The message about the “incomplete crafting tools” kept circling in He Huan’s mind.
Her eyes lingered on the few items she had, and soon an idea popped into her head.
But for that idea, she needed someone to test it on.
Her friend list was empty. The only person there was Li Changping—the one she’d added yesterday when she bought the leather boots recipe.
This guy…
Sly. Very sly.
Even though she didn’t know him well, she had sensed it during yesterday’s trade.
But since he was her only friend, and he was still alive after a whole day, that counted as decent luck.
Still, she decided: she really needed to add more people in the future. Otherwise, it’d be way too inconvenient to fleece someone.
For now, though, she fixed her gaze on Li Changping’s name.
Yep. You’ll do.
“Boss Li, do you know what ‘incomplete crafting tools’ means?”
“Boss He, did you get your hands on a recipe?” Li Changping didn’t answer directly. Instead, he immediately asked, excitement clear in his words.
Exactly what she expected.
“I picked up a recipe for a torch.”
“Can I see the stats?”
He Huan sent over the info for the Lasting Torch. Almost instantly, a reply shot back.
“Boss He, make me a few torches, won’t you?”
“I don’t have the materials. Just one grease and three straw,” He Huan lied smoothly, even as her backpack held four grease and thirty-nine straw.
“I’ve got straw and grease! I’ll send them to you, you just craft the torches. Please?”
Li Changping was clearly desperate. Before He Huan could even reply, a trade popped up—twenty wood, ten straw, ten grease.
“Make ten torches for me, okay?”
Grease dropped from animals. Straw came as a byproduct from gathering plants. Neither was super rare, but not exactly common either.
Li Changping had entered this world three days before her. He should have a good stash of materials—otherwise, he wouldn’t casually ask for ten torches.
After all, in a world like this, no one knew how long they’d live. Stockpiling consumables wasn’t exactly efficient.
But this particular torch recipe was one-of-a-kind. If no one else competed with her, she could make a fortune.
Li Changping clearly wanted to stockpile early, before it hit the market. Whether for personal use or resale, he couldn’t lose.
But He Huan just narrowed her eyes and raised the price.
“Twenty wood, eleven straw, eleven grease.”
“I don’t have that much grease and straw!”
“Oh? Then how about this—ten wood, six straw, six grease, and I’ll make you five torches. You’ve got enough for that. I’ll return the rest later.”
She accepted the trade as she spoke.
Li Changping’s heart skipped. He cursed himself for sending materials too fast, leaving him no leverage.
Panicking, he scrambled to add another straw and grease.
“Boss He, my bad! Totally forgot about labor costs. Here, take the extras. Make the full ten.”
Expressionless, He Huan accepted the materials.
Heh.
You thought you could squeeze a deal out of me?
Business settled, the conversation circled back.
Now calmer, Li Changping explained:
“Crafting tools incomplete? Boss He, is your shelter still level one? You need a crafting station, which unlocks when your shelter hits level two.”
So that was it.
Understanding dawned. She told him she’d upgrade her shelter first, then craft.
Li Changping, maybe to smooth over his earlier blunder—or maybe just unwilling to disconnect—kept chatting idly while she upgraded.
“Boss He, give me a special price, will you? We’re basically old friends now.”
“This torch will sell fine on the market. That stackable property alone will make people flock to it.”
“But ten torches for an extra straw and grease as fee—that’s kinda steep, isn’t it? Those two aren’t cheap…”
“Still, with these torches, you can stretch your survival time into dawn and dusk. As long as you live long enough, won’t you see everything eventually?”
And so it went.
He pushed for a discount. She kept highlighting the torch’s value. Neither side giving an inch.
Meanwhile, He Huan upgraded her shelter.
Level 1 hut → Level 2 shelter. Cost: 50 wood, 20 stone, 5 straw, 2 glass.
Glass was the choke-point. Everyone needed it, and the market price was sky-high.
But as she was about to confirm, she noticed—wood and stone could be swapped for hardwood and granite.
Would that change anything?
She didn’t know.
But after one second of thought, she decided to try. Worst case, she’d just spent some Tier 2 materials. No big deal.
That’s the privilege of someone who picked up inheritance loot!
She confirmed the upgrade with advanced materials.
Time required: five minutes.
During those five minutes, she couldn’t do anything except sit by the fire and keep sparring verbally with Li Changping.
“Boss He, come on, we’re fated to meet! Cut me a little slack.”
“Keep nagging, and I’ll give you nine torches instead of ten.”
“…”
“Then toss me one more, and I’ll give you insider info on Zhou Yuanshan from Taishan Mutual Aid.”
“Do I look like his ex-girlfriend? I don’t need his every move. Keep yapping, and you’ll only get nine.”
…
As the old saying goes: speak of the devil, and he appears.
Right in the middle of their bickering, her wristband buzzed violently.
Switching to regional chat, she immediately saw another pinned message from Taishan Mutual Aid.
She had no idea what item they used to achieve this effect—pinned messages that came with vibration alerts, visible to everyone. But it was a powerful tool for influence.
“Taishan Mutual Aid continues exploring Mist Zone 3 today, making great progress! As of now, 769 members have joined us! We welcome more to survive together in this world!”
Same as usual: an advertisement. The pinned message lasted twelve hours, perfectly covering Silent Midnight. Impossible to ignore.
Then came the rainbow flattery from residents, followed by Zhou Yuanshan’s lofty pronouncements.
Today he didn’t reveal any new items. Whether he didn’t have any or just didn’t want to share, no one knew.
He used his ten-message quota mostly to praise himself and his organization.
Until the last line.
“Now for today’s friendly reminder: a safety warning for all residents.”
“A dangerous Red Name has appeared in our region. She attacks without reason. At dawn today, she ambushed and killed one of our squads—five members total—and stole Taishan Mutual Aid property.”
“We are a responsible organization, dedicated to maintaining peace in Area E7. We will not allow criminals to disrupt order. Nor will we let our members’ sacrifices be in vain. Therefore, we are issuing a wanted notice for this Red Name!”
“The target is a female resident, fragile-looking, most likely roaming the forests of Mist Zone 4. Extremely dangerous! If anyone spots her, contact us immediately. We will reward you generously.”
“Finally, we pledge to protect Area E7’s peace, and fight alongside every resident for survival in this strange world!”
His message ended.
But like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, it sent the chat channel into chaos.
“Whoa! A Red Name killed five people from Taishan? Insane!”
“Mist Zone 4? Good thing I’m safe over in Zone 8.”
“What did she steal to get a bounty posted like this?”
“Nah, it’s not about the loot. She’s probably killed too many. Brother Shan wouldn’t post a wanted just for stuff.”
“But they didn’t even give her name or appearance. What’s the point of a wanted notice like that?”
…
Reading the announcement, He Huan felt… strange.
This “Red Name” they were talking about—could it be her?
No way, right?
Sure, she had gone to Mist Zone 4. And yes, she had killed someone there. And yes, she was a Red Name.
But… the numbers didn’t match.
So it couldn’t be her. Right?
As she sat there confused, unsure whether to take this wanted notice personally, another private message popped up from Li Changping.
“Don’t believe a word Zhou Yuanshan says. That Red Name didn’t ambush a whole squad. She got ambushed herself and counter-killed just one person.”
“Whatever she looted must be special, though. Otherwise, he wouldn’t put out a wanted like this. Her life’s probably in real danger now.”
He Huan: …
So.
The wanted notice really was about her?
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 98.2