Chapter 311: A Debt of Gratitude

Chapter 311: Chapter 311: A Debt of Gratitude

He seemed to realize he was in the wrong and simply fell silent.

The group chat fell silent. Just as Seraphina Sinclair thought the matter had come to a close for now, Quicksand spoke up again.

[Quicksand]: Blacktiger, Shatterer, both of you need to calm down. The situation is unclear, and there’s no benefit to infighting.

The moment this survivor, who had always projected a calm and neutral image, began to speak, the tense atmosphere seemed to ease for an instant.

He continued, "Shatterer’s concerns aren’t without merit. The difficulty of the path boss may have indeed been underestimated. But I bought Master Blacktiger’s intel as well, and based on his Description, the information is absolutely worth more than its price."

"As for the rank-two situation..." Quicksand paused for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words. "Speculation without evidence easily incites unnecessary panic and hostility. Our top priority is to improve our own strength and prepare for any potential dangers. Figuring out how to buy Expansion Crystals to upgrade our mobile cabins—that’s what really matters."

His words made sense and quickly drew a chorus of agreement.

"Quicksand’s right. Arguing about this now is pointless. Surviving and getting stronger is the only thing that matters."

"Yeah, we bought Master Blacktiger’s intel, and it’s been very useful."

"The Expansion Crystals are the key! Anyone have a source? Willing to pay a high price!"

"+1, looking for Expansion Crystals! Price is negotiable!"

"Shatterer was probably just trying to remind everyone not to rely too much on intel. Maybe he was just a bit too blunt."

"Let’s all just drop it. There’s no point."

’Of course there was a point. Hadn’t it made things much clearer for Seraphina Sinclair?’

Quicksand was the one who brought up the problem, and now he was the one saying it was probably fine.

A person’s attitude wouldn’t change so suddenly without any new evidence. In Seraphina Sinclair’s view, Quicksand had either learned something or acquired something.

But the atmosphere in the group chat was congenial now; if she kept pressing the issue, she’d be the one causing trouble.

The messages in the group chat paused for a moment before turning to attacks on the monopolists.

Because she had spent so much time on meditation, it was nearly eight o’clock by the time Seraphina Sinclair stopped moving for the day.

The distant, shadowy silhouettes were gradually swallowed by an abyssal darkness. Even the strange, rustling sounds seemed to have been muted, leaving only a heart-stopping silence.

When she first arrived, Seraphina Sinclair harbored an instinctive fear of the night. The colossal shadows looming in the mist, in particular, made her feel profoundly small and helpless.

But now...

Seraphina Sinclair stood before the furnace, completely focused.

’Darkness? Shadows? Fear?’

’What’s that?’

All she was wrestling with now was whether or not to gamble on a one-percent probability.

’No... it’s not one percent.’

She needed five Iron Ingots, and the probability of getting each one was independent of the others.

That meant the probability of successfully obtaining all five Iron Ingots was a heart-stoppingly low number.

Seraphina Sinclair did have a lot of basic materials on hand, but she was not in the habit of wasting them.

Using a large number of basic materials to chase a slim probability was, by any measure, an unwise move.

But if she didn’t take the gamble, where was she going to get the remaining five Iron Ingots?

Seraphina Sinclair thought for a moment. The more she considered it, the more she felt she shouldn’t rush.

’If the material is necessary, there must be a way to obtain it.’

’Perhaps I just haven’t reached that stage yet...’

’There’s no use in rushing.’

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the furnace for a while, let out a sigh, and then turned to sit back down at the stone table.

’First, dinner. Then, more meditation.’

Previously, Seraphina Sinclair would have thought that when her body was exhausted, sleeping was the best way to rest.

It was only after talking with the waiter that she realized how ridiculously wrong she had been.

It was better late than never, but Seraphina Sinclair still wasn’t sure if she truly didn’t need sleep anymore.

Just in case, she opened the system interface and quickly drafted a schedule.

Two days of meditation, one day of sleep. To prevent sudden death.

Having made the schedule, Seraphina Sinclair felt her nerves settle. A structured plan always provided a sliver of control, especially in this godforsaken place.

The meal was already laid out. She quickly finished the luxurious spread, washed up, and sat cross-legged on her small bed, preparing to meditate.

Just as she closed her eyes, a private message alert suddenly went off.

The message arrived at the perfect moment; any later, and Seraphina Sinclair wouldn’t have replied until morning.

The message was from Chrona, and it was just a single sentence asking if she had gone to rest yet. Seraphina figured there was news about the Unsealing Hammer she had asked her to look into.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Not yet, I was just about to rest.

[Chrona]: It seems my timing is perfect. I was afraid you’d already gone to rest, so I wanted to ask first.

The words were incredibly pleasant to hear. Before Seraphina Sinclair could say anything, she received a gift notification.

"You have received a gift from survivor [Chrona]: Unsealing Hammer (B-level) x3! What a lavish gift! Go and thank them!"

Seraphina Sinclair was taken aback. She had only expected Chrona to help her find a seller, not send the items over directly—and three of them, at that.

Such a grand gesture, such efficiency, such a debt...

The debt felt a little too large.

Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay, especially in a place where resources are the difference between life and death.

Seraphina Sinclair disliked this feeling of being put into debt.

In her private chat with Chrona, a message appeared explaining the situation:

[Chrona]: Please, take them. Don’t worry about it. I got the hammers from some friends of mine. They happened to need other materials, so I just traded for them with some stuff I had to spare. It wasn’t any trouble.

The more she said that, the more Seraphina Sinclair worried that Chrona would eventually make an exorbitant demand.

But Chrona seemed to understand this as well.

Soon, another message popped up.

[Chrona]: I know what you’re worried about, so I’ll be direct. My hope is that in the future... if I’m ever on the verge of a desperate crisis, you might, for the sake of these three hammers, lend me a hand.

Seraphina Sinclair stared at the message, her finger hovering over the screen, and for a moment, she didn’t reply.

This request was far heavier—and far more... clever—than she had imagined.

[Chrona]: I know this is an unreasonable and far-fetched request. You can refuse, and the hammers are still yours as a gift. Just think of it as me making an early investment in goodwill. I just... want to increase my odds of survival.

Chrona’s message sat there in the dialogue box, the words honest, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible vulnerability.

She was making a bet—a bet on Seraphina Sinclair’s potential and character, a bet on a future possibility.

This investment didn’t involve any immediate, tangible exchange, which gave Seraphina Sinclair a far bigger headache than a straightforward transaction ever could.

Seraphina Sinclair remained silent for even longer.

She hated being tied down, especially by this kind of "life-saving promise." If Chrona’s tone had been even a little more forceful, a little more entitled, Seraphina Sinclair could have easily refused her.

But Chrona, clever as she was, had placed the choice entirely in her hands.