Chapter 99: Air Purifier

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Air Purifier

[District 122: (95837/100000)]

"The boss is collecting resources again. Is this a hint at something?"

"We’ve already guessed the boss’s identity anyway. Could they stop being so mysterious and just speak in the World Channel directly?!"

"Yeah, let us pay our respects!"

"Metal Ingots, circuit boards, plastic, glass, charcoal... What can these resources be used for?"

"A circuit board? I’ve seriously never even heard of it."

"I saw them in the Sea Survival Shop, but there weren’t many."

"These are resources that appear in the ocean only after you upgrade to a Level 7 Raft. They’re essential components for electrical Equipment that appears later on."

"So once you reach Level 7, does the raft officially enter the electrical age?"

"That’s right."

"Suddenly, I’m really looking forward to upgrading. I’m still using a campfire for lighting! However, the campfire’s lighting Effect isn’t particularly strong."

"I really want to install lightbulbs on my raft."

"No, you guys are getting off-topic. Weren’t we discussing what kind of Equipment Rowan Rhodes is planning to make?"

"It doesn’t concern us anyway; it only concerns the Level 7 big shots."

"I have a feeling that Boss Rowan Rhodes’ actions are definitely related to the upcoming disaster."

"I think so too!"

"We can’t supply circuit boards, but we can provide the other resources. Trade, trade, trade!"

"The boss’s prices are really fair, too!"

"..."

As the discussion went on, the majority of players in District 122 quickly began trading with Rowan Rhodes. They all understood clearly: if Rowan Rhodes did well, their district did well. If they could cling to her coattails, it was second Nature to latch on immediately.

Rowan Rhodes was quite surprised as she watched the feedback on the World Channel. She wondered why the players in District 122 were suddenly so "cooperative." Something she didn’t know about had definitely happened behind the scenes.

Piqued, Rowan Rhodes began scrolling endlessly through the chat logs on the World Channel. Eventually, she found out that Zelda Parrish had used her name to deter some restless players. Rowan Rhodes hadn’t even thought of this tactic herself, but Zelda Parrish had managed to pull it off. If she had to describe it in one phrase, she could only say, "Beautifully done!"

Indeed, when using Positioning Cards, many players first targeted others within their own district. This was because they had long been observing the World Channel to pick out easy prey. This habit wasn’t just prevalent at the beginning of the game; it continued to be used later on. As a result, the World Channel gradually became desolate. Especially after the private chat feature emerged, the Speed of messages in the World Channel slowed down significantly.

She had considered that the previous balance in District 122 might be broken by the appearance of Positioning Cards. However, she hadn’t expected Zelda Parrish to step up and tie all the players to the same boat using their shared interests. She didn’t know how long this peace would last, but at least for now, it seemed quite good. She was truly starting to appreciate Zelda Parrish more and more.

With these thoughts in mind, Rowan Rhodes continued producing air purifiers using the resources she had just acquired. For the next three days, air purifiers would act as hard currency. The next moment, she sent out trade requests for air purifiers to nearly eight hundred permanent players. This was basically an explicit hint. Having more players craft this kind of service-type Equipment wouldn’t harm her interests. Instead, it would allow more players to survive and avoid the torment of illness.

Just like that, the newly added permanent players, who were still immersed in the joy of establishing a connection with the Sea Survival Shop, received trading tasks the very next second. The moment they saw it, they were stunned!

Air purifiers???

Was this related to the upcoming natural disaster? One by one, the players began researching.

Zelda Parrish, Faye Sinclair, and the others received the request too.

"Zelda Parrish: The Sea Survival Shop just traded with us for air purifiers. It should be related to the boss’s recent actions."

"Air purifiers? Are they related to this disaster?"

"Wow! The boss is amazing! Her actions were actually faster than the Sea Survival Shop’s."

"It’s possible that the boss traded air purifiers to the Sea Survival Shop first, and that’s why the shop initiated this purchase plan!"

"I’ll go look into how to make an air purifier."

"Do you even need to look into it? It definitely requires the resources the boss was just buying up."

"The boss is practically spoon-feeding us at this point."

"Circuit boards are hard to get!"

"Only Level 7 players can get them. Can the Level 7 players sell some to us?"

"They can earn more money doing it themselves. Why would they sell them to you?"

"The Level 7 players can specialize in fishing up circuit boards, and we can help out with the other resources. This way, our efficiency will improve!"

"Zelda Parrish: We can trade."

"..."

Earlier, Zelda Parrish had used Rowan Rhodes’s name to stabilize the situation in District 122. However, she understood that this was only a temporary fix. For a long-term solution, she had to let the players see tangible benefits. Just as the previous benefits had united them, the current ones would do the same. That was why she had stepped forward; otherwise, she might have chosen to stay out of it.

Under Zelda Parrish’s leadership, the entire Trading Hall grew lively. Countless eligible players began tinkering with air purifiers. Since the Sea Survival Shop was actively purchasing them, they were undeniably valuable. Whether kept for personal use or sold to other players, crafting them was a win-win. District 122 bustled with renewed activity.

The other districts were not far behind. Especially in those containing newly minted permanent players, the Trading Halls unsurprisingly saw a massive influx of requests, all asking for resources like Metal Ingots and circuit boards.

When selecting permanent players, provided they possessed the same Skills, Rowan Rhodes had primarily favored Level 7 players. After all, those who managed to upgrade to Level 7 were generally decent in terms of abilities and strength, meaning they could easily take on leadership roles within their respective districts. Consequently, they held more capital to trade with their fellow district members. Not to mention, the air purifiers themselves explicitly required circuit boards.

And Rowan Rhodes’s calculations indeed paid off. These permanent players had plenty of resources on hand, and some had even gathered a considerable number of subordinates, truly commanding widespread support within their districts. Armed with their new status, their influence soared even higher. They immediately went on a buying spree. Unsurprisingly, this instantly caught the attention of the general player base.

"Why are they suddenly asking for all these resources?"

"And the quantities they want are huge."

"A circuit board? I’ve never even heard of it!"

"That’s a resource you can only salvage with a Level 7 Raft."

"So, what are these Level 7 big shots planning to do?"

"Something is definitely up."

"I really want to know why!"

"I have a feeling we’ll find out later."

"..."

Similar discussions sprang up across all the districts. Some of the more high-profile players, after assembling the air purifiers on their own rafts, immediately listed their extras in the Trading Hall and the Sea Survival Shop. The moment these items appeared, the rest of the players instantly connected the dots.