Chapter 23: Fate Truly Is a Wondrous Thing

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Fate Truly Is a Wondrous Thing

"@Celia Lynch, thank you! This information is incredibly useful."

"I didn’t get any tree seeds, but I got some Grassland."

"Seeing that much of the Grassland on Pyralia was bare, I dug some up as well. I didn’t expect it to actually be useful."

"Haha, yeah, I also dug up some Grassland based on the traces left behind."

"I got lucky. I went there quite early and got some tree seeds. I’m going to plant them right now."

"Planting trees is great! It looks good and lowers the temperature."

"It feels so good to be in the same zone as the top players."

"It’s just that the temperature is still rising, so the Effect of the green plants might be limited."

"There’s Coconut water available in the Trading Hall. Coconut water has a cooling Effect, so buy it if you can afford it."

"It’s too expensive, not worth it. Let’s just tough it out!"

"..."

"It’s here, it’s here! The sun hats are here! Someone is selling sun hats in the Trading Hall."

"[F-level Sun Hat (Homemade): Sun protection, rain protection, reduces the negative Effect of heatstroke. Duration: 24 hours.] It seems to last for a long time, and you only need Palm Leaves to exchange for it. If we salvage more supplies, we might just survive this."

"So the sun hat is made of Palm Leaves? I’ll give it a try."

"I’ll go exchange for a sun hat as a backup first. We can tough it out now, but who knows if we can later."

"I think if there are artisans among the players, they can utilize the existing resources and pick up their crafts again. We shouldn’t just rely on the game’s Equipment. This way, everyone can trade more and get through this difficult time together."

"Yes, I agree."

"Speaking of which, I know carpentry, and my Skill is Manufacturing. I’ll try making an umbrella with Palm Leaves and Wooden Boards."

"..."

Players were actively chatting in the World Channel. They initially felt that although the Sea Survival Game was difficult, with the top players leading the way, they had a glimmer of hope. Just striving to move forward was good enough.

However, the top players stepped forward one after another, sharing information with them and selling cheap Equipment. This not only mobilized their desire to survive but also gave them a sense of direction.

Homemade long shovels, homemade large earthen pots, homemade sun hats... These were all homemade. Since the top players could do it, it proved that this path was viable, and they could try it too. At least from the current situation, mutual exchange obviously made it easier for players to survive.

At this very moment, the World Channel was filled with a sense of hope.

After salvaging plastic and fragments, Rowan Rhodes’s status was bottoming out. She was currently recovering by drinking water and eating food. But when she opened the World Channel, she saw another scene that exceeded her expectations.

Celia Lynch had actually figured out how to plant the greenery based on her hint, and even improved upon it. She thought that spreading Grassland over the entire raft was actually a pretty good idea. It seemed her own thinking had been too rigid, as she only knew that Grassland could be used to make pastures.

Later on, homemade sun hats had also appeared, and the price was relatively low. This was another major difference. In her past life, homemade sun hats had also appeared, but they were quite expensive, and people were constantly cursing the seller for profiteering from others’ misfortunes. But in this life, homemade sun hats appeared earlier, and the price was lower, clearly yielding profits to benefit everyone.

Looking further down, many players were preparing to use their Skills to join the movement of crafting homemade Equipment.

Rowan raised an eyebrow. It was genuinely quite good. The awakening of self-awareness would definitely allow many players to go further in the Sea Survival Game. With these thoughts, her gaze shifted away from the World Channel.

Switching to the Trading Hall, Rowan clearly saw that the number of trading messages had increased. Many players were taking out their surplus resources to exchange for what they needed.

Of course, the most needed item was still mineral water. Although the Freshwater Collector could collect mineral water, it took five hours to generate a single bottle. This was fine on ordinary days. However, in extreme heat, a single bottle of mineral water simply couldn’t last five hours. Especially now that the temperature was still rising, the physical toll on people was becoming even greater.

Because of the early warning, perhaps many people had been hoarding mineral water. But the need for mineral water remained the highest. No one knew how long the high-temperature weather would last. With every bottle consumed, their anxiety would increase a bit more, and such worry would make people irritable.

However, Rowan knew that every natural disaster lasted for a duration of three days. For the first two days, the temperature would continuously rise, even at night without the sun. It wouldn’t be until the third day that the temperature would stabilize. But the temperature by then would only make it incredibly unbearable, breeding severe agitation. Especially with the occasional harassment from marine creatures, the death toll would sharply increase in the latter two days, casting a shroud of fear over the players.

Therefore, the atmosphere in the World Channel would be just like the extreme heat—ready to explode at the slightest spark.

She wondered if things would be different in this life. They probably would be, considering how many variables had appeared. There was her, Celia Lynch, this "top player" making homemade Equipment, and even the many other survivors.

Amidst her thoughts, Rowan suddenly noticed that many new resources had just been listed in the Trading Hall.

[Coconut Milk Jelly x1, has a cooling Effect, duration: 6 hours. Trade: Wooden Board x5, mineral water x2]

[Coconut Milk Candy x1, has a cooling Effect, duration: 6 hours. Trade: Wooden Board x5, mineral water x2]

[Sun Umbrella x1, has a temperature reduction Effect, duration: 24 hours. Trade: Wooden Board x10, Palm Leaves x10, mineral water x5]

[Heat-resistant Vest x1, has a heat-resistant Effect, duration: 12 hours. Trade: Palm Leaves x10, broken cloth x5, mineral water x3]

[...]

Upon seeing these new resources, Rowan switched back to the World Channel, which was indeed buzzing about this.

"New Equipment is out again. The sun umbrella seems to have a better Effect than the sun hat. Of course, the price is also higher, but it can be used for 24 hours. It’s very cost-effective."

"Ahhh! I just glanced at the sun umbrella, and it was snatched up the next second? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"Owen Caldwell: It’s me. I just made two and sold one. I’ll work hard on making more wooden Equipment next. If anyone needs anything, you can contact me for custom orders."

"@Owen Caldwell, that’s awesome! Focus on your crafting!"

"We need more artisans like this."

"The Coconut milk jelly is so delicious too! Was this made in the game?"

"Skye Schuyler: Yes, I’m a pastry chef. I made it using the meat inside the Coconut. I’ll irregularly list various desserts in the Trading Hall. @me if you need any."

"The Heat-resistant Suits are pretty good too!"

"Faye Sinclair: I made them. My Skill is tailor, and I used to be a master tailor!"

"Why does it feel like so much Equipment for dealing with the extreme heat has appeared overnight?"

"Everyone was busy dealing with the Abyssal Poison Conchs before! If it weren’t for the top players’ help in teaching us how to cope, who knows what would have happened to us by now!"

"It seems the talents we get after the novice period ends are related to each person’s real-life ability!"

"I got a lifestyle Skill, and I was originally a bit disappointed. But looking at it now, as long as it’s applied properly, the Sea Survival Game doesn’t seem that hard."

"Let everyone perform their respective duties. Those who should salvage supplies should continue to do so. Unbox mineral water and exchange it for food and Equipment with special Effects. If we trade with each other, we’ll all be able to survive much longer."

"..."

Seeing the discussions above, Rowan paused.

The names Owen Caldwell, Skye Schuyler, and Faye Sinclair that appeared above had indeed never bubbled up in the World Channel in her previous life. At the very least, there were no so-called carpenters, pastry chefs, or tailors in her memory.

This was only the first natural disaster. If there really had been so much Equipment and food with special Effects, how could so many people have died?

She speculated that perhaps they had died during the Abyssal Poison Conch attacks, meaning their Skills had never had the chance to be utilized.

She sighed once again. Fate truly was a marvelous thing!