Chapter 22: Retrofitting the Camper Van

Yu Jiang sat leisurely in the front seat, eating a warm tortilla wrap while recalculating her current urgent supply needs.

She had no idea how drastically the weather might change, so the more cold-weather supplies and vehicle energy she had, the better. The biggest drawback of electric vehicles was that their energy consumption was easily affected by cold weather. Prices were likely to spike once the temperature dropped. The battery power she currently held was enough to cover over a thousand kilometers, but stockpiling supplies gave her a greater sense of security. It would be best to get a thermal insulation cover for the vehicle, too. She jotted this down on a sticky note so she wouldn't forget as things piled up.

X sent a message: "The Qi-replenishing drink... it's actually pretty good. It even granted a surprise effect, instantly dropping my fatigue by 50 points. Aside from the taste, it's hard to complain."

She knew that taste; it was hard not to feel refreshed and alert after one sip.

"The surprise effect description says: 'A drink meticulously brewed by an alchemist. Though it tastes even worse, it comes with a surprise!'"

Yu Jiang replied: "Got it."

In that case, she would hold off on drinking it for now.

"However, it’s not even evening yet. Do you really need a Qi-replenishing drink already?"

Unless one was actively crafting, fatigue levels shouldn't rise that quickly under normal circumstances.

X: "Grinding monsters outside in the rain consumes more energy. I have missions for my skill upgrades, and I need to clear monsters at night as well."

Yu Jiang sent him an emoji expressing admiration. Only a truly hardcore player would drive at night; the nighttime protection buff only took effect when the vehicle was parked.

After finishing dinner, five pies and two shredded potato tortilla wraps remained. Her backpack slots did not provide thermal insulation; they only ensured that food wouldn't spoil. The car refrigerator, however, could handle it, featuring both refrigeration and time-stasis functions. She would need to enable the solar panels to use it without feeling the pinch.

While it was still early, Yu Jiang began modifying the interior space of her vehicle. She had a wrench, a screwdriver, and an onboard toolbox, so she could figure it out herself and consult "Cold River Lone Shadow" if she ran into any issues. Transforming it into a camper van meant reconfiguring the interior, which definitely required removing the back row of seats to install cabinets and expand storage space. It wasn't a small project and couldn't be finished in a single day, so Yu Jiang planned to set up the bed first and add the rest gradually.

With the temperature dropping, it was difficult to compete on the mileage leaderboard with an electric car, but she could still vie for a spot on the wealth leaderboard.

Yu Jiang found "Purple Is Sure to Work" on the trading platform: "Can you customize solid wood cabinets for a vehicle?"

After a few minutes of waiting, Purple Is Sure to Work replied: "Absolutely! Big Boss! We were in the same dungeon before!"

Yu Jiang briefly described the style and dimensions she wanted. "What's the price?"

"Since you’re also into crafting, I won't inflate the price. I'll build you a full set of vehicle cabinets using the best teak I have, and I'll finish it with varnish—it’ll look great and be durable."

"Players like me, whose combat power isn't high and who rely on manufacturing to survive, are always looking for items to stay alive. How about 5 restorative potions, a down jacket, or some crafting scrolls? I have goose down here. If you manage to make better restorative potions later, how about throwing in two more for me?"

"The King Called Me to Patrol the Mountains" was the biggest order he had ever received. His profession was an artisan, but at this stage, few had the resources to invest in vehicle interior design. Even he, despite relying on luck, reselling, and crafting to save up his assets, hadn't dared to use high-quality materials. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to defend his loot due to low combat power, and he felt that since he only had a limited supply, it was better to save it to trade for survival necessities. If he could pull this off, he might just advance from an artisan apprentice to a novice artisan!

Yu Jiang considered the offer. The terms were fair, and he only made the offer because he knew she could craft restorative potions. Currently, he was the only one capable of making furniture.

"Deal. I have two old cabinets here; you should be able to salvage some materials from them."

Just like that, they traded the old cabinets and the down, and Yu Jiang provided one restorative potion as a deposit. Then, it was just a matter of waiting for the crafting time. Purple Is Sure to Work mentioned that a full set of camper furniture would take some effort.

Yu Jiang began to look forward to tomorrow, when she would finally have her new camper van.

That night, lying in the car, she idly scrolled through the public chat channel.

"Innocent Cockroach Hot and Spicy" posted: "Big Boss! Last night, I was bored, so I picked up a suona and played a couple of notes at some passing monsters, and the result!!!"

"I unlocked an achievement and the skill 'Abstract Wandering Artist.' I can control the movement speed of two monsters and make them dance! How do I level up this skill?"

She was too embarrassed to mention that those two monsters looked like they had Parkinson's as they twisted and crawled on the ground in the dark.

Yu Jiang sincerely replied: "6."

"There probably isn't a fixed operation for leveling up; it should be related to your professional direction."

Innocent Cockroach Hot and Spicy: "Understood! Big Boss, do you still need Level 2 water condenser parts? I pulled two more. I want to trade for a cotton-padded jacket. Cotton is hard to come by today; it was snatched up instantly on the trading platform."

There really wasn't enough cotton available. "Sicily" had bought up quite a lot, and the price was now very high. So she wanted to make up for it with other items; giving the condenser parts to anyone else felt like a waste compared to giving them to the Big Boss.

"I'll take them! Leave the cotton-padded jacket to me."

Yu Jiang listed custom cotton-padded jacket services on the trading platform, charging material costs plus 50% for those outside her friend list, though she was open to trades. She picked up a few orders, and the materials she skimmed were enough to craft one jacket. Trading for the water condenser was a great deal. She even threw in an extra pie.

"Oh my god! Big Boss, where did you get this? [Touching] It’s been so long since I’ve seen food that actually tastes like real food. It’s delicious!"

"Traded for it with another player today."

After replying, Yu Jiang took the remaining two parts for the Level 2 water condenser and immediately upgraded it. The Level 2 condenser could produce 1 liter of drinking water and 2 liters of utility water daily, doubling the output of the Level 1 version. Later, she could install a water tank in the car to make storage more convenient.

After finishing her manufacturing orders, Yu Jiang drew the curtains, pulled up her blanket, and went to sleep.

The next morning, it was cold and noisy. Raindrops hammered down like cannonballs, and the whistling wind sounded terrifying. The temperature had dropped to 12 degrees, with a Level 8 gale warning.

Once her fatigue recovered, Yu Jiang immediately crafted a batch of restorative potions and hallucinogens.

[Player has crafted 50/50 restorative potions, and has collected 70% of the primary drug catalog. Upon reaching 80%, you can obtain a new drug crafting scroll. Keep it up, Alchemist!]

!!!

Yu Jiang did a sit-up, hit her head on the roof of the car, and then sat there holding her head. So that's how the primary catalog worked! She had to work hard to reach 80% collection before the next dungeon mission. It was better to gather now while it was only raining; snow would make collection even harder.

Others in the district had already obtained healing skills and scrolls for primary hemostatic herbal powder. Yu Jiang spent the entire day focused on gathering. She also had her drug material supplier, "Thunder Dharma King," who had promised to give her a hallucinogen and a new drug if she could find those specific materials. Consequently, Thunder Dharma King was also working like a man possessed, driving his cat-themed delivery truck and acting as a human radar.

Yu Jiang continued to trudge through the rain, wrapped in a plastic sheet, stopping to gather here and there. She dug up several mutated calamus plants, but her collection progress was stuck at 78%. She had traveled over a hundred kilometers and still hadn't found what she needed.