Chapter 21: This Is Also a Kind of Life-Saving Grace

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: This Is Also a Kind of Life-Saving Grace

[Greenery x4 detected. raft temperature regulation in progress.]

Rowan Rhodes stared at the notification in surprise. Did this greenery refer to the trees she had just planted? They could actually regulate the temperature! She instinctively glanced at the data in the top left corner.

[Sea Survival Game Calendar: January 3rd, 12:38. Current Temperature: 40°C (39°C). Rising continuously. Risk of heatstroke.]

It had actually dropped by a degree. She hadn’t realized that planting greenery on the raft during extreme heat could regulate the temperature. Did this mean the more she planted, the more the temperature would drop? Originally, she hadn’t planned on planting much, but now she changed her mind.

Her fingers tapped rapidly across the control panel. In the blink of an eye, the raft was densely covered with large soil pots. Rowan took out her seeds and planted them one by one. She planted palm trees, Coconut trees, Mango trees, and regular trees—sixteen in total. Adding the original four, twenty trees now neatly occupied the majority of the planting area. The small pots containing potatoes and Watermelons were forced into the corners.

After twelve minutes, the trees grew to full size, each towering at least ten meters high. Looking at it, it felt as though a small forest had sprouted right on the raft. Standing beside them, Rowan appeared exceptionally tiny. The Seagulls were clearly intrigued by these trees, flying directly up to weave playfully through the branches.

After admiring her handiwork for a moment, Rowan checked the raft’s temperature again.

[35°C.]

It had indeed dropped. Coupled with the sunshade, this slight temperature decrease might not mean much to Rowan, but it could be a lifesaver for other players. This also gave her a new perspective: while brewing natural disasters, the Sea Survival Game also provided players with numerous means to save themselves. This meant that even the Sea Survival Game had to follow certain rules. As long as players utilized these rules well, they wouldn’t easily be led by the nose by the Sea Survival Game. At the very least, she hoped to stay one step ahead of the Sea Survival Game to ensure her long-term survival.

With these thoughts in mind, Rowan returned to the shade of the canopy. Opening the trading interface, she found that her newly listed offers had all been completed, yielding her twenty mineral water bottles. The moment she received them, she chose to dismantle them.

[Dismantling of mineral water bottles complete. plastic x2 acquired.]

[...]

Through this method, Rowan instantly obtained forty units of plastic. Additionally, she bought up all the mineral water bottles and plastic listed by others in the trading hall.

When news first broke that Rowan was trading Wooden Boards for mineral water bottles, many players had rushed to take the deal. The weather was sweltering today, causing players to consume large amounts of mineral water, and it was their Nature to keep the empty bottles. Most players had just finished fending off the Abyssal Poison Conches and were utterly exhausted, making raft repairs an urgent priority. Thus, trading mineral water bottles for Wooden Boards was a worthwhile exchange for many.

Some players had already dismantled their mineral water bottles to get plastic, but it was currently useless to them. Seeing someone collecting mineral water bottles, they deduced that she likely needed plastic, so they eagerly listed their plastic to trade for Wooden Boards and water. This led to Rowan’s current shopping spree.

Collecting plastic now wasn’t a loss for Rowan at all. Just like Wooden Boards, plastic was a core material used to craft all critical Equipment for survival, tools, architecture, and technology. Aside from preparing for the future, she was collecting it early because she urgently needed it now. plastic and scrap iron could be used to craft sanitation Equipment like showers and toilets.

During the novice period, players experienced no physiological reactions and therefore had no bodily needs. But now that the novice period was over, their bodies were no different from reality. They needed to brush their teeth, wash their faces, use the toilet, and bathe. In her previous life, she hadn’t had the resources and could only make do. In this life, with ample resources, it was in her Nature to prepare in advance.

She had moved her wooden bed to the second floor specifically to free up space to set up a bathroom. Given the high temperatures and all the sweating she had done, her body was completely sticky. She had been dying for a shower.

After "buying" every mineral water bottle and unit of plastic she could see, Rowan walked over to the Workbench and fed the plastic into it.

[plastic can generate: Blueprint: mineral water bottle, Blueprint: Kettle, Blueprint: Toilet, Blueprint: Water Pipe, Blueprint: Faucet, Blueprint: Water Storage Tank...]

Rowan sequentially purchased the toilet, water pipes, faucet, and water storage tank.

[Combine into a shower room?]

"Yes."

As Rowan confirmed her choice, a rudimentary shower room appeared in her inventory. Simultaneously, a shower room icon was added to the raft’s schematic. The shower room was divided in two: one side housed a toilet, and the other a shower. It was currently in a semi-automatic state, though it could be upgraded later with new resources. For now, however, it was more than enough. Rowan placed the shower room directly on the first floor of the Wooden House.

The moment she finished installing it, Rowan’s raft ranking leaped directly from eighth place to first. At the same time, the game system broadcasted a server-wide announcement.

[Server-Wide Announcement: Congratulations to player Rowan Rhodes for triggering the new raft leaderboards—the Aesthetics Leaderboard and the Utility Leaderboard. Reward: Bronze Treasure Chest x2.]

Looking at these two newly emerged leaderboards, Rowan herself was somewhat surprised. These leaderboards had indeed existed in her past life, but they had only appeared after entering the Coastal Waters. Yet, here they were, appearing early because of her. Aesthetics corresponded to the greenery. Utility corresponded to the shower room. Did this mean the trigger condition for these leaderboards was a single raft possessing both at the same time? If they weren’t acquired simultaneously but consecutively, would they only unlock after the raft entered the Coastal Waters?

Having concluded her analysis, the corners of Rowan’s mouth curled up slightly. She mused that since her rebirth, she seemed to have the devil’s own luck! With this server-wide announcement, Rowan once again topped the trending topics in the world channel.

[District 122: (99,391/100,000)]

"Why is it her again???"

"What did this Rowan Rhodes do this time?"

"Another two Bronze Treasure Chests. I’m so curious about what’s inside them."

"Simon Quinn: Someone was buying up plastic in bulk earlier. Not long after the buying stopped, this Rowan Rhodes triggered the dual leaderboards. That’s too much of a coincidence."

"Harold Thompson: I agree. This Rowan Rhodes must be in our District 122."

"Simon Quinn: I suggest the big shot share how she managed to trigger the dual leaderboards so we can all progress together."

"Celia Lynch: @Simon Quinn, why don’t you just ask her to play the game for you while you’re at it!"

"There’s no need for anyone to explain this. Aesthetics obviously refers to whether the raft looks good, and utility probably refers to how practical the Equipment on the raft is."

"I just fed a unit of plastic into the Workbench and realized there’s so much Equipment you can make with plastic! There are actually toilets, water storage tanks, faucets, and water pipes! These are obviously for using the bathroom and washing up. If you have enough plastic, you can make them too!"

"Speaking of which, I want to say that we had no urge to use the bathroom during the novice period. But since it ended, I’ve had to go several times. I’ve just been doing it on the edge of the raft and tossing it into the sea."

"Ugh, please don’t talk about that. When I think about how we fish so many resources out of the sea..."

"So, I guess we’d better build toilets!"

"A big shot is a big shot for a reason. She’s already built a shower room. I’m completely covered in sticky sweat right now, but I can’t even bear to use my drinking water to wipe myself down, let alone take a shower."

"Anyway, if boss Rowan Rhodes is really in our district, then we’re incredibly lucky."

"Hehe, I think so too."

"Skye Schuyler: And to the other big shots out there, I feel like we’ve been constantly benefiting from your efforts! Keep pushing forward! You don’t need to say anything in the world channel; we’ll carefully study every piece of information you leave behind."

"..."

The world channel was overflowing with envy and gratitude toward Rowan. When a person’s skill level was comparable or close to one’s own, seeing them pull ahead might incite envy, jealousy, and hatred. But when someone was leagues ahead, the vast majority of people could only look up to them in awe.

At the very least, with a big shot charging ahead and setting an example, they could follow in her footsteps rather than wandering aimlessly. Thinking back on today, everything the big shot had done left a traceable path.

Someone had landed on an island in the middle of the night, leading others to discover Equipment that could increase raft Speed. They followed suit, arriving at Pyralia early to gather resources.

Someone had hoarded water in bulk, leading many to store water resources alongside her, only to discover the onset of a heatwave shortly after.

Someone had bought Shark Skin and produced the Waterproof Armor Set, allowing many to trade their Shark Skin for essential survival wood, or to acquire the armor set to dive into the water and handle the Abyssal Poison Conches.

Someone had sold makeshift long shovels, enabling many to deal with the Abyssal Poison Conches without needing to buy the Waterproof Armor Set.

...

Since this person was Rowan, they could only feel fortunate to be in the same district as her, which granted them more capital for survival. In a way, this was a life-saving grace!