So she wanted to stock up while everyone was still unaware of the news. Otherwise, when the time came, even if she wanted to buy meat, she wouldn't be able to!
Just then, the Fishing Line on the Fishing Rod began to sway. Ji Xinghe hurriedly pulled it up, bringing a faintly glowing Wooden Treasure Chest out of the water.
Seeing this, the Vine atop Xiao Xi's head twitched, then reached out and gently tugged at Ji Xinghe's finger.
When Ji Xinghe looked over, Xiao Xi pointed at the Fishing Rod again. "Master, Xiao Xi... help you."
Ji Xinghe nodded. "Okay."
She wouldn't let a child's eagerness to help be snuffed out, much less turn Xiao Xi down by saying it was too young to do anything.
If you loved someone, you had to learn to respect them and let them try, even if they didn't do a good job.
As adults, all we had to do was support them.
Ji Xinghe handed the Fishing Rod to Xiao Xi and opened the system panel.
As soon as she tapped into the chat page, private messages flooded in.
She filtered out the junk messages.
Ji Xinghe went straight to Monster Slayer's profile.
Monster Slayer: "Selling. I've got 150 units of various kinds of meat, 500 g each. Pictures, pictures.
Would you trade one pack of Instant Noodles for 5 units, or one Cream Bread for 3 units of meat?"
"Big shot, do you have anything to start a fire with?"
"I was busy just now and didn't notice your messages."
"Are you still buying meat? If you take it all, I'll give you a discount."
One hundred and fifty units of meat would only be enough for Xiao Xi to eat a dozen or so times. She'd thought he had a lot of meat...
But it was only the first day. Ji Xinghe remembered that in her previous life, this person had been a major meat seller too.
The players had even given him the affectionate nickname "Butcher."
At the thought, Ji Xinghe took out the Flint, set it on the Wooden Treasure Chest, and used the system's camera function.
Player 001: "I have Flint. Picture."
The other person replied in less than a minute.
Monster Slayer: "Would you trade this pair of Flint for 20 units of meat?"
Ji Xinghe shook her head. If he had no fire, that meant he couldn't cook raw food.
Right now, the other person was more desperate.
Player 001: "Twelve packs of Instant Noodles, five Cream Breads (500 g each), and a pair of Flint for your 150 units of meat."
Player 001: "I'm offering a very low price. Look at that Shark Meat you have—it's smelly and tastes awful. The food I'm offering is high in fat, filling, delicious, and easy to carry."
"Be frugal, and this will last you half a month. Now that you have fire, you can roast meat for extra meals, too."
In her previous life, she often ate just one meal a day.
If she hadn't thought this person had a knack for dealing with monsters and might be a long-term source of raw meat, Ji Xinghe wouldn't have offered him so much food.
She was trading food she could eat for raw meat that he couldn't eat yet. No matter how you looked at it, he was getting the better deal.
Of course, Ji Xinghe wasn't losing out either.
After all, Xiao Xi could eat the meat. It would fill her up and give her experience...
The other person barely hesitated before sending a reply.
Monster Slayer: "Deal."
Monster Slayer: "Want to add each other as Friends? I'll sell you more meat in the future."
Player 001: "Sure. For now, I'll always need meat."
With that, they added each other as Friends.
When the trade was complete, both sides felt they'd come out ahead.
The raw meat automatically went into her inventory, and Ji Xinghe browsed the Trade Market again.
She traded two bottles of water with "Pray for the God of Wealth's Love" for two bottles of Nutrient Solution.
Other than that, she didn't see anything suitable. Some items were too expensive; others weren't useful.
She hadn't come across any bargains or anything like that.
Nobody was stupid. Even if they didn't understand how to use something, they could tell when it was high-end, and they wouldn't sell it cheaply.
Not unless something special had happened and they desperately needed a particular resource...
She closed the panel.
When she looked up, she saw Xiao Xi's Vine pulling up the Fishing Rod. The next moment, a Black Iron Treasure Chest surfaced.
It flew toward the beach in a swift arc.
Ji Xinghe's gaze followed it until she saw a pile of chests beside Xiao Xi.
She counted them. There were quite a few black ones.
Warmth appeared in her eyes, and she smiled.
Xiao Xi was much better than the glutton from her previous life who only knew how to eat—thoughtful and considerate.
It went both ways. Xiao Xi was her pet, but they hadn't known each other long. Their bond couldn't become deep overnight.
It was still small and couldn't hunt for itself, so there was nothing wrong with her feeding it.
But if it kept taking from her, Ji Xinghe would get tired of it, and she wouldn't want to keep doing it.
She admitted she was selfish and weighed the pros and cons.
In this Survival World, people who were too kind, too foolish, or too stupid wouldn't live long.
But she wasn't some heartless machine, either.
If someone treated her well, she would repay them a hundredfold.
And she would do the same to anyone who hurt her.
She put all the chests into her inventory.
Just as she was about to open them, the Fishing Rod in Xiao Xi's Vine suddenly began to sway.
Ji Xinghe stood up, her gaze sharp as she watched half of a crystal-colored, soft sphere emerge from the water.
Xiao Xi froze for a moment. Its Vine curled around uncertainly, as if looking at Ji Xinghe.
Only after she nodded did Xiao Xi pull the monster ashore.
Her skill was already at her fingertips. She only needed a thought to activate it.
Just then, the monster suddenly let out a strange cry.
She didn't feel anything unusual, so Ji Xinghe checked the panel again.
[The monster has used the skill Illusion Song on you. If your Spirit value is below 15, you will experience hallucinations. Your Spirit value is 60. You have perfectly resisted.]
Before you continue