Chapter 68 A life of borrowing is either repairing a ship, or the road leading to repairing a ship…
After the supply crates were all swallowed up, the sea surface became much emptier, and the sea breeze stirred up waves of green.
Calm and peaceful, I rest my chin on my hand. The green water is quite nice; it brings me peace of mind. But if I drifted into a red sea, the sight of the blood-red tide would be infuriating!
Ships submerged in water are also slowly corroded. Although it may seem insignificant, a statistical analysis of the efficiency will show that the rate of wear and tear is no less than that caused by a storm.
Some have summarized the characteristics of disasters that occur during maritime survival: either the ship is severely worn out, or it is only moderately worn out.
In short, you're either repairing the ship or on your way to repair it. Later on, when the ship's level is high, repairing it once can be so painful that it'll break your heart.
Shen Dixin was staring at the sea with a bitter and resentful look. Fortunately, it had a protective shell installed. Although it was expensive to install, it was really effective in delaying the wear and tear.
The seawater was a dark green with a hint of translucency. Shen Dixin vaguely felt that the players were frogs being boiled in a giant pot by a witch! It seemed calm and still, but in reality, it was being secretly heated.
On a sudden impulse, she reached out and touched the water, intending to test just how potent the poison was.
[Corrosion: Loses 10 health points per minute, duration 59 seconds remaining.]
Upon initial contact, a layer of [corrosion] forms on the body, and the layer increases by one for every additional minute of contact.
With half her health remaining, Shen Dixin stopped attacking; at this point, she already had eight layers of corrosion on her body.
【Corrosion (8): Loses 80 health points per minute, duration 1 minute 52 seconds remaining.】
She clicked her tongue in amazement. Even with over 400 health points, it couldn't withstand five minutes of tidal corrosion. If other players fell into the water... they'd be lucky to escape with their lives.
So, what's the underlying principle? Is it simply the erosion of toxins, or is it that every second you're surrounded by water, unseen creatures are gnawing at your body?
Alas--
Chen Dixin was disgusted by his own imagination, so he shook his head and got back to work.
Since we can't fish or retrieve supplies, the number of jobs available has suddenly decreased.
It wasn't just her; the chat channel was unusually lively today because, apart from farmers and chefs, other professions couldn't work normally, and even quite a few mediocre part-time chefs/farmers were born.
Shen Dixin felt like a headless fly, unable to stay still at all. Should she ask Coffee for something to plant... or maybe she should just go for a stroll on the island!
During the red tide, the island is the primary source of income, and since there are no supply boxes, there's no need to worry about missing out on supplies while on the island!
...Although it's not a good thing.
Let's get started! Luckily, I've accumulated six Navigator Cards these past few days, thanks to a lucky critical hit.
Shen Dixin took out the navigation card and tried it once in each of the opposite directions. The card required confirmation after the location was pre-selected, and it could be changed twice. It was particularly convenient for finding islands. She immediately found an island that was only one block away.
In the group chat, someone asked me to roll a die, and she quickly reported the result: 1.
The four of them fell into deep thought. 1 o'clock? What would such a terrible island be used for?
You might not want to go if it's below 5 o'clock, but 1 o'clock, I'll try it out and see how it goes.
The probability of each number rolled on a die is not average; the probability of rolling the middle number is much better. I can count the number of times I've rolled a number like 1, 2, or 18 on one hand.
"I want to go and see, what about you?"
Chen Dixin broke the silence first, asking questions with great adventurous spirit.
“I’ll go too.” Lu Mingang followed closely behind.
"I'll go up and see just how bad it is." Coffee, squinting as she bent over the pot catching bugs from the cabbage, replied in just a couple of seconds, "Ouch! My cabbage's been eaten!"
"You all went, you can't just leave me behind, and there's nothing to do anyway." My luck is good because I have nothing to do, so I might as well treat this as a gathering!
Raising Gu worms is one thing, but it's incredibly worry-free. She's even more laid-back now than when she was a sailor.
Having reached a consensus, the group began preparing their luggage for the island. Although most of them didn't need much packing, which person in the sea survival business didn't have a specially prepared equipment pack for the island?
"Dixin, shall we bring some purple dishes with us?"
Lu Mingang leaned forward to ask questions. Although he had cooked the dishes, he knew very well who controlled the resources on the ship.
This is also a major reason why Shen Dixin has been able to get along with him for so long without any conflicts. While he is naive, he has his own set of principles for dealing with things.
Shen Dixin glanced at the dishes Lu Mingang had recently prepared. Lu Mingang's career path had reached a new milestone: [Daily Plan: The quality of the first five dishes prepared each day increases by 20%.]
With this milestone in mind, he was reluctant to spend purple ingredients unless absolutely necessary, and only made the first five dishes each day. Fortunately, most of the ingredients he collected later were of the same type, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to store them.
So after these few days, apart from the dishes they've already used up, they have a total of eight dishes left.
Lu Mingang had a slight understanding of the secrets of the entries, and the dishes he made had very practical buffs.
"Bring all six items." Shen Dixin ordered some fish porridge and assorted fish skewers, which were quick to eat and didn't require any other utensils.
They had made thorough preparations, but the moment they set foot on the island, they all clutched their heads in anguish.
Can this small mound, which seems to have a radius of less than two meters, smaller than their boat, and almost completely submerged by the sea, really be considered an island?
The four of them stood awkwardly on top, surrounding the crying, pale-faced child sitting in the middle, as if collecting protection money.
So they all squatted down again, at least to look as tall as the child.
"Again, someone else is coming. Let's go back. As you can see, my island is going to sink." The child sobbed and looked up, only to find himself surrounded on all sides. He hiccuped in fright.
It was obvious that there was nothing of value here, and even the ground beneath their feet was barren sandy soil.
To show her friendliness, Shen Dixin fed him a skewer of mushrooms, asking, "Why aren't you leaving?"
Even a small person with such a vivid expression must possess considerable strength and can leave whenever they wish.
"Many of my relatives are buried down there, and I have to stay here." The pale-faced man chewed on a skewer of mushrooms. "You're such a good person, but I don't really like mushrooms. Do you have anything else?"
With a calm and virtuous heart, he handed over a string of cucumbers.
"I don't like cucumbers either. Are there any other kinds?"
--carrot.
"……dislike"
--cabbage.
"……dislike."
Shen Dixin suddenly realized that this island had been criticized by many people.
A crying child sat there, asking for things both openly and secretly. I gave him a bunch of things, thinking I was about to trigger a hidden quest, but all I got was a delivery quest with no follow-up or reward.
Calmness gradually hardened his resolve; he was already here!
The three teammates were bored, so they started chatting in the group.
Coffee or Tea: Hey Xiaoyun, your dice are so accurate! You didn't lie at all; you gave me exactly what I wanted.
Luck is on my side: Oh well, let's treat this as a picnic. Even though our squatting position looks like a multi-row toilet.
My name was difficult to pronounce, but after we got to know each other, it started to sound like "Yun" in Chinese. The two sisters called her Xiao Yun, while Lu Mingang called her Sister Yun.
The seniority system in the team is quite messed up. Lu Mingang calls Shen Dixin by her name, while Yunshi calls me "sister," so Shen Dixin is everyone's "sister."
AAA Building Materials Wholesaler Xiaoming: I feel like Dixin is manipulating things. How much have they fed them? Normally, pale-faced people don't eat this much.
Lu Mingang spoke with reason and evidence; indeed, the amount of food he brought was enough to sell to two or three pale-faced people.
After taking enough food for five people, the child finally stopped. He stared intently at Chen Dixin and said, "Can you help me find someone? Give this letter to him; the photo is in the envelope."
Shen Dixin readily agreed and left after achieving her goal. As she boarded the ship, she inexplicably glanced back.
She saw that the child in the mist had not started eating what he wanted, but instead dug a hole in the center of the only remaining island.
After lunch, Chen Dixin opened the envelope; it was sealed with nothing.
Before opening the envelope, she was thinking that if the white-faced people, like them, once had their own planet, their technological development might not be as advanced as Earth's. Otherwise, why would everyone like envelopes and handwritten notes so much?
She laughed after opening it. This sea is so small. She ran into many familiar faces. Isn't the listless little girl in the photo supposed to be azure?
Knowing it was azure, Chen Dixin didn't rummage through the remaining items, but instead put them away untouched, planning to give them to her again during the next professional assessment.
"Dixin, it's all broken."
Lu Mingang was somewhat troubled, pointing to a long wooden plank that they usually used as a passage to the island. It had been covered with water earlier and had been completely corroded in a short time.
These are building materials they secretly obtained from the one-eyed captain's house; it's hard to find such long and sturdy planks elsewhere.
"If it's broken, just throw it away. You can do it. You can only jump six or seven meters up and down the island at most. A running start is all it takes."
Shen Dixin patted his shoulder reassuringly. Players who are new to attribute enhancement tend to underestimate themselves and give themselves the mental suggestion that they can't do it.
In reality, players who have been given extra points in the game are at a superhuman level. They can jump more than 10 meters, let alone 6 or 7 meters.
Lu Mingang nodded hesitantly, choosing to believe.
Shen Dixin mentioned in the group that the Red Tide was ineffective against cinnabar, mainly to remind me that my luck was in my hands, and that her Gu worms should also be able to feed on plankton.
A moment later, I burst into laughter, hands on my hips. She really can eat! Her insects swim around in the water a few times and the water becomes clear. This isn't a disaster; it's a treasure trove tailor-made for her!
After finally cultivating the first batch of Gu worms, I was lucky enough to give each of my partners ten, and Lu Mingang gave me an extra twenty. Not only does the water purifier need seawater, but he also needs a lot to clean the kitchen utensils.
My luck is on my side: if you need more, just ask me! Hehe, I'm going to turn the tables and make a killing!
Shen Dixin stared at the black Gu worm in the small bottle. It looked like a ladybug, plump and harmless.
【Item Name: Ghost Gu】
Item Quality: Green
[Item Description: One of the weakest Gu worms, it is of no use other than for intelligence gathering.]
They can live for three days if no orders are given, but they will die once they complete their tasks if they are required to work.
They were thriving, and the other players had already sensed the danger lurking beneath the calm surface of the Red Tide.
King of Salted Fish: Why can't we fish?! Ugh, I'm so angry!!
Balloon Gifts: That's it... Only two bottles of water left. I did stock up on a lot based on the guide, but I impulsively exchanged them all for accessories.
King Hurry: You're so clever! Can you guess why he used his ornaments to exchange for water?
Thousand-Layer Cake: That scared me to death! You guys have to be careful of the seawater! Don't touch it at all. I just saw a player accidentally fall into the sea and disappear in two minutes.
Gray: I can only rely on borrowing supplies from the big shots to survive. I used to have a mortgage and car loan to pay off, and now I still have to pay the loan every week. What kind of life am I living?
Not hardship, but a bitter life: My life of borrowing money
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