Chapter 130 - 121: Prototype of a Business Network

Chapter 130: Chapter 121: Prototype of a Business Network

It had to be said that Harold Thompson and Simon Quinn were indeed right in their thinking. Those capable of dealing with them had a very low probability of actively going out of their way to do so. Therefore, they were safe. Many players in District 122 were thoroughly disgusted by the duo’s antics.

However, the players also had to admit that the existence of Harold Thompson and Simon Quinn made them realize one thing: in the Sea Survival Game, players like them were everywhere. In fact, there were countless others even more arrogant and malicious.

Over the past two days, Celia Lynch had been asking Zelda Parrish, Faye Sinclair, and the others in the world channel about the situation outside. Zelda Parrish, Faye Sinclair, Owen Caldwell, and Skye Schuyler would share what they saw in the Sea Survival Shop group chat regarding other districts in the District 122 world channel. This gave the players a much deeper understanding of the overall situation.

Robbery, violence, massacres... all kinds of dark deeds were occurring across different districts. After learning this, the players of District 122 felt incredibly fortunate that top-tier players willing to guide ordinary players had emerged in their own district. It fostered a stronger sense of belonging to District 122. They knew very well that under the same player conditions, the survival rate in District 122 would definitely be much higher than in other districts.

Of course, Zelda Parrish and her group didn’t just share bad news; they also brought some good news. For instance, there were regular players who successfully reunited with family members in the main group chat. The probability was infinitesimal, but it had happened. This provided a small measure of comfort to many players who missed their loved ones. If someone else could find their family, maybe one day they could, too! This undoubtedly planted a seed of hope in the players’ hearts.

As a result, the players of District 122 weren’t easily provoked by Harold Thompson and Simon Quinn anymore. After a brief period of mocking and ridiculing the duo, they quickly steered the topic back on track.

"Work hard, everyone. Grow Eira Grass if you have the seeds, or plant Coconuts if you can."

"Do your best to get the Antidote!"

"For those without the Antidote, stockpiling more Masks works too."

"Air purification Masks last a long time. As long as you replace them in time, you won’t be easily poisoned."

"Exactly, just strive to survive."

"Look, the day is almost over."

"Cheers to surviving another day."

"..."

The majority of players were encouraging each other and offering strategies. This had become their daily routine. It had to be said that for many players hovering between life and death, whenever they wanted to give up and end it all, reading these messages rekindled a fierce desire to survive in their hearts. Living an extra day was still living. Perhaps one day they would get lucky—not only surviving but even leveling up!

Rowan Rhodes quietly finished reading through this entire commotion caused by the Eira Grass. Subsequently, she gained a slightly deeper appreciation for Celia Lynch’s sharp intuition.

The Antidote was indeed the core item players needed to survive this viral natural disaster. No, it was more than just a lifeline for this specific crisis; it was the foundation for the players’ future.

Seeing that Zelda Parrish and the others had effectively managed and calculated the Eira Grass and Eira Grass Seeds she had distributed, Rowan grew even more confident. The players were constantly adapting to the Sea Survival Game. They had now also learned the concept of sustainable development. Because of this, Rowan was certain that their current progress was much better than in her past life during the same period—perhaps even many times better.

Moments later, Rowan began calculating how to sell off the newly produced batch of Eira Grass and Eira Grass Seeds. Previously, she had supplied her own inner circle; now, it was time to provide for the regular players. As she always said, she needed to give the regular players some small perks so they would feel a stronger sense of belonging to the Sea Survival Shop. She knew the shop’s current functions already made it indispensable to many regulars, but that didn’t conflict with providing them with extra benefits.

Immediately, Rowan initiated a trade, sending one stalk of Eira Grass and one seed to every single regular player. Soon, over a thousand regular players received this gift from the Sea Survival Shop.

The first two batches of regular players were relatively calm. They had received gifts from the Sea Survival Game before, so upon receiving this, they weren’t overly shocked—just purely excited and grateful. But it was a completely different story for the subsequent three batches of players. They were taken completely by surprise! They truly hadn’t expected the Sea Survival Shop to give them such excellent items.

"Um... I just received a trade request from the Sea Survival Shop containing Eira Grass and Eira Grass Seeds. Did you guys get one?"

"Got it. I was just wondering if I won the lottery."

"Same here, I was shocked. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on!"

"So did everyone get it?"

"Everyone received it? The Sea Survival Shop is truly generous!"

"I think the Sea Survival Shop probably bought these from a player! Otherwise, it wouldn’t have initiated trades with us just now."

"Wait, so we can trade privately with the Sea Survival Game?"

"Yes, you can! I’m one of the first-batch regular players. I message the Sea Survival Shop privately every day, and basically all my trade requests get approved."

"True! It’s just that the reply times vary. I feel like there’s definitely a real person running the Sea Survival Shop behind the scenes."

"A person? Does the Sea Survival Game actually have NPCs?"

"Actually, marine life forms are practically NPCs! It wouldn’t be surprising if humanoid NPCs appear in the future."

"I agree. The sunken ships on the seafloor and the abandoned planes all prove that there are NPCs in this Sea Survival Game. They just haven’t shown their faces yet."

"People discussed this before. It’s probably true."

"It really makes you curious!"

"I don’t think you should be so curious. The current difficulty is already absurdly high. If NPCs possessing Wisdom show up, would we even stand a chance?"

"Exactly! Looking at the Levels and Skills players currently possess, with this progression system, the NPCs’ Levels are probably much higher than ours! Plus, they would have the advantage of being Native People. I really hope we don’t encounter them."

"There might be good and evil factions! If there really is an NPC behind the Sea Survival Shop, then this NPC is a good one who helps us. So encountering NPCs might not be entirely a bad thing!"

"Makes sense."

"Uh, you guys are getting way off-topic! We were talking about Eira Grass, and somehow you’ve derailed the conversation so far into the future."

"It’s normal. Just reasonable speculation about the future."

"Anyway, the best part right now is... we can actually trade privately with the Sea Survival Shop! I absolutely have to initiate a trade."

"Aww, thanks for sharing, everyone."

"You’d find out sooner or later anyway. The Sea Survival Shop occasionally buys resources from us too! You can also sell goods to it."

"Was this Eira Grass sold to the Sea Survival Shop by a player? Why not just list it directly in the shop?"

"Maybe the Sea Survival Shop requested it!"

"..."

The newly added batch of players initially hadn’t known about the private trading feature. Now that they found out, they became thrilled and immediately started sending private messages to the Sea Survival Shop.