After tinkering for an hour, all the clothes on Bai Cheng's body had finally been upgraded.
"Now, this lady is also a big shot decked out in golden legendaries!"
She planted her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest with a proud, smug expression, looking utterly pleased with herself.
Glancing down at her outfit, she couldn't even see her feet anymore.
The socks had gained functions similar to the other clothes: transformation and self-cleaning. This meant that she could experiment with more styles and options.
"Wait, what am I thinking?!" Bai Cheng quickly shook her head.
With a thought, the black fishnet stockings on her legs instantly transformed into a pair of plain white seamless stockings.
As for her figure, it also reverted to its original flat state.
"Turns out it's all padded… I thought it's gonna be the real deal," Bai Cheng muttered, slightly disappointed.
This haul had been incredibly fruitful. Just from upgrading her clothes, she had gained 4 distributable attribute points in one go. Combined with the previous 2 points, she now had 6 points. It was practically a free gift!
However, through the upgrades, Bai Cheng also discovered another quirk of the Book of Cheng.
While different items of the same type could still be upgraded, subsequent upgrades were noticeably more troublesome than the first.
In other words, if Bai Cheng wanted to farm attribute points, it wouldn't be as easy as she had imagined.
She didn't dwell on it for now. Since she had to keep moving, Bai Cheng decided to upgrade her pulley transmission system next.
As for the stone spear, she still had Fatal Edge, which was sufficient for the time being.
[Pulley Transmission System: 0/10]
The '10' here didn't refer to ten uses. It meant traveling for 10 km.
"Just as I thought," Bai Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Looks like it's impossible to max this out in a short time."
She didn't hesitate to allocate all the newly acquired attribute points into constitution and strength.
Instantly, a wave of comfortable energy surged through her limbs and bones, reinforcing her body.
"Mmm… It's filling me up…"
But the sensation only lasted for a moment. Now, Bai Cheng felt clear-minded and invigorated.
[Train Conductor: Bai Cheng]
[Rank: Common Rank 1]
[Experience Points: 3%]
[Strength: 9]
[Constitution: 8]
[Spirit: 6]
[Talent: Book of Cheng]
"Now, my strength and constitution far surpass my spirit. My total stats should already be above the average human, right?"
After all, a human with nearly maxed-out attributes wasn't exactly normal anymore.
Bai Cheng stretched and examined her body, relieved to find that the increase in strength and constitution hadn't turned her into a bulky macho man.
…Or rather, a macho woman.
"That's not bad. I like the contrast," she mused, satisfied.
Closing her status screen, she looked up. The black slime blocking the rail cart had been completely burned away, and the flames were gradually dying out.
With the obstacle cleared, Bai Cheng immediately prepared to move. After all, who knew when that thing might reappear?
The wood piled on the rail cart had long since been stored in her backpack. Now, the cart was nearly empty.
Even if Bai Cheng was tired, the enhancement from 6 attribute points made pushing the rail cart feel effortless.
But as soon as she started moving, the light revealed several black, stone-like objects near the wheels.
They were now inside the safety barrier, which meant that they were harmless objects.
Curious, Bai Cheng picked one up, and a notification popped up.
[Coal +1!]
"Coal?" She was surprised. It must have dropped from burning the black slime.
It's a valuable resource. Coal was an essential fuel for the steam engine!
After scouring the ground, she collected 5 pieces in total, storing them in a crate before resuming her journey.
Perhaps due to the recent stat boost, the previously drowsy Bai Cheng was now brimming with energy.
Before long, her backpack was fully loaded with 200 units of wood, and even the rail cart was piled high with a considerable amount of them.
"This won't do. There's no room left. I should trade some for leather first." Bai Cheng sat cross-legged and opened the[Trade]menu.
She also lit a campfire, planning to prepare her dinner while waiting for trades.
Leather was primarily used for upgrading the train, while wood was not only used for the upgrade, but also for fuel and crafting.
But leather could only be obtained by hunting beasts, while wood was practically everywhere.
Given the difference in scarcity, leather was far more valuable than wood.
After browsing the trade orders, Bai Cheng estimated that the exchange rate was 1:5.
That was the lowest price. Any cheaper was unlikely.
"50 refined leather for 500 pieces of wood?" She raised an eyebrow. "That's a lot of work."
No one was directly trading leather for wood. Most were still exchanging leather for water.
Bai Cheng listed her order, then sighed as she looked at the resources on the rail cart.
"Sigh, I can't move until all this wood is traded away."
Glancing at the remaining channel members, there were 8,888 left. She wasn't sure if there were enough people to take all her lumber.
Trading a few leather for a dozen lumber should've been an easy deal.
"Would anyone actually trade leather for wood…?" Even she wasn't confident.
But as soon as she finished speaking, all the wood before her vanished, replaced by 50 irregular, faintly blood-stained brown hides.
"Huh?" Bai Cheng froze. "There really was a sucker…"
[Trader Lin Qiuyue has exchanged your 250 pieces of wood for 50 leather!]
"Lin Qiuyue?" Bai Cheng stared at the slightly chubby girl in the profile picture, puzzled. "Isn't that the female lead who was selling water earlier?"
Those who started with water sources were either the male protagonist or the female lead, and the male protagonist had already appeared…
"Good thing I turned down Tang Yan's offer back then, or the female lead would've come after me," Bai Cheng shuddered in relief. "Can't afford to provoke her…"
Lin Qiuyue: "How much wood do you have left? I need another 200."
The other party suddenly messaged her, ready to take the rest of her stock.
Bai Cheng's face lit up. "No problem, but I'll need some time before trading."
Lin Qiuyue: "You're going to chop more now?"
Bai Cheng: "Heh, who can chop trees at night? I just need to prepare."
Trying to fish for whether this lady has a talent? Not happening!
But the other girl's reply was unexpectedly blunt.
Lin Qiuyue: "Perfect. I also need to trade some freshwater for leather first."
Definitely the female lead!
Bai Cheng internally confirmed.
Then, out of nowhere, the other party added—
Lin Qiuyue: "By the way, I like you. Wanna go out?"