Skill Book: GZ-Mark Robot

"Although it's not a skill book I can use myself, it's still pretty good!"

A look of delight flashed across Cao Xing's face.

After all, the [GZ-Mark Robot] was a top-tier early-game skill for mechanics.

By spending some iron and Mechanical Power, he could summon a Mark Robot with powerful attributes. It not only had ranged attacks but also astonishing defenses.

It could be said to greatly improve a mechanic's survivability in the early game.

"If I put this skill book on the market, those mechanics will definitely scramble for it."

Cao Xing continued checking his other spoils.

[Black-Iron Bracer (Green)]

[Quality: Fine]

[Armor: 7-9]

[Bonus Effect ①: Constitution +4]

[Bonus Effect ②: Long Arms (increases attack range by 20%)]

...

[Small Resource Pack: Open to receive Wood*100, Stone*50, Iron*10.]

...

[Mithril (Purple), a precious metal that can be used to craft advanced equipment or buildings.]

...

After checking the attributes of these items, Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction.

"That Black-Iron Bracer is green equipment, and its attributes are pretty good."

"Especially the second effect. It increases my maximum attack range-awesome!"

Cao Xing equipped it without hesitation, then checked his own attributes.

[Attributes: Click to expand]

"Great, great! My health and attack power have both increased significantly."

"Compared to when I first arrived in this world yesterday, my strength has more than doubled!"

A delighted expression appeared on Cao Xing's face.

And besides his equipment, he also had a bear gallbladder and bear meat that could improve his attributes.

When the time came, Cao Xing's strength could rise another level.

After sorting through all his spoils, Cao Xing nodded in satisfaction, then turned and said, "Let's go. It's time to head back."

They had been out for almost an hour.

It would take at least half an hour to get back, too.

Cao Xing had to make the most of every moment to develop his territory.

When the group returned to camp, waves of warmth from the Bonfire washed over them.

Step... step...

They shook the snow off their feet.

Cao Xing looked at the sky. "Good thing it hasn't snowed lately. If it snowed in weather like this, it'd be almost impossible to get anywhere."

He looked at Asam beside him and said, "Asam, come here."

Asam immediately straightened up and walked over.

Cao Xing raised his staff, then sent a beam of green light toward him.

[Ice Healing cast successfully. Talent [Eternal Power] activated. This skill has become permanent.]

Green +10, +10 numbers appeared above Asam's head.

The healing was twice as much as before!

Cao Xing was delighted. "Just as I thought! When the same skill affects the same target, the bonus from the higher attribute overrides the lower one."

Cao Xing's Spirit attribute had increased, so the effect of [Ice Healing] had naturally improved as well.

Now, Asam could recover 10 health per second. Combined with his terrifying defense, he really was an unkillable cockroach.

Then Cao Xing cast Ice Armor as well, giving Asam 8 more points of armor.

He didn't leave his Frost Wolf out, either.

"Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!"

One beam of green light after another shot out.

Cao Xing found that after his Spirit increased, the number of times he could cast magic had increased too.

He still hadn't felt that dizzy sensation.

After restoring Asam's and the Frost Wolf's status,

Cao Xing said, "Asam, you did very well this time. Your next task is to continue scouting the area within ten kilometers of camp."

"Mark all the resource points and monsters, and return to camp before dark."

Asam immediately replied respectfully, "As you command, Lord."

"Your orders are my destiny!"

With that, he mounted Frost Wolf Winter and charged back out into the snowy wilderness.

Cao Xing then looked at Ilena beside him. "Ilena, your task is to cast [Snakefolk Frenzy] and [Scale Armor] on the newly recruited Polar Folk."

"Remember to rest when your Spirit runs low."

Ilena flicked out her tongue and nodded. "As you command, Lord."

Then Cao Xing opened the [Small Resource Pack] he had just obtained from the Silver Treasure Chest.

[Resource Pack opened successfully. You received Wood*100. You received Stone*50. You received Iron*10.]

He took a look at his territory's resources.

[Food: Bread*45, Snake Meat*10, Wolf Meat*111, Bear Meat*1215]

[Wood*314, Coal*124, Stone*153, Iron*110]

Cao Xing said happily, "Now that the Lumber Yard is built, the rate at which I get Wood really has improved a lot."

"That Coal Mine has also started operating."

"The next step is to build the [Sewing Workshop] and the [Ore Processing Plant]."

Cao Xing called over four Polar Folk.

He handed them the construction tasks.

Then he looked around the camp.

A ring of seven or eight small houses had already been built nearby.

In just one day, they had gone from a single little bonfire to all these buildings.

A deep sense of accomplishment welled up inside him.

Liu Muxue asked softly, "A Xing, is there anything you need me to do?"

Cao Xing shook his head. "Not for now, sis-in-law. Let's go inside and warm up."

Liu Muxue nodded.

Then the two of them went into the Lord's Hut together.

As soon as she entered, Liu Muxue naturally crouched beside the stove and held out her jade-like hands to warm them.

"Ah, so warm~"

A blissful smile appeared on her face.

In this icy wilderness, warming oneself by a cozy stove really was a source of happiness.

A few minutes later, perhaps because she was sitting too close to the stove, sweat appeared on Liu Muxue's forehead.

She took off her wolfskin coat, revealing her shapely figure once more.

Then she crouched beside the stove again to warm herself.

In this pose, Liu Muxue's voluptuous figure was on full display.

Cao Xing was sitting on the bed at that moment, and from this angle, he could see the graceful curves of her figure perfectly.

Her chest, pressed together by her knees, looked even fuller, a dazzling expanse of pale skin.

Below her slender waist, her rounded buttocks were tightly wrapped in a black, close-fitting skirt.

Liu Muxue had a mature air touched with a hint of youthful innocence. Just one look at her made it hard to tear your eyes away.

Just then, Liu Muxue seemed to notice that her stockings had torn.

Several slender, delicate toes curled together beneath her dainty feet.

She lifted her head and said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... A Xing, I think my stockings have torn..."

"Can I take them off, wash them, and put them away for now?"

Cao Xing froze for a moment, then nodded. "Sure. There's water ready in those wooden buckets. You can just make a new wooden bucket."

Liu Muxue nodded slightly. She seemed to want to say something, but found it difficult to bring up.

Then she stood beside the bed, raised one long, jade-like leg, and gently took off her stocking.

Perhaps because it was her first time doing something like this in front of another man, Liu Muxue's face flushed as if it could be squeezed for water. She didn't dare look Cao Xing in the eye the whole time.

Cao Xing saw that after Liu Muxue took off her stockings, her upper thighs were slightly fleshy and her calves were very long-not the extremely thin, stick-like kind of legs.

Perfect.

Cao Xing sighed to himself.

Liu Muxue picked up the stockings.

Just as she was about to stand up, she suddenly noticed a few spots of mud on Cao Xing.

Blushing, Liu Muxue said, "A Xing, your shirt seems to be dirty..."

Cao Xing looked down. A patch of black mud had indeed appeared on the white shirt he had been wearing before he crossed over.

Thinking it over, it was probably from lying on the ground while using the Barrett.

Liu Muxue said without thinking, "How about you take it off and let me wash it for you?"

Then she seemed to realize that what she'd said sounded a little suggestive. Her face grew even redder, and she lowered her head.

Cao Xing paused. He hadn't thought much of it.

Until the Sewing Workshop was built, this was the only shirt he had.

So Cao Xing nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, sister-in-law."

Cao Xing casually unbuttoned his shirt, baring his upper body and revealing his well-built muscles.

Seeing his physique, Liu Muxue seemed a little surprised. Her beautiful eyes couldn't help but steal a few more glances.

"Here you go, sister-in-law."

"Mm..." Liu Muxue replied softly.

Shyly, she took the shirt from Cao Xing and went to wash it nearby.

"Splish, splash..."

The sound of water rang out.

Liu Muxue quickly finished washing the stockings and Cao Xing's shirt, then hung them beside the stove to dry.

Then she carried a basin of steaming water over to Cao Xing.

"Um... A Xing... I noticed there's a little mud on your chest too..."

"How about... I wipe you down?"

She had meant to suggest that Cao Xing wipe himself down, but for some reason, those words had come out instead.

Liu Muxue was so embarrassed she wanted the ground to swallow her up.

Cao Xing also felt that what she'd said sounded a little off. But so she wouldn't feel awkward, he nodded and said, "Sorry for the trouble, sister-in-law..."

"N-no problem..."

Liu Muxue replied shyly, relieved.

She set the basin beside Cao Xing, then crouched slightly and dipped her hands into the water.

With her cheeks red, she reached out and gently rubbed his chest.

Her delicate palms felt slick after soaking in the warm water.

At such close range, Liu Muxue's distinctive scent kept wafting into Cao Xing's nose.

Liu Muxue's movements were stiff. It was clear this was her first time doing something like this, too.

As her warm, soft touch brushed across his chest again and again, Cao Xing could clearly feel Liu Muxue's body growing hotter.

A few minutes later, Liu Muxue said with flushed cheeks, "A Xing... I'm done..."

Cao Xing nodded blankly.

With her face red, Liu Muxue carried the basin away.

To calm the restless feeling inside him, Cao Xing put his wolf-fur coat back on and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm going out for a bit to trade some supplies at the market."

"Mm..." Liu Muxue replied quietly.

Cao Xing stepped out of the Lord's Hut again.

The cold outside hit him at once.

"Whew... Stay calm, stay calm."

Cao Xing took a deep breath, and his mind gradually cleared.

Then he went over beside the Market.

"Next, I need to sell off some of the bear meat I've got."

Cao Xing knew that food like this was best sold as soon as possible.

In a few days, once everyone stopped worrying about food, he wouldn't be able to get such a good price for his bear meat.

So Cao Xing opened the World Channel.

Masako Takaoka: "Waaah... My husband was bitten to death by a Snow Wolf. Now it's just me and my two children. Is there anyone kind enough to take in our family?"

Yan Xiaotao: "Ma'am from Japan, what are your coordinates? I'll come rescue you right away! I don't mean anything by it; I just can't stand seeing people suffer."

Alvarez: "Damn it! These recruited Polar Folk need food too? My own family doesn't have enough to eat. Where am I supposed to get food to share with them?"

Abdul: "Oh, God! I haven't given these Polar Folk anything to eat for a whole day. They aren't working now, either. They're just sitting outside the house, and I feel like they're looking at me more and more strangely!"

Salman Khan: "My territory seems to be near an ice river. It looks like the Ganges back in my hometown..."

Compared to yesterday, more and more people had figured out how this game worked.

They had all started building Lord's Huts and recruiting Polar Folk to work.

But the Polar Folk all needed food, so most survivors were struggling with food shortages.

At the current stage, the Market could only be used to trade supplies with survivors in the same region.

So Cao Xing opened the Regional Channel.

Yang Jiaqi: "Brothers, I went out exploring today and found a Wilderness Camp at coordinates 12743, 6507, 15231. There's a group of masked people inside."

Wang Ziheng: "Brother above, I advise you not to go there. Those people are Icefield Hunters, a bunch of lunatics. They killed two of my Polar Folk."

Chen Qian: "Does anyone have food? In a snowy wasteland like this, I really don't know where to find any."

Shen Hongguang: "Yeah, how are we supposed to get food in this hellhole?"