Chapter 448 - 447: Starting with a Bang

Chapter 448: Chapter 447: Starting with a Bang

Simple Water Filter Blueprint, Black Fog Crystal Energy Storage Lamp Blueprint, Furnace Blueprint...

At first, 001 didn’t understand. But once he saw what they were, his eyes lit up like lightbulbs, blazing with a brilliant glow.

He scurried over, squatted down to pick one up, and after reading it carefully, asked, "Are these your blueprints?"

Seraphina Sinclair scoffed, half-amused. "Whose else’s would they be, if I’m the one holding them?"

Only then did 001 realize how provocative his question had sounded. He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. "Does this mean you agree to cooperate with me, milady?"

"Not yet," Seraphina replied casually. "We haven’t even settled on the details, and you’re already talking about a partnership?"

thought about it and had to agree she had a point. He stopped pressing the issue and focused on examining the blueprints.

Valuable blueprints are always valuable. Having experienced 156 rounds, 001 understood this profoundly.

The simple water filter blueprint might seem basic, but in this world, survivors who couldn’t get a drink of water whenever they needed were everywhere.

In some Zones, the price of bottled mineral water was even higher than some rare items.

Because water was essential, but items were not.

In Zones like that, 001 couldn’t even imagine how many survivors would be scrambling to rent this blueprint!

crouched on the floor, flipping through the blueprints one by one, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter. To him, these were a flock of geese that laid golden eggs.

"Milady!" He shot his head up, his little face flushed with excitement. "Do you have any idea how valuable these blueprints are?!"

Seraphina Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "Of course I do."

took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his hands, still clutching the blueprints, trembled slightly.

’This time, I’ve really found my worth!’

Besides selling supplies collected from survivors and restocked from headquarters, Traveling Merchants could also form deep partnerships with certain survivors.

001’s previous collaboration with Seraphina Sinclair on the runes was one such case.

Back then, 001 had been terrified of losing even the slightest bit of profit. Now, his mindset had completely changed.

’Most of the Black Fog Coins I earn get taken away anyway, so I might as well give Seraphina a better deal.’

’If Milady earns more, she won’t be able to leave me in the future, right?’

’That way, even if she really wants to refuse my request, she’ll have to think twice, won’t she?!’

001’s eyes sparkled. The more he thought about it, the smarter he felt.

He shot a quick glance at Seraphina Sinclair, cleared his throat, and began speaking with a hint of pride, as if to say, ’I’m the one you need.’ "Milady, look."

cleared his throat again, waved a small hand, and began counting on his fingers.

"The simple water filter blueprint! I can rent it out on a per-use basis in water-scarce Zones. Let’s say, 20 Black Fog Coins per rental. Renting it out a hundred times a day isn’t too much to ask, right? That’s 2,000 Black Fog Coins!"

"And the Black Fog Crystal Energy Storage Lamp blueprint! This thing is even better; every Zone needs it. 50 Black Fog Coins per rental. We can definitely rent it out a hundred times a day too. That’s five thousand Black Fog Coins!!"

"And there are so many other blueprints..."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his little face turning beet red.

"In a month, the rental income from just these blueprints will be at least... at least..."

counted on his fingers for a long while before his eyes widened. "It’s got to be tens of thousands of Black Fog Coins!"

Seraphina Sinclair remained relatively calm, but after thinking it over, she also found the plan feasible.

Like a master musician finding a kindred spirit who understands their song, the human and the Traveling Merchant sat on the bedding spread across the floor, lost in discussion.

About three or four hours later, Seraphina Sinclair finally signed her name on the cooperation agreement.

The agreement was extremely favorable to her, with almost all profits going in her direction.

Of course, Seraphina Sinclair wouldn’t let 001 work for free.

For 001, Advanced Meal Vouchers were the best reward!

Seraphina Sinclair put the agreement away and looked up at 001.

He was hugging the paper and grinning like an idiot, his smile stretching nearly from ear to ear.

"Alright," Seraphina said, getting to her feet. "Stop smiling."

wiped away non-existent drool from the corner of his mouth and tried to put on a serious face, but he couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes.

"Milady, should I go handle it now?" he asked eagerly. "I’ll send the information about these blueprints to the Traveling Merchant group chat first, see which Zones need what, and then go promote them one by one!"

Seraphina Sinclair nodded. "Go ahead."

scurried to the corner of the room and, with a wave of his small hand, summoned a Lightgate out of thin air. Just as he was about to dive in, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Seraphina Sinclair.

"Milady, do you have any other instructions?"

Seraphina thought for a moment, then advised, "Be safe."

froze for a second, then his eyes lit up.

"Okay!"

He nodded vigorously and plunged headfirst into the Lightgate.

The Lightgate slowly closed behind him, and the small room fell silent.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the time. Seeing there was still an hour until dark, she began an activity she hadn’t performed in a long time—moving.

The moment she infused the door card with sunshine, Seraphina actually felt a flicker of nervousness.

She scoffed at herself. ’It’s just been a while since I’ve moved. It’s not like I’ve *never* moved. What’s there to be nervous about?’

Luna Jacobs, who was diligently improving the blueprints, noticed the commotion. She looked up and asked, "Will you need me in a bit?"

Seraphina hadn’t actually considered the question, but...

"No need. Focus on your engraving."

She answered decisively, trusting in her own strength.

Luna Jacobs figured as much. She added, "The constant shaking is affecting my work a little. How about I work somewhere else?"

Seraphina immediately agreed to the request, setting up a stone table for her in the bathroom before returning to the main room of the moving cabin.

With Luna Jacobs gone, the cabin suddenly felt much emptier.

Sunflower was lying in the corner. Today had been an exceptionally rare day for it; after all, it hadn’t felt the exhaustion of a completely depleted Hunger Level in a long time.

With Luna Jacobs gone, the one who suffered the most was the Gloom Hatchling.

Lately, Luna Jacobs had practically become the Gloom Hatchling’s personal cushion—softer than the bedding and warmer, too. Even a fool would know which to choose.

So, the moment its cushion left, the Gloom Hatchling couldn’t sleep a wink.

Seraphina watched it struggle with sleep, its eyes rolling back in its head, and laughed at it internally.

Soon, the first surge of Black Fog poured in.

Seraphina gripped her Water Dragon Roar, wore her Single Lens, and stood ready for battle.

A monster that looked like a ball of flesh followed the Black Fog into the cabin.

Before Seraphina could even use Insight, the monster spun around twice right where it stood, as if confirming something. And then—

"BOOM!"

With a massive bang, the monster’s body exploded like a balloon!

Seraphina reacted instantly, pulling up a comforter at the last second to shield herself and Sunflower.

The terribly drowsy Gloom Hatchling didn’t have the same reaction speed. It was too far away; even if Seraphina had wanted to shield it, there was no time.

Not that Seraphina had any intention of doing so.

In an instant, the Gloom Hatchling was splattered with small pieces of the exploded monster’s flesh—on its body, on its head, and even on its eyelids.