Chapter 108 - 104: Store Upgrades Again, New Feature Poses Risk of Identity Exposure?

Chapter 108: Chapter 104: Store Upgrades Again, New Feature Poses Risk of Identity Exposure?

Rowan Rhodes had been waiting ever since she watched the Level experience bar approach the 100 million mark. Her own information-based items had sold over eighty million, and then the Speed had slowed down. The remaining transaction counts relied on information-based items sold by other players. Some sold tens of thousands, while others reached millions. These smaller numbers added up, helping her break the 100 million threshold.

Once again, Rowan experienced the benefits of fame. Finally, the number ticked up bit by bit until it became a nine-digit figure. The moment it did, the Sea Survival Shop’s statistics updated.

[Store: Sea Survival Shop]

[Owner: Rowan Rhodes (Anonymous)]

[Level: 5 (0/1 billion)]

[Trading Coin: 163,784,994]

[Reputation: 63,521,883]

[Listed Items: 394]

[Listable Categories: Basic Resources (18), Food and Beverage (53), Planting Seeds (40), Creature Drops (8), Weapons and Tools (11), Armor and Equipment (11), Raft Equipment (26), Special/Rare (6), Information]

[Purchasing Items: 0]

[Permanent Residents Invited: 800 (Available Invites: 800)]

[Target Audience: All Channels]

Aside from the updated statistics, the Sea Survival Shop had undergone other changes. A new option had appeared in Rowan’s private chat window with the other permanent players. It was direct messaging and group chats. This wasn’t just for communication between the Sea Survival Shop and the permanent players, but rather among the permanent players themselves. However, this new feature required the approval of the store owner, Rowan.

Looking at the prompt window, she selected ’Confirm.’ She just wondered if she would be able to use these features herself.

The moment Rowan confirmed it, the direct messaging and group chat functions were instantly unlocked for the permanent players. She immediately checked the new chat channels. Upon opening them, she was greeted with two options.

[Store Owner - Rowan Rhodes (Anonymous)]

[Permanent Player - Rowan Rhodes (Anonymity Available)]

Seeing that the system had essentially given her an alt account, Rowan was delighted. Communicating with other permanent players under her real name would save her a lot of trouble to some extent. Of course, it also offered a great deal of convenience.

Having confirmed this, she continued inviting new permanent players. This was the moment she looked forward to the most. Every additional permanent player served as a lever to mobilize tens of thousands of other players. This time, her invitation quota had increased to 800. The first time had been 100, the second 200, the third 400, and now the fourth was 800. It stood to reason that the next upgrade would likely grant 1,600 invites.

However, the required transaction count for the Sea Survival Shop’s next level was a staggering one billion. That wouldn’t be quite so easy to achieve. But the game had only been running for a little over a dozen days; she had plenty of time to grow! She would take it slowly, step by step.

With that in mind, Rowan easily dispatched the invitations to 800 players. Once they were sent, she began to examine the Sea Survival Shop’s updated sale inventory. A few items immediately caught her attention.

[Blueprint: Blacksmith Shop]

[Blueprint: Tailor Shop]

[Medical Store Blueprint]

[Weapon Workshop Blueprint]

The last time she saw the Watchtower, she had a feeling that Building Plans would definitely appear in this upgrade. To her surprise, they actually did. Rowan opened the blueprints to inspect them. Having the blueprints was one thing; she also needed the corresponding construction resources!

[Basic-level Blacksmith Shop: Forging Platform x10, Furnace x10, 5 types of ores x10,000 each]

[Basic Tailor Shop: Loom x10, 5 types of fabric x10,000 each]

[Basic Medical Shop: Medical Table x10, 5 types of medical supplies x10,000 each]

[Basic Weapon Shop: Armory x10, 5 types of weapon blueprints x10,000 each]

Reading these requirements, Rowan paused. None of the buildings listed here were things she could construct right now. Forging Platforms and Armories were Equipment that could only be unlocked later with Level 9 and Level 10 Rafts. At the end of the day, a Level 10 Raft was the hard prerequisite.

Still, knowing this early on meant she could make preparations in advance. In her previous life, she didn’t have the ability to acquire Building Plans. Even if they were sold in the trading hall back then, she couldn’t afford that price. Now, however, she was confident she could secure them herself.

For the moment, Rowan pondered whether she should list these blueprints in the Sea Survival Shop to point some top-tier players in the right direction. After all, releasing them would let everyone know that a raft’s development wasn’t just about the raft itself; in the future, it would evolve into a Sea Base.

But as soon as the thought arose, Rowan quickly suppressed it. Too early! It was way too early!

Even she was still a long way from achieving this, let alone the players lagging behind her. Dangling an unattainable goal in front of them would only provide initial stimulation; when they inevitably struggled to achieve it later, it would instead cast a shadow over their hearts. Most importantly, this goal was simply too far away. Releasing it now wouldn’t align with the progression of the Sea Survival Game.

There were plenty of smart individuals among the players, and doing so might instead make them suspicious of the Sea Survival Shop. Rowan had never considered herself a genius. What she relied on was the foresight of a Prophet. Therefore, every decision she made had to be calculated over and over again.

After thinking it through meticulously, Rowan quietly closed the Level 5 Store’s shopping list.

While Rowan had only just finalized her review of the Sea Survival Shop’s update, the permanent players had already discovered it. After all, the update to the Sea Survival Shop interface was glaringly obvious. Not only could they send direct messages to other permanent players, but they could also create group chats.

In the blink of an eye, some players had already taken action.

[Permanent Player Gathering Group]

SWISH SWISH SWISH! A massive crowd of permanent players joined the group instantly.

"***: There’s a direct messaging and group chat feature now?"

"***: This group chat is a lot like WeChat from the real world!"

"***: I can’t believe the Sea Survival Shop rolled out a chat system faster than the Sea Survival Game itself."

"***: Does this mean the Sea Survival Game will eventually implement a chat system like this too?"

"***: Definitely."

"***: Then why was the Sea Survival Shop faster?"

"***: Yeah! I’m curious about that too!"

"***: I just got invited a moment ago. Were all of you invited just now too?"

"***: Just now? We’ve been here for days."

"***: I got mine last night."

"***: So the Sea Survival Game just upgraded again, invited new players, and added a new feature?"

"***: That’s got to be it."

"***: This might be related to Rowan Rhodes. Because she posted information-based items, the transaction volume went up. Her first item hit over ten million, and right around then, more items and players were added. Her second item just broke eighty million, and then the Sea Survival Shop upgraded its features."

"***: Why does Rowan Rhodes get credit for everything! Is the person above actually Rowan herself? Always tooting her own horn."

"***: It’s a logical deduction. The timelines match up. If it’s not her, who else could it be—you? If you’re so capable, turn off your anonymity, or tell us which item you listed and how much trading volume and transaction count you’ve contributed to the Sea Survival Shop."

"***: Regardless, the Sea Survival Shop’s upgrade is a good thing!"

"***: This group chat allows for cross-district communication for now. Can everyone share which district they’re from? You don’t need to reveal your name, just your district."

"***: District 3884."

"***: District 2837."

"***: District 2888."

"***: District 1203."

"..."

"***: I just realized that everyone’s district is completely different. It seems there’s only one person per district."

"***: That’s how it should be to maximize benefits."

"***: So basically, there’s only one permanent player per district."

"***: Looks like it."

"***: Are all districts represented then?"

"***: I don’t think so. So far, there are only a few hundred people in the group chat. Even though the number is growing, it definitely doesn’t cover every district."

"..."

The chat continued.

Rowan was also in this private group chat. As she watched everyone deduce the truth about the Sea Survival Shop, she felt somewhat prepared for it. After all, this was the exact information she had intended to reveal.

However, the conclusion that there was only one player per district made Rowan feel uneasy, considering District 122 actually had several. If that fact was exposed, it wouldn’t be good. There was, after all, a particularly smart person in District 122.

Zelda Parrish.

She wondered if Zelda would read too much into it. And would the other players in District 122 start getting suspicious too?

Rowan immediately switched over to the District 122 world channel, only to find that a lively discussion had already broken out there.