Ever since realizing that in the winter, nothing grew and the resources would not refresh, Yun Ling would try to go further away when leading the team out.
For them, it would not take long to go far.
For ordinary players, if they were too far from the territory, they may get ill, and die.
So, she left the resources near the territory for the normal residents who were not as protected from the winter with their gear.
Walking along the way, Yun Ling would occasionally see foraging teams made from players. Some of the members were guards, and some were responsible for foraging. They had aclear division of duties.
Some were carrying metal shovels and went into caves, seeming to go mining.
Yun Ling glanced at them, and did not say anything.
She walked for more than half an hour, and then they found a pond. Seeing that there were many live fish in the water, fat and large, she stopped, put down the grass basket, took out the fishing rod, and prepared to fish.
Seeing this, the NPCs and Pang Yu spread apart, and got to work around them.
**
After buying official resident status, hoarding food, preparing wood, and making winter clothes ahead of time, the residents only had to stay in the territory in comfort. But there were some people who had not prepared fully before winter came.
For example, Dong Hao Tian.
He had moved to Rising Cloud Town late. Other people had hoarded food, prepared firewood, and made winter clothing when he had just bought official resident status, and used up all his savings.
Even though it was winter, and the weather was cold and not suited for going out, he had to work for a living.
Other residents were gathered together to play cards and chat. He went around with a machete to dig wild vegetables, cut tree branches, and pick up straw. If he was lucky, and encountered wild rabbits, or pheasants, he would get some meat to eat.
The wind howled, and the residents did not want to go out. Sometimes, they did not want to go to the stream to get water, and would just spend 1 copper coin to go to the well to get water.
Dong Hao Tian sensed the business opportunity, and offered to go to the stream to get water, only charging 1 copper coin per two buckets.
Some residents felt that it was affordable, and agreed.
After a while, Dong Hao Tian managed to save a small sum by helping people fetch water. Other than this, he had a lot of firewood in his home, and even his food stores were increasing by the day.
“Lucky that I moved to Rising Cloud Town.” Dong Hao Tian said several times. “If I had stayed in Sunglow Village, would I have survived?”
Not all players were as fortunate as the residents of Rising Cloud Town. The autumn days were good, and if you worked, you could fill your stomach, but just so. If you wanted to save food, it was very difficult.
In the winter season, the entire territory lacked clothing and food. They would have to go out to forage. That scene…
Dong Hao Tian did not dare to think about it. Each time the thoughts rose, he felt coldness rise out of his heart.
Otherwise, the reason that he could come out to forage and fetch water, was all due to the equipment from the monster’s drops in the past.
[Name: Knee Pads (Winter Item)]
Quality: Normal
Durability: 13/20
Equip Effect: +1 Stamina.
[Name: Cotton Shoes (Winter Item)]
Quality: Premium
Durability: 27/40
Equip Effect: +4 Agility.
[Name: Rabbit Fur Gloves (Winter Item)]
Quality: Normal
Durability:15/20
Equip Effect: +1 Stamina.
They were white and blue equipment, and the attributes were average, but in the winter, they were of great use! They were warm, and he was more resistant to the cold than other people.
Dong Hao Tian calculated. “When I save enough money, I can buy a linen backpack, and it will be convenient to forage. Then I will buy a hot water bottle, and fill it with hot water before going to bed. Then my days will be good.”
Thinking of the beautiful future, he could not help but grin.
**
Rising Cloud Town.
Tian Zhe Han was worrying by the fishpond.
Raising fish was not an easy job. First, he had to pay to dig a fishpond. Then he had gone to the wild to get fish fry to bring back. Later, he had to feed the fish at regular times.
Usually, he would dig some floating plants, and add some soy dregs, bran, and rice bran. Ever since winter started, feed became a big problem.
Not just the fish fry. He could almost not feed the ducks, chickens, and pigs behind the house.
Tian Zhe Han’s expression changed. In the end, he decided — he would not keep them, he would sell the fresh fish and kill all the chickens, ducks and pigs!
He did what he thought.
Tian Zhe Han called over his team members so they could help him.
The system asked, [Do you wish to stop feeding, and start to harvest?]
Tian Zhe Han pressed,” yes.”
The system notified, [You will have to give 10% of the fresh fish as tax. Do you wish to pay now?]
10%! He had not had many fish fry in total…
Tian Zhe Han’s heart hurt, but he did not hesitate to press “yes.”
The system notification changed again, [You have paid the tax. You may catch as you want.]
“Come and help,” Tian Zhe Han called to his teammate.
They came with fish nets, throwing them into the fishpond, and then quickly pulling out with the fish.
Because the fry had been raised for a while, they had fed well. The silver carp, perch and common carp were all large, about two to three kilograms.
Tian Zhe Han caught some, and had his teammates go to sell them at the market. He took the other people back to the house to kill the chickens, ducks and pigs.
“Selling fish! Fresh bass!” The one responsible for the stall was a tanned man who was shouting loudly.
The residents were idle, and could not help but walk over when they heard him. “The bass looks pretty good, what is the price?”
The man answered, “Silver carp 3 copper coins per pound, perch 5 copper coins per pound, common common carp 10 copper coins per pound.”
Fresh fish was rare, and people rarely managed to catch them. The price was usually high, and so the price the stall owner gave was not expensive.
“Give me a common carp.” Someone was moved, and took out money to buy.
“I want a silver carp,” a person said as they licked their lips. “I have not drank fish soup for a long time, I really miss it.”
“Give me three pounds of perch!” a person who did not lack for money said.
“Okay.” The man excitedly took the money, and threaded grass ropes between the gills of the fish before handing them over.
The customers were very satisfied when they held their fresh fish, going back home happily to make soup.
“Selling fish! Delicious fresh fish! Steam, braise, grill, all you want!”
The man was loud, and his voice carried far.
Soon, the stall was surrounded by the residents. The man collected money, and handed over fish, very busy.
On the other side.
Tian Zhe Han led his teammates back to the house, and planned to kill the pigs he was raising like how they had killed monsters.
Before the act, the system asked, [Confirm the stoppage of feeding, and start the slaughter?]
It came again.
Tian Zhe Han cried inside, but his movements did not stop. He pressed “yes.”
The system notified, [You need to pay 10% of the income as tax. How do you wish to pay? (Note: Both in kind and currency is possible.)]
Tian Zhe Han’s brows raised up. He did not look and, with closed eyes, pressed on “Pay in kind.”
[Confirmed, Player can kill at will.]
“Start.” Tian Zhe Han was the first to act.
When attacking, his teammates could not help but mutter, “How does livestock count? If we kill, will they drop equipment and materials like wild monsters? We worked so hard to raise them, if they do not drop anything good, it will be a great loss!”
Just as they finished speaking, they got 10 x pork shoulder, 30 x blade, 30 x tenderloin, 40 x pork belly, 40 x shoulder, 50 x ham.
The meat was large, and over a hundred pounds when added together.
“What does this mean?” The teammate wondered. “The system helped us butcher it? Where did the pig head, trotters, organs, and bones go. Only the meat is left?”
“Is this not very good?” Tian Zhe Han was relieved. “If we raised them for thirty to forty days, and only got ten pounds of meat, it would be such a loss! In the future, who will raise livestock?”
The teammate thought and found this was true.
As they spoke, some of the meat disappeared, clearly as tax.
Then they worked together to kill the chicken and ducks. In the end, they got chicken wings, chicken claws, chicken legs, tenderloin, duck legs, duck wings, duck feet, and other meat.
Seeing the food on the ground, Tian Zhe Han finally had a smile. “Everyone worked hard, let’s eat well tonight to celebrate.”
“Long live Boss!” Everyone cheered.
**
[The fishpond has stopped feeding, and the catch has started.]
[You have received taxes as follows: 23 x silver carp, 15 x perch, 8 x common carp.]
Yun Ling stilled when she received the system notification. And then she realized where the fish came from.
“There is so much in the 10% tax. It seems the harvest is good!” she thought.
Then, she thought more about it. Digging fishpond and feeding would have taken a lot of effort, and these people should make more money.
In reality, she wanted the players to raise more fish. This way, the territory would get more tax, the residents more choices, the players more earnings, and everyone would be happy.
Pity that other than Tian Zhe Han, there were no other livestock talents.
Oh, no, Yun Ling suddenly remembered there had been. But that person had not picked a good position for the fishpond. After being refused, they did not pick another position and send a request.
It would be good if there was a more reliable talent.
As she sighed, the system notification appeared, [Feeding of livestock has ended. A slaughter has started.]
[You have received taxes as follows: 1 x pork shoulder, 3 x blade, 3 x tenderloin……]
Right, the residents could raise livestock and poultry. As the lord, she could also take taxes.
Yun Ling was very happy and smiled.
**
Sunglow Village.
He Qing was sitting in a tent and grabbing at his hair, his expression anxious and despairing like a trapped beast.
He was not a great combat player, just one of the masses.
After filling his stomach during the autumn, he had prepared some food in his tent. He had thought, after spring passed, and summer passed, he would successfully pass winter.
But just as winter started, the game slapped him hard in the face.
The weather was too cold.
Even if he stayed in the territory, he would shiver. Not to mention going out of the territory into the wilderness to forage.
[Name: Cashmere (Winter Item)]
Quality: Premium
Durability: 31/40
Equip Effect: +4 stamina.
He only had this one piece of protection gear.
After he was outside for twenty minutes, a negative status would appear.
Even more unfortunate was that in the winter season, the monsters were all hibernating. Even if he went out in the cold wind, and roamed around, he could not find suitable prey.
In desperation, he could only dig for potatoes, and pick up dead branches in hopes of surviving this deathly winter.
But there were too many players coming out of the village! They did not just fight over digging for food, but also tree branches.
Without realizing it, there was the hint of sparks and dynamite in the air.
He Qing saw this was not right, and left soon. After he left, players started to fight, gangs formed, and then they fell to the ground and never got back up.
What shocked him even more was that he heard, if you stayed too long outside and got a cold, the system would give a notification, [Because of the cold, you are ill, -5 strength, -5 agility, -5 stamina, -5 intelligence, -5 spirit.]
To recover one’s health, they had to rest for three days in the territory, make sure they did not get cold, and not work more than an hour per day. For players who had no food at home, they could not do this.
If they did not go out to find food, and pick up firewood, in less than two days, they would starve and freeze to death.
He Qing felt cold all over, and even colder in his heart.
If he stayed, he would die. But if he left, he did not know where to go.
If he moved to another territory, could he survive? He did not have the confidence.
There was no road ahead, and no road behind. Other than waiting for death, there seemed to be nothing he could do.
He Qing was confused, at a loss and stayed in Sunglow Village until Day 109.
On this day, he left like usual. To avoid any conflicts, he walked far.
After walking for a quarter of an hour, He Qing saw a patch of wheat. He was stunned and happy, and quickly walked to harvest it.
“Stop, we saw the field first!” A cold shout sounded behind him.
He Qing moved back to look and found this was an eight person team. Each person had two pieces of winter gear, and also blue and purple equipment.
He could not win.
He Qing perceptively raised his hands, and slowly retreated.
The other did not make it hard for him, or rather, did not have the time too. When they got near the wheat field, they quickly harvested, and let He Qing leave.
He Qing felt slightly bitter, and murmured to himself, “It is very difficult to be a lone player.”
He continued to walk far, and after walking for an unknown amount of time, he finally saw a patch of sweet potatoes.
He Qing was overjoyed, and took off his backpack, and worked hard to dig.
Luckily, this time, no one competed with him.
Of course, it may be that this place was remote, far from the territory, and so there was no one around…
After many minutes, the system suddenly sounded, [The cold wind is bitter. Your hands and feet are cold. Player has a negative state, -1 strength, -1 agility, -2 stamina.]
He Qing thought nothing of this, and continued to dig.
After a while, the notification turned into, [You feel very cold. Your limbs are frozen stiff. Player has a negative state, -2 strength, -2 agility, -4 stamina.]
He Qing knew the situation was not good, and he had to return to the village. But he was reluctant to part with the food, and lingered for a while.
When all the sweet potatoes were dug out, and the backpack was full, he ran back toward the territory.
But he was still late.
Before he reached the territory, bad news came from the system. He was ill.
When he saw the notification, He Qing changed expression. He knew, for normal players like him, getting ill and death were equal.
Before this, there had been a few dozen people in Sunglow Village who had died of “long-term illness.”
He would likely be the next.
Thinking of this, He Qing’s face turned ashen. His mind was filled with one thought — after lasting so long, he still could not hide.
“I am about to die, why not go to Rising Cloud Town to look.” He Qing laughed self- deprecatingly. “I played so long, and worked for a living, but never saw what the top territory looks like.”
At the end of his life, he did not hesitate, and packed up, preparing to go to Rising Cloud Town to see the world.
Because he was ill, -5 strength, -5 agility, -5 stamina, -5 intelligence, -5 spirit. His base recovery speed was only 1 HP/5 minutes, 1 MP/5 minutes. His state was not very good.
Luckily, the monsters had gone into hibernation. On the way, he did not encounter one monster at all.
“Even if I freeze to death on the road, that is my fate.” He Qing marched with the determination to die.
On the small map, the symbol for Rising Cloud Town grew closer, and in the wilderness, he would occasionally see lone players or teams. They were either going into a cave or foraging, ignoring each other.
He Qing was shocked, and filled with puzzlement. “Why are only a few people out? Are the residents of the territory dead? Is that possible?”
“Why are there so many edible plants around the territory? Why are they not fighting? Why are they not competing?”
“Damn!” Just now, when he looked, he had not seen clearly, but these people were all dressed in several pieces of winter gear!!
“They either wear linen backpacks or cotton backpacks! When did storage backpacks become so common? Don’t they only drop when fighting monsters, and the drop rate is low?!”
As He Qing walked into, he started to doubt life.
Later, he felt that he had not gone to the top territory on the ranking, but had traveled through time and space to another world…
The moment he stepped into the town, the system suddenly notified, [You have found “Rising Cloud Town.” ]
The temperature of the territory was clearly higher than outside the territory.
“How is it like this?” He Qing was so shocked that he could not close his mouth.
As he walked in, he saw residents sitting by bonfires, holding hand stoves or hot water bottles.
Women, girls, and children were sitting together, focused on knitting and chatting.
Nearby, some women were making cotton shirts and pants, not resting for a second.
“Pepper soup! Delicious pepper soup! Fragrant and delicious, moves the blood and drives out the cold!”
“Secret recipe ginger soup, only from me! Just 10 copper coins per bowl!”
“Fragrant kiln baked bread! If you want, come and buy quickly!”
There were the sounds of wares being hawked along the street. Clearly, there were many life skills players.
In the distance, there were rows of wood houses. Someone was standing behind a house, seeming preparing to kill a pig.
He Qing, “……”
I suspect you are preparing to celebrate the New Year, and I have solid evidence.
Thinking of how Rising Cloud Town’s players were at peace and living well, but he had a cold and was about to die, He Qing felt sorrow, and very sad.
“How come you are here too?” A familiar voice sounded behind him.
He Qing turned around, and saw someone he knew. “Dong Hao Tian? How come it is you?”
Dong Hao Tian shrugged. “I moved to Rising Cloud Town before autumn.”
How come he had not had such a thought! Why had he waited in Sunglow Village to die?! He Qing was full of regret.
“You just came?” Dong Hao Tian asked.
“Yes.” He Qing took a deep breath, his eyes turning red. “I caught a cold, got sick, and wanted to visit Rising Cloud before I die.”
“Just a cold, why do you say it like you are going to die?” Dong Hao Tian was puzzled.
He pointed. “See the pepper soup? Do you see the stall for the ginger soup? They are all cold expelling items. Buy three bowls, drink them three times at meals, and you will recover.”
He Qing, “???”
So easy to heal?
His eyes were wide, and he was so shocked he could not speak.
Seeing He Qing stand there stunned, Dong Hao Tian sighed, and thought, at least, this was someone he knew. The other had just come to Rising Cloud Town and did not know the place or the people. It was better if he made introductions.
Thinking of this, he slowly said, “Rising Cloud Town has greening, and has wells which can moderate the temperature, so it is more comfortable to stay in the territory than outside.”
“But this does not mean that you will not catch a cold in the town. Non-game items are useless. You must wear winter gear to keep warm. If you can’t afford the equipment, sitting by the fire, holding a hand stove or hot water bottle, or eating cold expelling food are good choices.”
“Right, you can buy hand stoves, hot water bottles, coal and charcoal in the blacksmith shop, and the gear from the tailor shop. The prices are a bit high, but the things are useful.”
“When you recover, you can pick firewood from outside to sell, and earn your overnight fee. Just dig for what you want to eat, as long as you can fill your stomach.”
“In the winter, everyone is in the territory, and does not want to move. Not many are going out, so the competition is not strong. If you just walk a bit, you can find food.”
He Qing’s eyes were straight.
He had never thought, in Sunglow Village, if he was ill, he could just wait for death, but in the Rising Cloud Town, there were so many means of preventing and coping with it.
The living standards of the two territories were so far apart!
After a moment, he said, “I have one more question.”
Dong Hao Tian said, “Speak.”
“Along the way, I saw the players of Rising Cloud Town were either carrying linen backpacks or cotton backpacks. Where did the storage items come from?” He Qing was confused.
“Those.” Dong Hao Tian did not care. “In Rising Cloud Town, linen and cotton backpacks are normal goods. The tailor shop NPCs will create a batch of storage backpacks to sell each day, and you can buy them if you have money.”
He Qing was silent.
He suspected that he was very ill, and so tired he was dreaming.
The tailor shop sold storage backpacks each day that you could buy if you have the money? Listen, was this something a person could say!
Seeing He Qing’s skeptical expression, Dong Hao Tian understood it well, as someone who had gone through this. “Rising Cloud Town has many system buildings, and the shops sell many goods. When you see for the first time, it is easy to be dazzled. But that is fine, you will be used it after a while.”
He Qing was dazed. After a while, he said, “I will buy ginger soup first.”
His illness was likely affecting his ability to think. He was being affected now. His mind was a muddle, and he could not calm down at all.
“Go, I also have matters.” Dong Hao Tian waved his hand in farewell, and left.
Day 110.
With a thick cotton quilt, a hot water bottle inside, and coal burning in the brazier,
Yun Ling felt warm all over, and did not want to move.
Thinking that she had worked hard for many days, she decided to give herself a day off, and let Guard A lead the team.
She stayed in bed until her stomach started to grumble.
“Yesterday, I got the chickens, ducks, pigs and fish. Today, I will eat hot pot.”
Thinking of the delicious and steaming hot pot, Yun Ling was finally willing to get out of the bed.
To eat hot pot, first, one needed a good soup.
Yun Ling used the carp to make the soup, and then put in bean curd, tofu sheets, gluten, pork belly, noodles and other foods to boil.
Worth a mention was that the bean curd, tofu sheets, gluten and noodles had been made by the residents themselves.
Yun Ling did not know the principles, but one night, when going through the market, she saw players selling them. She asked where they had come from. The other said that they could be made if there were raw materials.
Yun Ling was speechless.
It could only be said that the experts were among the people.
After adding the food, and simmering at a low fire, Yun Ling sent a message to Lu Chuan and You Qing Wen asking if they wanted to come eat as well.
Lu Chuan instantly responded, “yes.”
You Qing Wen took a while to respond. “I have something going on here, so I will not come. I will find you another day.”
“No problem, go be busy.”
After sending the message, the system suddenly notified [Player “Lu Chuan” requests to enter. Will you allow it?”]
“You are here,” Yun Ling said as she let Mister Neighbor into the house.