Slacking off in the Game of Survival

Chapter 33 Ten Square Metres Island(10)

Day four, the seawater continued to rise.

The island, which was originally ten square meters in size, now only had a single rock to stand on.

Qian Yue sat on the rock, waiting for the final batch of crops to ripen while contemplating her plans for the future.

The island was not completely submerged yet, allowing for a few more rounds of crop collection. However, by the day after tomorrow, this entire island would likely be completely flooded.

Qian Yue sighed, “There are still six days left…”

With the two backpacks she acquired from the bandits, she didn’t have to worry about food and drink for the time being.

But the question remained, where should she go next?

She pondered, “I haven’t found rubber yet, so I can’t make tires. Relying solely on bamboo rafts, I don’t know how long they will last.”

She lowered her head and looked at her reflection on the sea, feeling increasingly restless. When Du Yuanlang brought her back yesterday, it was already nighttime, so Qian Yue didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings.

Now, looking around, several small islands were submerged, sinking deep into the water.

Apart from a few people like her who were determined to collect another round of crops, the others had either gone to uninhabited islands or disappeared altogether.

The only exception was Xu Xiaogu, who planted the giant lotus leaf on the island.

The giant lotus leaf naturally grew on the water’s surface, so no matter how much the seawater rose, it couldn’t reach it. Even without the island, Xu Xiaogu could continue to live on the untouched giant lotus leaf, provided no one came to steal it.

“You thieves! Get out of here!”

“What do you mean by stealing? Don’t you understand the rules? After three days in the instance, everyone can collect! This is no longer just your thing!”

“Stop trying to deceive us! If you’re so generous, why don’t you share your own things?”

“The items are right there. You can dive into the water and pick them yourself~”

“It’s just a giant lotus leaf. Do you think I’m amazed? I mean, really amazed. What’s wrong with picking a wild plant?”

“Hahaha! This person is hilarious! They keep saying it’s theirs, but they don’t even have an island. How can they prove it?”

“You, you’ve gone too far!”

…

Several men surrounded Xu Xiaogu, pushing and shoving her. No matter how many hands she had, she couldn’t stop so many people.

In a short period of time, the number of giant lotus leaves drastically decreased. Just as it seemed like this round of giant lotus leaves would be completely picked, a bamboo pole suddenly flew in from an angle.

“Quiet!”

Upon hearing this familiar voice, the people who were previously fighting instinctively shrank their necks. Without time to think about why Qian Yue, who had disappeared for a day, had returned, they immediately scattered and dived into the water.

The bamboo pole “swooshed” through the air and, at that moment, a peculiar-shaped boat passed by from behind. The people on the boat were shouting while banging on a broken gong,

“Collecting scrap! Exchange items! Sell equipment! I repeat, collecting scrap, exchan—”

Before the word “exchange” could fully come out, there was a sudden “clang.” The bamboo pole directly pierced through the makeshift tarp made of various scraps!

“Ouch!”

In an instant, a chaotic mess of things fell down with a loud noise, and the person who was selling was hit directly, finally falling with a “splash” into the water!

“Cough cough cough!!!”

Yu Chengyi, struggling in the water with all his might, grabbed onto the side of his boat and wiped the water off his face in anger.

“Damn it! Who ambushed me!”

*

On the uninhabited island.

Qian Yue was using the materials she had just harvested to make a new bamboo raft.

Due to the rising seawater that submerged the islands, the originally over twenty square meters of the uninhabited island had now shrunk to half its original size.

The crops on both sides of the island were submerged in water, with only a small highland remaining in the middle.

For those players whose islands had already been submerged and who didn’t have their own boats, this was their last place to stay.

Before Qian Yue arrived on the island, she was hesitant to take out her materials in front of so many people. However, to her surprise, as soon as her bamboo raft approached the island, the players on the island scattered as if they had seen a plague, hastily packing their things and running to the other side of the island.

Two unfamiliar players initially had no intention of moving, but seeing everyone else run away, they hesitated for a moment and followed suit, picking up their backpacks and hiding on the side.

Qian Yue, “…”

She was puzzled. Wasn’t it just a fight with them on the first day of the game?

Was she that scary?

Despite her confusion, since everyone else had cleared out, Qian Yue naturally had no reason not to use the available space.

So she stepped onto the island with a calm mind and started working with her materials under the covert gazes of the others.

“First, I must replace the bamboo raft beneath the boathouse.”

Currently, Qian Yue had one boathouse and two bamboo rafts. The boathouse was still the one she had made before, and she hadn’t even replaced the bottom bamboo raft.

The bamboo raft was made very simply and had low durability. It would likely become unusable soon. Therefore, Qian Yue decided to dismantle it in advance and replace it.

As for the other two bamboo rafts, one was made using blueprints, and the other was made from the materials she recently obtained.

They were meant to replace and supplement the boathouse.

After all, the boathouse was a bit too conspicuous—just like Du Yuanlang’s speedboat.

Qian Yue didn’t like trouble, so she usually used these simple bamboo rafts, giving the impression that she was poor and saving herself a lot of trouble.

“Now that I’ve replaced the bottom, why not make it slightly more complex?”

Qian Yue thought to herself, “In the following days, it will be difficult to find a flat place to work on. While I have enough materials now, I might as well make something a bit more durable.”

Previously, Qian Yue chose to make a simple bamboo raft because she didn’t have enough materials, so she compromised. But now that she had enough materials and obtained two pieces of cedar wood from the bandits—although she couldn’t make a whole boat with them—she had more than enough to make some small components.

After contemplating for two or three minutes, Qian Yue had a rough sketch in her mind, and she began working directly.

She started by making a bamboo raft as before. However, considering buoyancy and durability, the process became more complicated. In terms of the connection between the bamboo house and the bamboo raft, Qian Yue had previously used a tying method, but it didn’t yield satisfactory results due to the triangular shape of the bamboo house.

This time, Qian Yue planned to use the cedar wood to create a mortise and tenon structure, attaching them to the four corners of the bamboo house. This should significantly improve stability.

However, just as she finished preparing the bamboo, before she could start tying it, she heard a shout,

“Collecting scrap, exchange items, sell equipment~”

Qian Yue didn’t even raise her head, continuing to immerse herself in her own world.

The enchanting shout resounded once again.

“Collecting scrap, exchange items, sell equipment~”

The knife in Qian Yue’s hand trembled, almost slipping to the wrong position.

Presumably, a player on the island waved at the other person, and that person’s voice quickly approached with enthusiasm, “What would you like to buy?”

“I want to sell something. Do you collect everything?”

The other person cheerfully replied, “Yes, we do.”

“But the price depends on what specific item it is.”

Player, “Understood, understood. It’s just that my bag is almost full, and it would be a shame to throw things away. I was originally waiting for the Item Merchant to come, but I haven’t seen a trace of him even after several days…”

The voices of the two people grew softer and softer, indicating that they had moved aside to trade.

Only after hearing this did Qian Yue remember that she indeed hadn’t seen the Item Merchant for a long time—no, since the incident with the hat, she hadn’t heard the prompt indicating the presence of the Item Merchant within a kilometer of her.

Qian Yue’s first reaction was, “Could it be that he’s holding a grudge again?”

She still had a bunch of masks in her bag to sell to him!

Qian Yue, “Wait a minute, why did I say ‘again’?”

If the Item Merchant was here, he might silently note down another entry in his little book. But if it was said that he intentionally avoided Qian Yue’s nearby islands out of spite, that would be too unjust.

In the third instance, the land area was pitifully small, with the sea separating one small island from another, and one group of islands from another. Even if a player constantly traversed the map, it would be a question whether they could complete two laps within ten days.

But fortunately, this instance was different from the previous two.

Players could sustain themselves with the island’s resources, reducing the need for system merchants. Whether there was a connection between them was a matter for the game developers to consider.

Qian Yue thought to herself, “If I keep waiting, I don’t know when I’ll encounter the Item Merchant. It’s better to go to that wandering merchant and try my luck.”

With that thought, she put down her work and stood up, looking down at the island.

Not far away was a makeshift boat constructed from scrap metal and junk, barely deserving the name “boat.” Its eye-catching appearance seemed to match well with the slogan of the “Scrap Collection Series.”

At the moment, the junk collector merchant was in conversation with other players, so Qian Yue decided to wait a little longer.

Unexpectedly, the person happened to look up, and their gazes met.

Qian Yue was taken aback—it was someone she knew.

After more than ten minutes, Yu Chengyi climbed onto the island and greeted Qian Yue.

“What a coincidence, meeting again.”

Qian Yue’s mood was unusually good. “Indeed, quite a coincidence.”
Besides the Item Merchant, Yu Chengyi was the first player she encountered repeatedly, and each time he was selling goods near the Item Merchant—

Thinking of this, Qian Yue looked around and didn’t spot the Item Merchant’s figure.

Yu Chengyi was initially surprised by her sudden appearance, but as Qian Yue scanned the area, a sudden realization dawned on him.

“Are you looking for the Item Merchant?”

Qian Yue neither confirmed nor denied it.

Yu Chengyi burst into laughter. “Instead of looking for him, why not look for me? This instance is vast, and you don’t necessarily have to wait for him to come to your location—”

He paused, noticing the things laid out in front of Qian Yue.

“Are you making a boat?”

Qian Yue nodded and asked directly, “Do you have any spare rubber?”

She had seen that Yu Chengyi’s junk boat had several tires placed underneath.

However, he shook his head. “No, rubber is hard to come by. I was lucky to get a few tires. That’s all.”

He skillfully took out a few items from his backpack and laid them on the ground. “But I do have some things that can be used for boat construction. Want to take a look?”

The first thing Yu Chengyi took out was a toolbox. Just as Qian Yue was about to pick it up and examine it, she saw him slyly opening the box and taking out each tool one by one.

Yu Chengyi smirked, “These things are valuable. I bought a set from the Super Mall. That’s why I’m selling them separately, all at the same price.”

Qian Yue, “…Can you be any more shameless?”

Yu Chengyi, “Hey, there’s no need to be respectable in business, especially when you can’t convert it into cash.”

Qian Yue, “Have you been running your business since entering the instance?”

Yu Chengyi, “Yeah, don’t you think the beginning of the instance is the most chaotic? Most players have no idea about prices, so it’s a good opportunity to stock up.”

As for his own island, Yu Chengyi hadn’t really managed it. After obtaining the Giant Lotus Leaf, he started traveling everywhere. And after changing to his current boat, he went even crazier and never bothered to check on his island.

“Although there’s a three-day protection period, beggars can still come and steal crops. I guess the crops on my island have long been divided among the beggars nearby.”

While he continued talking, he kept taking out items, grass ropes, nails, cling film, burlap…

Yu Chengyi continued, “Many people like to draw prizes and purchase items from the Super Mall before entering the instance, only to find out that they bought a bunch of useless stuff with their money.”

Qian Yue thought, “Damn, I feel like I’ve been hit by an arrow.”

Yu Chengyi said, “Since those people can’t use those items, they sold them to me.”

He pointed at the items in front of him, “Things like nails and chopping knives, most of them are in this situation, but some of them are obtained from airdrops.”

He gave Qian Yue a heads up, “Because they are rare, the prices are higher.”

He then pointed to the pile of burlap, “Items like these are mostly crafted by players from harvested crops, so their prices are slightly cheaper.”

“Non-food raw materials are even cheaper. However, items like the Giant Lotus Leaf are an exception—you understand what I mean, right?”

Qian Yue nodded. Natural items could be used directly upon obtaining them, so it was normal for them to be more expensive.

She noticed that Yu Chengyi had brought out a lot of items at once and raised an eyebrow, “Your backpack can really hold a lot.”

Yu Chengyi smiled but didn’t say anything.

However, Qian Yue didn’t press further. In the previous instance, someone had mentioned that there was a super-sized backpack available for sale in the Super Mall. Someone like Yu Chengyi, who gave up the island from the beginning and chose to run a business, definitely had his own trump cards.

But…

Qian Yue couldn’t help but ask with a hint of amusement, “Are you not afraid that I might get tempted seeing you bring out so many things?”

Yu Chengyi didn’t even lift his head, “Not afraid. Isn’t it said that someone is watching over your group of islands? I heard that if you break the rules, you’ll get beaten up.”

Qian Yue’s expression instantly froze.

Yu Chengyi continued, “The people down there just said it. The boss is on the island, so I don’t have to worry—”

He paused, then suddenly looked up, his face filled with disbelief.

“Wait, it can’t be you, right?”

Qian Yue, “Indeed, it is me.”

Yu Chengyi took a sharp breath. “Wait, so it was you who used the bamboo to hit my boat?!”

Qian Yue furrowed her brow. “Did it hit you?”

At the time, she heard a sound and thought it was the troublemakers suffering the consequences, so she didn’t pay much attention.

Yu Chengyi was now furious. “Damn, it really was you!”

He shouted loudly, “No, I have to raise the price for this batch!”

Qian Yue ruthlessly exposed his little scheme and raised her fiery hand, pointing it at him. “Stop it, you just want to raise the price. Stop making excuses.”

Yu Chengyi, “…”

Qian Yue picked and chose among the goods, and her gaze finally fell on a bundle of special vines.

The reason they were considered special was that white flowers bloomed on the vines, resembling something Qian Yue had seen in the history books of Blue Planet called “Water Willow Flowers.”

These water-loving vines could not only be used medicinally but also eaten. Unfortunately, due to water pollution, that plant had become extinct.

“Let me see that.”

“This? It’s just an ordinary bundle of vines. But it’s quite resilient. If you can’t afford grass ropes, you can buy this.”

As Yu Chengyi spoke, he handed the item to her.

As soon as Qian Yue took it in her hand, the item’s attributes automatically appeared.

Unfortunately, although this vine looked somewhat similar to the Water Willow Flowers, its uses were quite different.

【Sea Vine】, Floating plant, survives when it encounters water, very resilient.

Qian Yue’s eyes lit up.

If someone else were to interpret this passage, they would likely see it as nothing more than a rope, including the seller, Yu Chengyi, who seemed to think so as well.

But in Qian Yue’s eyes, this was no ordinary rope.

She immediately said, “I want this. How much?”

Although Yu Chengyi didn’t understand why Qian Yue would give up on the grass rope and choose this, it didn’t stop him from slightly raising the price.

However, Qian Yue ruthlessly exposed his scheme once again. “Don’t play these games with me. I know your tricks better than anyone.”

Yu Chengyi, “…”

Qian Yue directly slashed the price in half with her Dragon-Slaying Blade and said, “Be straightforward. I can tell you the real use of this item, guaranteeing that you’ll sell it like crazy in the future.”

Yu Chengyi was half-believing and half-doubting. “Are you serious?
Isn’t it just a natural rope?”

Qian Yue stared at him, her expression unchanged.

Yu Chengyi gritted his teeth. “Fine, at this price. But I need to hear your explanation first.”

Since they had reached this point, Qian Yue couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

After all, there was a significant gap in their combat power. Even if Yu Chengyi wanted to run after hearing the news, Qian Yue had a way to bring him back.

Qian Yue, “Have you seen water hyacinths? They are a type of floating plant.”

“These vines are similar to water hyacinths. They thrive when they encounter water. If we use these vines to tie the bamboo raft, it would be perfect.”

Yu Chengyi, “Huh?”

Qian Yue explained, “Because the entire surface of the bamboo raft is in contact with the water, the vines, once they regain vitality, will only coil tighter. There’s no need to worry about ropes wearing out and the raft falling apart.”

“At the same time, the nature of floating plants gives them inherent buoyancy. By using them to tie the bamboo raft, not only do we not need to worry about increasing its weight, but we also gain an extra layer of security.”

This solution solved her problem of not being able to find rubber for tires.

The more Qian Yue looked at the vines, the more comfortable she felt. On the other hand, Yu Chengyi seemed a bit confused after listening for a while. He said, “…Wait, let me find a notebook and pen.”

Qian Yue, “Just remember that it’s suitable for replacing ropes in boat-making. We can call it ‘Boat Grass’ as an alternative name.”

Yu Chengyi thought the suggestion was great. “Okay, how much do you want? This thing used to be cheap, and I’ve been keeping a lot in stock.”

Qian Yue estimated her demand and finally bought a large bundle of vines with a spare bamboo raft.

Both parties were satisfied with the price. Yu Chengyi collected the other items, and while doing so, he casually chatted with her.

“I have a partner. Next time, I can introduce you to each other if there’s a chance.”

He complained, “Recently, many people have been using the guise of doing business to commit robberies, making it difficult for us legitimate businessmen.”

“But I heard that a robbery gang was taken down by another gang yesterday. It serves them right!”

Qian Yue paused for a moment.

…There were only a few people present at the time who were still alive. She bet five cents that Du Yuanlang, that little brat, accidentally revealed something.

Heh.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Qian Yue’s lips.

Yu Chengyi, with his head lowered, didn’t notice the change in Qian Yue’s expression.

He changed the subject and subtly tried to attract more business for himself. “But speaking of that, you should be careful when doing business. It’s best to find legitimate businessmen like us…”

Qian Yue retorted, “No legitimate businessman would agree to cut the price in half.”

Legitimate businessman? More like a cunning merchant.

Yu Chengyi justified himself, “It’s all because of customers like you who love to haggle. Of course, I have to set the starting price a bit higher!”

Qian Yue narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute, the more you say that, the more I feel like I still got the short end of the deal after haggling the price.”

Yu Chengyi suddenly lowered his head and clenched his fist, pretending to cough. “Ahem, ahem. Our shop has a no refund or exchange policy unless it’s a quality issue.”

“…,” Qian Yue couldn’t be bothered to argue with him and bought some other miscellaneous materials. In the end, she took out those miscellaneous items from her backpack and handed them over. “I heard that you also buy items. Can you give me an estimate for these few masks and three tire blueprints?”

Yu Chengyi restrained himself a bit this time and gave an objective and fair estimate. The five masks were not valuable and had limited use. They could only be sold to the Item Merchant for recycling, so Yu Chengyi quoted 30 yen for the lot.

As for the three blueprints, although they were indeed rare, they might not sell well because the required materials were currently scarce. Yu Chengyi quoted 70 yen per blueprint.

In total, it added up to 240 yen.

Among them, the three blueprints were obtained from air drops, and now that they were converted into currency, Qian Yue felt like she had stumbled upon a windfall.

Qian Yue: Wait, it seems like I have more funds for the next lottery before the start of the next instance.

Suddenly, she felt happy =v=