Duo Yue Liang was still actively posting updates.
He Ni didn’t rush to reply. Instead, she turned to the trading hall and entered keywords like “lantern” and “lamp.”
Apart from the lantern Duo Yue Liang was selling, the trading hall showed zero items.
It seemed the Fish Oil Lantern was Duo Yue Liang’s exclusive product—no wonder he was so confident.
Thinking it over, she tried searching for “fire.”
Besides the Flint Firestarter, Tinderbox, and Jiao You Huo Ba, another item appeared: the Stone Fire Basin.
【Stone Fire Basin Price: Negotiable】
【Stone Fire Basin: A heat-resistant stone basin forged from high-temperature tolerant material, commonly used for cooking and heating】
【Durability: 2500/2500 (Consumes 1 durability per hour of burning)】
He Ni scratched her head. Looking at the picture, it was basically a large stone with a bowl-shaped hollow in the center for making fire inside.
On land, this thing wasn’t very useful—players could just find an open spot to light a fire.
But on a wood raft, it was a different story.
It could effectively prevent the player from accidentally setting the raft itself on fire when making a fire.
If there was no blueprint, could players craft these kinds of items themselves?
Like lanterns or oil lamps?
She had fibers that could serve as wicks, fish oil for fuel, and Jiao You Huo Ba as a fire source.
If she poured fish oil into the Stone Fire Basin, wouldn’t that basically be a makeshift oil lamp?
She wondered what the fish oil efficiency would be if she did that…
Tapping her fingers on the wood raft, He Ni thought for a moment before contacting the seller of the Stone Fire Basin, Pei Zhengyi.
【Do you still have Stone Fire Basins? What do you want in exchange?】
Before Pei Zhengyi could reply, she quickly switched chat windows and traded for several portions of fish oil with Zhou Jingxi.
Zhou Jingxi wasn’t surprised by He Ni’s approach.
Coconut juice and coconut meat were hot commodities right now, so it made sense to trade more with He Ni and then swap those for other needed materials.
Once He Ni finished trading with Zhou Jingxi, Pei Zhengyi’s reply came through:
【I don’t ask for much—2 liters of Fresh Water or one weapon/medicine. The Stone Fire Basin can burn wood, not only good for roasting fish but also for boiling water to collect Fresh Water. Very cost-effective.】
What Pei Zhengyi said wasn’t false.
With more players getting fire sources lately, Fresh Water prices had been slowly dropping over the past two days.
Having fire meant you could heat seawater, then collect steam after boiling, which when cooled became Distilled Freshwater, and you’d also get some Coarse Salt as a byproduct.
Of course, that came at a cost.
Though seawater was abundant, heating it used up wood, and wood consumption was no joke.
This was also why He Ni, after getting a Jiao You Huo Ba, hadn’t bothered to make Distilled Freshwater herself.
After thinking it through, she replied:【I have coconut juice. How about 200ml coconut juice for one Stone Fire Basin? Coconut juice can also act as medicine, although it only cures scurvy.】
Pei Zhengyi was quite reasonable and agreed immediately.
With the Stone Fire Basin in hand, He Ni placed it on the wood raft, only to realize it was quite large—about 60cm in diameter at its longest, at least 45cm at the shortest, and over 30cm tall.
With such a big stone basin added, the already cluttered wood raft looked even more crowded.
Now that she had 47 pieces of wood in her backpack, it was time to expand the raft.
She took out the wood and bent down, touching the edge of the raft:【Consume 16 wood to upgrade Level 1 Wood Raft — Cai Hong Hao?】
【Detected Cai Hong Hao is moderately damaged, durability remaining 75/100, unable to upgrade. Consume 9 wood to repair?】
Over the past few days, she had figured out that wood consumption for repairs was percentage-based: 3 pieces of wood per 10% durability restored.
Luckily, she hadn’t repaired the raft immediately when it lost 2 durability, or else she would have wasted a lot.
Wood was plentiful, so she didn’t hesitate to use it.
But when she saw the repair would cost 10 Stamina, she couldn’t help but grimace.
Stamina was precious!
After waiting for 10 minutes, the raft was repaired.
She clicked upgrade, and a new prompt appeared, making her heart ache again—upgrading the raft required 20 Stamina!
After repairing, she had only 21 Stamina left, just enough.
The three main stats were indeed crucial.
Without Stamina, you couldn’t do anything.
The upgrade would take 30 minutes.
She confirmed and sat down on the raft to recover her Stamina.
When she reopened the chat, Duo Yue Liang had sent a barrage of messages:
【Sister, are you dead? Why no reply? I’m offering 10 coconuts for one lantern—you’re making a profit, you know. My lanterns sell like hotcakes. Ask around in the World Channel; tons of people want them, many offering weapons and medicines in trade.】
【Sister, do you want it or not? If not, I’ll sell to someone else.】
【Fine, fine, I’m a big man, no need to fuss. How about 9? 9 coconuts. You give me some wood to make up the difference; I’ll take the loss.】
He Ni couldn’t help but roll her eyes.
This guy was really annoying.
If it weren’t for the Fish Oil Lantern being unique in the trading hall, she would’ve blocked him by now.
She tossed a piece of wood into the Stone Fire Basin and sent a photo to Duo Yue Liang:【Little brother, no thanks. I traded 50ml coconut juice for a Stone Fire Basin and another 300ml coconut juice for 99 pieces of wood. Each piece burns for 45 minutes, so I can use wood for light. I can roast meat and boil water for Fresh Water at the same time.】
【Your lantern still consumes fish oil. I asked around—people said it’s better to burn wood. They’re happy to trade wood with me long-term. You know, certified by Xiao Luo Hao. Coconut juice cures scurvy; my coconuts sell well. Several regulars promised they’d prioritize trading with me if they got other lanterns, so I don’t have to worry.】
【No more chatting. Last 3 coconuts, I’m off to trade more wood.】
The game’s economy was full of nonsense.
The claim of 300ml coconut juice for 99 wood was something Duo Yue Liang couldn’t even verify.
He kept calling her “big sister” and “little brother” himself without care.
Provoked by her, Duo Yue Liang quickly grew anxious:【Huh? You really don’t want it?】
【Are you crazy? How can that broken Stone Fire Basin compare to my lantern? My lantern lasts longer and is more convenient. Your basin needs wood added all the time. Don’t you think that’s troublesome? Why choose inconvenience if there’s something better?】
【Are you messing with me?】
【How about 7, 6, 6? That’ll do, right?】
He sent several messages, actively lowering the price.
He Ni stared at the chat window several times, wanting to reply but holding back.
There weren’t many coconut sellers, but those who could offer several coconuts at once were rare.
If she hadn’t had a lucky talent card to get a few extra coconuts, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.
She guessed Duo Yue Liang was likely haggling with other coconut sellers too.
But she was really curious why he was so persistent on price—is it just fear of scurvy?
Or was he trying to trade coconuts for something better?
Or maybe other sellers were bargaining even harder?
If it was the last reason, she wasn’t going to let that slide.
He Ni decided not to give her final price yet—she could fish for a better deal.
Even if the trade failed, no big deal, she had the Stone Fire Basin as a backup.
Ignoring his messages, she started promoting her roasted fish and Distilled Freshwater to Duo Yue Liang, acting like she really planned to burn wood to sell those.
After a long while, just minutes before nightfall, Duo Yue Liang finally blurted:【Sis, my dear sister, how about 3? But no installment payments! 3 whole coconuts for my high-tech lantern, you won’t lose out. Lowest price, no more discounts.】
【If you don’t agree, I’ll sell to someone else.】
【You’re not the only one with coconuts. If I didn’t recognize you as Xiao Luo Hao certified, I’d have found someone else long ago.】
Three coconuts was He Ni’s original asking price.
She didn’t like Duo Yue Liang.
Haggling was normal, but his constant disrespect was rare.
If not for the Fish Oil Lantern’s value, she would have blocked him.
But she had experience dealing with people like him—she’d respond in kind.
【Why so persistent, little brother? I told you I have a Stone Fire Basin and no fish oil anyway. Well, you called me big sister, so I can’t treat my brother badly. But I just opened a coconut and sold most of it, I don’t even have 3 coconuts left, and you don’t allow installments.】
【How about this—take the rest, 2 coconuts + 500ml coconut juice + about 200g of leftover coconut meat. You throw in some fish oil and a few pieces of wood as extras, I’ll even give you the coconut shells. They make great bowls—others pay 10 pieces of wood for them.】
【Duo Yue Liang:……………】
Seriously, who was more stubborn than her?
He wanted extras and fuel!
Fuming, Duo Yue Liang’s nose almost twisted.
If other coconut sellers weren’t even more ruthless, he would’ve blocked He Ni a thousand times by now.
He was just about to reply demanding she drop the extras, when He Ni sent another message:【Hurry up and decide. Someone wants to trade me antibiotics. If you don’t agree, I’ll trade for antibiotics instead.】
Duo Yue Liang’s flushed face instantly turned pale.
The swollen wound on his right leg seemed worse.
He had been bargaining all day with He Ni and other greedy merchants, just to trade 2 coconuts for antibiotics.
If he got snatched, it was over for him.
Maintaining his arrogant and fearless image, Duo Yue Liang deleted the nearly sent message and typed instead:【Fine, you win. I agree to the contract.】
He Ni laughed. Really?
Next time, she’d treat him as big sister.
Less than two seconds later, the trade contract popped up.
Seeing he had indeed added 2 extra fish oil and 3 pieces of wood, she carefully checked to make sure there were no traps.
Fearing he might regret it, she confirmed.
Then the prompt appeared:【Received Fish Oil Lantern x1】
【Received Fish Oil x2】
【Received Wood x3】
【Hmm…checking again, received extra Fish Oil Lantern x1】
【Hmm…checking again, received extra Wood x1】
!!!
The most crucial trade had been blessed by Lady Luck.
He Ni was so excited she almost jumped up.
She had really managed to get a stable light source before the end of the Beginner Period.
It was the Fish Oil Lantern!
He Ni hurriedly reached out to take it.
The lantern looked quite antique, with a strong medieval style.
The lampshade was made of thick, slightly cloudy dark glass.
Its light transmission wasn’t great but sufficient.
Through the torchlight glow, the thick wick inside was clearly visible.
The lampshade was framed and secured on all sides by rusted brass, with a curved handle for carrying. The top side had an openable lid for adding fuel.
He Ni looked at the wick.
The description only said it required periodic fish oil refills, but said nothing about wick maintenance.
Could it be that the wick had infinite durability and wouldn’t wear out?
If so, that would be very convenient.
She fondly fiddled with the oil lamp.
With Zhou Jingxi reliably supplying fish oil and the Jiao You Huo Ba only needed as a fire source—one could last a long time—she wouldn’t have to survive in darkness anymore.
After a while, He Ni put the Fish Oil Lantern away.
She was about to negotiate fish oil supply with Zhou Jingxi when the fog lifted and cleared.
In the blink of an eye, the raft beneath her had expanded by one layer.
Thirty minutes had passed.
A small dimple appeared at the corner of He Ni’s mouth as a notification popped up:【Congratulations player He Ni on successfully upgrading Level 1 Wood Raft Cai Hong Hao, received Base Material Gift Pack x1】
What?
Upgrading the wood raft gave rewards?
Just yesterday, a player posted in the World Channel pictures of an upgraded Sanctuary:【Dai Yuanyuan: Brothers, finally upgraded to Level 2 ship. Look at the ship awning, ship cabin, and ship rails. It even has a pair of oars now—I can row! No more worrying about sun and wind.】
【Dai Yuanyuan: Sitting under the awning fishing, drinking coconut juice, eating roasted meat. Life isn’t so bad. I used to do business flying internationally or attending office meetings. Rare to have such vacation time—this game’s pretty good.】
Over the past few days, Dai Yuanyuan had become a World Channel celebrity.
Right after entering the game, he’d been shouting about signing contracts worth billions, how he sat on a private jet then suddenly logged in.
He then boasted about catching a 20+ pound yellow croaker, showing off his fishing rod skills.
He kept posting pictures about acquiring Talent Cards, asking others if they got any.
With all that showboating, it was impossible not to remember him.
Even He Ni, who rarely checked the World Channel, knew he was a flashy player.
They’d even traded once.
She didn’t know why God’s Game: Raft Survival favored flashy players so much.
Dai Yuanyuan was really doing well.
Just yesterday afternoon, he gladly traded 2 resin for 200ml coconut juice with her, no haggling.
Dai Yuanyuan upgraded yesterday and also posted a photo of his Small Boat.
The cabin and awning were truly enviable.
Compared to a wood raft, a Small Boat had shade during the day and a cabin to sleep in at night.
No need to worry about falling into the sea by accident.
But why hadn’t Dai Yuanyuan posted about an upgrade Gift Pack?
If expanding the wood raft granted a gift pack, surely upgrading it should too.
Knowing his nature—taking photos of every fish he caught—he wouldn’t have skipped showing off an upgrade gift pack.
Had she missed it?
He Ni couldn’t figure it out and even searched chat logs about gift packs and chests to confirm Dai Yuanyuan hadn’t posted anything.
Could it be that he never got the expansion gift pack?
Or maybe he upgraded the raft directly to Level 2 without expanding first?
Was there a difference in rewards between expanding first then upgrading, versus upgrading directly?
The three questions left He Ni dumbfounded.
Such a possibility really existed.
The game might have deliberately set two different upgrade paths to create player gaps step by step.
Suddenly, He Ni didn’t envy Dai Yuanyuan anymore.