Chapter 48: A Test from the Regular Players

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: A Test from the Regular Players

First came the Sea Survival Shop.

Although the items she had listed were sold out, the permanent players she had invited were busy uploading their own goods. While the prices of these goods were slightly steep, anyone with a discerning eye could tell they were high-quality items.

Zelda Parrish’s homemade weapons.

Owen Caldwell’s wooden furniture.

Faye Sinclair’s Insect Skin Short Sleeves.

Skye Schuyler’s delicious food.

...

After all, these items all possessed special Effects. They had previously sold them relatively cheaply in District 122, but now, leveraging this platform, their prices had multiplied several times over. To their surprise, even with the steep prices, the goods were snapped up rapidly. Consequently, they became increasingly enthusiastic about crafting these pieces of Equipment and food items.

This enthusiasm also extended to the permanent players in other districts. After all, within a single district, the number of top-tier players possessing massive amounts of resources was limited. However, across all districts combined, it was an entirely different story. Therefore, through this platform, their Equipment and food sold incredibly well.

There were even some precious resources available. For instance, Rowan Rhodes spotted a dose of antibiotics listed. Rowan knew antibiotics very well; they could easily be considered a lifesaving medicine. Injuries, poisoning, infections, and sepsis could all be treated by it. She had just acquired a dose herself from the sunken shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. As it hung on the shop’s listings now, it wasn’t that the players didn’t want to buy it, but rather that the price was simply too exorbitant.

Rowan felt delighted as she looked at the backend transaction logs and the massive amount of Trading Coins rolling in. The permanent players were using this platform to earn large sums of Trading Coins, and as for Rowan, she received a cut of the profits as well. The profit margins from this were far higher than if she were to sell her own resources. The creation of this Sea Survival Shop was truly a brilliant stroke of luck.

However, besides actively listing resources for sale, many of these permanent players also secretly sent her numerous messages.

"Can I purchase raw materials?"

"Are players allowed to open their own shops?"

"I want to buy a large amount of plastic. As an employee, can I purchase it privately?"

"I’d like to buy fragments."

"I want to plant some things. Do you have any seeds?"

"..."

When these permanent players made their inquiries, they even directly included their required quantities. In reality, the private chat function served as a communication channel between Rowan and these permanent players. This also included handling certain transactions. For example, the raw materials she had provided to Jaina Harmon were priced at her discretion. At the time, the situation had been urgent, so she sold them to Jaina cheaply. Later, once Jaina was safe, she compensated Rowan with additional resources. Now, these current permanent players were all using Trading Coins, and the amounts they offered were quite substantial.

Rowan could sense the underlying intent. Beyond their genuine need for resources, these messages were also a test. They were testing to see if she could actually supply these resources, and whether the Trading Coins in their hands were worth holding onto. True, Trading Coins could be used at the Thesora Trading Post to purchase many resources, Equipment, and blueprints that couldn’t be salvaged from the sea. But once they left, who knew when they would encounter the next trading post? Therefore, if anything went wrong with this Sea Survival Shop, their Trading Coins might temporarily become useless. In that case, the value of the Trading Coins to the players would pale in comparison to tangible, physical resources. This worry was especially prevalent since many items had just been snatched up right after being listed and were not restocked, making the permanent players even more anxious.

Of course, they were also afraid of losing out on this opportunity. Hence, while holding onto a good amount of resources, they had also exchanged their idle goods for Trading Coins. Now was the time to test the waters and figure out the shop’s true depth.

Realizing this, Rowan agreed to all their transaction requests without hesitation. If this had been earlier, she might have felt a bit lacking in confidence. But after her successful haul from the sunken shipwreck, she was fully confident in her stock. She had to accept these players’ probing tests in order to establish the Sea Survival Shop’s credibility. Besides her own contributions, the special Skills of these permanent players were a major feature of her Sea Survival Shop. Every profession had its own specialty. Professional work was best left to the professionals.

Thus, Rowan approved every single transaction request made by the permanent players. To the one asking for seeds, Rowan traded over potatoes and sweet potatoes—they could be eaten, and they could be planted. Even after this entire series of trades, Rowan’s resource stockpile remained incredibly abundant. She suddenly realized that, at this current stage, her resources seemed quite comprehensive.

As soon as Rowan agreed, the permanent players across various districts received their feedback. Seeing that the Trading Coins they had earned could indeed be exchanged for the resources they needed, many of them felt reassured and confidently resumed their crafting. The only minor issue was that the shop didn’t reply to messages on a strict schedule. Was there really an actual person operating it? If so, who could it be? Was it an NPC? Was it directly tied to the Sea Survival Game’s system?

Many players were filled with doubts; they wanted to ask, but didn’t dare to. Those few who had ventured to ask weren’t surprised when they received no answer. In the very next moment, they obediently submitted more transaction requests.

Seeing these new trades, Rowan approved them as well. She had successfully passed the first hurdle! There would be many more challenges to come. It wasn’t just their test of the Sea Survival Shop, but also Rowan’s test of these permanent players. Not every permanent player with special Skills would be reliable. As time passed, she would learn to gradually weed out the unreliable ones.

By this point, Rowan had finished washing up. Stepping out of the shower room, she felt entirely refreshed. To her surprise, she noticed that the resources she had left out on the raft had all been neatly packed away into Storage Boxes. Weren’t these Seagulls being a little too capable? Sure enough, a moment later, they stood in a row before Rowan, their little chins lifted in unison, looking incredibly proud.

Rowan fell silent as she watched the scene. "It’s the same familiar routine, the same familiar vibe," she thought. "This whole family is exactly alike!"

"Thank you, you’re all so incredibly capable!" Rowan praised them. She walked over to the table and set out a large feast of delicious food. "Want to eat?"

"Eat!" The family of five answered Rowan in perfect unison. In the next second, they flew directly onto the dining table and began to feast.

Rowan stood to the side, watching as Father Gull and Mother Gull deliberately squawked something to Seabird One. By using her natural skills, Rowan roughly understood that they were saying they had found a good master.

Hearing the term "master" clearly, Rowan was momentarily stunned. For animals, their emotions were simply so sincere and natural. If they considered her their master, then so be it! Regardless, to her, they were companions, and she would take good care of them.

While they were eating, Rowan’s gaze landed on the pile of Storage Boxes. It was time to do some more upgrades on the raft.