It was nine in the morning, and the sky was already bright.

Yining opened his eyes and pulled the blanket over his face.

“Oh, I overslept.”

His voice still carried the hoarseness of just waking up, yet his tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather.

It’s relatively safer during the day than at night. At night, he has to get up every so often to check on the fire, so he can’t get a good night’s sleep; he can only catch up on some sleep in the early morning when he’s at his most exhausted.

Just because Yining is catching up on sleep doesn’t mean other players will stop. Never underestimate the number of hardcore grinders in a survival game.

He got out of bed, folded the burlap blanket, placed the pillow on top of it, and finally used some straw to make a little nest for the rabbit doll. Then he officially got up to wash up, eat breakfast, and get to work. 

At the 50-hour mark, over half the players had completed their territory expansions. Yuyuyu and Yunzhou sent messages saying their map exploration progress in the desert and the town was rapidly increasing.

Although “rapid” refers to the numerical changes on the interface, at least the figures are no longer just a few zeros after the decimal point.

The in-game store updated at 6:00 AM this morning, adding 200-point antibiotics to yesterday’s offerings. The countdown for yesterday’s 800-point brown replication card ended, refreshing to a 500-point gray replication card.

The trading market is even livelier than yesterday.

Yining swiped his finger across the virtual screen, scanning the item matrix list at a glance.

【Backpack with no stack limit (gray), 6 slots, trade for one synthesis card】

【Cooking Pot, trade for one weapon or one synthesis card】

【Water Tank, 10L capacity, 200 points】

【Greatsword, Attack 4, Durability 200, Requires Strength 5, Trade for a house blueprint】

It seems everyone is gradually getting wealthier. The circulation of weapons, medicine, item cards, and points has clearly increased. This is due to three main factors: first, resources gathered from expanding territories; second, players’ awakening skills, which provide additional benefits; and third, the growing number of items with effects similar to Yining’s 【Soul-summoning Brazier】.

There’s also a fourth factor: the blind boxes that can be drawn every half hour. Over time, every player has accumulated over a hundred randomly drawn survival supplies.

Yining had only opened the express blind boxes delivered to him up until 6:00 PM yesterday. By 9:00 AM this morning—a span of fifteen hours—there were still 30 unopened blind boxes left. He wasn’t in a rush, though; he could save them up to open later, and discussing the next plan with his teammates was also a crucial step.

【Yining】: Now that the game has entered a lull, I actually have a bad feeling about this.

【Yunzhou】: Don’t forget the 【Lord’s Wrath】 countdown. Nearly a thousand people have died in the past two days. In the old world, that would have been a catastrophic tragedy, but here… it might just be the appetizer.

【Yining】: I still don’t know exactly how to use that natural disaster card I have. To be honest, the game really does have a penalty system. When the other players’ resentment toward me reached a certain level, my territory shrank by 10%. I happened to be standing right on the edge of the territory at the time, so I accidentally got hit with the 【Contamination】 status effect.

【Yunzhou】: I started with 8 Resentment Coins, just like you. Kindness gold coins, Resentment Coins…

Yining was pondering the implications behind those two terms when his gaze swept over the real-time scrolling list in the trading market and suddenly froze.

【Regeneration Potion for 200 Points】

【Instant Hot Pot for Potions】

【Lucky Amulet +1 Luck, trades for a tent】

【Solar Lantern: Charges all day, provides 8 hours of light, for 500 points】

【Holy Water: Purifies and Exorcises. Trade for any book】 

Holy Water!

His pupils contracted slightly, and his fingers moved faster than his thoughts—the message was already sent.

【Yining】: A stroke of luck! I see Holy Water has appeared!

【Yunzhou】: That’s great! Hurry up and grab a Master Ball to catch it!

Exchanging holy water for books meant that Yining needed books to communicate with the player selling holy water. It turned out that fate was truly on my side.

He rolled out of the coffin and hurried over to his makeshift “storage area.” Several large shipping boxes were stacked on raised wooden blocks, keeping them dry while looking neat and tidy.

Yining opened the top one and pulled out the hefty volume of *systematic anatomy*.

The pages had that distinctive pale yellow hue of aged paper; as his fingertips brushed over them, he could almost smell the mingled scent of disinfectant and printing ink. He placed the book in the trade window and clicked to contact the seller.

His heart was beating a little fast. Fanfan had heard in passing that clergy existed in this world, but he’d never actually met one. What kind of person would the other party be? A nun? Or…

A soft notification chime sounded.

【Ziling】: (Image)

It wasn’t a system screenshot, but a photo of a handwritten note. The paper was slightly rough, yet the handwriting was neat and elegant, with a restrained, graceful strength.

【Sorry, I have a limit on the number of messages I can send.

Holy Water works as follows: 50ml can purify negative effects such as 【Curses】, 【Contamination】, and 【Nightmares】, and can also deal damage to evil spirits and ghost-like creatures.

Usage: Apply evenly to your hands.

【50ml of holy water for 50 points, or any book—no haggling.】

Yining didn’t hesitate for a moment and traded *systematic anatomy*, his notebook, and the carbon pen all at once.

The other party was silent for a few seconds.

【Ziling】: (Image)

This time, Ziling used the carbon pen to write in the notebook: “I’ve given you more than I should have, but I really need paper and a pen. I’ll make it up to you with something else of value.”

This guy has such beautiful handwriting.

Yining had always scoffed at the saying “the handwriting reflects the person.” His own handwriting was a mess, yet it hadn’t stopped him from being voted the school heartthrob who could hold his own against art students.

But Yining still expressed admiration for people with beautiful handwriting; after all, those with beautiful handwriting naturally held their pens in a standard, elegant way. A notification sounded—the person with beautiful handwriting had added him as a friend.

Someone with ugly handwriting shouldn’t accept the request too quickly—it would seem too forward.

He traded for some holy water—a small 50ml bottle, which was nothing compared to his own 400-liter vat.

Yining applied the holy water to his hands as instructed. In the sunlight, the drops transformed into specks of starlight and sank into his body.

【“Contaminated” status removed】

【Health +10, Satiety +10, Spirit +10】

The system notification sounded like music to his ears.

Yining paused for a moment, exhaled deeply, then let a faint smile cross his face. This was the first time he’d truly felt at ease since arriving in this world. Next, Yining quickly sent the news about the Holy Water to Yunzhou. Yunzhou, in turn, went to the forum to collect books; with books in hand, he could go find Ziling to trade for Holy Water.

【Yunzhou】: It’s true that some professions don’t drain stamina when reading and even provide additional benefits.

Only then did Yining think to check Ziling’s profile card. As Fanfan had mentioned, his in-game role was “theologian.” Do theologians get extra benefits from reading?

Fanfan’s in-game role is “Market Merchant.”

Yunzhou is a “blood hunter”—the literal meaning doesn’t reveal its specific significance.

One Cat’s identity was “Cat”—I wonder if they’ve actually turned into a cat. That’s also one of Yining’s dreams. Li Bai was indeed a “poet”—pretty interesting.

Both he and YuYuYu had the in-game identity of “hollow puppet.”

Having successfully resolved the biggest threat he’d faced since arriving in this world, a huge weight was lifted from his heart, and Yining returned to the trading market to shop.

Earlier, he had spotted a solar lantern; it seemed to have no durability.

If he were to choose an item to test the 【Enchantment Blueprint】, Yining would definitely pick this kind of durable yet practical gear.

Before spotting the lantern, he’d been planning to buy that 6-slot backpack with no stack limit, but now he needed to conserve resources.

A cooking pot…

He had just seen someone selling a cooking pot at the trading market, with synthesis cards as the payment requirement. Yining took the initiative to strike a bargain.

【Yining】: Can I trade 53 synthesis cards for a cooking pot?

【Niao Niao Yue】: No way, you’ll have to pay extra.

【Yining】: How much extra?

【Niao Niao Yue】: 5 liters of drinking water, or 20 liters of fresh water.

【Yining】: I don’t have any containers; you’ll have to bring your own.

【Niao Niao Yue】: I’ll give you two pots; just use one of them to fill up water for me. You won’t be able to use all that water anyway, so it’s best to trade it off before it goes bad.

Yining traded 20L of freshwater for a half-synthesis card to get an outdoor mountaineering stainless steel pot, which also came with a double-layer tray that could be stacked on top of the pot to create a growing chamber.

Clicking on Nian Nian Yue’s profile revealed that he had previously sold a “replication card” usage, meaning he had at least one in stock. As someone who also possessed a replication card, Yining knew all too well just how much profit this item could bring players.

Due to the game mechanics, expanding a Level 3 domain requires a massive number of synthesis attempts. Gray-tier synthesis cards have a ten-minute cooldown, while brown-tier item cards cost 800 points—prices no one can afford right now. The current rules are also causing severe delays.

This is bound to slow down everyone’s progress.

By the time most players start pushing for Level 3 territories, buying synthesis opportunities on the spot will definitely not be cost-effective; the best approach is to have the cards in hand.

If the drop rate for the three types of item cards is highest from monster kills, this will give rise to two distinct player groups: those focused on “monster hunting and leveling up” and those focused on “base building.” By collaborating, they can maximize trading efficiency: monster hunters buy daily consumables from base builders, while base builders buy the three types of item cards, gold, and gems from monster hunters.

As for those “all-rounders” who have to juggle both combat and base-building, they’re either exceptionally talented or should be prepared to get crushed. Either way, as players gradually get the hang of things, life is really starting to get better.

With the remaining time, Yining managed his resources, buying a basin and laundry detergent, along with a change of clothes and underwear. He lit the brazier and washed his clothes while fending off shadow phantoms.

The sun made his back burn, and the shadow phantoms screeched as they faded at his feet, dropping bone meal and shadow skins he didn’t have time to pick up. As sweat trickled down the side of his forehead, he was overcome by a sense of almost serene peace.

As the sun began to set and dusk fell, Yining wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had finally collected 20 portions of bone meal and paid Li Bai the remaining balance.

【Reputation: 39+5】

Another job completed.

For dinner, he had a loaf of rye bread, which he enjoyed with a bottle of hot sauce he’d picked up at the trading market. While eating, Yining received the final payment from the theologian Ziling.

It was a stack of intelligence reports.

The sender had even used screenshots to convey as much information as possible. Yining suspected that Ziling might be charged by the character for his messages.

And the content of this message made Yining sit up straight instantly.

【Preparation Checklist for Players to Complete Within 15 Days:

1.  Skill level 5 or higher;

2.  Desert players’ house tier must reach Brown;

3.  A three-day supply of lighting, food, and water;

4.  Items for warmth and cooling;

5. Weapons with an attack rating greater than 8 or equipment with a defense rating greater than 5;

6.  Chests or cabinets for hiding; if absolutely necessary, hide under the bed;

7.  3 points in Clairvoyance; if you don’t have enough, prepare ghost-banishing items;

8.  At least two players in the entire server must possess a natural disaster card.】

After reading this, Yining felt an inexplicable surge of emotion, causing the hardened vein on his wrist to swell.

Fifteen days after the game begins is the day the in-game event 【Lord’s Wrath】 descends.