Chapter 81: Fully Automated Mining Tool

Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Fully Automated Mining Tool

Rowan Rhodes did not know about the discussions regarding the Abyssal Heat Bacteria in other zones, but she could see it from the enthusiasm of the resident players there. She had indeed traded away most of the Abyssal Heat Bacteria in her possession. A portion was traded to the resident players, while the remainder, true to Nature, went up for sale in the Sea Survival Shop. At the same time, she also agreed to some players’ requests to exchange Trading Coins for resources. It could be said that Rowan Rhodes was now acting more like a transit hub, allowing different zones to exchange resources through her. In fact, every time she facilitated a transfer, this hub of hers earned an "agency fee."

While handling these matters, Rowan Rhodes arrived at the Workbench. She did not choose to go mining immediately. Yesterday, she had worked hard to mine manually just to make the use of the Heart of Life worthwhile. As for now, she had to consider replacing manual labor with electricity. This would free up her own time to explore the crashed plane at the top of the mountain. A two-pronged approach was the only way to greatly improve her exploration efficiency. According to her estimates, she was at least a full day ahead of the other players. This time period was entirely her domain, so by the law of Nature, she needed to mine as much ore as possible while she had the chance. As for later, when the other players arrived, whether she should leave or find a way to blend in with them was another matter entirely.

Speaking of which, she didn’t know much about electric mining tools. The reason she had this idea was because she knew that in the later stages of raft development, one could possess various electrical appliances and progress toward the technological route. Since she had already unlocked electricity, it was indeed something she could look into.

Her current Workbench was a C-level electrical Workbench. Most of the resources Rowan Rhodes currently held could be fed into it to generate blueprints, just like the oxygen bottle. However, even though she could craft oxygen bottles right now, she had no intention of selling them just yet because they were not an urgent necessity for players at the moment. She would wait until after the extreme cold disaster to sell them. By then, not only the Fish Spear Gun but also diving underwater would make them an absolute necessity. Selling them at that point would guarantee high sales.

With this in mind, Rowan Rhodes tossed a battery into the Workbench.

[battery can generate Blueprint: Headlamp, Blueprint: Electric Water Purifier, Blueprint: Electric Grill, Blueprint: Juicer, Blueprint: Recycler, Blueprint: Island detector, Blueprint: electric drill and iron pickaxe...]

Finally, after flipping through a massive pile of blueprints, she found the one she wanted.

[electric drill and iron pickaxe: Can mine rapidly. Requires titanium ore x5, battery x3, Metal Ingots x10.]

She happened to have all the required resources, so she immediately began Manufacturing. Once finished, she placed the electric drill and iron pickaxe along with a solar panel back into the Workbench.

[Synthesize Solar-powered Electric Arm?]

Seeing the prompt on the panel, Rowan Rhodes’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t believe it actually worked! Delighted, she chose to synthesize it, then proceeded to execute Manufacturing on several of them in a row. After all, she had plenty of resources on hand. Making a few more meant she could dig up more ore.

Once the Manufacturing was complete, Rowan Rhodes set off for Glimmerstone Isle. During the day, Glimmerstone Isle looked even more like a massive behemoth than it did at night. However, following her bombing yesterday, the island was now exceptionally littered with rubble. Naturally, this made it crystal clear what kind of ores were on the island. Yesterday, Rowan Rhodes had mined iron ore, but Glimmerstone Isle had more than just iron ore; it also contained copper ore, magnetic stone, flint, and coal. These ores could be said to have a symbiotic relationship.

Rowan Rhodes took the solar-powered electric drill and iron pickaxes and placed them at various mineral veins. As they started working, a prompt appeared on the control panel.

[Detected that the player is acquiring large quantities of ore. Please select a storage location for the ore: Backpack or list on the Sea Survival Shop?]

Looking at this option, Rowan Rhodes’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t expected such a feature to exist! She could only conclude that as players progressed rapidly, the Sea Survival Game system seemingly introduced corresponding matching mechanisms. She directly selected to list them in the shop. Upon making the selection, a pricing option popped up. Driven by human Nature, she set exorbitant prices to prevent other players from buying them. If any player actually bought them at such high prices, it could only mean she wouldn’t lose out.

After setting the prices, Rowan Rhodes grabbed a climbing rope and set off toward the crashed plane at the mountain peak.

At the same time, while countless zones were fighting over the Abyssal Heat Bacteria, players once again noticed the sudden appearance of various new ores.

[Item: iron ore]

[Item: magnetic stone]

[Item: Metal Copper Ingot]

[Item: flint]

[Item: Coal]

If these ores had appeared one by one, many players would likely just be shocked by the sheer amount of metal on the third island. However, all these ores appeared simultaneously, and their quantities were increasing at an exceptionally fast Speed. This was something a person couldn’t achieve even with four hands. What did this mean? It meant that this Rowan Rhodes had very likely utilized fully automated mining tools. Every time they thought Rowan Rhodes’s achievements had already surpassed their wildest imaginations, reality proved that she could still take it to the next level.

"This Rowan Rhodes is truly incredible!"

"She’s using a fully automated mining tool, right?"

"Is she selling it?"

"If she sells it, we’ll be able to use it too when we land on the island."

"I’m so envious! She’s practically a filthy rich tycoon now."

"We all started at the exact same starting line. How is she progressing so fast?"

"It all comes down to upgrading the raft!"

"But there are requirements for upgrading the raft! If it was just about surface area, I’d sell everything I own right now to expand my raft to Level 8."

"I think Rowan Rhodes must have unlocked all the Equipment for her raft."

"But where do you even get a Steering Wheel or an Engine?"

"I suddenly feel like Rowan Rhodes might have encountered opportunities we don’t know about."

"Besides resources and wooden crates, what other opportunities could there be in the ocean?"

"No idea!"

"Maybe there are sunken ships on the seabed or something! I’ve played similar games before."

"So you’re saying that aside from the resources on the surface, there might be resources at the bottom of the sea too."

"Right, exactly. We should pay more attention to the seabed from now on."

"The oxygen bottles might be exactly what we need to explore underwater."

"A big shot is a big shot for a reason! She truly has incredible foresight."

"I pity the players in the same zone as Boss Rowan. With her Speed, will there even be any scraps left for the others by the time they reach the third island?"

"There’s nothing they can do. This game is all about individual ability. She has the skill, so it makes sense for her to take it all."

"Yeah! If you’re capable enough, you could swallow it all up too."

"Right now, I’m just hoping she sells that tool. Buying it would be an absolute steal."

"Yeah, exactly!"

"..."

Across the various zones, everyone was yearning for Rowan Rhodes’s mining tool, because this was going to be one of their key focuses moving forward. Meanwhile, completely unaware of the players’ discussions, Rowan Rhodes had already reached the summit after a strenuous climb and was preparing to explore the abandoned airplane.