Qiyu checked the trading channel and found it was exactly as Civil Engineering Brother had said.

【Civil Engineering Brother: I’ll go post a reminder in the region chat.】

He was as helpful as ever.

【I Love Survival Game: They might not listen to you. If our guess is wrong, some people will blame you.】

【Civil Engineering Brother: No big deal. We don’t see each other anyway—it won’t hurt me if they yell at me.】 

【I Love Survival Game: Whatever you say.】

Sure enough, not long after, Civil Engineering Brother voiced his suspicions in the regional chat channel, though he obscured the source of the information, without revealing anyone else’s information.

He was always active in the group chat, and many people recognized his ID.

Just as Qiyu had predicted, some believed him, while many more were skeptical.

Some people asked him if he’d stumbled upon some special opportunity that allowed him to know so much, urging him not to keep it to himself but to share this information.

Qiyu wasn’t good at interacting with people, especially in a massive channel with 100,000 members. He would just silently scroll through the screen, gathering information that was useful to him. As for the supplies he received today, he used the backpack expansion card right away.

He listed the high-quality wooden axe on the trading page, noting that he’d prioritize trading it for wood.

As for the basic building upgrade blueprints, he had originally wanted to see if he could take a shortcut and upgrade his own log cabin.

When he placed the basic building upgrade blueprint on the workbench, the upgrade requirements for the Level 2 Shelter, which had previously remained hidden, finally appeared.

Level one shelter, Sturdy Log Cabin, Durability 220/220, Upgradeable.

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 two shelter blueprint.

Compared to the level one shelter, the upgrade requirements for the level two shelter have significantly increased. Qiyu had a pretty good idea why the upgrade requirements hadn’t been displayed before.

He was certain that high-quality green wood and stone materials weren’t to be found anywhere within the safe zone.

He guessed that these items would most likely only appear outside the safe zone once the newbie period ended.

【Basic Building Upgrade Blueprint: Can upgrade any basic building within the shelter. Currently upgradeable building: Fence.】

Well, looks like there’s no shortcut here.

But wait—he could upgrade the fence? Qiyu made a mental note of that.

He placed the fireplace obtained from the fine iron chest in the living room; once placed, it automatically merged with the wooden cabin.

At that moment, the “01 survival squad” notification lit up.

It’s Tranquility Yields Transcendence and Dare Not Open My Eyes, who want to buy a wooden bed and mattress from Qiyu. 

【I Love Survival Game: You guys prepare the materials yourselves; I’ll charge 5 units of wood per item for processing.】

【Dare Not Open My Eyes: Got it, thanks, boss!】

Tranquility Yields Transcendence: Thanks. 

Almost everyone got a high-quality axe today, so tree-chopping efficiency has improved significantly. A 5-unit processing fee for wood is practically like doing charity work.

Qiyu had his own reasons. He wasn’t very good at dealing with people, but trading with these three in the group was going smoothly so far—it was a good opportunity to build some goodwill.

He thought for a moment and sent a private message to the Civil Engineering Brother.

【I Love Survival Game: Do you have the blueprints for that simple trap from last time?】

【Civil Engineering Brother: I don’t have any extra blueprints, but I can make some. Do you need any, boss?】

【I Love Survival Game: How do we trade?】

【Civil Engineering Brother: I have the crafting materials here—10 units of wood or 250g of food for one trap. Is that okay?】

Qiyu sent over 500g of barbarian fang boar meat, and soon, the other party sent back two simple traps. Qiyu placed one simple trap outside the wooden cabin.

This was a trap called a “ground spike,” with menacing dark green wooden spikes pointing upward. Once set, it could not be retrieved. 

【Civil Engineering Brother: Boss, these ground spikes not only deal damage but also have a sedative effect. They won’t instantly take down mutated creatures, 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 cherishes his current life.

Precisely because he cherishes it, he can’t bear to lose it and can’t stand the thought of it all being destroyed.

Once the three-day newbie period is over, it won’t be safe anymore, and he’s not sure what he’ll face.

Since all his fears stem from a lack of firepower, wouldn’t it be enough to just find a way to ensure he has plenty of it? 

【I Love Survival Game: Is that possible?】

【Civil Engineering Brother: Yes!】

Qiyu immediately initiated a trade.

He listed 25 kg of barbarian fang boar meat. Once the Civil Engineering Brother completes the transaction, the item will be automatically claimed. 1

【I Love Survival Game: Are you interested in this?】 He sent the details of that unique-quality dagger.

【Civil Engineering Brother: You’re selling this, boss?】

【I Love Survival Game: I’d prefer to trade for items that can boost the shelter’s defenses.】

Civil Engineering Brother gave a wry smile.

Weapons are precious, and weapons that boost attack stats are even more so. He knew this good stuff wouldn’t be easy to come by.

However, seeing him offer so much meat and even put a stat-boosting weapon on the table for trade, his assessment of 【I Love Survival Game】’s capabilities rose even higher.

【Civil Engineering Brother: Big Shot, I don’t have what you’re looking for, but I can ask around among other players. However, the newbie period is about to end, so I’m afraid what you want will be hard to come by.】

Qiyu guessed that he knew quite a few players.

He didn’t care who owned the dagger; as long as he could trade it for something satisfactory, that was all that mattered.

Just as he closed the chat window, he saw Civil Engineering Brother send another message:

【Civil Engineering Brother: Hey, boss, if you have anything else you want to sell, send me the details, and I’ll see if I can find a buyer for you.】

Qiyu was puzzled.

But this was exactly what he wanted.

【I Love Survival Game: What’s in it for me?】

【Civil Engineering Brother: No payment needed, Boss. If you have anything good in the future, could you give me priority, or let me help you with the trade?】 Civil Engineering Brother gritted his teeth and revealed a bit of his hand.

【Civil Engineering Brother: I wonder if you’ve heard of “unlocking professions”?】

Because he was such a chatterbox, he’d met a lot of people in the chat channel and done a lot of trading, which had inexplicably unlocked a 【Merchant】 class for him. 

【Civil Engineering Brother: If I successfully close a deal, I can earn a cut of the profits.】 So that’s how it is. Qiyu realized.

There’s no such thing as kindness or generosity for no reason. Hearing the Civil Engineering Brother say this actually put his mind at ease.

【I Love Survival Game: I still have quite a bit of meat. You can ask about it when you’re trading. I’d prefer to trade for cotton, cashmere, and plant seeds.】

Civil Engineering Brother happily agreed. Qiyu walked over to his farmland.

The sunflower buds had opened just a little, and a few pale yellow petals were stretching out contentedly. Qiyu noticed that next to the countdown timer at the top of the screen, a small icon had appeared. 【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 water ball flew into the air and burst with a “plop,” turning into pea-sized droplets.

【Watering successful. Plant comfort level increased.】

It seemed the sunflowers were satisfied. Qiyu was satisfied as well.

He thought to himself that, for now, this was the best he could do with the Waterball spell—it was just right for watering plants.  If he could refine it a bit further and turn the Waterball into a mist infused with toxic substances… wouldn’t that greatly increase its lethality?