Chapter 46 The Promising Young Lady

Ye Da greeted Zhang Ya, “Hello.”

Zhang Ya exclaimed, “You’re the lunchbox vendor… the legendary Bear Slayer!”

Ye Da replied, “Yes, that’s me. How much low-grade flax and stone do you have?”

Zhang Ya answered, “I have more stone. I’ve already mined 230 units of low-grade stone, and as for flax, I’ve only managed to gather 90 units of low-grade flax. Do you want them?”

Ye Da said, “I’ll take everything! I can trade you lunchboxes or food for them.”

Zhang Ya replied with excitement, “Really?! My eyes are sparkling with anticipation. I’ll take one lunchbox and some meat. Do you have any wood? Could you trade me some? I just can’t find any trees to chop here. Yesterday, I traded a hundred units of flax for a hundred units of low-grade wood. I still feel the pain.”

Ye Da fell silent.

A hundred units of flax for a hundred units of low-grade wood? That’s like exchanging a thousand for a hundred. Even Ye Da felt a pang of heartache just hearing it, let alone the person involved.

Still…

Ye Da could hear the helplessness in Zhang Ya’s tone. She desperately needed wood and food, so she’d been forced into a bad trade by opportunists.

Many people likely hadn’t even upgraded their treehouses yet and didn’t realize the value of stone, which was why Zhang Ya couldn’t sell hers.

“I have wolf meat, bamboo shoots, treasure chest monsters, and some crocodile innards.” Yet this gave Ye Da an opportunity. “You can tell me what you want in exchange.”

Zhang Ya responded, “You’re incredible! It’s only the second day, and you’ve already accumulated so much. I get the feeling you’re a shoo-in for this season’s Rookie King!”

Ye Da laughed it off, “Not at all, just average—third in the world! I’d be satisfied with a top ten spot on the rookie leaderboard, haha.”

Zhang Ya insisted, “You’re too modest. Unless someone can upgrade to Iron Warrior in a short time, no one’s beating you for the top spot on the rookie board!”

Ye Da asked, “Iron Warrior? What’s that? Where did you hear about it?”

Ye Da had only learned about the Iron Warrior title from his analysis glasses, yet Zhang Ya knew about it too. Could there be other players like him with analytical abilities?

Zhang Ya reported, “I saw it in the chat channel. Quite a few players have awakened abilities after killing monsters. One player got a plant-based power and can apparently use plants to fight.”

She continued, “According to him, he’s close to reaching the second rank. Once he does, he’ll be an Iron Warrior!”

Ye Da was stunned for three seconds after reading that.

So, he was already an Iron Warrior? He had reached rank two that morning after killing the crocodile—so this counted as Iron Warrior status?

Suppressing his excitement, Ye Da replied calmly, “I see! Thanks for the explanation. But we’ve drifted off topic—what would you like to trade?”

Zhang Ya answered, “Right, right! I got too excited. Here’s my offer: I’d like to exchange all my materials with you for 200 units of low-grade wood, one lunchbox, one portion of innards, and seven portions of wolf meat. Is that okay with you?”

Although Ye Da had said that ten units of flax equaled a hundred units of wood, Zhang Ya still felt she was asking for too much.

She worried the big boss would find her greedy and refuse the trade.

Unexpectedly—

Ye Da replied generously, “Of course, that’s no problem. You’re even giving me thirty extra units of stone! I’ll throw in a bottle of cola as well.”

Zhang Ya cried, “What?! Did I hear that right? Thank you so much! I can’t believe I get to drink cola—I’m so grateful, I could cry!”

Ye Da could truly sense Zhang Ya’s excitement—she was so thrilled she was nearly incoherent.

Thirty units of low-grade stone weren’t even worth a can of cola, but Ye Da simply wanted to leave a good impression.

This girl was clearly a hidden gem.

She occupied the best location without realizing it—a stone beach and a pile of flax, both of which were crucial resources later on.

In the early days, few recognized the value of these materials.

But Ye Da knew full well just how rare flax would become!

And once most players upgraded their treehouses, they’d realize how important stone was.

Stone might not be rare, but everyone needed it in large quantities!

So—

Ye Da decided to buy out Zhang Ya as his supplier, preventing other players from taking advantage of her, while saving himself the time and effort of gathering materials. A win-win situation!

[Transaction successful!]

[-200 units of low-grade wood, -1 serving of bamboo shoots and intestines rice, -1 unit of crocodile innards, -1 bottle of cola, -7 servings of wolf meat.]

[+230 units of low-grade stone, +90 units of low-grade flax]

Once the transaction was complete—

Ye Da’s treehouse was filled with bricks of gray-brown stone, stacked densely into a large platform.

[Synthesize!]

Ye Da gazed at the pile of stones, feeling his home had grown messy.

He immediately used two hundred pieces of low-grade stone to synthesize three units of fine stone.

A flash of white light swept across the gray-brown stones!

In the next moment, three microwave-oven-sized blocks of white jade appeared before him.

Their color and texture were both stunning!

High-quality materials were truly different from inferior ones!

Next—

Ye Da combined the ninety units of flax with the ten units of low-grade flax from his own storage, instantly crafting one unit of fine flax!

At last, he had all the materials needed to upgrade his top-tier magic storage backpack!

[Basic Magic Storage Backpack]

[Top-tier Upgrade: Fine Fur 14/10, Fine Flax 1/1]

[Upgrade!]

[Fine Intermediate Magic Storage Backpack upgrade successful!]

[Storage slots +5, items per slot +10]

Ye Da watched as his old, worn leather backpack transformed in an instant into a brand-new black crocodile-leather sports pack.

Its quality and capacity had both increased dramatically.

And now, the travel bag had two extra side pockets for Ye Da to place water bottles, so he wouldn’t have to carry them by hand any longer. Such thoughtful design!

Just as he finished upgrading his backpack, the sky cleared.

Sunlight streamed into the treehouse.

He walked to the window and gazed outside, wishing to see what the world beyond looked like.

Yet the sight that greeted him left Ye Da utterly astonished!

Outside the window, clouds drifted in thick layers—not fog, but actual clouds!

He could see the cloud layer just a few meters beneath his window, a pale gray mass like a cushion of dense cotton candy, with the dazzling sun shining above his treehouse.

In the distance—

He saw treetops piercing through the sea of clouds, stretching far away.

At the edge of the forest stood a towering stone mountain, its gray-brown summit breaking through the clouds, revealing a glimpse of its majestic peak.

But as Ye Da gazed at the breathtaking scenery—

His analysis glasses suddenly revealed information about that majestic mountain!

To the west: [1,800 meters ahead lies a cave, the endpoint of the Goblin Map. You might be interested in exploring it!]

[PS: The cave’s man-eaters are currently away performing a mysterious ritual and have not returned. Now’s the perfect opportunity for a raid!]