Dao Discussion Card

The dream car was right before my eyes, but I was out of money...

A sudden pang of heartache.

There were no NPCs in the Mountain God Temple. The statue could speak, but it was more like an intelligent AI; it could only process queries, not engage in conversation.

Small hammers were laid out on the Mountain God's offering table. The golden hammer at the very top was for rebuilding the nest.

The other hammers lined up beside it required different materials to grant the nest various effects.

The first hammer could turn a nest—which was usually fixed in place the moment it was deployed—into a mobile one.

However, the Path Seeker would have to carry it themselves. The modification required one hundred and fifty of each of the three basic materials...

Damn it!

Zhu Jiusi suddenly jumped up as he looked at the hammers.

Wasn't it one hundred and fifty of each? Everyone in the chat area had been discussing it for days, saying it required one hundred and fifty each, so why was his two hundred and fifty?!

He stood up on his hind legs, resting his front hooves on the stone base of the statue, staring straight at the Mountain God.

"You thick-browed, big-eyed statue, are you embezzling my materials?"

The Mountain God statue lacked true sentience, but it answered by instinct.

"To scrap an old nest and build a new one requires 50 of each material. Modifying a new nest requires 150 of each material. Do you wish to scrap the original nest?"

"No!"

Of course not!

There is no such thing as a free lunch! Especially in Journey Survival, where everything has a clear price tag.

If the original nest required more materials for modification, it meant the effect was better—last time, Zhu Jiusi had been a human pushing a wheelbarrow. He didn't understand the market for Demon Cultivators.

There were three modification hammers in front of the statue. The primary modification allowed the nest to move.

But the nest remained its original size, and it went without saying how exhausting it would be to move.

The middle hammer required 350 of each material and could shrink the massive nest into something the size of a book to be carried on one's back, then expand back into a proper nest once set down.

The third hammer required 500 of each material; the increase didn't seem like much.

But depending on the type of nest, it required different special materials.

Its most important modification was unlocking the path for nest upgrades.

Only after all three modifications were complete could the nest begin to upgrade normally.

Human Path Seekers faced the same situation at the Land God Temple.

Zhu Jiusi picked up the third hammer, and the scroll displayed the required special materials.

Life Stone ×5

Zhu Jiusi let out two pig-like grunts. He had heard of this item, but he had never seen one—in the last round, he had been a human and didn't need materials for Demon Cultivators.

But all special materials had to be obtained from secret realms, commonly known as—dungeons!

There was no point in thinking about the third modification before entering a dungeon.

But the first two, which only required basic materials, had to be completed as soon as possible. Especially the first one, converting a fixed nest into a mobile one; that was the most fundamental and mandatory upgrade.

Zhu Jiusi rummaged through his pack.

Stone ×20, Metal ×23, Wood ×28, Steamed Bun ×2, Mung Bean Cake ×5, Flatbread ×10, Toast ×7, Sanitary Napkins ×4, Basic Healing Pill ×2.

Zhu Jiusi had plant roots he could eat, and occasionally he could catch insects or mice. Food could definitely be used for trade.

Actually, drinking water was more expensive, but unless it was a last resort, Zhu Jiusi would never touch his water supply.

He could also activate a Path Seeking Card to kill and loot, but that was something Zhu Jiusi couldn't bring himself to do.

He wasn't a saint, but he hadn't reached the point of becoming a devil either.

Of course, this was because food could easily be traded for enough materials. If he truly couldn't get them—well, sorry, but morality was the least valuable thing in Journey Survival.

Mountain God Temples and Land God Temples were rare, but one could generally encounter at least one during the seven-day protection period.

If the modifications weren't finished within the protection period, one would be left without the nest's protection once it expired.

You would die until not even a scrap remained.

Extracting his nest and laying it out directly in the Mountain God Temple, Zhu Jiusi listed all his food in the trading area.

"If you need these, offer a price and trade directly. If it's reasonable, I'll accept."

Zhu Jiusi left a message.

Many people had already visited Mountain God Temples and Land God Temples over the past few days, so everyone knew that basic supplies were also of great use. The price of trading for food had dropped slightly.

One steamed bun could only be traded for 13 basic materials now.

But the first thing Zhu Jiusi sold wasn't food, but the three packs of sanitary napkins.

Each pack sold for a price that Zhu Jiusi found impossible to comprehend.

This item is only useful when one has just entered Journey Survival, as Path Seekers do not yet know the importance of resources and food.

In half a month, unless one is truly wealthy, what girl would care about this?

Trading three packs of sanitary pads for fifty units of supplies gave Zhu Jiusi great confidence in today's modifications.

The moment Zhu Jiusi listed the food, a flood of messages arrived. Most were sob stories from people trying to get a free handout.

Zhu Jiusi ignored them directly, but one message instantly caught his attention.

Sword Seven Doesn't Learn Sword: "Hello, can this be traded for two packs of sanitary pads?"

[Dao Discussion Card × 1]

[Dao Discussion Card: Locates other Path Seekers and forces a path convergence to discuss the Great Dao with them. Duration of discussion: two hours.]

Good stuff!

There is only a one-character difference between a Dao Discussion Card and a Path Seeking Card, but their effects are completely different. One can actively select a target, while the other can only wait passively.

Zhu Jiusi sent the sanitary pads over immediately and left a message: "I only have one pack of sanitary pads left. Can I make up the difference with food?"

Sword Seven Doesn't Learn Sword: "That works, I'll take Mung Bean Cakes."

Zhu Jiusi did not hesitate and sent over two Mung Bean Cakes.

The Mung Bean Cakes produced by the gourd are not very large, but they have a very high sugar content, and their normal price is much higher than steamed buns or flatbreads.

However, the Dao Discussion Card is worth much more; in the later stages, it would be impossible to trade food for one.

The trade was successful, and the card was in his hand.

He looked back at the Scroll, where the chat area remained lively.

Heart Without Darkness: "@everyone, a reminder: many people have already entered the Land God Temple and Mountain God Temple these past two days. These two locations can be used to modify vehicles. Do not waste your materials, and certainly do not trade them away for overpriced food from others."

After finishing, he added: "Everyone, since you have entered Journey Survival, you must have foresight. Vehicles are the foundation of survival. You won't die from being hungry for two days; you can always get food from your gourds. If you miss the Land God Temple, it might be gone for good!"

He was spamming the chat.

His words made sense, and for a moment, it actually made those trading hesitate.

Daoist Number 323: "Fellow Daoist Without Darkness is right. The price of steamed buns has already dropped today, which proves that food on the road is becoming more abundant and basic materials are more important. Just endure it, and everything will come."

Zhu Jiusi narrowed his eyes slightly.

Interesting!

The trading hall has been active for days, and they didn't offer reminders early or late, but chose to start exactly when he posted his trade?

As if to prove his point, Heart Without Darkness tagged him directly.

Heart Without Darkness: "@Master of Cloud Stack Cave, you have had two announcements and even opened a Silver Gourd. You aren't short on basic supplies, are you? Are you just trying to use the food you can't finish to snatch up everyone's limited materials while the prices are high? Are you trying to complete all three types of modifications at once?"

Daoist Number 323: "Why bother? This is profiteering from a national disaster!"

Zhu Jiusi laughed.

Master of Cloud Stack Cave: "That makes sense. The trade has been withdrawn. I'm missing too many materials, so I'll find another way to gather them! @everyone, I am buying Dao Discussion Cards. State your own price."

The next moment, Zhu Jiusi took out the Dao Discussion Card he had just obtained and bound it to the Daoist handle [Heart Without Darkness].

Confirm!

Converge Paths!