Apocalypse Descent: Farming with My Harem

Chapter 10: Bargaining, Ice Armor Skill Book

From their information, Cao Xing learned that quite a few people had already died.

Most had succumbed to the cold weather, while a few encountered monster attacks outdoors.

Humanity as a whole was gripped by fear and anxiety.

On the World Channel, there were also other relatively calm survivors sharing their experiences there.

Zhang Huaiyun said, “Brothers, make sure to build the Lord’s Hut as soon as possible; only after establishing the Lord’s Hut can you unlock other constructions!”

Ed Stafford suggested, “I recommend quickly gathering stones and wood around your territory first, then upgrading your bonfire.”

Wang Sheng advised, “If you encounter monsters in the wild, don’t attempt an attack; remember to run back immediately. Once you reach the bonfire’s range, those monsters won’t attack you!”

…

Just as Cao Xing had anticipated, out of the over 7 billion people worldwide, there were some who adapted well.

However, compared to Cao Xing, they were still a step behind.

They hadn’t played this game beforehand like Cao Xing, nor did they have an SSS-level hidden talent.

In these four hours, Cao Xing not only established the Lord’s Hut and the Polar People Hut but also constructed the Logging Factory, Market, and other buildings, in addition to upgrading the bonfire to level 3.

Moreover, after two battles, Cao Xing’s resources had reached an abundant level.

Cao Xing thought for a moment and added a line himself.

Cao Xing said, “At night, the minimum temperature can drop to -60°C. Don’t go out unnecessarily. If you haven’t built the Lord’s Hut in time, you can first use wooden planks and stones to construct a simple shelter that can barely withstand the cold of the first night.”

After finishing his words, Cao Xing closed the World Channel.

He didn’t know how many people would see his message.

Nor did he know if anyone would use his method to survive the first night.

But in any case, he considered it a kind-hearted reminder.

Then, he opened the [Regional Channel].

According to the system’s description, this was a 500 km by 500 km square area.

It displayed the following.

[Region 174 Channel]

[Online Population: 38224/40173]

Cao Xing silently pondered.

Clearly, on the first day, many people had already died.

In his region alone, nearly two thousand people had perished.

It was imaginable how high the death rate among survivors worldwide must be.

But this was inevitable; in a survival game, many people were bound to be eliminated.

Moreover, once the first day was over, everyone would adapt, and the death rate wouldn’t be as high.

Of course, once the beginner protection phase was over, the monsters roaming outside might attack the camp actively. Then, the death rate might surge again.

So, it wasn’t just the other survivors.

Even Cao Xing had to cherish the time during the beginner protection phase to develop his territory quickly.

Opening the [Regional Channel] revealed a flood of information.

Wang Wenjie asked, “Brothers, are you all from Xiangjiang?”

Gu Boren replied, “I’m not from Xiangjiang, but I’m from the neighboring Shengang City.”

Qiao Pingwei said, “I’m from Xiangjiang.”

Pan Fei said, “I’m also from Xiangjiang.”

Upon reviewing the chat above, Cao Xing realized it.

This regional division likely randomly assigned people from adjacent cities together.

At this time, that Wang Wenjie continued, “Fellow people, I ran into trouble. My sister fainted due to the cold and now has a high fever. Who has cold medicine or antibiotics to save my sister?”

Qi Qiang said, “My family is also sick; my parents have collapsed. It’s just me and my brother left. What should we do if this continues?”

Lu Jizhong said, “It’s a problem. After tonight, tomorrow’s food isn’t enough, and I don’t have warm clothing…”

Fang Long said, “I am Fang Long from the Three Heroes Association; fellow members, contact me quickly.”

In the chat channel, many were expressing their current difficulties and hoping for help.

Of course, there were also some survivors in this region who had already developed.

Chen Tianhao said, “Haha, a group of cowards, you guys just stay near the bonfire. I’ve already found a treasure box in the snow and opened an Iron Sword and a bunch of food inside.”

Ji Wenlong said, “I also opened a treasure box and got a medical bag which can treat colds and fevers. If you want, trade it with food or weapons!”

Cheng Lei said, “Selling cold-resistant coats, need food, lots of food!”

…

From the information above, it was clear that everyone severely lacked supplies.

Cao Xing closed the Regional Channel; he also needed to go to the market to trade for some supplies now.

Cao Xing opened the [Market] interface of the territory construction.

Upon opening, he saw many lines of trade information.

[Auction Item: Stone Block*20]

[Requested Item: Food*10 or Medical Box*1.]

[Auction Person: Zhao Jiaying]

(Seller’s Note: Basic materials, price can be negotiated.)

…

[Auction Item: Rusty Spear (White)*1,]

[Requested Item: Food*20.]

[Auction Person: Anonymous]

(Seller’s Note: Iron spear, rusted but stronger than the initial weapon gifted by the system, need food! Food!)

…

[Auction Item: Opened Bronze Treasure Box*1.]

[Requested Item: Warm Clothing.]

[Auction Person: Wang Wen]

(Seller’s Note: Though the treasure box has been opened, it can be broken down into the rare material copper, give me warm clothing, I’m freezing!)

…

Clearly, today was the first day of global arrival.

In this world with extreme environments, the scarcest items were naturally food, warm clothing, and medicines.

Everyone was exchanging the limited resources at hand.

Cao Xing himself only had one medical box, and he was short on warm clothing.

So clearly, he couldn’t trade these items.

He continued browsing to see if he could find something he needed.

At this time, he saw an auction message.

[Auction Item: Ice Armor Skill Book (White)*1]

[Requested Item: Food*50, or Medical Box*5.]

[Auction Person: Mailese]

(Seller’s Note: Early skill book for Frost Mage, negotiable, act fast!)

Cao Xing’s eyes lit up.

It was the Frost Mage’s [Ice Armor Skill]!

This skill could increase a certain amount of armor value based on the user’s spirit strength, lasting 20 seconds, but the consumption was relatively high.

For other Frost Mages, it might be a useless skill, but for Cao Xing, it was a divine skill!

Because this skill could become a permanent enhancement skill when combined with his talent.

Combined with Yilena’s [Scale Armor], Cao Xing’s defensive power would reach an extraordinary level!

Cao Xing almost wanted to grab this skill book immediately.

But clearly, this guy was outrageously pricing it at fifty food items straight away.

Fortunately, the seller’s note mentioned negotiating, indicating room for discussion.

So, Cao Xing opened the private chat interface of the auction.

Cao Xing said, “Ten food items for the Ice Armor Skill Book.”

Within a few seconds, Mailese sent an exasperated emoji.

Mailese said, “I told you to bargain, not to slaughter me. You want to exchange ten food items for a skill book. Why don’t you try robbing?”

“Go, go, go, get out of here!”

Cao Xing replied, “I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush. What if I told you this wasn’t ordinary food but meat?”

Mailese said, “Meat? You got meat this quickly?”

The tone on the other side was filled with strong astonishment.

Cao Xing knew the other party didn’t believe him, given that, at this stage, meat could only be obtained from those wild creatures.

Clearly, on the first day, almost no one could defeat those wild creatures.

Cao Xing directly pasted the item information into the private chat window, but he sent snake meat information.

Only at this moment did Mailese finally believe that Cao Xing indeed had meat.

“Wow, brother! You actually managed to get snake meat.”

Cao Xing directly asked, “So, will you sell it or not?”

Mailese said, “Of course, I’ll sell it, but aren’t you offering too little? At least 40 food items, which translates to 8 pieces of snake meat, or don’t bother talking!”

Cao Xing said, “What are you thinking? I don’t even have that much, a maximum of 3 pieces of snake meat.”

However, Mailese insisted that it couldn’t be less than 6 pieces of snake meat.

Cao Xing directly replied, “Then forget it, keep it yourself.”

“Ice Armor Skill is just an early-stage skill; the drop rate isn’t low. After tomorrow, you won’t be able to exchange it even for food.”

Hearing this, the other side seemed a bit hesitant.

Mailese asked hesitantly, “Is what you’re saying true?”