to find someone to buy or trade from, rather than braving their constantly rising Dampness Values to test what materials could craft one.
Xia Qiu seized the opportunity and posted an advertisement in the world channel.
[Xia Qiu: Raincoat crafting service. Materials must be provided by the buyer. DM to discuss the crafting fee.]
The brief sentence was quickly buried by other messages. Still, many people caught sight of Xia Qiu’s ad and immediately sent direct messages to ask for prices. Xia Qiu drafted a response, copying and pasting it to each person. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping.com.
[Xia Qiu: Raincoat crafting service. Please provide Large Leaves x10, Ropes x5, and Shattered Flint x1. For the crafting fee, I accept special recovery food (such as those that reduce Dampness Values or restore Spirit Values), basic building materials (Long Wood, Ropes, Short Wood, or Wooden Planks), or other items (ratios to be determined on a case-by-case basis).]
For those willing to negotiate reasonably, Xia Qiu took her time chatting with them. Anyone who immediately tried to lowball the crafting fee or asked her to front the materials and pay her back later was instantly blocked.
Half an hour later, a dizzy but delighted Xia Qiu sat huddled under her animal-skin umbrella, happily munching on delicious roast rabbit meat while tallying up her earnings from the crafting service.
Roasted Ding Gui Fish x2, Long Wood x10, Ropes x15, Large Leaves x10, Delicious Roasted Mushrooms x5, Flints x2, and Hay x10.
Xia Qiu stored the Roasted Ding Gui Fish and Delicious Roasted Mushrooms in the Ring of Sighs, which already contained the Mushroom Ball Soup she had received from Yan Chi earlier. It was worth noting that the Delicious Roasted Mushrooms were also a special recovery food. The raw ingredient seemed to be the red mushrooms she had gathered in the dense forest. Although the roasted mushrooms didn’t restore much hunger, they regenerated 5 Spirit Value points per minute for two hours after consumption. If she stockpiled more of these roasted mushrooms, she could comfortably travel at night once her Combat Power increased.
Just as she finished taking inventory of her current supplies, a red dot lit up on a circle icon in her interface. Xia Qiu opened the panel and saw a direct message from a stranger.
[Dao Dao: Hello, Song Ci’an sent me here. Are you offering a raincoat crafting service?]
Xia Qiu had just finished reading the message when her surroundings suddenly brightened. She poked her head out from under the animal-skin umbrella. The dark clouds in the sky were disappearing at a visible rate.
The rain had stopped.