Those who can’t afford umbrellas, tarps, or tents can make a makeshift raincoat out of hemp straw to at least keep their heads dry.

And had been drenched in the downpour for three hours, ultimately couldn’t escape the onset of the 【Cold】 status effect.

Many players in the town spawned indoors; even those in leaky houses were better off than players in the desert area. As soon as the rain stopped, Yining immediately set about tidying up his territory.

He gathered the leaves and twigs blown in by the wind into one spot, scooped out the standing water from puddles, and filled in the potholes to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Finally, he lit a soul-summoning brazier to speed up the drying of fabrics and pillows, preventing them from getting damp and moldy.

After finishing these tasks, he organized his resources. He needed to sell some items to acquire others of greater value to him. He had to reach the location of the church Ziling had mentioned before the newbie period ended.

【Lamb Town Church】

Yining checked the message Ziling had sent him. Yes, that was the name. The atmosphere sounded a lot like Silent Hill.

The two sets of 【thrilling sea buckthorn fruit】 he had gathered that morning were still fresh. Yining approached the coffin infested with bloodflesh flowers, pondered for a moment, and then tossed two fruits inside.

He had originally planned to buy some beef and lamb to try, but since he’s started saving money again, he was cutting back wherever we can.

Inside the bloodflesh flower coffin, the chunks of meat rubbed against each other in the rain, as if they were either bathing or soaking up the moisture.

Two white sea buckthorn berries touched the thick, fleshy base, and in the blink of an eye, they were enveloped, squeezed, and crushed by the flesh.

Strangely, after the sea buckthorn berries were consumed, all the unopened flower buds shrank back into the soil as one, as if subjected to an extremely intense external stimulus—not a trace remained of their original vigorous growth or the ambitious drive that had seemed to parasitize the entire graveyard.

“Did the acidity get to them?” Yining raised an eyebrow.

With that thought, he tossed in a few more berries. Though the flesh was so sour it made the bloodflesh flower plants writhe for a while, they still “ate” them clean. The sea buckthorn berries were enveloped by those fleshy roots, which then secreted copious amounts of digestive fluid, bubbling and gurgling—a pitiful, aggrieved sight.

Yining took out a packet of bone meal. The powder appeared in his palm, and he scattered it over the immature bloodflesh flowers like fish food.

【Fertilization Progress 1/3】

It turned out that this coffin was equivalent to three units of land.

Coincidentally, Yining had exactly three portions of bone meal left, so he used them all up.

【Obtained: Sour Bloodflesh Flower ×3】

【Bloodflesh Flower Growth 52:59:45】 Sour Bloodflesh Flowers?

No, it’s Sea Buckthorn Pork Belly.

Without any intervention, it can be harvested again in two days. Immediately, Yining listed the new item on the trading market.

【Food – Fresh Meat – Seasonings】

【Sea Buckthorn Pork Belly ×1 for 1 Silver Coin. Consuming grants the “protein” effect and replenishes vitamins】 Requiring silver coins for the trade is a bit greedy.

1 Gold Coin = 100 Points, 1 Gold Coin = 10 Silver Coins, 1 Silver Coin = 10 Points.

Exchanging a bloodflesh flower from Yining for 10 points isn’t very expensive, but silver coins are a different story. Since trading with the natives requires only gold and silver coins, the circulation of Silver Coins among players remains very low, making them somewhat scarce.

As for the in-game store, it’s unclear when it will offer a service to exchange points for currency.

There aren’t many players who have interacted with or traded with the natives yet, but there are certainly some. Since anyone can view the forum posts, everyone has become aware of this currency system, so if Yining tries to be too greedy, he’ll just end up alienating players.

A bad reputation is still a reputation. Players who hold silver coins are among the fastest-growing group in the community; even if their numbers can be counted on two hands, they will be the subject of great curiosity among one another.

As the saying goes, “Those who know you best are often your rivals.” Only those of comparable strength become rivals, and the likelihood of someone spending 10 silver coins to engage with a rival is quite high.

Yining just happened to possess such a “reputation”—one ranked among the top players. The IDs of the top ten players in every in-game achievement are visible to the entire server.

The message icon flashed. Yining tapped it open to find three chat windows crowding his screen at once.

【One Cat】: I bought your meat—I just love that flavor.

【One Cat】: By the way, he has some good news for you. The watermelon seeds you sold me last time have sprouted successfully. The watermelons are growing really well after the recent rain. The agricultural produce company contacted me to buy the last batch, so he need to buy some more bone meal for this batch.

【Li Bai】: Bro, why does your meat sell out the moment it goes on the shelf? I can sell you another barrel of water—how about trading it for twenty portions of meat? You can pay in installments.

【Player】 254599: Why does the meat sell out the moment it goes on the shelf? When will you restock?

Since Yining had set permissions, the three people who could send him private messages at that moment must have silver coins in their possession. Moreover, two of the three were acquaintances.

Yining recalls that both One Cat and Li Bai’s in-game roles aren’t “Farmers,” but rather “Cat” (similar to “Fish”) and “Poet” (a sub-role of “Writer”). So how did they acquire these roles?

Could it be that they bet on farming a couple of days ago and just happened to catch a lucky break?

What Li Bai and One Cat have in common is that both have traded watermelon seeds with Yining. Opportunities like this are truly hard to predict.

【Yining】: Bone meal will be available tomorrow. How much do you need?

【One Cat】: 10 portions. What do you want to trade for them? I’ve listed quite a few good items on my homepage.

Yining took a look. Half a watermelon was priced at 30 points, and there was also yarn, an electric blanket, and dried fish.

Basic resources are no longer the main focus of trading; most players have already completed their Level 2 territory expansions, and the next goal has shifted to the items on the “Lord’s Wrath” list. Since there is no clear guide for this list yet, players cannot simply copy each other’s strategies and must rely on their own judgment to trade the items they deem most important.

Prices at the trading market fluctuate almost hourly.

【Yining】: I can trade meat for intel, or you can trade me 3 silver coins—it depends on how much you value the intel.

【Yining】: What kind of skills does the “Cat” class provide?

【One Cat】: Oh, that. Little kittens will randomly spawn within my domain. They can enter the Dark Realm, which brings me some benefits. The catch is that I have to keep these kittens happy.

【One Cat】: It’s a non-aggressive class, though. If you don’t work hard to level up, you won’t be able to cooperate with combat classes.

【One Cat】: Here’s the deal: can you get me 15 portions of bone meal by tomorrow? I’ll give you 3 more silver coins.

【Yining】: Sure, I’ll keep you posted.

After finishing his conversation with the cat, Yining went to find Li Bai.

【Yining】: No more than 10 portions of meat.

Yining’s water supply was nearly depleted, but he’d collected a large bucket of rainwater. As long as it wasn’t acid rain, letting it settle for two days would make it perfectly suitable for washing clothes.

He traded the basins and buckets for a portion of the 400 liters Li Bai had sent a couple of days ago, back when fresh water prices were exorbitant. If he needs more water later, he can find other ways to get it.

For example, it seems someone on the forum has managed to get their hands on a water bill or a water card.

【Li Bai】: You’ve slashed the price by more than half—how are we supposed to do business like this? Should we stick to our original terms?

【Yining】: I’m not short on water. You can trade with gold coins if you want—10 portions of meat for 1 gold coin, which matches the price he listed today.

【Li Bai】: Screw you.

“……”

Alright, Li Bai isn’t in a rush to eat meat.

Yining approached a third player.

【Yining】: The pre-order price is also 10 silver coins per portion of meat.

【Player】 254599: Can I get it for 5 silver coins per portion?

【Player】 254599: Let’s add each other as friends. If I have any good stuff in the future, I’ll sell it to you at a discount.

Five minutes later.

【Player】 254599: Why aren’t you replying?

【Player】 254599: I’m in the top 10 on the power rankings. If you have anything to sell to the Hunters’ Guild, I can help you out.

【Yining】: How would we split the profits?

【Player】 254599: Fifty-fifty. That’s fair.

【Player】 254599: Where are you? Did a monster scratch you, or did you get hypothermia from the rain?

This high-powered player is gradually losing patience.

【Yining】: Sorry, I don’t plan on trading with you.

【Player】 254599: Pfft, don’t think I’m afraid of you.

Just as Yining was about to fire back, he realized the other person had already blocked him.

Next, Chat Channel 1 was flooded with complaints from 【Player】 254599. Other players asked him what had happened, and to everyone’s surprise, he said,

“I offered to help resell materials to the Hunters’ Guild on the condition of a 50-50 split, but Yining felt he was getting the short end of the stick.”

A flood of comments, all centered on the idea that “Yining is a total scumbag,” began appearing in the chat channel in all sorts of variations.

“A 50-50 split and he still thinks he’s getting the short end of the stick? He must think he’s God!” 

“He Lao also goes for a 50-50 split.”

“I think this kid’s heart is in the wrong place—we’re all brothers here.” 

“Why don’t you just work for free, kid?”

Feeling helpless, Yining had no choice but to offer an explanation.

【Yining】: It was this player who first offered 5 silver coins for my share of meat, and the idea of reselling it later was his suggestion too.

【One Pair of Pants】: Oh my, here comes the real deal.

【Player】 254599: (Chat screenshot) If you didn’t want to trade, just say so. You left me hanging without replying, but the moment he mentioned reselling, you replied instantly. Who can’t figure out what you’re up to?

【Forest Bird】: Exactly. Yining is clearly trying to mess with your head on purpose. He definitely wants you to lower your demands, so you’ll willingly offer more perks.

Ugh.

Yining gasped.

Was “Forest Bird” deliberately stirring things up, or did he genuinely believe it was all his fault?

It felt as if he was the one begging people to buy his meat.

He hadn’t put up with that guy because of the “5 silver coins for 1 portion of meat” offer, but because of the line that followed: “Let’s be friends, and I’ll sell you any good stuff at a discount in the future.”

Looks like next time he needs to be tougher with players—just tell them straight up, “10 silver coins, not a single coin less.”

For now, he could only resort to some subtle manipulation.

【Yining】: Sorry, but I still don’t see any sincerity from you. Goodbye. I have my pride, too.

【Player】 254599: Why bother talking about sincerity with someone like you?

【One Pair of Pants】: Haha, Yining might die tonight for all we know—so there won’t be an “in the future.” 

Yining flipped off One Pair of Pants again.

Now the time was right. Yining finally had a reason to throw a tantrum. He gleefully posted a new trade listing on the marketplace:

【Wood ×1 for 1 Gold Coin. No penniless bums, please】

【1 Sea Buckthorn Seedling + 1 bone meal, 3 sets total, for 5 Gold】

After posting the ad, Yining read it over several times and was satisfied with the tone of the post, which was written in the style of a nightclub host. Now it was just a matter of whether his looks and charm could attract a wealthy sugar daddy.

Soon, a notification popped up in the game.

【Wood -1】

【Received: Gold ×1】

The buyer was a player named “Yi He.”

【Yi He】: Judging by your post, you must have materials that can be traded with the Hunters’ Guild. My rule is a 50-50 split.

【Yining】: I do. Shadow skin. Interested?

【Yi He】: Including you, there are only two people in the entire server who have shadow skin. The other one is in the Desert. Where are you?

Yining paused.

Yi He, on the other end, was fishing for information.

【Yining】: I’m in the Graveyard District.

He acted nonchalant, as if this were nothing to hide.

【Yi He】: Good.

【Yi He】: 10 silver coins per shadow skin. How many do you have?

【Yining】: 13.

【Yi He】: 65 silver coins. I’ll give them to you in advance. The Hunters’ Guild collects materials once every seven days. That means they’re covering the cost upfront.