Chapter 10: Bargaining, the Ice Armor Skill Book
From their information, Cao Xing learned that quite a few people had already died.
Most died from the low temperatures, while a small number encountered monster attacks in the wilderness.
The overall human environment was filled with fear and unease.
The World Channel also had other relatively calm survivors sharing their experiences there.
Zhang Huaiyun: "Brothers, you must build the Lord's Cabin immediately. Only after building the Lord's Cabin can you unlock other buildings!"
Ed Stafford: "I suggest you quickly collect the stones and wood near your territory first, and then upgrade your campfire level."
Wang Sheng: "If you encounter monsters in the wilderness, do not try to attack them. Remember to run back immediately. If you reach the campfire area, those monsters will not attack you!"
...
As Cao Xing had predicted earlier, among the more than 7 billion people globally, there were quite a few who had good adaptability.
However, compared to Cao Xing, they were still a step behind.
Not only had they not played this game in advance like Cao Xing, but they also didn't have an SSS-grade hidden talent.
Within these four hours, Cao Xing had not only built the Lord's Cabin and the Arctic Dweller's Cabin but also constructed a Lumber Mill, a Market, and other buildings, in addition to upgrading the campfire to Level 3.
Moreover, after two battles, Cao Xing's resources had reached a considerable level.
Cao Xing thought for a moment and added a sentence there as well.
Cao Xing: "The minimum temperature at night will reach -60℃. Do not go out casually. If you don't have time to build the Lord's Cabin, you can first build a simple shelter with wooden planks and stones. It can barely withstand the low temperature of the first night."
After speaking, Cao Xing closed the World Channel.
He didn't know how many people would see his message.
He also didn't know if anyone would use his method to survive the first night.
But no matter what, consider it a kind reminder from him.
Then, he opened the 【Regional Channel】 again.
According to the system description, this was a square area of 500 kilometers * 500 kilometers.
It displayed:
【Area 174 Channel】
【Online Users: 38224/40173】
Cao Xing was silent for a moment.
Clearly, quite a few people had already died on the first day.
In his area alone, nearly two thousand people had already died.
One could imagine how high the death rate of survivors globally was.
However, there was nothing that could be done. Survival games were always going to eliminate many people.
Moreover, as long as they survived the first day, everyone would adapt later, and the death rate wouldn't be so high.
Of course, once the novice protection period passed, the monsters wandering outside might actively attack camps. At that time, the death rate might surge again.
Therefore, it wasn't just other survivors.
Even Cao Xing had to cherish the time during the novice protection period and quickly develop his territory.
Clicking on the 【Regional Channel】 immediately brought up a lot of information.
Wang Wenjie: "Brothers, are you all from Hong Kong?"
Gu Boren: "I'm not from Hong Kong, but I'm from neighboring Shenzhen."
Qiao Pingwei: "I'm from Hong Kong."
Pan Fei: "I'm from Hong Kong too."
After reading the chat above, Cao Xing nodded in realization.
This area division likely grouped people from adjacent cities together randomly.
At this moment, Wang Wenjie continued, "Fellow countrymen, I'm in trouble. My sister suddenly fainted due to the low temperature and now has a persistent high fever. Does anyone have cold medicine or antibiotics? Please save my sister!"
Qi Qiang: "My family is also sick. My parents have both collapsed, leaving just me and my younger brother. What should we do if this continues?"
Lu Jizhong: "This is troublesome. After tonight, there won't be enough food for tomorrow, and we still don't have warm clothes..."
Fang Long: "I am Fang Long from the Three Heroes Society. Other brothers in the gang, please contact me as soon as possible."
In the chat channel, many people were describing the difficulties they were currently facing, hoping to get help from others.
Of course, there were also some survivors in this area who had already developed.
Chen Tianhao: "Haha, a bunch of cowards, just huddle around the campfire. I've already found a treasure chest in the snow and even got an iron sword and a pile of food from it."
Ji Wenlong: "I also opened a treasure chest and got a medical kit from it, which can treat colds and fevers. If you want it, exchange food or weapons with me!"
Cheng Lei: "Cold-resistant coats for sale, need food, lots of food!"
...
From the information of these people above, it was clear that everyone was very short on supplies.
Cao Xing closed the Regional Channel. He also needed to trade for some supplies from the market now.
Cao Xing clicked on the 【Market】 interface of the territory building.
Upon opening it, he saw many transaction messages appear.
【Item for Sale: Stone * 20】
【Items Needed: Food * 10 or Medical Kit * 1.】
【Seller: Zhao Jiaxing】
(Seller's Note: Basic materials, price negotiable.)
...
【Item for Sale: Rusted Spear (White) * 1,】
【Items Needed: Food * 20.】
【Seller: Anonymous】
(Seller's Note: Iron spear, although rusted, its attack power is stronger than the initial weapon given by the system. Need food! Food!)
...
【Item for Sale: Opened Bronze Treasure Chest * 1.】
【Items Needed: Warm clothing.】
【Seller: Wang Wen】
(Seller's Note: Although the treasure chest has been opened by me, it can be decomposed into copper, a rare material. Give me some warm clothing, I'm freezing to death!)
...
Clearly, it was the first day of the global arrival.
In this world with an extreme environment, the most scarce resources were naturally food, warm clothing, and medicine.
Everyone was trading with the limited resources they had on hand.
Cao Xing only had one medical kit, and he himself was short on warm clothing.
So, of course, he couldn't trade these things.
He continued to browse, looking for things he needed.
At this moment, he saw a consignment message.
【Item for Sale: Ice Armor Skill Book (White) * 1】
【Items Needed: Food * 50, or Medical Kit * 5.】
【Seller: Maile ser】
(Seller's Note: Early-stage skill book for Frost Mages, price can be slightly negotiated, buy quickly!)
Cao Xing's eyes flickered.
It was actually the 【Ice Armor】 skill book for Frost Mages!
This skill could increase a certain amount of armor value based on the user's mental strength. The effect lasted for 20 seconds, but the consumption was relatively high.
For other Frost Mages, this might be a useless skill, but for Cao Xing, it was a divine skill!
Because this skill could be combined with his talent to become a permanent enhancement skill.
Then, when stacked with Ilena's 【Scale Armor】, Cao Xing's defense would reach a terrifying level!
At this moment, Cao Xing even wanted to buy this skill book on the spot.
But clearly, this guy was asking for an exorbitant price, directly asking for 50 units of food.
Fortunately, the seller's note said the price was negotiable, which meant there was room for discussion.
So, Cao Xing opened the private chat interface for the consignment.
Cao Xing: "Ten units of food for the Ice Armor skill book."
Within a few seconds, Maile ser sent back a speechless emoji.
Maile ser: "I told you to negotiate the price, not to rob me. You want a skill book for ten units of food? Why don't you just go rob someone?"
"Go away, go play somewhere else!"
Cao Xing replied, "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush yet. What if I told you that this isn't ordinary food, but meat?"
Maile ser: "Meat? You got meat so quickly?"
The other party's tone carried strong surprise.
Cao Xing knew the other party didn't believe him, as at the current stage, meat could only be obtained from those wild monsters.
Clearly, almost no one could defeat those wild monsters on the first day.
Cao Xing directly pasted the item information into the private chat window, but he sent the snake meat information.
It wasn't until this moment that Maile ser finally believed the fact that Cao Xing had meat.
"Alright, brother! You actually managed to get snake meat."
Cao Xing directly asked, "How about it, are you selling?"
Maile ser: "Of course I'm selling, but what you're offering is way too little, isn't it? At least 40 units of food, which is 8 pieces of snake meat. Otherwise, there's no deal!"
Cao Xing said, "What are you thinking? 8 pieces of snake meat, I don't even have that much myself. At most 3 pieces of snake meat."
However, that Maile ser insisted on a minimum of no less than 6 pieces of snake meat.
Upon hearing this, Cao Xing immediately replied, "Then forget it, you keep it yourself."
"Ice Armor is just an early-stage skill, and the drop rate isn't low. After tomorrow, you won't be able to trade it for food even if you want to."
Hearing this, the other side seemed to hesitate.
Maile ser asked doubtfully, "Are you telling the truth?"