Chapter 71: Lighter for Rent

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Lighter for Rent

[Blacktiger Ford]: Lighter for rent! 1 Black Fog Coin per use! Everyone, still worried about not being able to start a fire? Still stressing out over the sound of footsteps? Can’t get a fire going? Come and rent a lighter! One Black Fog Coin won’t make you poor, and it won’t make me rich, but it can save a life. Anyone who needs one, come and rent it!

"??? Master, is that really you?"

"What is this? Hahaha, it’s like a little ad. It’s killing me."

"Just what I needed! And it’s only 1 Black Fog Coin! Praise Blacktiger Ford!"

As soon as she sent the message, Seraphina Sinclair’s private messages were immediately flooded with several new inquiries.

Seraphina Sinclair sent the pre-edited trade contracts to each person one by one. Unfortunately, she only had one lighter. No matter how anxious they were, they would have to wait their turn.

A few others in the regional channel who also had lighters immediately followed suit.

"I support Master Blacktiger! It’s just that, uh... I happen to have a lighter too. If any of you can’t get in line with Master Blacktiger, you can come rent from me. It’s also just one Black Fog Coin!"

"Master Blacktiger is so kind! Offering up a lighter at a time like this is a real lifesaver for everyone! It’s just... ahem, I have one here too..."

"Master Blacktiger..."

At first glance, it looked like they were praising Blacktiger Ford, but upon closer inspection...

Figures.

They were all piggybacking on Seraphina Sinclair’s business idea.

Seraphina Sinclair sent the trade contracts to everyone who wanted to rent, one by one.

Although she only earned one Black Fog Coin at a time, the total became quite substantial as the number of customers grew.

After sending the trade contract to the last person, Seraphina Sinclair had successfully pocketed 54 Black Fog Coins.

It was a tidy sum.

She pulled out a piece of tissue and carefully wiped down her lighter. Only after confirming it was fine did she put it away, relieved.

Seraphina Sinclair placed her small iron pot on the campfire to heat up the leftovers from lunch.

’The campfire definitely can’t go out all night. I’ll need to add more firewood before going to sleep...’

At that, Seraphina Sinclair suddenly realized something. ’The price of wood on the trading channel is going to go up, isn’t it?’

She opened the trading channel to take a look. Wood was a basic material, and before, it had been lumped in with all the others. Now, however, it stood out.

Now, it cost two sets of other basic materials to trade for a single set of wood.

The price had indeed gone up, but not by much.

Obtaining wood was just too easy. Pretty much everyone could get several sets each day, so no one was running out.

Seraphina Sinclair checked her inventory. She still had plenty left over from her previous information trade, more than enough for her own needs. After a moment of thought, she set her wood aside. When it came time to exchange for Blank Talisman Paper, she would use her other materials first. If she had to use the wood, she could always trade it for two units of basic materials to buy Yellow Runes.

By the time she had that sorted out, her leftovers were almost ready.

The firelight danced across Seraphina Sinclair’s face as she held her two homemade chopsticks, shoveling the food into her mouth without a hint of distaste.

The first official day of survival was more or less over. Seraphina Sinclair reviewed the day’s events as she ate.

’The negative status effect this morning, the flesh-and-blood monster disguised as a treasure chest I encountered this afternoon, and the footsteps tonight...’

’The negative effect can be dealt with using an Immunity Crystal and Protective Clothing.’

’As for the flesh-and-blood monster...’ Seraphina Sinclair subconsciously glanced at the marks still left on the wall.

’Sigh. There’s really nothing I can do about it for now. The smell inside the mobile cabin is so pungent... If I weren’t truly starving, I definitely wouldn’t be able to eat this food.’

’It has to reset tomorrow!’

’If it doesn’t reset tomorrow...’

Seraphina Sinclair stopped herself from thinking any further. Dwelling on the worst-case scenario would only ruin her mood and bring no benefits.

’As for the footsteps...’

’Keeping the fire lit constantly uses up too much wood. I wonder if there’s another way to deal with it.’

As this thought crossed her mind, she suddenly stood up, holding her small iron pot.

’Come to think of it, I haven’t used Insight yet, have I?’

’Maybe... I should give it a try?’

Seraphina Sinclair looked out the window and tentatively tried using Insight several times, but it failed every time.

She sat back down, feeling her idea was a bit ridiculous.

’No-Go-Today went on and on about it but couldn’t get a single Insight result. It must just be impossible to use Insight on it.’

’Right...’

Her train of thought suddenly cleared.

’The view outside is so heavily obscured by the black fog. Since I can’t see anything, of course Insight won’t work.’

’To use Insight, I need a monster.’

’In that case, if I put out the fire, could I lure a monster inside and use Insight on it?’

The thought surfaced in Seraphina Sinclair’s mind, but she didn’t act rashly. Instead, she contemplated the plan’s feasibility and... whether it was truly worth the risk.

’No-Go-Today said the monsters are endless. They were clearly talking about what happens when you don’t have a fire lit.’

’If I let one monster in, use Insight, and then immediately light the fire...’

’Others might not be fast enough, but I have gasoline. Lighting a fire would be incredibly easy for me.’

She gently set down the small iron pot. She had already finished most of her leftovers.

’Today is the first official day of the game. If the system was merciful enough to give us time to adapt, then today... is the best possible opportunity.’

’As long as Insight succeeds, I’m sure I’ll get detailed information.’

Seraphina Sinclair glanced out the window, then opened the regional channel to review the two messages from No-Go-Today.

’No other problems. It’s time to act!’

’Alright then... let’s do this!’

Seraphina Sinclair stood up, first scrubbing her small iron pot clean. Then she took a piece of wood and soaked it in gasoline, just in case the fire wouldn’t start up again later.

She rolled a piece of tissue into a long strip to use as a firestarter.

Once everything was ready, Seraphina Sinclair recklessly stomped out the campfire with her foot.

Just as No-Go-Today had described, about thirty seconds later, Seraphina Sinclair heard the footsteps again.

The glowing fishing float illuminated her surroundings, so for Seraphina Sinclair, the inside of the mobile cabin wasn’t completely dark.

Therefore, even with her ears filled with the sound of footsteps and the foul stench of decay hanging in the air, she didn’t feel particularly scared.

About five minutes passed before a pitch-black shadow appeared outside the window.

Seraphina Sinclair held the lighter in one hand and the rolled-up tissue in the other, with the gasoline-soaked piece of wood on the floor. The moment something entered, she would use Insight and then immediately light the fire.

The black shadow lingered outside the window for a few seconds before suddenly seeping into the room through the window crack as if it were melting.

Seraphina Sinclair’s pupils contracted sharply. It was a mass of constantly writhing black ooze, its surface covered with the dense, overlapping outlines of human faces.

’Weren’t they supposed to be beginner monsters, like Rotting Corpses or decaying centipedes?’

’Is the system singling me out?’

’Now is not the time to be cursing the system.’

"Insight!" She stared intently at the monster of faces and unleashed the Skill. This time, the system registered it as a success!