Sea Survival: My Luck is Off the Charts

Faye Yardley could more or less empathize with Lucy White’s thoughts, but she also knew that a person couldn’t stay on high alert forever. Proper relaxation was necessary.

One wouldn’t get very far by blindly pursuing adventure and thrills.

On the path forward, one also needed to pause briefly to solidify their foundations and temper their mind.

’Even the system doesn’t just force people to seek breakthroughs in the midst of danger; it always provides a calm period after every event.’

She couldn’t always waste the calm periods the system provided. Fishing for treasure boxes, while not something she enjoyed, was certainly a way to temper one’s patience.

Not only did it build patience, but it also replenished their supplies.

There was no need to look down on Iron Treasure Boxes, either. Occasionally, they could yield a pretty good find.

She personally wasn’t short on supplies anymore, but she had an entire island of people to support.

It would still take time for them to become self-sufficient.

Besides, she really did need to accept another group of people onto the island.

It wasn’t that she thought the more people on the island, the better.

Rather, there was an inexplicable sense of urgency in her heart.

It was this sense of urgency that drove her forward, always forward.

"Tonight, let’s call Kingston and Eamon to the training room and start the free-for-all competitive training."

"Okay, okay!"

In truth, anyone who could still persevere and struggle out on the sea, even those just barely surviving, possessed a core of tenacity.

There were no truly lazy people just giving up anymore. Even with an extremely high Luck Value, that kind of person couldn’t have dodged danger and accidents time and time again.

Faye Yardley found it hard to imagine how someone who had survived this long purely on luck, without putting in any effort, could possibly make it through the second hundred days.

Even those who had survived the first hundred days and were now shouting in the public channel about wanting to latch onto a strong backer or get onto an island—that might not be what they were truly thinking.

The system itself was a massive filter.

Most importantly, Faye Yardley was certain that the system actually favored those who strived to improve.

Faye Yardley didn’t know the limits of her mental endurance, but she knew with absolute clarity that if she didn’t work hard enough, if her strength wasn’t sufficient, she would hit that limit very quickly. When that happened, what awaited her would most likely be despair, helplessness, and regret.

She didn’t want to one day, when thinking of Sienna Lynch, look back on the past and regret not having fought harder.

She hoped her future self could face the arrival of death with composure, because every day, every step she took, would be the result of her resolute struggles and efforts.

Even if she strived and struggled and still didn’t reach the summit in the end, she wouldn’t have any regrets, because that would be the result of giving it her all.

Of course, this didn’t conflict at all with her current choice to pause and adjust her mindset.

’It’s not like fishing for treasure boxes is a complete waste of time. My brain isn’t just for show; I’m also working on constructing my own power system and making adjustments.’

As for how to better use the Magic within her, Faye Yardley discovered that it required a greater imagination.

Can young people lack imagination?

Faye Yardley could tell you with a brilliant smile: yes, they absolutely can.

Illusion Magic, a power that required imagination to unleash its greatest destructive potential.

It didn’t matter if her own imagination wasn’t rich enough. She had seen several people on the trading market earning supplies by writing novels, so she decided to post a buyout for all sorts of horror, fantasy, and martial arts novels.

As for romance novels, what kind of destructive power could they have? Were you going to defeat enemies with "overbearing CEO" quotes?

Meat, fruits, and vegetables were what most people on their rafts desperately needed right now.

So, as soon as Faye Yardley posted her request, she quickly received the opening Chapters of several novels.

Faye Yardley took a look and immediately commissioned one author who wrote ghost and horror stories, and another who wrote martial arts fiction. Although it was just martial arts fiction, the Martial Arts moves and techniques described were incredibly imaginative. Not only did they align with the Basic Martial Arts the system had instilled in her, but they even elevated them.

She even asked if the two of them wanted to come to her island to write stories full-time. If they didn’t want to come to the island and preferred to keep the system, she could also recommend them to her brother’s guild, The First Guild.

After all, she didn’t want this kind of talent to just disappear in the blink of an eye.

Both were excited by her invitation, but they already had guilds. Though small, their guildmates were comrades who had been through life and death together. They timidly asked if their families could come to the island instead. They explained that their families weren’t all old or weak, nor were they ordinary people with no skills; they had some crafts and abilities.

Although Faye Yardley was disappointed, she agreed on the condition that they both submit their manuscripts as soon as possible during this safe period.

"Big Sis, are you done yet? Once you’re done, we can eat! After we eat, we’ll go train." Lucy White had actually been waiting anxiously off to the side, but Willow Yardley wouldn’t let her rush Faye.

Faye Yardley grunted in acknowledgment. "Alright, let’s just grab a quick bite on the veranda first."

Even while eating, Faye Yardley was reading the horror novel, first conceptualizing the scenes in her mind based on the text, then using the Illusion Magic within her to simulate the terrifying scenarios.

And so, as they ate, a skull radiating black energy suddenly appeared over the dining table, followed by an intestine gushing blood...

Just as Lucy White was lifting a piece of meat to her mouth, it transformed into a writhing maggot, oozing a yellow-green pus. Even though she knew it was fake, she froze, unable to bring herself to put it in her mouth.

Tears of grievance welled up in her eyes, and her lip trembled. "Big Sis~ can’t you wait until after we finish eating to practice?"

Faye Yardley let out a little "Ah," and the Illusion vanished completely. She offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sorry. I lost control for a second and couldn’t resist trying it out. Eat up, eat up. I’ll take a look at the other manuscript in a bit, and then we can go ’play’ in the training room."

Lucy White thought, ’Suddenly, I’m not so eager to go to the training room anymore.’

Kingston calmly picked up a vegetable with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, shooting a glance at Lucy White. ’Hmph. Kids will be kids. Getting scared even when you know it’s fake.’

"Eat," Willow Yardley said coolly. Lucy White immediately dropped her pitiful expression and obediently ate her food.

As Faye Yardley and the others finished eating and entered the training room, manuscripts continued to pour in for her.

After all, people in every circle have friends within that same circle, and novel writers were no exception.

If Faye Yardley chose their manuscript, it meant not just for them, but for their families—young and old—a chance at safety and stability. This was an incredibly tempting offer for them.

They could struggle and fight however they needed to, as long as their families were safe.

This was how most people thought.

Willow Yardley watched the flood of manuscripts and simply kept adding more meat, fruits, and vegetables to Faye Yardley’s purchase offer.

After all, everyone who submitted an opening Chapter would receive a portion. Whether there would be further collaboration depended on how captivating the opening was to Faye Yardley.

In the end, even when the trade was just a single head of lettuce for an opening Chapter, people were still constantly submitting them.

Willow Yardley murmured, "This is insane."