“If I do not fight monsters, how, how do I get copper coins?” The young girl stammered out.
“I dug out the sweet potato.” Yun Ling pointed at the overturned earth. “There are foods all over the wilderness. If you forage and then boil it or roast it, you can eat it.”
“When you have collected enough food, other than eating it yourself, you can go to the territory and sell to other players.”
Hearing this, the girl was shocked and surprised. “I can do this!”
“Eat first, and then go foraging with me. At night, come back to camp with me,” Yun Ling said as she handed over the roasted sweet potato.
The girl’s eyes flashed with tears. She nodded hard, and said seriously like she was making a promise. “I will work hard!”
The sweet potato was delicious, and filling.
Xiao Ying ate half, and her stomach finally stopped gurgling. She felt much better.
After the meal, Yun Ling led the group deeper to explore.
“These are potatoes, they can be roasted and eaten.”
“These are berries. When made into jam, you can put it on bread, it is pretty good.”
“These are wild vegetables. If you dig them out and boil them, you can eat them.”
“These are mushrooms. Roast them to eat.”
Yun Ling taught as she foraged with Guard B.
Xiao Ying tried her hand as well.
[Foraging success. You have obtained 1 x Berry.]
[Foraging failure. You have not obtained any item.]
[Foraging success. You have obtained 1 x Wild Vegetable.]
[Foraging failure. You have not obtained any item.]
The notifications kept on appearing in turn. After many times, the notification finally changed, [Congratulations, Player, for foraging successfully 10 times.]
[You have received 1 experience point.]
[You have unlocked the life skill “Elementary Foraging.”]
[Congratulations, you have officially become a player, and your body will be digitized.]
She had a skill!
She became a player!
Xiao Ying was so happy she almost cried.
Near noon, her backpack was almost full, and Yun Ling led the group back.
“Find a place to set up a stall. Players will buy food from you,” Yun Ling ordered. “Also, you can take some materials directly to the mission hall for completing missions.”
There were fifty collection missions in the mission hall. Each one could be completed 50 times. Even a life skills player, one who was not able to fight, could rely on foraging and make copper coins to support themselves.
“Thank you, thank you so much,” Xiao Ying was very grateful and constantly stated her thanks.
As she finished, she shoved the potatoes, berries, wild vegetables, and mushrooms to Yun Ling, keeping only a few berries to herself before running away.
“Hey —” Yun Ling did not pay attention and she managed to flee.
Looking at the pile, she laughed. “What does this mean? Giving me food money?”
Yun Ling shook her head, picked up the materials, and then headed towards the warehouse.
**
Yun Ling was inventorying the warehouse when a notification jumped out [NPC “William” is visiting. Will you hire them?]
Yun Ling’s eyes lit up, and she immediately confirmed the hire, and then gave the name “Assassin A.”
“In the future, when there are too many NPCs, and not enough names, I will bring out Guard B, and Assassin A, and change their names to Forager A, and Forager B,” she thought.
**
The next afternoon, Yun Ling took the group and explored another direction.
Not far away, she saw a large patch of straw and wheat that were being harvested. More than twenty players were holding the materials like they were treasures.
Was weaving straw sandals an activity for all people now? Yun Ling found it amusing. Shaking her head, she led the NPCs forward.
After walking five minutes, she found a date forest. She immediately waved a hand and motioned for Guard B, and Assassin A to go forward.
When the dates were pitted, and mashed, they made date paste. It would be soft and sweet to the taste. It could be eaten directly, and also used as materials for dessert. There were many uses, and it would not be a loss to hoard them.
Seeing that there was a bamboo forest nearby, Yun Ling ordered Guard A, Archer A and Mage A to stay where they were, and she went into the bamboo forest to check.
The bamboo was full of treasures.
The leaves could be used in medicine, the bamboo poles used to weave, and the bamboo shoots were edible.
Among the buildings waiting to be unlocked was a “Bamboo Workshop.” It used bamboo to make simple weapons, and household items.
Because it was similar to the Woodworking Workshop, so she had not unlocked it.
Without realizing it, Yun Ling walked deep into the bamboo forest, and found bamboo shoots in the corners.
She was just going to dig up the bamboo shoots when the sound of frantic running came.
She looked up, and saw a player running desperately running out of the bamboo forest, shouting loudly, “Run! There are snakes!”
This was the disadvantage of life skills players.
When they came out to gather supplies, they frequently encountered danger. If they were far from the territory, no one came to help, they did not react in time, they may die.
She looked behind the person, and saw five indigo snakes spitting and chasing quickly. Yun Ling did not run, and took out a shield and dagger, going forward.
Yang Yong wanted to ask, why are you not running? Then he saw the indigo snakes get killed one after another, and they were all dead after a while.
Yang Yong looked at the young woman, and then the motionless monsters on the ground, speechless.
Yun Ling picked up the copper coins, the snake skin, and the fangs, before turning and asking in concern. “Are you okay?”
“I am fine.” Yang Yong shook his head.
“That is good.”
They were just meeting by coincidence, and she was just helping by the way. After making sure that the other was fine, Yun Ling wanted to keep digging bamboo shoots.
Yang Yong saw this, and offered, “I can help you dig?”
Then he took out a bamboo shovel, and dug quickly.
Yun Ling was startled. “Where did you get the shovel?”
Yang Yong answered as he dug, “I made it myself. I am a bamboo craftsman, and I often did handiwork before the game started.”
Yun Ling asked, “Do you know how to make a bamboo bed? Bamboo chairs?”
“Yes.” Yang Yong did not even lift his head.
“If I place an order, will you make it for me?” Yun Ling suggested.
Yang Yong looked up with a shocked expression.
“You do not want to do it?” Yun Ling misunderstood Yang Yong’s meaning.
“No,” Yang Yong pondered his words, “The handiwork is delicate, and needs time. Also the price…”
He halted, and did not know what to say.
If he gave a low price, it would not be worth the time he put in.
If he gave a high price, he would fail the other’s favor in saving him.
“What furniture can you make? What are the prices?” Yun Ling did not care.
“Bamboo bed 50 copper coins, bamboo chairs 20 copper coins, bamboo shovel 5 copper coins…”Considering the other having saved his life, Yang Yong gritted his teeth, and gave a friendly price.
“I want a bamboo bed, two bamboo chairs, one shovel, and a cabinet,” Yun – rich – Ling said without hesitation.
Yang Yong stilled, and unconsciously reminded, “When the set is made, it will not be cheap.”
“No matter, I have money. Just say if you will do it,” Yun Ling said.
“Yes!” Yang Yong said firmly.
After discussing the details, Yun Ling immediately made him a friend, and paid the deposit.
After leveling up, his strength and stamina both increased. Yang Yong calculated, and he could finish in about a day and a half. Strictly speaking, this was not unprofitable for him.
Thinking that this counted as a working relationship between them, he tentatively said, “I need to chop some bamboo, could you wait a while before we return together?”
“Of course,” Yun Ling readily agreed.
Hearing this, Yang Yong was very relieved.
**
Near the evening, Yun Ling’s group returned to the territory.
After stepping into Rising Cloud Village, Yang Yong said farewell and left with the materials.
Yun Ling went to the warehouse to unload the supplies first.
The system notified, [NPC “Nicole” is visiting. Will you hire them?]
A life skills professional, pity not the type that she needed.
Yun Ling regretfully pressed “no.”
She viewed the territory attribute window.
[Territory Name: Rising Cloud]
[Level: Village. (There are four levels, campsite, village, town, city.)]
[Tax: 5%. (0-100%, the lord has the power to adjust it independently)]
[Population Capacity: 1000]
[Existing Residents: 264]
[Unlockable Buildings: 7]
[Existing Buildings: 7]
[Existing buildings details:
Warehouse (Level 1): 200 square meters in area, can store various resources, and extend date of use for food. (Note: The lord can set an access list and allow specific people to use it.)
Mission Hall (Level 1): Can issue missions, attract and recruit NPC talents.
Woodworking Workshop (Level 1): Can create simple weapons, provide wood household items.
Tailor Shop (Level 1): Can make clothes and armor.
Residence (Level 1): Simple wood house for players to live in. (A village can create at most 200)
Defense Shield: Defensive building, can stop incoming enemies. (Note: Territory has to be “village” or above in order to unlock.)
Restaurant (Level 1): Can provide all kinds of food.]
The Woodworking Workshop, and the Tailor Shop had good business. More of the residences had been sold. The territory taxes had skyrocketed. The temporary residents paid their overnight fees on time, the players saved money to buy official resident status…without realizing it, 10000 copper coins were saved.
Looking at the window, Yun Ling thought for a long time. In the end, she chose to upgrade the “Mission Hall.”
Copper coins -10000.
[The Mission Hall is upgraded to level 2.]
[Each day, 3NPCs will come to visit, and stay for 24 hours.]
[You will have more chances to get higher level and better quality NPCs.]
“Woodworking talent, sewing talent, cooking talent, foraging talent, combat talent, anything works, come to visit!” Yun Ling was full of anticipation, waiting for the NPCs to come.
**
Mission Hall.
[You possess 5 x linen cloth. Do you wish to submit the mission?]
Xiao Ying pressed “yes.”
In the next moment, -5 linen cloth, +5 copper coins.
Xiao Ying covered her mouth, suppressing her urge to scream. Her heart beat rapidly. She did it! She had managed to earn 5 copper coins by herself! She had the overnight fee today!
[You possess 2 x sweet potato. Do you wish to submit the mission?]
[You possess 1 x rice. Do you wish to submit the mission?]
[You possess 1 x flour. Do you wish to submit the mission? ]
[You possess 1 x cornmeal. Do you wish to submit the mission?]
Thinking about it, Xiao Ying left the sweet potatoes to be dinner tonight, and breakfast tomorrow. As to the rice, flour, and cornmeal, she sold all of it.
Now, she had 8 copper coins. Even after paying the overnight fee, she had 3 copper coins left over.
She did not have much savings, but for Xiao Ying, this was great encouragement.
This was the first time she stayed in the safe area on her own.
This meant, even if she did not have teammates, even if she did not have to force herself to fight monsters, she could still survive.
At this moment, Xiao Ying was excited, and so happy she was at a loss.
After a long while, she managed to calm down. “I have to remember the 50 materials in the mission hall, and then collect them first in the future.”
“I can use the materials I collect to exchange for money, pick the foods that I collect to eat, and then hoard the extra.”
“When I save enough money, I can buy tools, my efficiency will increase, and I can earn more!”
Xiao Ying started to think about what to do. Her eyes were bright, full of life. She seemed to finally see hope.
Translator Ramblings: Getting digitized sounds so creepy.