For the rest of the day, An Xiaomei was busy gathering resources. Originally, she hadn't planned to collect more food—her stockpile was already more than enough.
However, considering that she would still need to trade for energy stones later, she decided to adjust her "hoard–sell–trade-for-stones" plan based on how well her items sold that evening.
At eight o'clock that night, An Xiaomei popped up in the regional chat:
"I'm selling various kinds of food, winter outfits, and fresh water. Please refer to the price list below for exchange rates:
Food: Guaranteed quality, variety not fixed. Each portion contains 5 jin, priced at 1 energy stone per portion. No custom orders. Only 50 portions available tonight.
Winter outfit: One full set for 1 energy stone. No other trade items accepted. 100 sets available tonight.
Fresh water: Every 4 liters can be exchanged for 1 energy stone. Adventurers must bring their own containers. 100 portions available tonight.
For those who wish to trade, please follow the prices above. I do not accept bargaining of any kind. Prices may fluctuate in the future based on market conditions—please be prepared."
After dropping this deep-water bombshell, An Xiaomei immediately logged off. She still had to organize her goods for direct trading later.
Meanwhile, adventurers who had been working tirelessly all day to prepare for the harsh winter were stunned by An Xiaomei's announcement.
"Wait, what? This An Xiaomei must be swimming in riches! Who sells that much stuff right before the cold season hits?"
"Ugh, I'm so jealous my eyes are turning red. Even in the National Destiny Game, the wealth gap is this huge? Am I just destined to be a broke loser forever?"
"Stop chatting! Hurry and buy before it's gone—supplies are limited!"
"Too late! I already tried. Everything sold out in seconds. My reflexes are fast, and I barely managed to grab one portion of water."
"From what I've seen, that player An Xiaomei must be incredibly powerful. Otherwise, who would dare to sell this openly?"
"Anyone know her background? Speak up! I just want to admire a real boss up close."
But everyone could see through that question easily—he was obviously fishing for information. No one replied.
Everyone only knew that An Xiaomei was the powerful adventurer who had helped Dragon Country manifest multiple waves of resources.
As for her true capabilities, probably only Xu Qiang and An Lulu had a clue. But both of them knew better than to offend someone like An Xiaomei—a walking disaster if crossed.
At that moment, An Xiaomei heard the cheerful ding ding of transaction notifications. Her hands moved even faster as she filled water containers, her mood brightening with every sound.
Great—tonight's business was a success. With enough energy stones, she could finally bring her various tools and items to full power.
Judging by the buying frenzy, food and winter outfits were the most popular. She'd definitely restock more of those next time.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the sea, the Murloc King sat high upon his throne, glaring down at his subjects. His tone was impassioned as he began his daily brainwashing session:
"Remember—who is our greatest enemy?"
"We know! It's An Xiaomei!"
The murlocs below roared in unison. This call-and-response had become a daily ritual—so frequent that the answer was practically carved into their bones.
"Good! And what's the first thing we'll do once winter begins?"
"Find An Xiaomei and tear her to pieces—cut her into a thousand parts!"
Their voices rose to a deafening pitch. After all, the Murloc race had always struggled to reproduce, and losing dozens of warriors at once had fueled their hatred even further.
The Murloc King gazed at his furious subjects, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. Then, as usual, he gave his closing speech:
"In two days, the winter season begins. By then, our strength will increase. Finding that vile human and taking revenge will be easier than ever. And the bounty for her head—will be doubled for our kin!"
Though they had heard this before, the promise of doubled rewards—two thousand energy stones—still made every murloc's breathing quicken. A thunderous chant erupted:
"Glory to our king! Victory will be ours! The sea of blood will be avenged!"
The Murloc King listened with grim satisfaction. Excellent. Their hatred burns as it should. With such a rich bounty, I'm certain they'll hunt that wretched human down.
He was still seething over how, despite issuing a royal bounty, An Xiaomei had remained elusive.
So, every night at eight, he would gather his subjects, fanning their rage toward her—hoping that when the cold season came, they could finally find and kill her, quenching the fury of his lost heir.
Just thinking of his only son—slain by a human—sent waves of fury through him.
He had daughters, yes, but no other sons. The prince had been his chosen heir, pampered since birth. Though of noble blood, the boy had been weak—his strength inflated only because others coddled him for his status.
It was precisely that arrogance that led the young prince, with only a few guards, to seek trouble with An Xiaomei—and meet his end.
Two days later, at midnight, the adventurers witnessed an astonishing sight.
The once-flowing deep blue sea froze solid within seconds, a vast sheet of ice spreading in every direction. The scene was eerie beyond words.
Then, the temperature plummeted by thirty degrees almost instantly. Adventurers without winter gear or heat supplies turned into human-shaped ice sculptures within ten seconds—an utterly horrifying sight.
[What the—?! The temperature dropped that fast? No warning at all?]
[Yeah! I just saw several lazy players freeze solid right before my eyes!]
[This is insane! The winter season in this game world is terrifying!]
...
At the same time, An Xiaomei received a special notification:
"Ding! The game system regrets to inform Adventurer An Xiaomei that due to the cold-season ice cyclone, your main island's spatial portal will be unusable for the entire duration of the winter."