Looking down at herself, Faye Yardley quickly threw on a set of loungewear before answering the video call.
Zachary Pierce appeared on screen, his hair and face still beaded with water. "Sorry," he said, "I just got back to my raft and saw your message."
"It's okay. Mr. Pierce, are you interested?"
"Of course I am. You're not planning to sell this directly to me, are you?"
Faye Yardley nodded eagerly. "Yep, I was thinking we could partner up and split the profits. I gave you a production workshop blueprint before, right? Were you able to build it? I figure fully automated production in the workshop would be much more efficient."
"Almost. A Level 4 raft doesn't have enough space for the production workshop. I'm planning to wait until I upgrade my raft to Level Five to try again. Oh, right, I got a decent number of Wood Treasure Boxes today. I'll open them for wood and settle up with you for that small wooden boat blueprint."
"Sounds good. I'm planning on raising my raft level too. By the way, you can sign contracts in the trading market. Once you pay a small fee, the contract is protected by the system."
A warm smile spread across Zachary Pierce's face. "Okay, got it. Thanks for the tip, Yardley. That'll make it much safer to cooperate with other people."
They chatted for a few more moments before ending the call.
Faye Yardley felt like she'd had a great haul and wanted to collect some items that could increase her happiness value.
Like various Intermediate and High-Level furniture blueprints.
She'd gotten a lot of roses, which she first stored in her warehouse to keep them fresh. But now, she could go to the trading market and pick up a couple of vases first.
'It would be great to add a wardrobe, a vanity, and a desk to the room.'
'That way, some things wouldn't need to be stored in the warehouse or my backpack. I could just put them where they belong in the house.'
'I'm sure other people get things they don't necessarily need. We can all just trade. It's a win-win.'
Before, you had to shout out trades, try to figure out if people were being honest, and hope the other person was trustworthy.
But now, the trading market changed everything. Even though it charged a small fee, at least both parties in a trade had the best possible protection.
She had plenty of food and wasn't short on anything, but with nearly a million people out there, it was impossible that *everyone* was so well-off, right?!
After all, she much preferred trading with food and water over other items.
It was past midnight now. Faye Yardley didn't feel hungry, but a look at her system panel showed her Satiety Value had already dropped to 70. 'Guess I'd better eat something.'
She took the half-eaten roast chicken from the small fridge in the kitchen and heated it up. She also fixed herself a bowl of sweet tofu pudding, then took out a watermelon and sliced it in half with her Sharp Dagger.
After a moment's thought, she made two more cuts in one of the halves, dividing it into four equal pieces. She then sent them out in the group chat as a group Red Envelope—just enough for her four groupmates to get one piece each.
As for her, she would eat the other half, scooping it out with a spoon. Pure bliss.
With the nasty weather outside, everyone was indoors and paying attention to the group chat, so they spotted the Red Envelope right away.
Bonnie Callahan: Thanks, boss! Ooh, wow! It's watermelon! I haven't had this in forever. Mwah! Love ya, hon!
Leo Sloan: Thanks, boss!
Wade Warren: Thanks, boss!
Zachary Pierce: Thanks, boss!
Wade Warren: Hey, anyone buying Dungeon Fragments?
Zachary Pierce: I am. Name your price.
The two of them must have switched to private messages, as they said no more in the group chat.
Bonnie Callahan: This watermelon is SO good! Miss Yardley, you have the best luck. Here, let me send you a mantis shrimp to try. [Designated Red Envelope]
Leo Sloan: Delicious. [Designated Red Envelope]
Faye Yardley didn't expect to receive gifts in return. She was just sharing and hadn't thought about getting anything back.
After a moment's thought, she posted a message in the group.
Faye Yardley: The watermelon was just too big, I couldn't finish it myself. It would have been a waste, so it was a freebie! You don't have to give me anything in return.
Leo Sloan: It's nothing special, just something extra I caught. Take it.
Bonnie Callahan: Exactly! Seafood is nothing special these days, but watermelon? That's the real treasure. Now hurry up and accept them. Don't make us tell you twice.
Faye Yardley: Fine. (*^▽^*).
She accepted the Red Envelopes, receiving a large mantis shrimp as thick as her arm and a big, already-roasted top shell snail.
She added the top shell snail to her current meal and decided to save the mantis shrimp for dinner.
Just as Faye Yardley was feeling completely stuffed, she received two more designated Red Envelopes.
'Alright then,' she thought. 'Looks like everyone in this group has some class.'
Wade Warren had given her three strawberries. 'Wow, strawberries,' she thought. 'I haven't had these in ages, either. You can't usually get them in the summer.'
She popped one right in her mouth. It was perfectly sweet and tart.
Zachary Pierce gave her a honey peach.
'He definitely didn't find that in a box himself,' Faye Yardley thought. 'I wonder who he traded with to get it.'
She was truly full by now, so she placed the honey peach and the two remaining strawberries on an empty plate on the coffee table.
'Maybe I'm just really lucky. I randomly picked a few people to fill the group, and they all turned out to be good people.'
'Humans are social creatures. We need interaction, even if it's just online.'
'Otherwise, being all alone, no matter how strong you are... over time, you'd definitely start having psychological problems.'
'Maybe I should look into picking a few more people to fill up this 10-person group.'
'But that's not urgent. I can take my time with it.'
Fed and content, Faye could hear that the sound of the hail and fierce winds outside had started to die down. She didn't open the door to check, though. There was no need. She had no desire to "challenge herself" by going out in such nasty weather anyway.
So, she started browsing the trading market, searching for any furniture and vases she could think of.
It just went to show how varied everyone's luck was, and the variety of items that could come from treasure boxes was immense.
She managed to trade for a celadon vase and a clear glass vase; two Intermediate two-door wardrobes in a natural wood finish; a basic single white armchair; a basic long writing desk; and she even snagged a swing chair.
After she put all the clothes she'd acquired into the wardrobes, her storage warehouse felt noticeably emptier.
Seeing eight identical women's down jackets hanging in a row looked pretty impressive.
She stored the four packs of A4 paper under the desk, against the wall. The pens and comic books went on top of the desk itself, which she had placed at the pass-through window between the bedroom and the living room.
The armchair went between the desk and the bed.
She set the celadon vase on the desk, arranging five white roses inside it.
She put three spray roses in the glass vase and placed it on the coffee table.
The swing chair went to the left of the entrance, near the fireplace and sofa.
The little Wooden House was starting to feel more and more like a home.
With fresh flowers now inside, Faye Yardley could always smell the faint scent of roses. It helped her Spirit relax, and it even seemed to increase her energy recovery speed.
So, in this game world, fresh flowers were more than just decorations.
'I have a planter and soil,' she thought. 'It would be great if I could grow flowers. The top-tier combat players would definitely want them.'