Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Everything was ready.
All he had to do now was wait patiently for two hours, and he’d be enjoying the delicious Beggar’s Chicken. Ed didn’t mind the wait. After he’d spent so long preparing, what’s another two hours?
The only pity was that he lacked seasoning. If only he could get his hands on some seasoning, he knew for a fact that he would have been able to make the meal taste better.
However, he wasn’t picky. In this world, it was already a blessing to be able to have a full meal. He didn’t dare to ask for anything else.
Ed wasn’t idle as he waited. He opened up the chat interface, curious as to how the others were faring.
Lines of text arranged in bullet-points flashed through the screen in his mind.
“I can’t take it anymore. I’ve been chopping with this broken axe for four hours. The tree still hasn’t fallen, and my hands are worn out.”
“That’s not even that bad. I’ve been chopping for half a day… I just want a drink of water!”
“Is there anyone who wants to hire labor? I’m strong, I just need some water to drink!”
“Selling wood, only accepting water and food.”
“A word of advice, the trees can’t be eaten. The bark is hard to chew, my lips are bleeding!”
“I’m sick of talking, I’m so hungry I can’t stand it anymore. I’m going into the forest to look for food.”
After skimming through the general content, Ed switched off the chat interface.
From what he could tell, it seemed that there weren’t many who had successfully cut down a tree using that old stone axe. That axe had indeed been quite useless.
Just as he had guessed, the things that most were lacking were food and water.
The people who had successfully cut down a tree obtained some wood and leaves, which they were attempting to use for trade. Unlike Ed, most weren’t able to clear numerous trees in a single swing. It could almost be said that he had obtained too advantageous a position.
There were also some who had grown so hungry that they were on the verge of breakdown. They were intent on wandering into the forest to seek a better chance of survival. Of course, this would be extremely risky. No one knew yet what kind of danger was hiding in the forest.
All they knew from that ancient voice’s warning was that the forest would become even more terrifying at night.
Simply wandering around the forest at this point was courting death. The dangers were still unknown. If it had been him, Ed would have opted to wait for dawn to break before entering the forest, even if he was on an empty stomach. That would’ve obviously been the safer option.
He recalled the ancient voice ringing in his ears.
Ed felt a little strange, as if something was off.
There had been at least a few billion people living in his world previously. Yet here, he had only noticed a few people talking in the chat interface, which seemed unusual. Regardless of how many people had actually been brought here, it couldn’t have been such a pitiful number.
Wasn’t anyone worried that something strange was happening?
He came to the conclusion that this chat interface was only allocated for a small portion of the people who were here. To put it simply, the survivors had been divided into groups and not everyone was connected. Maybe the intention was to connect them all when the time was right, or it could also be that they were not meant to be connected at all.
Rumble…
Ed patted his stomach. He had not eaten anything for almost a whole day, and it looked like it would be a while longer before the Beggar’s Chicken was done cooking.
He suddenly remembered that he had gotten an apple from a tree he had cut down today.
With only thought, a red apple materialized in his palm. Judging from its appearance, Ed had a feeling that it would be delicious. He decided to eat this first to subdue his hunger a little.
Just as he was about to start eating, a message flashed in his mind.
[ Apple: Very sweet. It can quench thirst and replenish nutrition. It can also resist some diseases. It is essential when exploring the wilderness. ]
This description somewhat surprised Ed.
Who knew an apple could have such bonuses? The effect of resisting diseases would be a valuable one. In this environment, contracting a disease would be analogous to a death sentence.
“It’s quite delicious.”
Ed thought to himself as he took a bite of the apple, chewing slowly.
It was sweet and full of moisture. Not only did it taste great, it was also fragrant and had a crisp texture. In no more than a minute, it was all but gone, leaving behind only an apple core. He buried it in the soil.
After finishing the apple, Ed unconsciously turned his gaze to the chicken tied up by the side.
Cluck! Cluck!
Noticing his hungry eyes fixated on it, the chicken flapped its wings in panic.
[ Forest Chicken: It can fill your stomach. After eating its meat, you will feel a strength increase. ]
Oh!
It really did have an attribute bonus.
Ed’s gaze toward the chicken grew more and more sinister.
Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!
The chicken became even more terrified, with a few feathers even falling off its body.
It had just witnessed its own kind being killed by this person, who had buried its guts in the ground.
Ed was deep in thought as he pondered how he would prepare this chicken. After all, the first one was already enough for a meal.
Ed opened the trading interface with a thought, finding that the initially empty interface had now been filled up. There was a slider on the side of the page, similar to what he was used to.
Ed began to move it casually.
Most of the listings were attempting to exchange necessities such as water and food.
“Eh!”
An interesting deal had unexpectedly caught his attention.
[ Barbeque Forging Diagram: Exchange 70kg of food, 10 liters of water, knife. ]
Ed had realized a while ago that the gray squares in the forging interface hid equipment that could not be made without first unlocking the appropriate blueprints. He had not expected that there would be someone lucky enough to obtain such a blueprint in less than a day.
“It’s a Gold-quality blueprint…”
Ed mumbled to himself, noticing a faint yellow glow emanating from around the blueprint.
That was what had really attracted him.
It was a Gold-quality item!
A grill was something that Ed needed at the moment. After all, everything can be grilled!
It would be convenient as well, unlike a bonfire that cannot be moved.
If he had the grill, he’d be able to eat whatever he desired at any time and place. It was almost as if this thing had appeared before him just when he needed it.
However, Ed did not contact this person immediately. After all, the sky was not yet completely dark. The seller would most likely grow more desperate as they got hungrier at night. After all, since they had set such a high price, Ed was not worried about it being snatched away.
He would contact this person later, and the price would definitely be much cheaper than before.