How to Light Your Shelter Without an Oil Lamp
[Qin Lang: Both [Frostbolt] and [Raise Shield] say my class doesn't meet the requirements. We think Class Change will become available after reaching a certain level.]
[Su Luo: Okay.]
Su Luo eagerly immersed his mind in the text and illustrations of [Basic Body-Strengthening Technique], losing himself in it...
As time passed, the survivors discovered that one unit of Lamp Oil, as identified by the system, burned for exactly one hour under normal conditions.
When their initial six hours of lighting ran out, the survivors fell into two groups: one clutched the fresh Lamp Oil they had scavenged or traded for, while the other anxiously sought trades in the dark.
The price of one unit of Lamp Oil soared from half a loaf of bread or one unit of wood to a terrifying level.
Just then, a trade listing quietly appeared in the Survivor Plaza.
[Seller: Ye Xu]
[For sale: Lamp Oil (large quantity)]
[Wanted: wood, stone, water, Skill Books... highest bidder wins.]
The quantity was enormous, and as soon as the listing went up, trades exploded.
The Regional Channel immediately erupted with curses and pleas.
[Fuck! Ye Xu, are you fucking robbing us? Three units of wood for one unit of oil?]
[Fuck you...]
[Goddammit, Ye Xu, why is your Lamp Oil so expensive?!]
[Ye Xu: If you can't afford it, don't buy it. It's always been this price all these years. Private message me if you have Skill Books; the price is negotiable.]
Qin Lang frowned at the rapidly updating trade records in the Survivor Plaza.
"Where did this hoarder pop up from? The organization just warned people not to gouge prices."
Personal channel.
[Qin Lang: Hello, Mr. Ye. I bring you greetings on behalf of the Zone 76 Mutual Aid Association.]
Ye Xu's reply appeared after a short wait.
[Ye Xu: Mm. The Mutual Aid Association? Interesting. What is it?]
[Qin Lang: Mr. Ye, we noticed you're selling a large quantity of Lamp Oil. At a time like this, it's much-needed help. We'd like to ask whether you've discovered a reliable way to obtain Lamp Oil. Or perhaps... you have a relevant Talent or a method of making it?]
[Ye Xu: A way? You could say that. As for the specifics, I don't think I'm obliged to report them to your association. I'm just conducting normal trades, aren't I?]
[Qin Lang: You're right. We have no intention of prying into your secrets. We only hope to establish a reliable supply channel. Your current pricing... has already caused some panic. Our association's purpose is to unite survivors and get through this crisis together. We're willing to buy a portion of your output on a long-term basis at a fairer price, one that won't leave you shortchanged.]
[Ye Xu: Panic? (smiley face) Scarcity drives up prices, Mr. Qin. They're the ones who need my Lamp Oil right now, not the other way around. I don't need to beg them to buy it. As for long-term cooperation...]
[Ye Xu: Monster intelligence, terrain scouting, rare materials, Skill Books, special intelligence...]
[Qin Lang: That can be arranged, but...]
Su Luo looked away from the chat window.
[Basic Body-Strengthening Technique level 1 (0/100)]
[You seem to have... grown stronger]
[Constitution +0.1]
This book was also divided into twenty chapters, mainly covering exercise methods and Constitution enhancement.
Su Luo had just learned the exercise method in the first chapter and had yet to try it. When the skill leveled up, the system added to his Constitution.
"?"
A faint but distinct warmth appeared out of nowhere and spread through his limbs and bones. The next second, however, an intense hollowness and hunger surged up from deep within his cells, making his vision darken slightly.
"So leveling up a skill like this can skip the exercise and give me the results directly?"
The skill Su Luo had learned on his own was no different from one other people learned from a Skill Book, except that he also had the knowledge contained in the skill itself.
"No, I can also keep exercising using the methods in the Skill Book and continue improving my Constitution."
"But other survivors use the exercise methods when grinding experience too. Can they increase their Constitution during that process?"
He rubbed his rumbling stomach. The energy the system used to increase Constitution was clearly supplied by the survivor himself, and Su Luo suddenly felt a powerful hunger.
"Gurgle..." The rumbling in his stomach brought him back to reality. He spent another hour reading most of the second chapter, stopping just short of the next experience threshold.
[Basic Body-Strengthening Technique level 1 (95/100)]
I can't read any more. If I do, I'll starve to death.
Su Luo stopped and opened the [Meditation] Skill Book instead.
"Why is it so lively?" Su Luo spent some time looking through the rapidly updating messages in the Regional Channel and forum, learning what had happened.
A survivor named Ye Xu was selling Lamp Oil at an exorbitant price and had traded at least two thousand units in total. Those who had bought it were cursing him for ripping them off, and those who hadn't bought any were cursing him too.
[Fuck Ye Xu, may his son be born without an asshole! The forum valued the Skill Book I got as a drop at at least 100 Lamp Oil, but he squeezed me down to 50!]
[Then why did you sell it?]
[...I-I'm afraid of the dark!]
At present, the oil lamp was the only light source for most survivors. The wood collected outside simply wouldn't catch fire, as though it weren't allowed to burn.
Lamp Oil was consumed extremely quickly, at one unit per hour. There was almost no spare Lamp Oil on the market, so whenever any appeared, it was quickly traded away.
Many survivors were still in the dark.
Even inside their safe Sanctuaries, the darkness still drove people mad. The survivors couldn't bear it.
Moreover, without a light source, they couldn't go out exploring. They could only consume resources without replenishing them, trapping themselves in a vicious cycle.
Suddenly, Ye Xu's listing, which had the highest trading volume on the market, was pushed down and replaced by another whose trading volume kept climbing.
[Free Firestarter]
[Unlimited quantity]
[Note: See the post "How to light your shelter without an oil lamp"]
The Mutual Aid Association had stepped in, distributing free Tinder on the market for starting fires.
Su Luo opened the association's newly published post.
[As everyone knows, this place has strange physical laws. The wood, cloth, weeds, and other materials we collect can't burn, which means they can't provide light.]
[And the vast majority of players don't have a relevant Talent that can provide light either.]
[Oil lamps seem to be the only source of light.]
[But in fact, some players who are good at exploring have already discovered...]
[Our houses can burn!]
[With the seven-day safety period, it doesn't really matter whether the house itself is damaged. Monsters won't attack Sanctuaries, so as long as we don't completely destroy the house, we can burn it without worry.]
[But whatever you do, don't set it directly on fire!]
[This post will guide you step by step on how to quickly and economically dismantle a Thatched Hut or another type of Sanctuary, then burn the materials separately to provide light...]
[In summary, while preserving the main structure of the house, the parts dismantled can burn for approximately 30 hours.]
[The Mutual Aid Association has provided free Tinder. Please follow the guide, put safety first, and let's get through this crisis together!]
The comments rolled in.
[Thank you, Mutual Aid Association!]
[Why didn't you say so earlier? I just set mine on fire!]
[Haha, what kind of loser needs to burn their own Sanctuary...]
Su Luo nodded slightly. The Mutual Aid Association was indeed getting things done, and its methods were clever: it had gained an enormous amount of prestige in one stroke.
Putting it out of his mind, Su Luo opened [Meditation].