Chapter 98: Generator Acquired

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Generator Acquired

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the time. It was already eight o’clock.

No wonder the Sunflower had propped itself up, its flower facing Seraphina Sinclair, swaying back and forth as if laughing.

Seraphina Sinclair watched it for a moment. She felt bad about it, but...

Sunflower!

It’s time to work.

No one can escape work, and the Sunflower was no exception!

She turned on the two Black Fog Lamps, and the light immediately caught the Sunflower’s attention.

Staring at the scene, Seraphina Sinclair suddenly had an idea.

She opened the group chat.

[Blacktiger Ford]: Offering crafting services for Black Fog Crystal Energy Storage Lamps! Item details below..., required materials below..., crafting fee: one Black Fog Crystal. A great chance to free up your hands, don’t miss out!

The message covered all the important points. The only problem was...

’Will Frostleaf try to steal my business?’

Based on their few brief interactions, Seraphina Sinclair felt that Frostleaf probably wouldn’t. But a feeling was just a feeling, and Seraphina couldn’t be sure what the other woman would do.

But from the moment she had given Frostleaf the blueprint, she had been prepared for this day.

The blueprints were unique. If Frostleaf tried to poach her business now, then when it came time to craft the simple metal processing device, Frostleaf couldn’t blame her for poaching business in return.

Just as they had said at the time, the deal was indeed very fair.

Frostleaf was a smart person who understood boundaries. It would be a huge loss to get on Blacktiger Ford’s bad side for such a paltry, short-term gain.

She’d already tried to get a little extra and ended up losing big once; she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Seraphina Sinclair’s message caused a huge stir in the group chat.

"??????"

"You can use Black Fog Crystals like that?! I thought you could only sell them to the shop for a few measly Black Fog Coins!"

"Master! Master Blacktiger! Are you looking for a sidekick? Or someone to latch onto?"

"’Free up your hands’... those words are so tempting! God knows how painful it is to stand there like an idiot for over an hour every day, holding a Black Fog Lamp up to the Sunflower!"

"What a steal! A crafting fee of one Black Fog Crystal plus a few materials to permanently free up an hour of photosynthesis time every day! This is a massive win!"

"Master is awesome! (voice crack)"

"@Blacktiger Ford, Master, I want to place an order! I’m going to gather the materials right now!"

"I always thought the Master just had a few more supplies than the rest of us, and that we all had to manually hold our ’sunlamps’! I never imagined... the Master is living in such luxury?"

"So something like this exists? I thought we’d have to wait until we could build a generator and use it for power before we could free up our hands."

’A generator? Build one?’

Seraphina Sinclair immediately noticed that message. ’This person couldn’t have found a generator, could they?’

The person who sent the message was an old acquaintance, Bluebird.

Seraphina Sinclair thought for a moment, opened a private chat with him, and asked tentatively, "Do you have the blueprint for a generator?"

He didn’t beat around the bush and admitted it directly.

[Bluebird]: You’re sharp, Master. It’s a Fuel Generator blueprint. Take a look at the details yourself, Master.

Seraphina Sinclair silently opened it. ℯℯ𝑙.

[Fuel Generator Blueprint]

[Learning Requirement: Intelligence ≥ 10]

[Material Requirements: Metal Material x15, Copper Coils x3 (spools of copper wire can be used as a substitute), Insulating Material x3.]

[Effect: Allows the creation of a small generator with a stable power output, capable of powering compatible electronic devices. Note: Consumes fuel and generates a certain amount of noise during operation. Please choose its location carefully.]

Just as Seraphina Sinclair finished reading, another message from him arrived.

[Bluebird]: I managed to get the insulating material from the regional channel, but I can’t find a single trace of this copper wire. I had a hunch it was a crafted item, and I became even more certain after Frostleaf posted about her device.

[Bluebird]: Now we have the device to process materials, but not the materials to be processed. I wonder who has the Furnace Blueprint.

’Who else could have it?’

’It’s in my hands, of course.’

She didn’t mention that, only asking, "I happen to have three spools of copper wire. How about I craft a Black Fog Crystal Energy Storage Lamp for you, and you craft a generator for me? We can just waive each other’s crafting fees."

Bluebird didn’t overthink it. He offered a quick compliment, "A Master’s network is truly vast!" and readily agreed to the deal.

Once they had settled the terms, Seraphina Sinclair opened the regional channel to acquire the insulating material.

’If Bluebird could get it, there’s no reason I can’t.’

A short while after she sent the message, someone came knocking to make a sale. It was another old acquaintance.

[Miller’s Hardware]: Master, if you need materials, you should’ve just come to me! I don’t know if my ID is working its magic, but I’m always finding this kind of stuff! Insulating material. You need this, right? I’ve got more than a dozen of them!

’Does an ID really have that kind of power?’

Seraphina Sinclair remained skeptical.

This Miller was also a long-time partner. After a brief exchange, Seraphina Sinclair traded a can of oatmeal for the materials.

She gathered the other materials, sent them all to Bluebird, and crafted the item he wanted while she was at it.

After one final trade, they both had what they wanted.

Seraphina Sinclair let out a soft sigh. She finally had the generator. Now, all she needed to build the workbench was a Precision Guide.

’And given the current situation, don’t tell me this thing also needs a blueprint to be crafted?’

Feeling a bit helpless, Seraphina Sinclair opened her private messages and saw that quite a few more orders had trickled in.

Throughout it all, Frostleaf hadn’t said a single word, which could be considered a great show of respect.

Seraphina Sinclair crafted the items and sent them out one by one. This round of crafting services earned her 23 Black Fog Crystals.

’Making a profit on supplies like this is almost too easy.’

But there was a simple reason why Seraphina Sinclair didn’t post in the regional channel: crafting a few items wasn’t much trouble, but if the orders piled up, it would become a huge hassle.

Besides, for the people in her group chat, a Black Fog Crystal wasn’t a big deal to spend as a crafting fee. But for the players lagging behind in the regional channel, asking for one Black Fog Crystal would be like asking for their life.

Seraphina Sinclair shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside.

Just then, the Sunflower’s 200 Hunger Level had all been converted into sunshine. Seraphina Sinclair got up, went to the composting device to get the day’s nutrient liquid, and fed it to the Sunflower.

The Sunflower, which had been limply draped over its pot, immediately perked up. It tilted its head to look at Seraphina Sinclair, as if to say, ’If you had good food, why didn’t you bring it out sooner?’

It looked rather cute.

Seraphina Sinclair raised her hand and ruffled the Sunflower’s head, as if petting a small cat.

And was promptly rebuffed.

"Hot..."

Not content with just complaining, the Sunflower even flinched back a little.

’It’s breaking this old mother’s heart...’

But Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t just a doting mother. She immediately brought the lamp over.

"Since you don’t like it, then let’s get to work. Be a good kid."