Chapter 104: Scam and Run

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Scam and Run

The words "tier-up" were just too tempting!

Without a second thought, Seraphina Sinclair immediately took out twenty Fire Drawing Runes.

She had drawn them today as well.

Clutching the runes, Seraphina Sinclair said her farewells.

’I really need to draw more of these. They’re just too sought-after in this godforsaken place.’

To Seraphina Sinclair, it might just be a rune, but to others, it was their very life—something they would trade all their resources to obtain.

After completing the trade, Seraphina Sinclair made a polite inquiry. "What do you need so many runes for?"

The other party could have easily given a noncommittal answer, but NoFuelToday replied with surprising sincerity. "Someone on our team ran into a D-level monster. We don’t have the strength to face it right now, so our only choice is to trade resources for some runes and do our best to support him."

A D-level monster?

’That can’t be right.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed instantly. She hadn’t even encountered a D-level monster yet; how could someone weaker than her have run into one?

The Black Mist World was fair in that regard; the monsters one encountered were generally matched to the survivor’s strength.

Perhaps that was a bit misleading. To be more precise, monster strength was definitely related to the distance traveled. The farther one moved, the higher the likelihood of encountering high-level monsters.

Of course, it was possible that the person just had terrible luck.

But to encounter a D-level monster and still be able to call for help in a small group chat, and even wait for others to pool their resources to buy runes...

The strength of a D-level monster could be inferred from the E-level Rusted Mourner—an encounter with that was practically an instant-death sentence.

’Wait a minute.’

’Could NoFuelToday be getting scammed?’

Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t intended to meddle, but the other guy was so open, answering every question and holding nothing back.

After he finished his answer, he sent another message. "Your Fire Drawing Runes are amazing, Boss! If I need more, I’ll definitely trade with you again!"

Such a sincere customer was a rare find. Seraphina Sinclair sighed and asked, "This teammate of yours, how exactly did he describe the D-level monster? Did he send you the Insight information?"

[NoFuelToday]: He said the monster is like a giant, writhing shadow, and it’s so fast he can’t get a clear look. For the Insight information, he only had time to see the name and Level, [Shadowstalker (D-level)], and nothing else. He said he’s hiding in a narrow crevice in some ruins. The monster can’t get in for now, but it’s constantly ramming the entrance, and he won’t be able to hold out for much longer! Boss, is something wrong?

Full of holes.

Seraphina Sinclair was almost certain it was a scam.

A D-level monster, blocked by a simple crevice in the ruins?

Besides, a name like Shadowstalker sounded like a high-agility, high-attack type. How could it possibly give a weak, frantically fleeing person the chance to hide and send messages?

To be honest, Seraphina Sinclair hadn’t thought of analyzing the name for loopholes until she saw it. It just went to show that the scammers hadn’t been thorough enough in their preparations.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t elaborate, only reminding NoFuelToday to be extra vigilant.

Ultimately, it was someone else’s problem, and she certainly didn’t want to take responsibility for it. Even though she thought it was fake, what if she stopped NoFuelToday from sending the items and it turned out to be real?

This had nothing to do with her in the first place; there was no need for her to go out of her way to shoulder that responsibility.

The Fire Drawing Runes had already been traded away. They were someone else’s property now, and Seraphina Sinclair never felt possessive over things that weren’t hers.

Although NoFuelToday was a bit bewildered, these words had come from Blacktiger Ford, and they carried significant weight.

He fell silent for a moment, then understood Blacktiger Ford’s meaning. For a boss like her to give him such a warning, she must have had her own deductions.

He didn’t rashly hand over the runes. Instead, he found another leader in his team and explained the situation to her. Upon hearing Blacktiger Ford’s warning, her brow instantly furrowed.

These resources were traded for with an Expansion Crystal that more than a dozen of them had pooled together. There was no way they were letting a scammer get away with it so easily!

...

Seraphina Sinclair tapped on the stone table.

The waiter from last time appeared again, but this time, it was wearing a female "skin."

At first, Seraphina Sinclair didn’t recognize it, not until it started making its grating sounds.

That’s right... it was Western food again.

Seraphina Sinclair looked at the waiter before her—now in an exquisite female form, but with the same programmed enthusiasm in its eyes—and couldn’t help but feel a wave of annoyance.

She waved a hand, cutting off its long-winded description of the menu.

"Stop. Just bring the main course. Stay quiet. I’m going to eat."

Her tone brooked no argument. The perfect smile on the waiter’s face stiffened for a moment before it quickly readjusted. It bowed slightly. "As you wish, esteemed guest."

Seraphina Sinclair was quite satisfied with its obedience.

What she was less satisfied with... was that the portion size of Western food was just too small. She couldn’t even save a little for breakfast tomorrow.

After the meal, the waiter vanished along with the food container.

The mobile cabin grew quiet once more... no, it wasn’t quiet.

"It smells so good... *sob*... Hateful little person, why didn’t you grab some... I wanna eat... I wanna eat!"

Ugh...

Seraphina Sinclair looked at the Sunflower, then at the Little Light Ball, which had clearly shrunk back on itself.

’Sigh... Even if it’s starving, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. Besides... whether this thing can even eat is another question entirely.’

Seraphina Sinclair went to the bathroom to take a shower. When she came out, she had another message from NoFuelToday.

[NoFuelToday]: Boss! Thank you so much!

Seraphina Sinclair smiled faintly. It seemed her guess had been correct.

NoFuelToday briefly described what had happened and also sent over a new item.

[Zone Transfer Certificate]

[Description: A Dark Copper Badge imprinted with the pattern of a shattered doorway. Its surface shimmers with a silvery light like stardust and is cool to the touch. The holder can use this certificate to initiate a one-time cross-zone transfer request. After paying the corresponding Black Fog Coins, the individual and all their resources will be teleported to a designated new zone. Teleportation requires a 24-hour preparation period, during which it can be canceled. The certificate will not be returned upon cancellation. The certificate is destroyed after use, and another zone transfer cannot be requested for 30 days. Note: Transferring zones may reset existing team contracts, stationing permissions, and zone reputation. Please choose carefully!]

The item’s purpose was obvious—it was a tool for changing one’s survival zone.

’So the plan was to scam and run,’ she mused.

Seraphina Sinclair sighed in reflection, but her gaze was fixed on the last sentence of the description.

"Team contracts, stationing permissions, and zone reputation."

’Those three things...’

The first and the last were easy enough to understand, but what did the one in the middle mean?

’Stationing permissions?’

’Does the mobile cabin count?’

Seraphina Sinclair blinked, committing the term to memory. She knew too little for now, but one day, she would figure out what it meant.