World Upgrade

Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Repeating her success yesterday, Claudia put the first log hauled in with the last left in inventory, into the campfire to make the last two charcoal whilst she gathered the rest. More than thirst played on her mind, she was desperate to properly bathe, to remove the salt constantly coating her skin and clothes and the sweat of two uncomfortable nights. Claudia checked the global market as she fished, noting the prices remained unchanged on general trades, rarer items were appearing with more frequency but still a rarity and priced well beyond her means.

‘Heavy Iron Cestus +6 Strength, passive affect staggering impact, every third consecutive attack upon same target inflicts 0.5 second stun. 3000 oc.’

She assumed most trades like this were listed in Ocean Coins with the actual currency being other special items, as it was surely impossible to have accrued that amount of coin wealth so quickly. She saw nothing she would trade the mood ring for.

‘Jaw Bone Hatchett +4 strength, passive effect, vampiric nick, critical hits heal the player for 10% damage dealt. 2000 oc.’ Stat bonuses seemed to determine the price, averaging 500oc per point.

‘Wind Filled Bracers +4 Agility, passive effect summons three second 50mph wind gusts, cooldown five minutes. 2500’

Claudia flicked onto the Global Chat around midday, with the sun beating intensely down from the center of the sky she needed a break from her second day of gathering basic resources. It was easy, but physically draining and monotonous.

Rusty: Bless poor players like snowflake struggling to reel in the fish. You just drop the hook, wait, and pull. It is the auto-dismantle that drives me crazy. The system takes forty percent of the meat just to make the fillet poof into your inventory. It is a massive waste of resources.

Spud: A forty percent loss is painful, Rusty, but at least your food source doesn't take days to mature. My farm plots take ages and farmer class only lets you instantly finish one soil plot per day at starter level.

Mr Havisham: Who needs a five-star steakhouse when nature provides such a delightfully crunchy, oversized river crayfish? It’s a literal hands-on dining adventure! Stay strong out there, the ocean is just a giant buffet!

ScrapIron: The global market is the only way to get enough currency to trade for Tier 2 boat upgrade resources, if you can’t grind them.

Rusty: Good luck selling tools when the sea gets rough. Just a few thousand more EXP and I unlock the Self Reel Blueprint.

Snowflake:

Wait, that's what auto dismantle is? Totally worth it. I will happily trade a few fish bites to not have to figure out how to gut a fish on a moving boat.

JustJake:

Don't worry, come over to my raft and I will cook a proper dinner for you so you don't have to lift a finger.

Grimm:

Hey Jake, can you cook for me too? My raft smells like wet cardboard and I only have raw seaweed. Or do your catering services only apply if the user profile has blonde hair?

Silvers: Bruised my shoulder on the central mast pole again. The starter raft layout is actual t*****e.

Lux: Fishing with a rod relies too heavily on probability. It is like toddlers attempting open-heart surgery with crayons. Buy a drift net from me and save your dignity

Claudia had seen Lux’s drift nets on the trading market, he wanted 200 of wood cloth or seaweed or 100 oc, more of one resource than the boat needed to upgrade, daylight robbery this early in the game. Yet from the way his sales emptied and replenished, he was doing well enough.

Dusty: Opened my rare starter chest. Got a luxury library bookshelf. I live on two floating logs.

Rusty: Bless the poor things little socks.

Mrs lace: More clothes urgently needed, tailor position open

DiamondGlint: I need a full bath tonight, not a sponge wipe like some sort of medieval peasant

Cinder: I think my motion sickness is fading, God I hope its fading.

Patchwork: The auto-fillet system is handy, but wasting forty percent of every catch adds up fast.

BrewTime: I’ll pay the tax. I’m too busy to care about deboning.

Mrs Lipton: I own only three sets of clothing. How harrowing.

LastCall: My rare starter chest gave me a heavy blacksmith anvil, it unlocked Blacksmith Class.

BrimStone: Get Leveling up!

Mrs Blake: Nanny and the Fisherman are hunting down Baby Nathaniel again, he just loves playing with The Bubble Breath Bracelet.

Mr Sinclair: The games expects one axe to be a sufficient amount of weaponry. Personally message me for hunting knife and g*n trades.

Crown: A shark tried to bite my hull today. Big mistake. I killed it with an iron spear and harvested the leather. Once my empire is secure, I’ll hire an entire security fleet to clear the way.

A Sterling: It stinks of fish today

Reading others players journeys was the only entertainment similar to the real world, the stark contrast of old world societal class was still amusing. Claudia filled the afternoon gathering resources, she crafted the small water barrel not long after the sun dipped from the center of the sky. The Small Water Barrel filled with 20l once a week. Enough to live on as drinking water, with none spare for cooking or washing. After grinding all day and crafting the water barrel Claudias resource inventory held, 11 wood, 33 cloth, 45 seaweed, 5 iron, 6 large fish fillet, 2 poison sacks, an onion and potato left in the vegetable basket, with 25 dried squash seeds from the first half eaten yesterday and two carrot heads, the greens wilting.

Wanting an earlier dinner Claudia had loaded the campfire with ten wood a few hours ago and prepared the same meal she made yesterday. Ensuring to leave parts of the produce to propagate and plant, if they last until a soil plot was crafted, which she was on track to do mid-day tomorrow. Her Ocean Coin balance increased to 32oc, after three trades of 5 squash seeds for 1ltr bottled water, giving her three. She used 10oc for a bar of soap, scrubbing her clothes before using the bottled water to rinse her clothes, recycling the water wrung from her clothes over her body before scrubbing herself. Then spent 20oc on toothbrush and toothpaste. Originally hoping to save with the Bathroom Set bundle, Claudia found she would not procure the amount needed soon enough. Leaving her balance 2oc.

After finishing her meal for the day, feeling replenishing and realizing she should be eating a daily meal at lunch, not the end of the day, Claudia relaxed n***d on the dry unlocked chest, lazily scrolling through the trades, looking for the rarities amongst the common trades. Her clothes draped on the storage crate and center pole, finishing drying in the evening warmth.

‘Vanguard’s Brass Signet +5 Strength, passive effect second wind, dropping below 25% health automatically restores health to 50%, cooldown 2 minutes 4000oc’

Claudia internally agreed the rings passive effect definitely earnt its extra stat price.

‘Whisper Thread Cloak +3 Agility +5 Stealth, passive effect fade to black, motionlessness grants complete invisibility to same level creatures and below for one minute. No cooldown. 2000oc’

Claudias back bolted straight at the low price of such an amazing special item, a bright blueish white glow emanating from deep below the sea caught her eye as she sat up. Distracted her scrambling thoughts on how she could scratch up enough loot for the cloak to what on earth was lighting up the sea dead ahead.

Her raft slowly drifted closer, setting sun darkening as the glow became increasingly prominent, Claudia strained to see what it was, but saw only a low blueish light, the water dimming the brightness and muting its reach.