NOVEL NEXT chapter 132 - Summer, Day 24 05
Most players wanted to buy furniture. After all, if they wanted to improve their Reef Base living environment, furniture was essential. It also increased Reef Rating, something every player needed to work on.
The Oasis furniture stall was running a promotion: buy three, get one free; spend 5,000 Sand Coins and receive a free succulent potted plant.
Succulent pots were also sold separately at 200 Sand Coins each, worth 3 Reef Rating points, stackable up to ten.
When Yun Luohe’s turn came, she immediately bought twenty.
Each one was a random variety, colors varied, translucent and plump, very cute.
These succulents alone would give her Reef Base +30 Rating, extremely cost-effective.
She planned to give ten of them to Yu Chenjin.
Later, when things calmed down and she set up her stall again, she’d trade them to him.
The stall carried all kinds of potted plants, but also a wide array of other items. Yun Luohe took a liking to a leather sofa, a crystal chandelier, a wind chime made of shell-glass feathers, and a beautiful dreamcatcher.
Unfortunately, her Sand Coins weren’t plentiful anymore. Buying that coat earlier had cost her more than half of her funds, so she had to pace herself—there were still several stalls left to visit.
The leather sofa was too expensive. A fabric sofa had the same Rating value, and while the leather one looked more luxurious, the comfort difference wasn’t guaranteed, yet its price was more than double.
Calculations showed she needed at least three decorative items and two functional pieces of furniture to reach the upgrade threshold.
She finally settled on a rattan-fabric sofa set, two shell nightstands, the chandelier, the dreamcatcher, and a tidal wall clock.
That purchase alone cost 10,000 Sand Coins.
The tidal wall clock could keep precise time. Although the system interface always displayed the hour, the clock chimed every hour, boosting her work efficiency.
For example, if some tool on her workbench required one hour of processing, she could be busy elsewhere. When the clock chimed, she’d know to return and replace the materials to ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) start the next production.
There were also extremely expensive furniture pieces with special effects—completely beyond her means.
For example:
[Woven Starry Sky Hammock: 50,000 Sand Coins
Effect: Warm in winter, cool in summer, ultimate comfort. With the complete Starry Sky set, meteor shower event probability increases by 30%.]
[Shell Preservation Cabinet: 20,000 Sand Coins
Effect: Built from giant clam shells and pearl shell. Prevents radiation spoilage of stored materials. Capacity: 200 slots.]
…
Next, Yun Luohe arrived at the pet stall.
She hadn’t expected to buy anything here.
But the long line made her suspicious.
“Don’t tell me there are great finds here too?”
This night market seemed packed with treasures.
Compared to the last auction, items with fixed prices were far easier to acquire.
After waiting twenty minutes, it was finally her turn.
Most players only got a minute at the stall, but Yun Luohe often spent half an hour, likely because of system settings.
She had overheard earlier that anyone exceeding thirty-five minutes would be prompted by the vendor to hurry up.
She opened the product list—
Her eyes lit up instantly.
No wonder the line was so long! Everyone leaving looked completely satisfied.
Items:
Sand Lizard Larva: 5,000 Sand Coins. Grows into a creature that detects underground water sources, marks hidden mineral veins within 50m radius.
Care: Feed 1 Sandworm Meat daily. Grows up in 15 days.
Fluorescent Octopus Juvenile: 5,000 Sand Coins. Provides underwater lighting and repels enemies.
Care: Requires 100L seawater tank. Feed fish eggs daily.
Care: Requires contract and a high-temperature habitat.
Albatross Chick: 10,000 Sand Coins. Once grown, can transport resources long distance, deliver letters, and scout terrain from the air.
Care: Requires contract and construction of a high-altitude nest.
…
There were more than ten pet types. Some required contracts, but most did not—making them low-maintenance purchases.
Besides the exotic creatures, there were livestock: chickens, ducks, geese, cattle, sheep, rabbits. But their prices were no joke—sometimes higher than the special creatures. Even a chick cost 2,000 Sand Coins.
Not worth it! She’d rather hatch them with her incubator.
Yun Luohe studied the stall for a long time, spending the most time here.
In the end, she nearly spent all her remaining Sand Coins, buying one Sand Lizard Larva and a cluster of luminous jellyfish. The luminous jellyfish differed from fluorescent jellyfish—the two had separate functions.
They were very demanding, needing a constant-temperature oversized tank, inconvenient to carry around. Still, they could purify radiation. Anything that countered radiation was invaluable, so she bought them anyway.
She was tempted by the Lava Turtle—it would’ve been hugely useful. But she simply didn’t have enough coins.
…
She had planned to save some for divination, but with stalls still left to visit, she decided to try the Balloon Shooting first. At least it gave a chance to win more.
Finally, in the last half hour, Yun Luohe reached the divination stall.
The fortune-teller was a long-haired woman in a violet robe. When she saw Yun Luohe, she placed a crystal ball before her.
Yun Luohe had intended to ask about [Thunderstorm Stones], but then thought better of it. This was a rare opportunity—she should ask something more important.
She paid the fee and asked, “I want to know what disasters will happen in autumn and winter.”
The fortune-teller’s expression changed. She pressed both hands on the crystal ball.
The clear sphere immediately filled with dense black mist.
“This question seems… interfered with by some powerful force,” she murmured.
“Then can there still be an answer?”
Yun Luohe’s face grew grave.
“I’ll try again.”
She stared unblinking at the crystal ball, but only fog swirled inside.
Time dragged on. Just when Yun Luohe thought the system would block her from receiving an answer, the fortune-teller spoke:
“In autumn, a black sun will cover the land. The wind will carry shadows that devour all things.”
Yun Luohe blinked. What did that mean?
She couldn’t understand a word.
The woman went on, “In winter, all things freeze. Frost and wind will become blades. Beasts will rule the world.”
That she could understand.
Obviously, winter’s disaster was bitter cold and giant beasts.
But autumn…
She wanted to ask again, but the fortune-teller shook her head with a frown. “I’ve answered your question. You may go.”
“…”
Fine.
The clue was “black sun” and “shadows that devour all things.”
She would have to ask the others later. Better to brainstorm together than guess alone.
Leaving the divination stall, Yun Luohe set up her own stall again to trade with Yu Chenjin. She gave him ten succulents, plus some food and drinks she had reserved for him.
To her surprise, Yu Chenjin had things for her as well.
[Received resources from Yu Chenjin — Lemon ×20, Corn ×30, Watermelon ×8, Cucumber ×20, Cabbage ×10, Potato ×10, Banana ×9, Pudding ×10, Cheese ×10, Milk ×18, Apple ×20, Fire Pepper ×3, Oatmeal ×2, Spicy Strips ×2, Instant Noodles ×5, Moisturizing Spray ×1, Hydrating Repair Face Mask ×10, Hand Cream ×1, Body Lotion ×1, Lavender Essential Oil ×1, White Magnolia Seeds ×1…]
“And this too…”
Yu Chenjin pulled out a small packet and handed it over. “A candy I made.”
The packet was tied with dried palm leaves. Inside was a red fruit candy coated with shredded coconut, glowing faintly in the lamplight.
“Try it.”
Yun Luohe stared. “Why are you giving me so much?!”
“Most are ingredients. You’ll find them more useful.”
He had bought many foodstuffs earlier from another player stall. They weren’t of much use to him, so he gave them all to her.
The rest were odds and ends he thought Yun Luohe might need. They weren’t expensive, but together they had nearly emptied his Sand Coins.
Yun Luohe instantly felt what she had given him wasn’t nearly enough.
“You’re too generous… but I don’t really have anything else for you. How about I give you some Magnets? I’ve already gathered enough for my upgrade.”
Yu Chenjin shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. There’s still time. Use those Magnets to trade for something else.”
He knew she hadn’t had a chance to visit many other player stalls yet. She probably had more she wanted to buy.
“Then tomorrow, when we meet in the desert, I’ll bring you something,” Yun Luohe said.
“I’ve checked most of the player stalls already. Tell me what you want to buy, I’ll take you.”
“The basics I don’t need. I want to find special resources, or electronics I can modify.”
“There’s a stall that might have what you want. But the owner’s… unusual. He trades only for items he personally fancies. If he likes what you offer, he’ll exchange. If not, he sends you away.”
“That sounds interesting. Let’s go check it out.”
The two headed for the player stalls.
Half an hour remained in the night market. Her prime stall spot from earlier had already been taken.
Several stall names immediately caught her eye:
Professional Blacksmith’s Stall, Rare Ore Trading, Pet Lover’s Stand.
All run by skilled players! No wonder they were crowded. Many must’ve set up later, after first shopping the NPC stalls—completely offset from her own schedule.
With only half an hour left, she had to move quickly.
They split up: Yun Luohe went to the blacksmith stall, Yu Chenjin to the ore stall.
They agreed to meet at the pet stall afterward.
At the blacksmith stall, Yun Luohe spotted arrows with shark-tooth heads.
She happened to have a few herself, but arrows often got lost or worn down. Stocking up was wise, and shark teeth weren’t easy to come by.
The stall owner wanted Magnets. Yun Luohe had plenty, so she haggled and traded directly.
Aside from those, only some toolkits looked mildly useful. Weapons she didn’t need—she had better ones already, and Yang Mian was a professional blacksmith himself. She had no need to buy others’ blades.
When she reached the pet stall, Yu Chenjin had arrived too. He had bought some rare ores—pricey, and with unclear uses, but worth keeping.
The Pet Lover’s Stand sold only pet snacks. Feeding them boosted pet intimacy, sometimes even hastened evolutions.
But not all pets ate the same things.
For example, there were plant-pet treats like Photosynthesis Biscuits:
[Photosynthesis Biscuits: Gel extracted from jungle plants, mixed with fresh petals. Effect: +15 intimacy, accelerates sunlight absorption upgrade, 10% chance to trigger Vine Entangle skill with long-term use.]
There were also Dew Beads: morning dew collected between 5–6 AM, mixed with mosses. Reduced plant pets’ water loss, raised intimacy, with a chance to unlock healing skills.
For birds, there were nut crisps and dried fruit mixes.
Yun Luohe needed cat treats and insect treats.
These all required upgrade materials for barter: at least 20 per snack, up to 50 for the pricier ones.
She bought five kinds, ten each: salmon strips, mint meatballs, bone-calcium chew sticks, queen-pheromone syrup, and resin-amber candy.
The cost stung, but feeding Roubao and Yúntūn would bring great benefits.
Then the two walked deeper into the market. Fewer and fewer stalls appeared.
“Here,” Yu Chenjin said, stopping at one. The stall owner was a man in a straw hat.
Yun Luohe reached for the product list, but the man said, “No need to check. Nothing’s listed. Too many items, I keep them here.”
He pulled up a cloth sack from under the stall. Inside was a jumble of rusty circuit boards, broken watches, half solar panels, busted radio parts, and a few copper pipes.
Yun Luohe gaped. “That many?!”
The man spread his hands. “Good luck. Every shell I opened, every dig I did—it all came out like this.”