While Everyone Panicked, I Upgraded My Raft

Chapter 133: Chapter 124: The Developments Are Getting Weirder

Amidst the vigorous efforts of most players, the time reached midnight.

[Sea Survival Game Calendar: January 12th, 0:01. Current temperature: 18 degrees Celsius. Weather: Heavy fog. Air quality: Extremely poor, carrying a virus. Players, please ensure your safety!]

After reading this latest calendar update, all the players let out a collective sigh.

Sure enough, it had explicitly named the third natural disaster of the Sea Survival Game—the virus disaster. Yesterday, when the air quality was listed as low, it already carried a virus that affected the players’ bodies. Today, it directly stated that the air carried a virus. No one knew what the situation would entail.

However, everyone understood one thing: today’s disaster would undoubtedly be far more severe than yesterday’s. Setting aside how far the virus might progress, the mutated marine creatures lurking at the bottom of the sea were already more than enough to give the players a massive headache.

Today was yet another day where peaceful sleep would be impossible!

Ever since entering the Sea Survival Game, very few players had been able to sleep soundly night after night. But despite realizing this, most players no longer felt their previous fear. As time passed, the players had accumulated more and more capital. When facing crises and disasters, they now held numerous trump cards.

They were still afraid, but they had the confidence to face the difficulties head-on.

Soon after, a large group of players began checking their Equipment. They repaired what needed fixing and replaced what needed replacing. Only after finishing all this did many players finally go to sleep.

Meanwhile, some resilient players continued to wait, staying up past one o’clock and then two o’clock. Through their experiences with the previous two disasters, they had already figured out some of the patterns. Although the patterns weren’t exactly the same, they shared common traits—for example, the situation changed every hour.

Since it was confirmed to be a virus, they planned to observe the different concentration levels and their effects on the human body between the first and second hour. By deducing conclusions, they could not only avoid certain risks themselves but also compile this experience into information-based commodities. They weren’t looking to make millions or billions; earning a few thousand or tens of thousands would leave them perfectly satisfied.

After all, ever since Rowan Rhodes’s information commodities hit the market, countless players had recognized their value and wanted a slice of the pie. There were already tens of thousands of such items in the Sea Survival Shop. However, very few were as outstanding as Rowan’s.

Rowan’s fame spoke for itself!

Of course, players who ranked on the leaderboard did indeed sell much better than others. This was exactly where the leaderboard proved its usefulness. Renowned players found it easier to gain others’ trust, making it naturally easier to sell information-based commodities.

Another top seller was real-time information. This relied on speed, accuracy, and decisiveness. A certain subset of players made their money specifically through this niche. These players were, in fact, the best at assessing the situation and also the ones thriving in the game.

While the rest of the players were grinding hard, Rowan Rhodes was completely relaxed.

Her preparations were so thorough that she didn’t need to exert much effort at all. She was considering how to acquire more resources during the disaster, not how to survive it. Therefore, she would continue to grind, but without any worry or fear.

As for the mutated marine creatures around her raft, the presence of the radar allowed her to accurately gauge their status and strike accordingly. It was safe to say that under her recent dense barrage of attacks, very few red dots remained in her vicinity. Even the ones left were loitering outside the attack range of her Fish Spear Gun.

These mutated marine creatures possessed slightly higher intelligence than the rest. After learning the strike range of Rowan’s raft, they had learned to lay low and bide their time for the next opportunity. Since she couldn’t hit them and they weren’t attacking her raft, Rowan let them be for the time being.

Right now, she was in a phase of all-around harvesting. Her current dilemma was that she had far too many resources on hand. Therefore, she sold these surplus resources to the Sea Survival Shop in exchange for Trading Coins.

This was also within her expectations. For one thing, as more districts became involved, the market demand for Trading Coins skyrocketed. After all, when players had no immediate need for specific items, Trading Coins were the safest fallback. They could be used to purchase goods, traded with other players, and didn’t take up any inventory space. This made them a high-quality currency.

For another, the Sea Survival Shop offered a higher purchase price for food commodities. Currently, the shelves of the Sea Survival Shop were flooded with all kinds of seafood, heavily suppressing the market price. Selling directly to the Sea Survival Shop was much more cost-effective for Rowan right now.

Rowan was even making a profit off the price difference by reselling other people’s goods. As the owner of the Sea Survival Shop, this was her natural advantage. Making money was as easy as breathing.

After earning a profit, Rowan acquired numerous rare resources. Basic resources had the most long-term value; hoarding plenty would always come in handy eventually.

Only after finishing all this busywork did Rowan have the mind to check the situation in the District 122 World Channel. Upon looking, she actually spotted some rather unique content.

[District 122: (95501 / 100000)]

”Celia Lynch: @Zelda Parrish, I’ve compiled my findings and plan to post them on the World Channel. However, I also want to organize them into an information commodity for the Sea Survival Shop. Could you help me upload it? As for the profit, we’ll split it fifty-fifty.”

”Zelda Parrish: Sure.”

”Damn, expert Celia’s idea is pretty brilliant.”

”Support, support! I feel like every guide Celia puts together is super useful. She really cuts straight to the core.”

”I’ll definitely support it and buy a copy when it’s out.”

”I’ll support it too. I owe her a huge favor from before.”

”But Zelda Parrish isn’t the only permanent player. Will the others...”

”Owen Caldwell: I won’t.”

”Faye Sinclair: Neither will I.”

”Skye Schuyler: I definitely won’t!”

”...”

In truth, Zelda Parrish and the others didn’t care for the meager amount of Trading Coins a guide would bring in. It was worth noting that during the previous two disasters, Zelda and her group had researched the corresponding Equipment and special foods, earning quite a bounty of resources. As for the current disaster, they were earning even more.

Owen Caldwell might be making slightly less, but the other three were hauling in a lot. This was especially true for Skye Schuyler, who was happily acting as a middleman for a heavy hitter like Rowan Rhodes, raking in an even larger profit.

Under these circumstances, they wouldn’t ruin their reputations over a handful of Trading Coins. While a good reputation wasn’t always useful in the face of danger, it served as the foundation for their cooperation with other players during peaceful times.

Watching Owen and the others step up, the players of District 122 couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy.

”Yeah, you guys definitely aren’t short on Trading Coins.”

”Sigh, being a permanent player is just too awesome. I wonder if we’ll ever get the chance.”

”According to Zelda and the others, the probability is too low. We might have to wait for the future!”

”Maybe it’s possible if your Skill is extremely unique, or if your Level is high enough.”

”Ugh, I gotta work harder and improve my competitiveness.”

”Speaking of which, this actually reminds me—even though we aren’t permanent players and can’t list items directly, Zelda and the others can! We could just let them resell for us.”

”We should definitely trust the top players.”

”Yeah, I believe in them too.”

”@Zelda Parrish @Owen Caldwell @Faye Sinclair @Skye Schuyler, experts, is this possible?”

”Zelda Parrish: Yes, it is. If you need anything, we can discuss it directly in the World Channel, and trade in the Trading Hall once the terms are settled.”

”Owen Caldwell: I have no problem with it. However, I’d prefer resources and goods related to the blacksmith profession. I’m more knowledgeable about those items and have the channels for them, so I can exchange them for more.”

”Faye Sinclair: I can do it too. My conditions are the same as Owen’s—goods related to fabric materials and armor sets are easier for me to sell.”

”Skye Schuyler: Then I’ll handle anything related to seeds, farming, and food. We can definitely cooperate a lot in these areas.”

”...”

At this moment, the players of District 122 were suddenly ecstatic. They had discovered the business opportunities hidden within.

In the Sea Survival Game, trusting others was a very foolish thing to do. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t be willing to hand over their hard-earned treasures to anyone else. But the situation was completely different now! They lacked the necessary channels. Zelda and her group were top players themselves, and their moral character was widely acknowledged. Since they could now offer a channel, the other players were naturally willing to place some trust in them.

Besides, realistically speaking, the good items they possessed were practically nothing to Zelda and the rest, so there was even less need to worry about embezzlement. As for the truly top-tier items, they would naturally keep them tucked away rather than sell them!

In response to the players’ enthusiasm, Zelda and the others didn’t decline. This was similar to their previous trades, just with a larger volume. They placed greater value on how this move would improve cohesion among the players. It would allow the relationships between the players in District 122 to grow tighter, especially since their interests were now aligned.

None of them knew what the future would hold. But at least for now, they could rely on one another.

In that moment, the players of District 122 fell into a cheerful discussion. Aside from Celia Lynch’s information commodity, many other players also brought out their own.

Looking at the lively World Channel, Rowan Rhodes paused.

She mused, ”The players’ minds are really active!”

Previously, it was just the exchange of basic resources; now, it had evolved into Equipment, special resources, and information commodities. She knew a situation like this wouldn’t happen outside of District 122. It would take a very long time for the other districts to become this peaceful.

However, since the majority of players had just undergone a major shift in mindset, things should progress smoothly in most districts. This was... pretty good.

Rowan let out a long sigh of relief in her heart.

Because of her, the trajectory of the Sea Survival Game was getting weirder and weirder. It was so weird that... she couldn’t even predict the future direction of the Sea Survival Game and its players. It had added an immense amount of uncertainty.

However, as long as it was developing in a positive direction, she felt it was completely worth it.