The moment Ryan's trade offer for "Roasted Rations [Stamina Boost: Minor]" went live on the new Outpost Barter System, the CommNet for Genesis Outpost #7 went from "excited chatter about cooking" to "absolute, unadulterated frenzy."
It was like he'd just announced free pizza in a town that hadn't eaten in a week.
BigTony77: Roasted Rations! For Trade! Ryan Stone You are a Lifesaver! I have… uh… a slightly bent spork? Is that a Precursor Artifact? It's pretty old!
PrincessFluffybutt: Oh, my! I found a shiny button! It's not a Genesis Shard, but it's very pretty! Would that work for a tiny piece of ration?
ConfusedCarl: I have a collection of interesting pebbles! Some of them are almost round! Artifacts, maybe? My elbows are crossed for luck!
Ace_Striker_001: He wants Genesis Shards for burnt toast? That's outrageous! Highway robbery! [Though, privately, Ace was wondering if the half-melted plastic toy soldier in his pocket counted as an 'artifact fragment.']
Ryan watched the flood of messages with a smile.
He knew he had them. Stamina was a huge deal when every day was a fight for survival, and his roasted rations were currently the only five-star dining option available that offered a boost.
Then, a serious offer pinged on his Barter interface. It was from Scarlett "Red" Viper, the A-Tier, Level 3 powerhouse.
Trade Offer Received:
From: Scarlett "Red" Viper
Offering: 1x Cracked Precursor Data Chip [Tier F Artifact Fragment]
For: 1x Serving of Roasted Rations [Stamina Boost: Minor]
Accept / Decline?
Ryan's eyes lit up. A Precursor Data Chip! That sounded exactly like the kind of thing he was looking for. He quickly hit "ACCEPT."
The trade happened instantly. A small, square chip of dark, crystalline material appeared in his Interface inventory, and one of his carefully wrapped portions of roasted ration vanished.
Then, a new God Warden announcement:
"First Successful Trade Completed on Outpost #7 Barter System Between Ryan Stone and Scarlett "Red" Viper.
Both Participant Awarded +1 Influence For Facilitating Market Growth."
Influence 4! And Scarlett got a point too! This Barter System was a win-win! Ryan immediately focused his SSS-Tier system on the newly acquired Precursor Data Chip.
"Okay, little chip," he murmured. "What secrets do you hold? Hopefully not just old Precursor grocery lists."
Target: Cracked Precursor Data Chip [Tier F Artifact Fragment]
Initiating Extraction Protocol: Data Recovery....
Extraction Complete!
Acquired: Fragmented Navigation Data.
SYSTEM NOTE: Bingo! This chip contains bits and pieces of old map data for the swamp you're currently splashing around in. It's not a full GPS, more like a few torn pages from a very old travel brochure, but it might help you not get completely lost.
Ryan felt a tingle as the navigation data integrated with his Neural Symbiote Map.
Faint, new pathways and points of interest flickered into existence on his internal map of the Shrouded Swamp.
It wasn't a complete picture, but it highlighted a few areas that seemed less treacherous and hinted at potential routes towards what might be deeper, older parts of the swamp, possibly where his "Submerged Waystation" was hiding.
This was incredibly valuable!
More trade offers started to come in. Emma "Sage" Thorne, the B-Tier with Tactical Insight, offered a handful of strange, dried herbs for a serving of rations. Jennifer "Quake" Lee, the other B-Tier leader, did the same, offering a different type of herb.
Ryan accepted both trades. He was curious about the herbs.
He used his Lore Scanner on Emma's herbs.
Scanning Object: Witchwood Leaves [Tier E Herbal Resource]
Properties: When crushed, release a soothing aroma. Possesses mild analgesic [pain-relieving] properties if prepared correctly.
And on Jennifer's herbs:
Scanning Object: Sparkbloom Petals [Tier E Herbal Resource]
Properties: Contain trace stimulant compounds. Can provide a minor, temporary boost to alertness if infused.
He then used his Extraction System on small samples of each.
From the Witchwood Leaves, he extracted Soothing Essence [Minor].
From the Sparkbloom Petals, he extracted Stimlant Properties [Trace].
These weren't massive power-ups, but they were useful components. Maybe he could make his own healing salves or energy potions later! His SSS-Tier system was turning him into a one-man pharmacy and snack bar.
The CommNet was still going wild. Chris "Boulder" Magnus, who had apparently been rescued by another group after his unfortunate encounter with the unseen swamp-tentacle-things and had made it back to the Outpost [humbled, injured, but alive], even chimed in.
Chris_Boulder_Magnus: Hey Ryan, that Boulder. Uh, thanks for the food idea. My rescuers shared some cooked stuff, way better than raw. Listen, Ace Striker is just jealous. Don't listen to him. Your rations sound awesome.
Ace Striker, meanwhile, was indeed trying to demand free rations.
Ace_Striker_001: As a future leader of this Outpost, I Demand a sample of these 'Stamina-boosting' rations for… uh… quality control purposes! It's vital for morale!
He was promptly mocked by about twenty other users, including Boulder. Ryan just ignored him.
Jennifer "Quake" Lee, after receiving her roasted ration, posted a public review on the CommNet:
Jennifer_Quake_Lee: Just tried Ryan Stone's Roasted Rations. Can confirm: Stamina boost is real! And it doesn't taste like sadness! 10/10 would trade weird herbs for it again!
This, of course, sent demand through the roof. Ryan was getting swamped with offers of dubious "artifacts" like rusty nails, buttons with missing shanks, and what one person claimed was a "fossilized booger of immense historical significance."
Ryan politely declined those.
He made a new announcement on the Barter system:
"Roasted Rations [Stamina Boost: Minor] – Limited Stock Remaining! Still seeking Unstable Genesis Shards or Precursor Artifact Fragments.
Also, now considering trades for 'Aquatic Adaptation Glands' or 'Depth-Pressure Vials' [rumored to drop from certain swamp creatures, good for underwater stuff]. No more pebbles or fossilized boogers, please."
He then shifted his offerings. He had those three extra Reinforced Utility Knives he'd made [one from Liam's old knife, and two more he'd crafted by extracting impurities from basic knives and reinforcing them with Ironwood Vine fibers].
They were slightly better than the standard-issue ones everyone else had.
He listed one:
"Item For Trade: 1x Reinforced Utility Knife [Tier E]. Slightly pointier, slightly tougher. Good for poking things you don't like.
Seeking: Aquatic Adaptation Glands [x2] OR Depth-Pressure Vial [x1] OR interesting Precursor Tool Fragment."
The CommNet reacted again.
BigTony77: A Better Knife! I Need a Better Knife! My current one couldn't cut warm butter!
SmartyPants2000: An E-Tier weapon! That's a significant upgrade for most of us! Ryan Stone is diversifying his economic portfolio!
After about an hour of brisk trading, Ryan had managed to acquire:
Five more Cracked Precursor Data Chips [more map fragments!].
A dozen assorted useful herbs [more essences to extract!].
Three slimy but potentially very useful Aquatic Adaptation Glands.
He was out of roasted rations for now, but he had a pile of new resources.
The Barter Boom was a smashing success. He felt like a proper swamp merchant. All he needed now was a funny hat and a talking parrot.
Maybe he could extract the "talking" part from someone and the "parrot" part from a colorful bird? His SSS-Tier system probably had rules against that. Probably.