When Xu Qiang saw An Xiaomei's message, he hesitated for only a second before agreeing to the exchange.
He truly had nowhere else to turn—if he didn't accept this offer, he might very well starve to death.
In his previous life, Xu Qiang had also traded energy stones with other adventurers. But when they saw that he wanted food in return, they ruthlessly drove down the price. In the end, he only received about three catties of food—one of which was nearly rotten wild vegetables.
When An Xiaomei received the energy stone he sent over, she immediately opened the game's description:
"This can be used as a power source to activate a control compass, or embedded into powerful weapons and tools... It is one of the essential energy resources for survival in the game."
Now that she understood how valuable energy stones were, An Xiaomei decided to see if anyone else was selling them. It would be best to gather as many as possible in the early stage—once resources became plentiful later, prices were sure to skyrocket.
After all, according to the original body's memories, basic necessities like food and water were only scarce during the early phase of the game. Once the adventurers adapted to the "National Fate World," the focus of competition would shift to mid- and high-tier resources.
Soon, she found a profile—an island-country woman was selling her energy stone. An Xiaomei entered the chat window and asked, "What's your price for the energy stone?"
The woman, recognizing the now-famous An Xiaomei as her potential buyer, rolled her eyes cunningly before immediately naming an outrageous price:
"Forty catties of food. If you have water, I'll take thirty catties of food and four liters of water."
Good grief. Clearly, she thought An Xiaomei was an easy mark. An Xiaomei looked at the message, rolled her eyes, and ignored the rest of the woman's chatter, moving on to the next potential trade partner.
However, she soon realized a problem—she was using her real, verified account. Other adventurers all treated her like a fat sheep ready for slaughter, quoting prices more absurd than the last. Her plan to buy energy stones cheaply was no longer possible.
Just as she was growing frustrated, a game notification popped up:
"Ding! The two winter clothing sets you crafted are now complete and have been added to your inventory."
Hearing this, and recalling the game's earlier warning message, a bright idea flashed through An Xiaomei's mind—a way to gather energy stones. She just needed the right opportunity to put it into action.
That night, under the cold moonlight, one of the land islands quietly drifted toward An Xiaomei's main island and made contact. A sharp alarm suddenly blared in her mind:
"Warning! Your main island has temporarily connected with an indigenous island. The link will last for two hours. Please ensure your personal safety."
Meanwhile, in the livestream, the audience and experts were horrified to see three fish-like humanoid monsters appear on her feed.
They had scales and gills like fish but stood upright like humans. Under the moonlight, their scaly skin gleamed with a chilling, sinister sheen.
[Oh no! Those are mutant fishmen! They're vicious and have terrifying attack power. I saw a boxer once—he barely escaped from one of them after suffering serious injuries, only to die from blood loss later.]
[You're exaggerating, right? They can't be that bad!]
[It's true. That adventurer was from Country L—always smiling, with cute dimples. Such a sunny guy… what a waste.]
[What do we do now?! Aunt An, wake up! There are three mutant fishmen just a hundred meters away from you!]
[Hahaha! You Dragon Nation players are in trouble now. Hope she leaves a full corpse behind!]
[Shut it! Don't you dare jinx her. Aunt An's tough—Lady Luck's always on her side!]
Despite their brave words, even the one typing felt his hands trembling.
Soon, messages flooded every chat group across Dragon Nation. Friends and family were urgently waking each other up:
"Go to Aunt An's stream—now! Even if we can only pray for her, we can't just sleep while she's fighting for her life!"
When An Xiaomei received the warning, she immediately pulled out her iron sword from her inventory and packed away the cold-resistant tent. Her entire body tensed as she prepared for battle.
Through her psychic ability, she sensed the creatures closing in—only thirty meters away and already surrounding her. Escape was impossible. The only option was to fight.
Without hesitation, An Xiaomei charged straight at the largest one. Using her ability, she threw it into an illusion before slashing at its neck with her sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her blows only left faint scratches on its scales—not even breaking the surface.
So that was it—these fishmen weren't just armed with sharp claws; their defense was their greatest strength.
She had to finish one off fast—if the other two joined the fray, she'd be in real trouble.
Her eyes darted over the creature's body, and finally, she spotted a vulnerable spot: a small pink patch of skin beneath its hip, about ten centimeters wide, unprotected by scales.
She angled her sword and thrust it deep into that spot. This time, there was no resistance—dark blue blood sprayed out. An Xiaomei leapt back instantly to avoid the splash, and the monster collapsed with a heavy thud.
Then, following the same method, she swiftly dispatched the remaining two fishmen.
"Ding! Congratulations, adventurer An Xiaomei. You have slain three mutant fishmen, including one Fishman King. You are awarded one Intermediate Resource Chest.
The Fishman Tribe's hostility toward you has increased by 30%."