Gambler's Coin

Ling Chu raised an eyebrow. Was this guy threatening her?

"Sure. That depends on whether you're capable of backing it up."

When Invincible and Handsome saw Ling Chu's reply, his face darkened at once.

He really didn't know what was good for him.

He was a pirate, sure, but he didn't have any item that could track players. He'd only been trying to scare Ling Chu.

He silently memorized Ling Chu's ID, thinking that if they ever crossed paths on the sea routes, he'd not only rob her but make sure she regretted it.

Ling Chu memorized his ID too. This guy was so eager to let the whole world know he was a pirate, and so arrogant in the way he acted, that he might die in some forgotten corner before he ever ran into her.

She didn't take the threat from trash like him seriously. She didn't believe he had a tracking item, either. If he really did, he would've used it on her already. Why would he spend ten jin of food to trade for information?

He might not have a tracking item, but she did have the Tracking Technique. It could only track the nearest player with a bounty, though. If she could find out his approximate coordinates, then with the Tracking Technique, she wouldn't mind striking first...

Ling Chu continued looking through her private messages. Quite a few people wanted to trade equipment for Iron Ore, but the quality was terrible. Most of it was rusty, low-grade junk that had clearly been salvaged from the sea.

She already had plenty of top-quality gear and had no interest in this stuff. After browsing for a while, she finally found someone who seemed genuinely interested in making a fair trade.

National Server Little Luban: "Boss, I'd like to trade a weapon for twenty Iron Ore. It's a fine-quality weapon—I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Ling Chu replied, "Show me."

Without hesitation, National Server Little Luban posted the weapon's stats.

[Oak Longbow]

[Quality: Fine]

[A longbow with decent accuracy. After every five arrows fired, it automatically retrieves one arrow.]

It was a decent weapon. Ling Chu currently had only an Iron Dagger, and she was still missing a ranged weapon.

Ling Chu was ready to make the trade, but couldn't help asking, "Upgrading a raft only takes one Iron Ore. What do you need so many for?"

National Server Little Luban was straightforward. "I'm a blacksmith. I need Iron Ore to craft equipment and improve my proficiency so I can rank up. Iron Ore is really hard to come by. I've been camping the Trading Post, but I can never get any."

So this guy was a blacksmith.

Ling Chu suddenly thought of something. She took the damaged Revolver out of her Ring and sent him its stats. "Can you repair this?"

National Server Little Luban replied instantly. "I can! The repair materials will take two Iron Ore. If you're willing to trade with me, I'll repair it for free—no labor fee!"

"Can you make bullets for it?"

"I can, but I need gunpowder to make bullets, and I don't have much left. I can make a hundred at most."

Ling Chu thought for a moment. "Repair this gun for me, and I'll give you another twenty Iron Ore to make a hundred bullets."

"No problem!!!"

The three exclamation marks showed just how excited National Server Little Luban was.

Forty Iron Ore in one go. The boss really was a big shot!

"And this. Take a look and see what kind of equipment you can make with it."

Ling Chu remembered to send him one of the coconut crab shells left over from their meal.

"The shell's pretty tough. It could be used to make armor, but there's not much of it."

"I have more than ten."

"That'll be plenty."

National Server Little Luban couldn't help thinking that coconut crabs seemed to be land-dwelling creatures. The boss really was a boss, even managing to get her hands on so many of these.

Ling Chu still had fifteen coconut crabs. She kept two to eat later, then traded the rest, along with forty-five Iron Ore and the Revolver, to National Server Little Luban. She also signed a System Contract, so she didn't have to worry about him keeping the weapon.

"I'll give you this crab meat and five Iron Ore as your labor fee. Make me a set of armor."

It was National Server Little Luban's first time seeing fresh coconut crabs. They were all plump and juicy, and he couldn't help swallowing hard.

"Don't worry, boss. I'll make sure you're satisfied!"

When he'd crafted equipment for other people, they'd paid him with food and basic resources. The boss was giving him five Iron Ore, plus all that fresh, high-quality crab meat. No matter how he looked at it, he was the one getting the better deal.

National Server Little Luban had a feeling that if he held on to this client, he might never have to worry about running out of Iron Ore again.

The gun and bullets would take a day to repair and make, so National Server Little Luban sent over the Oak Longbow first. He also included a Wooden Arrows blueprint.

National Server Little Luban: "Boss, here's a blueprint for you. You don't need to be a blacksmith to make these arrows. You can craft them by hand."

Ling Chu checked the recipe. A batch of twenty arrows required twenty pieces of wood and five feathers. Someone was selling feathers at the Trading Post, so they'd be pretty easy to make. She thanked him.

National Server Little Luban said somewhat sheepishly, "I should be the one thanking you. Those forty Iron Ore really helped me out. Let's work together more in the future. I'm going to make the bullets and equipment now. I'll send them over as soon as they're ready."

After closing her conversation with National Server Little Luban, Ling Chu noticed a flashing notification in her friends list.

Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice: "What happened to the pink Fluorescent Starfish you promised to fish up for me? Don't tell me you're backing out."

Only then did Ling Chu remember that she'd forgotten to give this person the starfish she'd promised.

"Sorry, I've been so busy today that I forgot. I'll fish one up for you in a bit."

"No rush," Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice replied. "I saw you selling Iron Ore. I'm short on some too. Want to trade? Are you interested in this?"

Without another word, the other person sent over the item's stats.

[Gambler's Coin]

[Quality: Unique]

[Flip it once each morning to affect your luck for the rest of the day. If it lands heads, your Luck doubles for the day. If it lands tails, something unlucky will happen.]

Ling Chu's eyes lit up. This item could double her Luck, which would work perfectly with her Lucky Jelly Octopus Fishing Rod.

"How much Iron Ore do you want for it?"

"Twenty."

"Deal."

Ling Chu agreed readily.

Although it was a unique-quality item, it wasn't a weapon, and using it came with considerable risk. Twenty Iron Ore seemed like a fair price.

"Have you used the coin? What do you mean by something unlucky?"

"...Probably the kind of bad luck where even drinking cold water makes you choke."

Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice paused, then added seriously, "If you accidentally flip tails, try not to go fishing or venture too far out to sea that day. You could run into something terrifying and much stronger than you."

"Got it. Thanks."

Ling Chu suspected that Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice had lost out because of the coin, and was now trying to sell it off.

She wasn't too worried about its drawback. Like they'd said, if she got unlucky and flipped tails, she'd just play it safe. Opportunity always came with risk. If she kept being afraid of dying, she wouldn't last long in this survival game.

Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice traded her the coin.

Ling Chu held it up and examined it. It looked no different from an ordinary coin. She'd wanted to test it, but it was already night. The item description said to flip it in the morning, so it probably wouldn't work now.

She put the coin away and checked the equipment she had.

She now had a handy weapon in the Oak Longbow, along with her Iron Dagger. Once the Revolver was repaired, she planned to give it to Titch. It had originally been his, and he'd definitely have much better aim with it than she did.

She still had a damaged Pirate Hat and an Eyepatch.