Survival Calendar, Day Two

I opened the market and saw that the entire product list was empty.

It seemed there were perks to being a big shot, at least when it came to name recognition.

People always preferred trading for or buying things from someone they knew. That was human nature.

She had already collected Foundation Stones and other materials once that afternoon. The supplies she had left from trading were: 16 Wow Coins, 36 soil, 32 Foundation Stones, and 5 Fishing Lines.

The materials were automatically sent to her backpack, and Ji Xinghe organized them in the Storage Box.

Tomorrow, she planned to use the Island Scroll to explore a new island, so she'd cleared everything out of her backpack except the weapons, medicine, and food she needed.

The island exploration would last twelve hours, so she'd have to get up early tomorrow and prepare before setting out.

Once everything was organized, she carried half a bucket of water to the bathroom to wash up.

She brought the toiletry set with her and stepped inside.

The set included a toothbrush, toothpaste, a rinsing cup, shampoo, body wash, a bath sponge, a towel, laundry detergent...

She set the toiletries one by one in the stone niches in the bathroom wall.

Ji Xinghe took off her clothes. Her skin felt sticky, and she'd been wanting to shower for ages.

First she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and shampooed her hair.

Then she rinsed off.

Splash...

The cold water ran over her skin, washing away the blood and exhaustion of the day.

Only when the bucket was nearly empty did she finally emerge, a towel wrapped around her hair.

She felt clean and refreshed. It was lovely.

She gave her Little White Suit and Constant Temperature Clothes a quick wash and hung them over an empty wooden crate.

Ji Xinghe walked over to the bed and spread out the four-piece bedding set.

The set was all the same fresh green color. She placed the thin blanket with the big white rabbit on top.

Ji Xinghe leaned back and sank into the soft bedding.

A cool breeze blew in through the window.

She checked the panel. It was only 21 degrees now; the temperature difference between day and night here was pretty big.

She reached for the thin blanket and pulled it over her belly.

She glanced at the time. It was already ten at night.

Ji Xinghe opened the [Chat Channel].

Monster Slayer: "Anyone need meat? I'm trading meat for ready-to-eat food like cooked meals, snacks, or bread—anything you can eat straight out of the package. Meat for sale! Lots of meat! Will trade for food, materials, or Wow Coins."

Tyrannosaurus Warrior: "You sure live up to your name, buddy!"

Thinking of Xiao Xi by the entrance, Ji Xinghe opened Monster Slayer's profile and sent a private message: "I'll buy meat, a lot of it. Can I trade bread or Instant Noodles?"

She waited for ages, but the other person didn't reply, so Ji Xinghe continued reading the chat.

Ou Ou Ou Ou Ou: "Good news, everyone! I just upgraded my Fishing Rod, hehe."

Pray for the God of Wealth's Love: "That's not good news at all! Why? Why are you so lucky?!

My own bad luck is bad enough, but your good luck is even more worrying!"

South Brother of Erlong Lake: "@Ou Ou Ou Ou Ou, you're cordially invited to join the Erlong Gang. We offer great benefits. Of course, everyone else is welcome to join too."

Direction of Light: "@Ou Ou Ou Ou Ou, you're so lucky, so sell your stuff cheaper! You don't lack resources, so selling it at such a high price is just bleeding your fellow survivors dry!"

Ou Ou Ou Ou Ou: "What's it to you? My goods are all priced at the market rate. If you care so much about them, give them your own supplies! You're just a fake saint who talks big and does nothing, you damn dog!"

Player 7890: "Don't trust South Brother of Erlong Lake. They charge a joining fee and scam you out of your supplies!"

Two Dragons Mu Taoli: "Big Brother doesn't charge much. Besides, if we get bullied, shouldn't we look to Big Brother to back us up? You want all the benefits, too, 7890?"

Player 7777: "??? I have a question. How does your Big Brother back you up? I haven't seen any teleportation feature. Does he just curse people out in the public chat?"

As Ji Xinghe read everyone's messages, her eyelids grew too heavy to keep open before her shoulder-length black hair had even dried.

A little while later, the sound of steady breathing came from inside the Shelter...

The next day.

Ji Xinghe woke to an itch on her face.

She'd still been groggy a moment ago, but now her eyes flew open and she sprang upright!

The strange object on her face fell into her arms. Ji Xinghe looked down and pinched it between her thumb and index finger. It was a Bloodthirsty Vine as long as her arm.

Ji Xinghe looked helpless. "Xiao Xi..." Her voice was hoarse and sleepy from just waking up.

The vine hanging from Xiao Xi twitched slightly, then slowly unfurled and curled around her little finger.

"Mas...ter." A soft voice sounded in her mind.

Ji Xinghe nodded. She didn't pull its vine off her finger, only asked, "Weren't you in the Black Earth? How did you get in?"

"Xiao Xi... Xiao Xi... door... came in."

The words came haltingly, but Ji Xinghe understood: it had come in through the door.

She gently stroked the vine as it stretched out. "You can stay out of the soil, too?"

"Y-yes."

All right, then.

This was the Survival World, after all. Everything about it was already outrageous.

What was so strange about a plant not needing to grow in soil?

She glanced at the time on the panel: Survival Calendar, Day Two, 06:03; Temperature: 36°; Weather: Sunny.

She tossed off the thin blanket and put on the clothes she'd hung up to dry last night.

After washing up, she took her Fishing Rod to the beach.

Standing on the warm sand, Ji Xinghe skillfully cast her line.

She'd use up the Fishing Rod's daily attempts first, hoping to catch a treasure chest that might contain a weapon or equipment.

If she got something, that'd be great. If not, at least she wouldn't have wasted the daily attempts.

She set Xiao Xi down beside her, took out an empty wooden bucket, and put ten pieces of meat inside.

She gently stroked its vine and pointed at the bucket. "Go ahead and eat."