Glancing down at herself, Faye Yardley quickly threw on a set of loungewear before accepting the video call.
On the other end, Zachary Pierce's hair and face were still beaded with water. "Sorry, I just got back to the raft and saw your message."
"It's fine. Are you interested, Mr. Pierce?"
"Of course. I'm guessing you don't plan on just selling this directly to me."
Faye Yardley nodded repeatedly. "Mhm, I was planning on a profit-sharing partnership. Didn't I give you a production workshop blueprint before? Were you able to build it? I was thinking it would be more efficient to put this into a fully automated production workshop."
"Almost. A Level 4 raft doesn't have enough space to place the production workshop. I was thinking of trying again once the raft is upgraded to Level Five. By the way, I got a decent number of Wood Treasure Boxes today. After I open them for wood, I'll settle my debt with you for the small wooden boat blueprint."
"Sounds good. I'm also planning to raise my raft level. By the way, you can sign contracts in the trading market. After paying a service fee, the contract is protected by the system."
A gentle smile appeared on Zachary Pierce's face. "Okay, got it. Thanks for the reminder, Yardley. This will make it safer to partner with other people."
The two chatted for a few more sentences before hanging up.
Faye Yardley felt she'd had a huge haul and hoped to collect some items that could increase her happiness value.
For instance, various Intermediate and High Level furniture blueprints.
'I got so many roses. I'll put them in the warehouse for now to keep them fresh, but I should go to the trading market and get a couple of vases first.'
'It would be great to add a wardrobe, a vanity, and a desk to the room.'
'That way, I wouldn't have to put everything in my warehouse or backpack; I could just leave things where they belong in the house.'
'I'm sure other people unbox things they don't necessarily need. We can all trade and benefit mutually.'
'Before, you had to rely on shouting, figuring out if information was true or false, and judging whether the other person was trustworthy.'
'But now, with the trading market, it's completely different. Even though there's a small service fee, at least both parties in the transaction have the greatest possible protection.'
'I have plenty of food, I'm not lacking at all. But with nearly a million people out there, it's impossible that everyone is well-fed, right?!'
'After all, compared to using other things, I'd much rather trade with all sorts of food and water.'
It was now past midnight. Faye Yardley didn't feel hungry, but a look at her system panel showed that her Satiety Value had already dropped to 70. 'Well, I'd better eat something then.'
She took the roasted chicken, of which she had already eaten more than half, from the small fridge in the kitchen and heated it up. Then she got herself a bowl of sweet tofu pudding and took out a watermelon, which she cut in half with her Sharp Dagger.
After a moment of thought, she cut one of the halves twice more, dividing it into four equal pieces. Then, she put them in the group chat as a group Gift, one piece for each of her four groupmates.
She, of course, ate the other half of the watermelon herself, scooping it out with a spoon. 'So good.'
Because of the harsh weather outside, her groupmates were all indoors paying attention to the chat, so they naturally spotted the Gift right away.
Bonnie Callahan: Thanks, boss! Whoa, whoa, it's watermelon! I haven't had this in forever. Mwah, love ya, babe.
Leo Sloan: Thanks, boss!
Wade Warren: Thanks, boss!
Zachary Pierce: Thanks, boss!
Wade Warren: Hey pro, are you buying Dungeon Fragments?
Zachary Pierce: Buying. Name your price.
The two of them presumably took the conversation to a private chat, as nothing more was seen in the group chat.
Bonnie Callahan: This watermelon is crazy delicious! Miss Yardley, you've got amazing luck. In that case, I'll send you a mantis shrimp to try. [Designated Gift]
Leo Sloan: Delicious. [Designated Gift]
Faye Yardley hadn't expected to receive gifts in return. She was just sharing and hadn't thought about getting anything back.
After a moment's thought, she left a message in the group chat.
Faye Yardley: The watermelon was just too big, I couldn't finish it by myself and it would've been a waste. I sent it to you guys for free, no need to be polite and send gifts back.
Leo Sloan: It's nothing special, just an extra I caught while fishing. Just take it.
Bonnie Callahan: Exactly! Seafood isn't even rare anymore. Watermelon is the real treasure. Hurry up and accept. Don't make us say it a second time.
Faye Yardley: Okay. (*^▽^*).
She accepted the Gifts and received a large mantis shrimp as thick as an arm and a large, already-roasted sea snail.
She ate the sea snail as an extra snack right away. 'I'll save the mantis shrimp for dinner.'
Just as Faye Yardley's stomach was full and round, she received two more private Gifts.
'Well, it looks like everyone in the group is very thoughtful.'
Wade Warren had given her three strawberries. 'Wow, strawberries! I haven't eaten these in so long, either. After all, you can't usually get strawberries in the summer.'
She popped one into her mouth right away. 'Sweet and sour, so delicious.'
Zachary Pierce had sent her a honey peach.
'He definitely didn't unbox this himself,' Faye Yardley thought. 'I wonder who he traded with to get it.'
She was truly full now, so she placed the honey peach and the two remaining strawberries on an empty plate and set it on the coffee table.
'Maybe I really am lucky. I just randomly found a few people to fill the group, and they all turned out to be such good people.'
'Humans are social creatures; we need interaction. Even if it's just online, it's still necessary.'
'Otherwise, if you're all alone, no matter how strong you are, psychological problems are bound to arise over time.'
'Maybe I should pick a few more people to fill up my 10-person group.'
'But it's not an urgent matter. I can take my time.'
Full and satisfied, she could hear that the sound of the falling hail and the howling wind outside had lessened. However, Faye Yardley didn't immediately open the door to check. There was no need. She had no desire to go out and challenge herself in this kind of weather anyway.
So, she started browsing the trading market, searching for any furniture and vases she could think of.
It turned out that people's luck was diverse, and the variety of items that could be unboxed from treasure chests was extremely rich.
She managed to trade for a celadon vase and a transparent glass vase; two Intermediate, double-door wardrobes in a natural wood color; a basic, single-person white sofa chair; a basic, long writing desk; and even a swing chair.
After putting all the clothes she'd acquired into the wardrobes, her warehouse felt much emptier.
Hanging eight identical women's down jackets together looked rather impressive.
She placed the four packs of A4 paper under the desk against the wall, while the pens and comic books went on top of it. The desk itself was positioned by the window that opened between the bedroom and the living room.
The single-person sofa chair was placed between the desk and the bed.
She also set the celadon vase on the desk, arranging five white roses inside it.
The glass vase, holding three spray roses, was placed on the coffee table.
As for the swing chair, she placed it to the left of the entrance, near the fireplace and sofa.
The small Wooden House was now feeling more and more like a home.
Because of the fresh flowers inside, Faye Yardley could always smell the faint fragrance of roses, which naturally relaxed her Spirit and even seemed to increase her energy recovery speed.
This meant that in this game-like world, fresh flowers were more than just simple decorations.
'I have planters and soil. It would be great if I could grow flowers. High-level combat players would definitely have a demand for them.'