Chapter 447 - 446: Deep Cooperation

Chapter 447: Chapter 446: Deep Cooperation

A D-level rune pen!

Seraphina Sinclair’s fingers trembled slightly.

The Green Jade Rune Brush she had just been using could finally be retired! This was truly fantastic news!

Seraphina Sinclair looked dead serious, refusing to treat this as a simple tool replacement.

She looked up at 001. A rune pen was useless to the average survivor, but this pen’s purpose was written right in its Description, and its Level was displayed after its name. Getting it for three thousand Black Fog Coins was an excellent price.

Seraphina Sinclair reached out and patted its shoulder. "You did well."

She took out three thousand Black Fog Coins and placed them in 001’s hand.

When she looked up again, she saw 001’s stunned expression.

She frowned and waved her hand in front of its face. "What’s wrong?"

001’s eyes widened. It clutched the money pouch and took a step back, then frowned and said, "You handed over the Black Fog Coins so easily? Are you really Blacktiger Ford?"

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’I know I used to be a bit of a monster, but it couldn’t have been bad enough to leave 001 with such deep psychological trauma, could it?’

Seraphina Sinclair was silent for two seconds, then suddenly held out her hand.

instinctively flinched back, hugging the money pouch even tighter.

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow twitched. "Give it back."

shook its head frantically.

"That’s the money I gave you."

continued to shake its head frantically.

Seraphina Sinclair took a deep breath, telling herself, ’This is the little one I’ve taken in. Can’t hit it. Can’t hit it.’

"Weren’t you just surprised that I gave you the money so easily? Now that I’m taking it back, what are you surprised about?"

blinked, then blinked again. Finally, its eyes widened as it declared, "It’s different! Prying money out of your hands is too hard, so once it’s in my hands, I can never let it go."

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

She was rendered even more speechless.

’Fine, the deal is done.’

Seraphina Sinclair stopped looking at it and returned to the stone table, spreading a fresh sheet of rune paper on its surface.

She took a deep breath, using Water Stopping to calm her mind. Gripping the brand-new rune pen, she dipped it into the prepared ink, took another deep breath, and held it.

The pen glided across the paper as if alive, ink spreading in its wake.

The rune took shape. Seraphina Sinclair dazedly pulled back the rune pen, staring at the rune paper before her—a design she had drawn hundreds of times.

She had drawn hundreds of D-level runes, but this was the first time she had ever completed one so smoothly, so effortlessly.

The feeling of obstruction that had been plaguing her all this time suddenly vanished.

A moment later, Seraphina Sinclair came to her senses and looked at the brand-new rune pen in her hand.

’So that was it. Using the Green Jade Rune Brush to draw D-level talismans was already pushing it to its limits.’

’And this must be that feeling of ease that comes from using a higher-level rune pen.’

Seraphina Sinclair once again had a real sense of this world’s strict level classifications. She looked up and saw 001 standing beside Luna Jacobs, its eyes shining as it stared at the blueprint Luna Jacobs was currently engraving.

After a moment’s thought, Seraphina Sinclair silently withdrew her gaze.

’It’s about time. The Black Fog Lamps should have stored enough sunshine by now.’

’It’s time for the Sunflower to have its meal!’

Seraphina Sinclair brought back the Black Fog Lamps, placing them in front of the Sunflower before opening them so as not to waste a single speck of light.

The Sunflower’s leaves immediately unfurled, its floral disc turned slightly, and its eyes narrowed into slits, wearing a look of pure enjoyment.

"Little Human~" its soft, sweet voice echoed in her mind. "Today’s sunshine seems brighter than yesterday’s~"

Seraphina Sinclair ignored it, simply staring as the light from the Black Fog Lamps was absorbed bit by bit by the Sunflower.

Her mind was now completely filled with that smooth sensation from painting the rune earlier.

’A D-level rune pen really is something else.’

Before, when she used the Green Jade Rune Brush to draw D-level talismans, there was always a slight feeling of resistance, like trying to cut meat with a dull knife—she couldn’t put her full strength into it.

She had thought there was a problem with her runic ink formula, which was why she could only barely manage to create D-level talismans. Or perhaps the runes for an F-level talisman like the Fire Drawing Rune were simply insufficient to support a D-level talisman, which was what caused that feeling of resistance.

Seraphina Sinclair had considered many possibilities.

Now that the mystery was solved, she really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

As this crossed her mind, she felt she really should thank 001 properly.

Seraphina Sinclair looked up and met 001’s gaze.

However, it seemed a bit uneasy, its eyes filled with nervousness. The moment their gazes met, it immediately looked away.

Seeing 001’s guilty expression, Seraphina Sinclair frowned and asked, "What’s wrong?"

shrank back and said in a small voice, "Nothing, nothing..."

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t say anything, just kept looking at it.

squirmed under her gaze, twisting the corner of its clothes with its fingers and drawing circles on the ground with its toe, looking like it wanted to say something but didn’t dare.

Seraphina Sinclair waited a few seconds, but when it still didn’t speak, she looked away and went back to watching the Sunflower absorb the sunshine.

Freed from her gaze, 001 found a new surge of courage. It pointed toward Luna Jacobs and began, "That..."

Seraphina Sinclair looked over.

"This blueprint, it’s yours, right?"

It was referring to the simple composting device blueprint that Luna Jacobs was improving.

Seraphina Sinclair nodded, her gaze shifting away as she asked, "What about it?"

She had noticed 001’s nervousness and had looked away because of it, but the anxious 001 clearly hadn’t realized this, as it didn’t even dare to look at Seraphina Sinclair.

For 001, cooperating with someone it had had a little tiff with before was actually quite difficult.

But then it remembered they were already partners, and it was even living in her mobile cottage. With that, 001’s inexplicable shyness suddenly vanished into thin air.

It cleared its throat and said loudly, "I want to partner with you. This blueprint of yours is very valuable, and most survivors will need the item it produces. If we can work together, and you’re willing to temporarily entrust this blueprint to me, I can run a rental business with it. We’ll definitely earn a lot of Black Fog Coins!"

’A rental business?’

Seraphina Sinclair began to think it over seriously.

This business sounded very similar to her crafting-on-demand business, but the difference was that this involved lending out the blueprint instead of directly selling the finished product.

Comparatively, 001’s proposal naturally had more advantages.

Not to mention the advantage that, as a Traveling Merchant, it could travel between Zones and enter any survivor’s mobile cottage.

For Seraphina Sinclair, the benefit of partnering with it was that she could earn Black Fog Coins while lying down!

Although she wouldn’t actually be lying down.

Last week, the Sunflower had been on a hunger strike, so Seraphina Sinclair had more time and was able to focus on her crafting-on-demand business—and that was even with the Gloom Hatchling’s help.

If she were on the move, she wouldn’t be able to manage the crafting business at all. She would have to halt her travels for a day or two just to stop and craft for other players.

Now, 001’s proposal was, without exaggeration, a godsend!

But Seraphina Sinclair didn’t rush to say anything. She thought for a moment, then took out all the blueprints she had on hand.