Lucky Twice

Repairing the Pirate Hat required the Tailor profession. Ling Chu browsed the public chat and quickly found a tailor who was taking orders. The labor fee was just one Wheat Bread and a bottle of mineral water. After signing a contract with him, Ling Chu sent the hat over.

It was the second day of the newbie period, and quite a few people had unlocked professions.

Ling Chu spotted plenty of blacksmiths and tailors offering equipment repairs, cooks selling prepared food, farmers buying plant seeds, fishermen selling fish, and so on. These were all common, ordinary professions, and it seemed the requirements to unlock them weren't too difficult.

Ling Chu hadn't asked National Server Little Luban about it either. She wasn't interested in these sorts of practical professions. If she could pay someone else to do the work, why waste so much effort doing it herself?

Her Eyepatch was the only piece of equipment that could be upgraded, and it required five Silk.

Silk seemed to be a high-grade material. Ling Chu couldn't find any on the Trading Post, so she had to put the matter aside for now.

The tailor worked quickly. Five minutes later, he sent the repaired Pirate Hat back.

Ling Chu returned the Pirate Hat to Titch. It was only a Fine-quality piece of equipment that gave one point of morale, so it wasn't very useful. Besides, it was too big for her and looked wrong on her.

Once Titch put it on, it covered his bare skull, making him look almost human.

Worried that there might be mosquitoes, snakes, or other critters on the island, Ling Chu still returned to the cabin to sleep that night.

The cabin's wooden bed was narrow, but with the soft Bedding Set spread over it, it was far more comfortable than sleeping in a folding chair.

Ling Chu slept soundly until morning.

At dawn, she opened the cabin door and stepped onto the deck. Titch was still at the helm. When he saw her, he greeted her.

"Good morning, Captain."

"You haven't slept all night?" Ling Chu asked, surprised.

"Ever since I became a skeleton, I haven't felt tired or wanted to sleep," Titch answered honestly.

Now that she thought about it, why would a skeleton need sleep?

Her underling didn't need food or rest, and could steer the ship and keep watch. He was practically a model worker, and made her life much easier.

She looked around. After a night of sailing, they seemed to have reached unfamiliar waters, and there was more debris floating on the sea around them.

After a night, the Water Purifier was full. Ling Chu used some of the water to wash up, then went back out onto the deck.

She had gotten five Planting Pots from a System Blind Box last time, and capturing Iron Ore Island had rewarded her with a Ghost Thorn Seed. It was just enough to plant in one of them.

Ling Chu loosened the soil around the seed and watered it with a little Freshwater.

[Ghost Thorn Seedling]

[Growing]

[Mature in 6 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes]

Ling Chu guessed that the Ghost Thorn might be the dead branch that had guarded the Island Core and sucked the flesh and blood from people. If used properly, it could serve as a trap to defend against enemies. At any rate, she'd grow it first and see.

After tending to the Planting Pot, Ling Chu checked the Trading Post.

After setting aside forty-five Iron Ore for National Server Little Luban, twenty Iron Ore for Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice, and fifty Iron Ore to buy a Tear of the Ghost, all the remaining 385 Iron Ore had sold.

In exchange, she'd gotten more than 500 pounds of food, including potatoes, cabbage, sweet potatoes, Corn, and Wheat Bread; over 200 pounds of Fish Shrimp Seafood; more than 200 pounds of fresh fruit; and 120 cans of food. As for resources, she'd gotten over 5,800 pieces of wood, 4,900 pieces of Cloth, 1,500 pieces of Seagrass, 1,800 pieces of Glass, and 1,200 pieces of Charcoal.

It was no exaggeration to say she'd gotten rich overnight.

If she hadn't been missing the crucial item, a Tear of the Ghost, she'd have had enough resources on hand to upgrade the ship twice more.

Meanwhile, National Server Little Luban had sent over the repaired Revolver and bullets, along with ten Sleep Bullets as a bonus.

[Hypnosis Bullet]

[Caliber: 9 mm]

[Contains hypnotic hormones that make enemies hit by the bullet fall instantly into a deep sleep. It isn't lethal.]

"Boss, these are some bullets I developed. Give them a try and see if they work well. If you like them, you can order more from me. I'll give you a discount~"

"The armor made from coconut crab shells is a bit tricky. I won't be able to finish it until tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks."

After replying, Ling Chu added him as a friend. The only people on her friends list were National Server Little Luban and Stay Away From Gambling, Drugs, and Vice. She had a feeling they were both capable, and might be good people to work with in the long run.

Ling Chu had never used a pistol before, so she tied some Cloth and Seagrass together to make a simple dummy and planned to practice her aim.

She aimed at the dummy's head and fired. The gunshot rang out, but the dummy was unharmed. Instead, a bullet hole appeared in the railing behind it.

Ling Chu hurriedly checked the ship's status. Its Durability had dropped by 10 points. Fortunately, the shot hadn't hit the hull, or the ship would definitely have sprung a leak.

"Titch."

Ling Chu called Titch over from the helm and tossed him the pistol.

"My old friend. I've missed you..." Titch stroked the gun, looking wistful. "Huh, the rust on it's been polished off. That gunsmith's really skilled."

"Give it a try," Ling Chu said.

Titch held the gun in one hand and fired a clean shot at the dummy.

The bullet hit it right between the eyes.

So she really was just terrible at this...

Ling Chu gave up on using a gun and took out the Oak Longbow. She made a hundred arrows in one go and put them in her Ring for later.

She was naturally strong and could draw the bowstring without much effort. She fixed her aim on the dummy's head, held her breath, and let the arrow fly.

The arrow struck the dummy's arm.

Her aim was off, but at least she hadn't missed completely.

After trying it out, Ling Chu found she preferred the feel of a bow and arrow. The arrows were silent, and paired with her Ghostly Steps, they were better suited for sneak attacks.

After practicing for a while, Ling Chu suddenly remembered that she hadn't used the Gambler's Coin she'd just gotten.

She placed the coin in her palm, tossed it into the air, and quickly caught it on the back of her hand.

Heads!

[Congratulations! You triggered the Gambler's Coin effect. Your Luck is doubled for today.]

Thank goodness. If it had been tails, Ling Chu had already been prepared to do absolutely nothing and spend the day lazing around.

She continued practicing archery, but was amazed to find that she hit the dummy between the eyebrows three times in a row, without missing once!

That was clearly not the sort of accuracy a beginner archer should have.

So better Luck could improve her aim, too?

The Gambler's Coin was incredibly useful!

Since she could hit the dummy between the eyes every time, Ling Chu stopped practicing archery. Taking advantage of her good Luck, she brought her Lucky Frozen Octopus Fishing Rod to the edge of the deck and cast her line.

Not long after the bait hit the water, Ling Chu felt the fishing rod grow heavy in her hands.

She immediately began reeling it in. As the catch broke the surface, her eyes widened in surprise.

This Luck effect was incredibly powerful.

She'd actually caught a Treasure Chest!

The wooden chest was heavy, and covered in Seagrass.

Ling Chu hauled it onto the deck and eagerly opened it.

[You obtained 100 Sea Shells and 1 Necklace Blessed by Mermaids.]

[Necklace Blessed by Mermaids]

[Quality: Unique]

[Active Skill: Extends the time you can breathe underwater. Lasts for two hours. Cooldown: 24 hours.]

[Passive Skill: Mermaids will not attack you.]

Another Unique-quality piece of equipment, plus a hundred Sea Shells.

Ling Chu couldn't help smiling. The necklace extended the time she could breathe underwater, which wasn't just handy—it could save her life in a pinch.

After all, when you were adrift at sea, one of the ways you feared dying most was drowning. With this necklace, her odds of surviving in the water would increase considerably.

Her gaze fell on the last line of the description, and she wondered: were there Mermaids in this world?

Then again, considering that she could even resurrect a skeleton, Mermaids weren't all that surprising.

After opening the chest, Ling Chu suddenly remembered she still had a System Blind Box unopened—the one the system had given her for capturing Iron Ore Island.

Since her Luck was good today, she had to open it.