While Everyone Panicked, I Upgraded My Raft

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: They... Are on the Shipwreck at the Bottom of the Sea

With that in mind, Rowan Rhodes listed her freshly harvested Coconuts and Mangoes in the Trading Hall.

[Coconut x1, Trade: Coconut Milk Jelly x5]

[Coconut x1, Trade: Coconut Candy x5]

[Mango x1, Trade: Dried Mango x5]

Obviously, this trade was aimed at Skye Schuyler.

What Rowan didn’t know was that Skye was already waiting in the Trading Hall. The moment she saw the Coconuts and Mangoes, she snatched them up with lightning speed, even throwing in a complimentary cup of Watermelon juice. Completing a trade required meeting the set conditions, but as long as those were met, adding extra resources wouldn’t stop the transaction from going through.

She already assumed this trading partner was a whale. From last night to now, she had made quite a profit off them. She had even figured out the pattern. It was related to the fruiting time of the Coconuts and Mangoes. As long as they bore fruit, this whale would sell them, occasionally throwing in some Watermelons. Moreover, based on her observations, she suspected there was another big shot out there. It was just that the other big shot only had Coconuts and Mangoes. In the end, it proved that Watermelons were exclusive to *this* big shot!

That was exactly why she had been camping in the Trading Hall right on schedule. After all, when her last torch began to lose its effectiveness, she had immediately used her special Effect foods to trade for a new Hot Stone, saving herself from the Abyssal Wurms’ attacks. Food with special Effects was the foundation of her survival, so she had to work hard to get more raw materials. That was why she prepared to use the Watermelon juice as a little bribe. If the other party was interested, it would be great if they could offer a whole Watermelon to trade.

Her Watermelon juice also possessed a heat-relieving Effect, and it lasted even longer. She had made this specific portion of juice from the piece of Watermelon she had grabbed the night before. Out of just one slice, she had managed to make two cups.

Meanwhile, Rowan received the extra cup of Watermelon juice.

[Watermelon Juice: Possesses a heat-relieving Effect and grants a heatstroke prevention buff for 6 hours.]

She wondered what this meant. With a little speculation, Rowan quickly realized the other party might want to trade Watermelons with her. Could she do business with this? Absolutely!

The next moment, Rowan listed a Watermelon, setting the trade conditions for one bottle of Watermelon juice along with scrap iron, Wooden Boards, plastic, and other resources. One bottle of Watermelon juice was just the screening condition; she was afraid the other party wouldn’t have any more to spare. As for the rest of the items, they were to ensure she didn’t take a loss.

The listing was snatched up almost immediately.

Rowan turned her gaze to the World Channel and saw Skye Schuyler’s message.

”Skye Schuyler: The Coconut Milk Jelly, Coconut Candy, Dried Mango, and Watermelon juice I’m currently making all have special Effects! Selling with sincerity, earnestly collecting raw materials!”

”@Skye Schuyler, what’s the difference between your Watermelon juice and the Watermelon chunks you sold before?”

”Skye Schuyler: They both have heat-relieving Effects, and the duration is six hours. That means, after drinking a cup, not only will it relieve the heat, but you also won’t get heatstroke for six hours.”

”I have a piece of Watermelon. Can we trade?”

”Skye Schuyler: Yes, just add some more materials, and I’ll trade you a cup of Watermelon juice.”

”@Skye Schuyler, where did you get your Watermelon?”

”Skye Schuyler: I just traded for it in the Trading Hall. It must be a big shot giving back to us ordinary players. If anyone needs anything, we can just trade with each other. Don’t ask so many questions, haha!”

”I saw it. Coconut Milk Jelly, Coconut Candy, and Dried Mango were exchanged for Coconuts and Mangoes. Later, a cup of Watermelon juice and a lot of materials were exchanged for a large Watermelon. How exactly did you get the big shot to trade specifically with you?”

”Skye Schuyler: I gave the big shot a free cup of Watermelon juice!”

”You really have a head for business!”

”Skye Schuyler: Just trying to make a living. Otherwise, with my non-existent combat power, I would’ve been dead long ago.”

”Keep holding on! Your Skills are a huge support to us.”

”Am I the only one who noticed that the big shot has incredibly abundant supplies? I’m so jealous.”

”Same game, different lives.”

”@Skye Schuyler, I’ve already put it in the Trading Hall, trade with me. The temperature has gone up to sixty degrees. It’s so uncomfortable. Poison debuff, heatstroke debuff... it’s brutal.”

”Mine is worse, I have heat exhaustion! I ate some Watermelon and drank a lot of water, which finally helped me recover, but I’m still very weak. Thankfully, the Abyssal Wurm I just killed dropped a Hot Stone. After making a torch, I can rest for a bit.”

”The latest wave of Abyssal Wurms just now had eight of them. There won’t be any more, right?”

”Their abilities are weakened during the day. Even though there are more of them, they aren’t as dangerous.”

”Right, you can lure them onto the raft and let them bake in the sun. It feels like they’re about to melt, making it much easier to deal with them.”

”Good to know.”

”...”

Skye Schuyler’s special goods had drawn in a crowd of players, sparking a lively chat in the World Channel. The reason they were so free was that they were trying their best not to move right now. The temperature was getting higher and higher; just moving a little would drop their Thirst Value and satiety. Going out to salvage resources now would cost more energy than it would yield. It was better to lie flat, eat and drink, and tough it out. As far as they were concerned, doing hard labor during a natural disaster was just unreasonable. Slacking off in reality meant passionately venting in the World Channel instead.

At this time, Rowan and Seagull were sitting together under the awning. On the table, there was Watermelon juice, Coconut water, Mangoes, Watermelons, iced black tea, cola, and other food and drinks.

Looking at this abundant spread, Rowan couldn’t help but think of memories from a very long time ago. If it were her from back then, she would probably take out her phone and let her phone ”eat” first! Then she’d post it on Instagram to show off. Now, however, she lived in a completely different world.

Looking again at the slowly decreasing number of people in the World Channel, Rowan understood that many players had already figured out how to survive the extreme heat disaster. They just had to outlast it.

There would indeed be another wave of Abyssal Wurms, which would also be the largest wave, totaling sixteen of them. Most rafts, facing a siege of such a large number, would end up half-destroyed. Unless a player’s strength was truly formidable, it was better not to take them head-on.

The appearance of Hot Stones was a lifeline given to players during the extreme heat disaster. In her past life, not many Hot Stones flowed into the Trading Hall. In this life, because various foods and Equipment with special Effects popped up in the Trading Hall, many players were willing to trade away their Hot Stones, avoiding countless senseless casualties. This was especially true for non-combat players like Skye Schuyler.

This chain reaction was pushing District 122 in a highly positive direction. Rowan was actually looking forward to seeing how many people in District 122 would survive the extreme heat disaster this time around. She remembered that if the number of survivors was high, the game system would give rewards to all players in the district during the final settlement. The higher-ranked the district, the more rewards they would receive.

It was just that compared to plundering other players’ resources, these rewards were minuscule. After entering the Coastal Waters and having the cross-district World Channel open up, more people would step forward to declare that plundering was the true way to play this game. That would make the entire game’s atmosphere turn toxic, plunging everything into a period of chaos. If that time came again, where would District 122 head?

As the thought crossed her mind, Rowan quickly tossed it to the back of her head. That was a matter for the future. At least for now, everything was developing in a good direction.

Picking up her Watermelon juice, Rowan took small sips. After drinking it, she felt her thoughts clear up considerably. The awning covered most of the sunlight, blocking seventy percent of the heat. But as the ambient temperature kept rising, the temperature under the awning would also rise accordingly. To stay comfortable, one still needed the buffs from special Effect foods. She found the entire experience incredibly relaxing.

After enjoying her break, Rowan stood up, picked up her Hook Claw, and started salvaging the Metal Ingots floating by in the ocean. She had no more Metal Ingots on hand, but unlocking and upgrading many upcoming pieces of Equipment would require them, so she could only do her best to fish them out.

At this moment, Rowan felt a unique kind of distress from upgrading too quickly. The resources she needed now were simply not available in other players’ hands. Aside from Metal Ingots, she also needed to find a Steering Wheel and an oxygen bottle. She actually knew exactly where to get these two items.

Rowan shifted her gaze to the ocean.

They were... on the sunken ships at the bottom of the sea.