The first trade

"A level 1 Treasure Chest had two Train Coins, and a level 2 had four, so a level 3 Treasure Chest should have six?"

Compared with the level 2 Treasure Chest, the rewards in the level 1 Treasure Chest were rather meager, but medicine was precious enough in this world. Besides, there were also things like Train Coins.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Suddenly, a message caught Ye Qiyan's attention.

Li Xiaosheng: ["Does anyone want metal? I have some here. I'll trade for all kinds of resources, with weapons taking priority."]

Prioritizing weapons over food meant this person had no shortage of ability to survive.

Compared with those who couldn't even fill their own bellies for the time being, Ye Qiyan preferred dealing with someone like this.

Having made up his mind, Ye Qiyan contacted Li Xiaosheng.

Soon, a line of text appeared in the private chat window.

Li Xiaosheng: "Hello, are you looking to trade for metal?"

"How much do you have?"

"How much do you need?"

He was a very guarded person, but it wasn't hard to tell from those words that he definitely had quite a lot of metal.

"Can you supply a hundred and fifty kilograms of metal?"

The Chatroom fell silent for a moment.

Li Xiaosheng rubbed his eyes, looking at the words in the chat window in disbelief.

A hundred and fifty kilograms? That's enough for the train's first upgrade. What does he need so much for? Could he have already gathered all the wood and mechanical parts? Besides, what exactly gives this Ye Qiyan the confidence to buy so much metal in one go?

After hesitating for a moment, he sent a message.

"I can, but what are you offering? If it's the dagger we were given at the start, I can only trade you ten kilograms."

"How about a rifle?"

The train's system had a built-in camera function. Ye Qiyan took a picture of a low-level rifle in average condition and sent it over.

"One gun and twenty rounds for your hundred and fifty kilograms of metal. How about it?"

"A gun?! You actually have a gun?! I can trade with you, but isn't that price too high? This is robbery! Even a gun isn't worth that much!"

Ye Qiyan toyed with a bullet, unsurprised by the other man's reaction.

But right now, he was the one and only person selling guns.

Whatever price he wanted, he was the one who set it.

"It's not expensive at all. You should understand just how important a gun is at a time like this. Besides, who knows what the train's next stop will be like? Can you guarantee there won't be any danger? With a gun in your hands, you might have a better chance of surviving, wouldn't you?"

Li Xiaosheng knew Ye Qiyan was right.

At the first stop, he had obtained over three hundred kilograms of metal and a Treasure Chest. He had thought he was the luckiest of them all.

But none of that was worth mentioning compared with the gun in Ye Qiyan's hands.

"Could you lower it a little?"

"No bargaining."

Ye Qiyan rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.

This Li Xiaosheng probably had quite a lot of metal, and he had completely exposed his desire for the gun.

In that case, he could squeeze him a little more.

Looking at the picture on the screen, Li Xiaosheng swallowed. Clearly, he wanted it.

"Would a hundred kilograms do?"

Ye Qiyan toyed with a bullet.

"What do you think?"

Li Xiaosheng gritted his teeth. After hesitating for a long time, he reluctantly replied:

"Let me think about it."

"No rush. Take your time. I'm still busy..."

"..."

Li Xiaosheng really wanted to ask what he was busy with. Everyone had already left the first stop. In the train's cramped space, other than organizing their supplies, all they could do was talk in the Chatroom.

He wouldn't know that Ye Qiyan was still at the first stop, nor could he possibly guess that Ye Qiyan's goal wasn't to upgrade his train, but to build his first carriage.

Li Xiaosheng took a deep breath, his expression resolute. Clearly, he had made his decision.

"I've thought it over. I'm willing to trade with you, but I'd like to know what you need this metal for. Are you upgrading your train, or do you have a blueprint for this kind of firearm that lets you mass-produce them?"

"Of course, don't misunderstand. I'm not like those people in the Chatroom. I'm not thinking of asking you to hand over your blueprint or anything. I just mean that if you want to make more trades, you can come to me again. I'm confident I can upgrade my train to level 2 within three stops. When that happens, I can help you promote these firearms."

Where did this guy get his confidence?

Ye Qiyan thought of the Ascension he possessed.

This Li Xiaosheng probably had some kind of talent as well.

Ye Qiyan had no way of knowing exactly what it was, nor was there any need to ask.

Did upgrading his train within three stops mean he could consider himself strong?

He silently glanced over his own train, which he had upgraded to level 2 before even entering the station.

All he could say was...

The best response to someone with such baffling confidence was a simple phrase.

Sure, sure.

"Let's trade."

This was Ye Qiyan's first trade, and he was curious about how it worked.

Following the instructions, he placed the low-level rifle and twenty rounds on a clear patch of ground. Soon, a virtual halo swept over the rifle and bullets. In an instant, both vanished, replaced by a neatly stacked pile of metal ingots.

"So that's how it works. Pretty convenient."

He wasn't worried about Li Xiaosheng trying anything underhanded, either, because all trades were certified by the Train System. There wouldn't be any problems.

Looking at the resources he had, Ye Qiyan's eyes sparkled with excitement. He took out the Low-Level Carriage Blueprint and placed it on the Processing Table.

A translucent screen rose from the blueprint.

[Low-level carriage] (Buildable)

Materials required: 100 kg of wood, 150 kg of metal, 60 mechanical parts

[Proceed with construction-Yes/No]

"Yes."

The moment he selected the option, all the required materials vanished from inside the train.

Immediately afterward, Ye Qiyan saw all the materials continuously rearranging themselves under a mysterious force in the sky behind the train, finally forming the shape of a carriage.

The carriage dropped from midair, landed steadily on the tracks, and slid forward until it connected with his locomotive.

[Construction successful.]

[Glass and fiber can be consumed to make modifications.]

[Low-level carriage]

[Interior facilities: None]

[Carriage functions: None]

[Modified: No]

This carriage had no door. To get inside, he had to enter through the rear of the locomotive.

The carriage's interior was large, about ten meters long and roughly one and a half adult men tall. It could certainly be called spacious and bright.

It had window frames, but unlike the locomotive, it didn't come with windows. Presumably, that was what required glass for modification.

"Now I don't have to put everything in the locomotive. Besides, how could just a locomotive count as a train? This is more like it."

Ye Qiyan nodded in satisfaction.

He sneaked a glance at his remaining stamina and mental energy and decided not to consider Ascension for now.

He stuffed all the resources piled in the locomotive into this carriage, then glanced at the departure countdown.

There were only a few dozen minutes left, enough to haul a few more things onto the train.