Inside Wooden Cabin No. 1 in the West.
Besides Isla, no one could open it unless they were tenants of the unit.
With a soft click, the layout of the living room came into view.
The space looked crowded with five people inside, so Isla didn't come in and let them explore it themselves. "I'll stay outside. Come find me if you need anything!"
"Alright, Miss Lane," Bear nodded.
Pal, Wells, and Ron were like children stumbling into their favorite toy store. They inspected every corner.
Pal opened the bedroom door and strode inside.
Wells turned on the faucet curiously, and clear water flowed out. He immediately turned it off, knowing how precious water was. "Brother Bear, there's really clean water!" He hadn't expected the house to be supplied with clean water too. In the base, water used for cleaning and washing came from the sea, smelling of fish and rust.
Meanwhile, Ron spotted the electric stove Miss Lane had mentioned. He turned the burner knob, and the coil glowed red-orange.
He cautiously felt the coil's surface heat up and quickly stepped back after turning it off, lips curling into an excited smile.
"The electric stove works. Brother Bear, we can cook meals too." In the base, only Leo and his group could use electricity. They powered lights with the cruise ship's solar panels, but cooking was impossible. Being able to power an electric stove felt extravagant.
Curious, Wells approached the stove and, finding no power cord or plug, turned it on again—and somehow it worked.
The three immediately accepted it as Miss Lane's unique ability.
At that moment, Pal emerged from the bedroom. "Bear, come inside! The bed is spacious and clean!"
The three followed him in. Seeing the bedroom, with a free pillow, mattress, and blanket, they were moved to tears.
Pal flopped onto the wooden floor next to the bed with exaggerated satisfaction. "I can stretch my legs fully! Remember trying to curl up like a pretzel on the cruise ship, Bear?" He dared not touch the clean blanket, only lying on the floor—but even the floor was better than the base accommodations, and it was warm.
Ron nodded, smiling. "You know… back on the cruise ship, we were stacked like sardines. No privacy, no space, and I swear I could hear Brother Pal snore through three decks."
"You punk! I don't snore that loud!" Pal grumbled. "Right, Bear?"
Bear stood in the center, arms crossed, unable to hide the small smile tugging at his lips.
After the short banter, they inspected the bathroom.
"Are you kidding me? We have our own toilet and shower!" Ron pushed the lever of the toilet tank, and water flushed down.
At the same time, Ron turned the shower lever, and a spray of water came out. He quickly shut it off, saving every drop.
"This is wonderful! No more fighting for the stinky bathroom every hour…" Pal was thrilled. On the cruise ship, without someone to maintain, bathrooms and toilets were dirty and smelly; some people even resorted to going elsewhere.
Seeing the shower head, everyone had the sudden urge to bathe.
They hurried outside to find Miss Lane.
As the door closed with a soft click, it startled the four.
In the small bread store, Bear immediately asked Isla about the water and electricity.
"Water and electricity are unlimited, and I won't charge extra fees. So, how is it, Brother Bear?" Isla asked, though from their expressions, the deal was already guaranteed.
With no hesitation, Bear rented four wooden cabins, one for each of them. "Miss Lane, I'll pay in advance for a week's stay. Do you accept E-Class and D-Class cores?"
Isla beamed. "Yes."
Bear poured out all the cores the team had saved.
"Then please top up the remaining points in our e-wallets and divide them equally."
On the way, they discussed future plans.
Seeing an easy way to earn a living, Ron and Wells planned to do cleaning every day. With 30 points per day, they could live decently. It was far safer than hunting water beasts.
After escorting their families here, Pal and Bear planned to stay for good.
Seeing so many shiny cores on the table, Isla's eyes widened, and her mouth couldn't close.
Cutie System, help me sort and count them!
[Yes, Host!]
"No problem! Please give me your E-wallet IDs."
The four obediently handed them over.
Bear's team's total wealth was 561 F-Class, 127 E-Class, and 6 D-Class cores. The overall points totaled 2,431. After deducting the rent payment, each team member had around 572 points.
Isla returned the IDs.
Below the digital balance, new numbers appeared: the cabin number and the countdown for their rent.
"Oh, be sure to extend your lodging time before it expires." Isla felt like she was floating on clouds as her little bank filled up.
The four nodded. Ron and Wells grabbed their backpacks and rushed to their cabins, the first thing they did was to hit the showers.
Bear and Pal stayed behind, asking about the boat available for rent.
"Sure!" Isla led them to the mooring post where the system had provided the promised modified boat.
Beside Miss Lane's cleaning boat was a slightly larger boat—around five meters long, 1.5 meters wide, 0.6 meters deep, with a flat-bottom hull and V-shaped bow. It had two wooden thwarts for seating, with the middle one hinged to reveal a storage compartment underneath. Two varnished paddles, 1.8 meters long, rested on the gunwales when not in use.
"Brother Bear, the storage inside is 5 cubic meters and preserves food freshness," Isla said, listening to the system murmuring in her mind.
5 cubic meters?!
Now they didn't have to worry about luggage!
Isla asked how many boats they needed.
"One is enough, Miss Lane." Counting Bear's grandparents and Pal's younger brother, the total was five. One boat was sufficient.
Bear and Pal pooled points and paid upfront for a week's rent.
Time was of the essence. They packed immediately—the tension with Leo and his team was escalating, and their families might be in danger if they delayed.
Bear wanted to test the food preservation function. He poured hot water into a cup of noodles.
Even after an hour, the broth remained hot, and the noodles weren't soggy. Thank goodness! They could eat warm meals while traveling.
Pal, the foodie, bought all noodle flavors for a week's ration for himself and his brother. He filled each cup with hot water and stored them with the bread and water.
Freshly bathed, Ron and Wells arrived. Seeing Bear and Pal ready to leave, they bid them a safe journey.
"Brother Bear and Pal, return safely. We'll be waiting for you here!"
"Wait, I'll escort you to the boundary." Isla climbed onto her small cleaning boat with Ron and Wells and teleported everyone near the boundary where they had first met.
"Thanks, Miss Lane!" Pal and Bear showed toothy smiles.
This saved them a day of rowing!
As Pal and Bear set off, Isla waved.
Meanwhile, far east direction of submerged skyscrapers where Bear and his team had camped yesterday, a speedboat cut through the rough waves.