Starting With a Reef [Global Survival]

Yun Luohe chuckled. This wasn’t some planted shill, but in a way, that person had indeed helped her close the deal.
She finished the trade with the twin-tailed girl first, then tallied the prices of the food she had left and quoted a total.
The short, stocky man was taken aback. “That expensive!”
Yun Luohe smiled. “It isn’t cheap. You can think it over, or buy less for now. If you don’t have enough Sand Coins, you can make up the difference with other supplies. It’s all written there.”
She had brought a sizable amount of food this time. If all of it was exchanged purely for Sand Coins, the total would reach at least thirty thousand.
Even if paid with other supplies, it would still amount to quite a sum.
“Are you buying or not? If you’re not, then let me buy. I’ve been waiting forever.”
Someone further back in line urged impatiently.
The short man turned and glared. “Of course I’m buying.”
He sorted through the goods he’d brought this trip, then opened Yun Luohe’s product list and carefully made his selections.
It took him another five minutes before he finally finished.
Although he didn’t buy everything like he had originally intended, he still purchased about a third.
Yun Luohe earned a large profit.
She received 8,000 Sand Coins, 200 Copper Ore, and 100 Magnets.
And the man especially loved the Honey Cheese Cookies—he outright bought all thirty boxes she had.
Yun Luohe quickly picked up the Calling Horn and changed her sales pitch, removing Honey Cheese Cookies.
When the others saw someone buying in such bulk, their shopping enthusiasm caught fire as well.
Crowds gathered at Yun Luohe’s stall, people queued constantly, and every passerby came to take a look. On top of that, with her Calling Horn advertising, her stall became the liveliest in the entire night market—even more packed than the NPC stalls.
After a dozen more sales in a row, another major customer appeared.
Yun Luohe immediately recognized them—it was the mysterious player who had bought the Desert Ruins Map before.
Xu Qi froze for a moment upon seeing Yun Luohe, realizing she was the one who had refused her invitation earlier.
But after waiting in line so long, Xu Qi didn’t waste words. She simply opened the product list and began picking out what she wanted.
By now, over an hour had passed since the night market began. Most of the food was already gone, leaving only a few expensive high-grade cooking dishes:
Mashed Potato Salad ×13
Lobster Risotto ×18
Mushroom Soup ×21
Salad: 200 Sand Coins/portion
Risotto: 400 Sand Coins/portion
Soup: 250 Sand Coins/portion
Xu Qi didn’t even blink and bought them all.
The total came to 15,000 Sand Coins. She paid over 8,000 in coins, making up the rest with electronic parts and upgrade materials.
Once the trade succeeded, Yun Luohe watched her Sand Coin balance climb. The numbers ticked upward for a full minute before stopping.
And after sweeping up the dishes, Xu Qi’s gaze fell on other goods Yun Luohe had brought.
This time, Yun Luohe had also brought some special tools: a Freeze-Dryer, Jam Barrels, Pickling Barrels, various potions, heat-resistance supplies, a Bat Glider, a lightning-avoidance device…
But she demanded furniture or high-grade décor in return.
Xu Qi examined them, then offered two dining ornaments in exchange for two Jam Barrels, and produced a beautiful potted plant in exchange for a few potions.
Yun Luohe was very pleased with the items, and already considered trading more with her.
After all, she still needed furniture and décor. Her Reef Rating was still short of what was required for an upgrade, but with enough, she could probably upgrade as soon as she got back.
She still had some good items in her backpack that weren’t yet on display. Taking advantage of Xu Qi still being there, she quickly pulled them out, set prices, listed them, and then smiled. “I just put up a few new items. Want to take a look?”
Xu Qi’s deep eyes sparkled as she checked, but then hesitation flickered across her face.
“Can I trade with something else instead?”
The Pearl Scale Armor Yun Luohe had just listed was extremely rare. Its defense stats weren’t especially high, but its underwater movement speed boost made it irresistible.
There was also the Night Stalker Knife. Its special effect was solid, and though it wasn’t Xu Qi’s usual weapon type, it was small, portable, and very useful for self-defense. She liked it at first sight.
The knife Yun Luohe had put up was her first discarded one—she had replaced it with a newer blade forged from Blue Crystal Ore. She had stashed the old one away and happened to bring it this time. If it could be traded for resources, it was no loss.
But what Yun Luohe asked for was [Thunderstorm Stones].
That was why Xu Qi hesitated.
She did have some, but she needed them too, and was actively searching for more. She couldn’t bear to trade them away.
Yun Luohe guessed she might have some but shook her head when Xu Qi refused.
She needed the stone desperately—just one more [Thunderstorm Stone] and she could repair the Damaged Thunderwhirl Trident.
If anyone was willing, she would trade both the Pearl Scale Armor and the Night Stalker Knife together for a single [Thunderstorm Stone].

That was more than fair.
Yun Luohe said, “No. The armor and knife for the Thunderstorm Stone. If you don’t want it, then I’ll wait and see if someone else does.”
If Xu Qi didn’t decide now, she’d have to requeue later—and who knew how long that would take?
There was no guarantee she’d be the only one with a [Thunderstorm Stone]. And even if others had one, what they offered might not be as valuable as Yun Luohe’s items.
Xu Qi sighed. A pity—but she gave up.
She wouldn’t trade it, and Yun Luohe was a little disappointed.
But there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t force a sale.
Besides, she had already made a fortune. When her stall emptied out, she could use her Sand Coins to buy from others.
She now had tens of thousands on hand—enough to spend lavishly. Just the thought made her grin.
—
An hour later.
Everything Yun Luohe had brought—food and tools alike—was sold out.
She was planning to browse the other players’ stalls. There were still more than two hours left in the night market, so time wasn’t tight.
But when she began packing up, players in line grew unhappy.
“No way! I’ve been waiting nearly half an hour, and now you’re just stopping?”
Yun Luohe sighed. “Sorry. I’m sold out.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Yeah! Why not tell us, made us wait for nothing!”
Yun Luohe said, “I announced it on the Calling Horn a while back.”
All her food had been gone for some time, and her Calling Horn message had been updated to say she was only trading for furniture, blueprints, or [Thunderstorm Stones].
She had waited another half hour with no [Thunderstorm Stone] trades before finally planning to pack up.
She hadn’t expected so many still waiting.
But at this point, there wasn’t much left in her backpack worth trading. No point in keeping the stall open.
The crowd pressed closer, unwilling to let her leave.
Yun Luohe thought she was in real trouble—until Liu Mazi arrived.
“Who’s causing trouble here? Anyone making trouble will be kicked out of the night market…”
He shouted through a loudspeaker.
The players who had been shouting fell silent immediately. They glared at Yun Luohe, but left reluctantly.
They had heard the Calling Horn announcements, but figured with such a long line and so many buyers, there would surely be good goods left. Maybe when it was their turn, they’d still get something. Surely the stall owner wouldn’t pack up with such a crowd waiting. But Yun Luohe really had sold out.
Yun Luohe looked gratefully at Liu Mazi, pulled some jerky from her backpack, and handed it to him. “A gift for you.”
“No need to be so polite.”
“It’s only right. Thanks for helping me last time too.”
She °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° meant when someone had caused her trouble and Liu Mazi had intervened. And tonight, he had done so again.
“So please accept it.”
“Actually, someone asked me to come.”
Liu Mazi pointed toward Yu Chenjin in the distance. “Wasn’t he with you last time too?”
Yun Luohe realized. So he must have seen her in trouble and asked Liu Mazi to help.
He really was sharp.
Either way, Liu Mazi accepted the gift, his wrinkled face bunching up into a broad grin.
As she turned to leave, she noticed a new heart icon over Liu Mazi’s head—his Favorability toward her had risen again.
“By the way, there’s something I’d like your help with.”
“What is it?”
“I have a younger brother, traveling around. He sent word that he’ll be entering the desert soon—maybe within days. If you happen to run into him, please give this to him.”
Liu Mazi dug into his pocket and pulled something out, handing it to her.
In her palm lay a bronze pendant wound with silver wire, an amber bead the size of a pecan dangling at its end.
The moment her fingers brushed its edge, the system prompt popped up:
【Hidden Quest Triggered: Token of the Desert Traveler】
Quest: Deliver Liu Mazi’s token to his younger brother, Liu Xiaoluo
Reward: Unknown
It didn’t seem like a hard quest, though whether she would encounter Liu Xiaoluo was uncertain. And the “unknown” reward was strange.
She nodded and accepted, carefully tucking the pendant into her backpack.
It was a quest—there was no refusing it.
Whether it could be completed was another matter, but she had to accept.
—
Soon after, Yun Luohe walked past the bustling stalls and reached Yu Chenjin.
“Well? After all this time, what did you get?”
Yu Chenjin said, “Won 1,200 Sand Coins at the Balloon Shooting. Only playable once. Then I tried a divination. Spent the rest on some supplies.”
“Not bad. Though 1,200 is a bit little. I made a lot this time. Tell me what you want, I’ll buy it for you.”
“No need. Private trades aren’t allowed.”
Yun Luohe had already thought it through. “That’s easy. Later I’ll set up my stall again, you use something trivial from your backpack to swap with me.”
A loophole, but still allowed.
Yu Chenjin had helped her many times, and she’d made a killing tonight—giving him something was only fair.
Hearing this, Yu Chenjin suddenly smiled.
“Have a look first. You could also try a divination. It’s accurate.”
“What did you ask?”
“About pets.”
“And what did the astrologer say?”
“That I’ll gain a Wolf Spider pet someday.”
Yun Luohe’s eyes lit up. “That’s accurate then. For 500 Sand Coins, not bad at all.”
Her interest was piqued.
But she didn’t rush. Better to finish shopping first, before time ran out.
There were still so many NPC stalls—it could take half a day to browse them all.
She started with the food stall, searching for spices and rare ingredients.
The NPC stalls all had names.
The food stall was called Happy Snacks.
After five minutes in line, she opened its trade list. Dozens of items filled the screen.
A floating banner read:
“Spend 1,000 Sand Coins to receive 10 × Grilled Sandworm Skewers free. Single purchase over 500 Sand Coins gets 10% off.”
Promotions too. Interesting.
Items:
Cactus Jelly — 20 Sand Coins (Cooling)
Sand Date Preserves — 20 Sand Coins (Stamina Boost)
…
Sea Buckthorn Juice — 30 Sand Coins (Strength Boost)
Grilled Sandworm Skewer — 30 Sand Coins (Radiation Resistance)
Flipping further, Yun Luohe noticed the skewers’ special effect.
Radiation resistance—she hadn’t seen any food with that effect before.
Her instincts told her they’d be useful, so she bought 50 at once.
Then, feeling it still wasn’t enough, added another 20.
Of course, the taste probably wouldn’t be great.
Being a snack stall, there were no spices.
Still, she stocked up on preserves and sweets, spending over 2,000 Sand Coins before leaving.
She then moved to the medicine stall, buying antidotes, serums, immunity pills, and random herbs with uncertain effects. She could always give them to Si Qi for research.
Next, she lingered at the clothing stall.
But here she bought nothing—the prices were outrageous!
All rare, high-grade apparel. Some gaudy and flashy, priced at 10,000 Sand Coins.
Others had incredible effects, but not one cost less than 20,000.
She browsed for ages, tempted by several pieces, but couldn’t bear to buy.
Luminous Cloak, Anti-Radiation Cape, Desert Traveler’s Hat, Sharkskin Diving Suit, Merman Star-Patterned Robe, Heatproof Gloves, Concealer’s Coat…
Each one made her heart race.
The Concealer’s Coat was practically made for her. At 30,000 Sand Coins, it was cheaper than the others. She gritted her teeth and bought it.
[Concealer’s Coat: Conceals presence according to terrain and environment, making detection difficult for a short time; also resistant to water, fire, and electricity.]
The most expensive was the Merman Star-Patterned Robe, worth 120,000.
Likely tied to the Merfolk Ruins, but far beyond her means. She could only look.
After finishing, she hurried to the furniture stall—her true necessity.
The line was long. It took fifteen minutes, and time was running short. Yun Luohe resolved not to hesitate here the way she had at the clothing stall. She would