Chapter 4: Bargaining and Trading Supplies

"Is anyone there? Can someone tell me what's going on? How did I end up in the sky?"

"Amitabha, oh God! Isn't it said that you only go to heaven after you die? Does this mean I'm already dead? I haven't even finished paying off my mortgage yet!"

"Shen Mengting, where are you? I'm your husband, Wang Hongrui. Please answer if you see this."

"Wait a minute, where is my husband?"

There was too much information. Many people had lost their composure, crying and screaming blindly, while others were searching for their family and friends, hoping for a shred of comfort.

Han Xing filtered through these messages. He knew that arriving suddenly in such a strange world was indeed difficult to accept. But if they didn't adapt quickly, the fate awaiting them was either death by thirst or starvation once their supplies ran out.

Of course, among the ten thousand survivors in Region 107, there were a few calm individuals who had already begun exploring this unknown world.

Someone began seeking help: "Help! I just touched a cloud, and the system prompted that there was a foul-smelling aura inside. Does this mean there's a monster in there?"

"You're asking us? We don't know either. Why don't you go inside and find out?"

"Alright, I'll go in and take a look."

Two seconds later, a terrified cry for help echoed through the chat channel: "Holy crap, it's a Sludge Slime!"

"Help! The slime jumped on me, it's stuffing me into its body, I... gulp... gulp..."

"..."

The chat channel fell into a brief silence, then someone asked cautiously, "That guy... he didn't just drown in the sludge slime, did he?"

No one responded, but it was highly likely.

"Help! I ran into a monster here too!"

"Me too, there are so many monsters in the clouds!"

"These monsters are too terrifying. How did that guy who got the server's first kill manage it?"

Although these people had decent adaptability, they were still a few steps behind Han Xing. By the time he had already secured the server's first kill, most people were only just touching their first cloud.

Of course, not everyone was so unlucky; some clouds contained no danger at all.

"Hahaha, a bunch of losers! I didn't run into any monsters, and I even found food inside! If you want some, bring water to trade!"

"I didn't encounter any monsters either. I just opened a wooden chest and found a green-tier weapon for a Stalker. It’s amazing! Don't ask me how to trade; I don't want anything except water and food!"

Han Xing lowered his head in thought. The most scarce resources right now were undoubtedly water and food. He entered the trading channel, where hundreds of trade listings were densely packed.

"Stone fragments *20, can be used as thrown weapons, need food!"

"Slime mucus *10, magic material, trading for 200ml of water!"

"One-star beast hide *1, high-quality material, can be used to craft equipment, trading for 3 units of water or food!"

"Beast hide!" Han Xing's eyes lit up. One of the materials required for the backpack blueprint he had just obtained was a one-star beast hide. In "Sky Island Paradise," every player could equip two backpacks, and Han Xing still had room for one more.

Furthermore, with the bonus from his 'God-tier Craftsman' talent, the backpack he crafted would likely have stronger stats than the ones rewarded by the system, just like his wooden arrows. If he were lucky enough to trigger an additional special effect, it would greatly increase his chances of survival!

However, the guy selling the beast hide was asking for too much—3 units of water, which was 3,000 milliliters. Everyone had just arrived in this world; who could pull out that much water all at once?

Han Xing knew this person was intentionally setting the price high as a negotiation tactic, so he clicked on a private chat with the user, whose name was 'Emperor Beifeng'.

Xinghe: "Brother, three berries for the one-star beast hide."

Emperor Beifeng: "Three? Are you trying to brush me off like a beggar?"

Xinghe: "Three is quite a lot. You don't have a blueprint to craft anything yet, so the hide is useless to you. It's better to convert it into usable resources as soon as possible. In this world, ensuring your own survival is what matters most."

Han Xing tried to persuade him, but the other party wouldn't budge.

Emperor Beifeng: "No, no! I went through hell and high water to get this one-star beast hide, I nearly died for it! At least ten berries, or forget it!"

Hearing this, Han Xing suddenly laughed: "Heh, are you bluffing? Beast hides only drop from at least one-star beasts. With your current stats, how could you possibly be a match for a one-star beast? I reckon you got lucky and found it on another sky island."

Emperor Beifeng was shocked: "How do you know that?"

Han Xing chuckled. Of course, he wouldn't tell the other party that he had actually played this game before.

Han Xing continued: "So you see, a one-star beast hide isn't such a rare material. If you try to sell it after tomorrow, I'm afraid you won't even get three berries for it."

Han Xing was, of course, lying to him. A primary material like beast hide had many uses and would never lack buyers.

Emperor Beifeng seemed stunned by Han Xing and asked cautiously: "Is... is that true?"

He was swayed by Han Xing, but added, "Still, three berries is too little. How about... you add a bit more?"

"Fine, five berries. I won't pay any more than that."

"Deal!"

The other party agreed immediately.

[Survivor 'Emperor Beifeng' has initiated a trade request with you.]

Han Xing clicked accept, both sides placed their items in the trade window, and confirmed the transaction.

In his inventory, five berries vanished, and a brand-new beast hide appeared on the floor of his territory.

A look of joy crossed Han Xing's face. "Excellent. Now both materials for the space backpack are ready. All that's left is Aether."

Aether was a material that only dropped from certain magical monsters.

Han Xing checked the trading channel and found that those listing this material were all demanding water and food. His own berry tree still had 19 berries, but to prepare for emergencies, he couldn't afford to trade any more of them.

However, although he couldn't trade the berries, he had another 'lethal weapon' in his hands.

[Sharpened Wooden Arrow!]

In the recent battle, Han Xing had already verified the power of the wooden arrows. After three shots, it triggered a special effect, instantly finishing off the level 1 Sludge Slime.

In a regional channel of ten thousand people, there were bound to be many who chose the Hunter profession, and they would certainly recognize the effectiveness of the arrows.

Sure enough, as soon as Han Xing posted the listing, it immediately caused a stir in the chat channel.

"Holy cow! Excellent-quality wooden arrows, and they have special effects!"

"Hiss! The attack power is nearly double my wooden arrows, that's insane!"

"Those who chose the Hunter profession are in luck! Give me a few of these arrows, and I'd dare to challenge the monsters in the clouds!"

"Whoever has Aether, go trade for them! This big shot is trading one arrow for 10 Aether!"

...

In less than three minutes, all five of Han Xing's wooden arrows were traded away, netting him a total of 50 Aether.

"Great, all the materials for the space backpack are collected!" Han Xing's lips curled into a smile.

Just as he was about to craft the space backpack, two system notifications appeared before him.

[Survivor 'Cheng Jianyong' has requested to add you as a friend]

[Survivor 'Shen Yun' has requested to add you as a friend]