Volume One, Chapter 10: Women Only Serve to Slow the Draw!

Reflection aside, it did not dampen Lin Yifan’s pursuit of delicious food in the slightest.

If there were no options, so be it; but if there were choices, who wouldn’t want to seek a better living experience?

So, after only a brief moment of contemplation, Lin Yifan immediately began pondering how to obtain seasoning.

At that moment, he noticed many people in the chat channel asking if they could exchange other items for food.

“Boss, I don’t have clay or shelter blueprints, but I have other blueprints. Can I trade them for some meat?”

“I don’t have clay or blueprints either, but I opened a chest and got 50 grams of salt. I want to trade the salt for meat…”

“Boss, I found some wild vegetables. Eating meat gets greasy. Want some wild veggies for a change of taste?”

…

In the chat channel and auction house, people could post images of items directly, and it was even possible to smell the scent.

For a moment, the channel was flooded with images of all sorts of items.

So Lin Yifan also posted a picture of roasted snake meat in the comments section.

However, as soon as he posted the image, the previously bustling chat suddenly froze for an instant.

But just a moment later, the entire chat channel exploded with activity!

For example, a blueprint for a basic workbench caused quite a stir.

At this point, Lin Yifan was immediately tempted because only by having a workbench could one craft other items.

Moreover, the workbench came randomly with a blueprint for crafting basic items.

It was undoubtedly an essential survival tool.

Anyone willing to trade such a blueprint for food must have been forced into a desperate situation.

The moment Lin Yifan saw the blueprint, he was instantly moved and without hesitation sent a private message.

The avatar was of a woman who looked quite attractive.

Her small, delicate face was as exquisite as a porcelain doll.

If this were the past, such a girl would be the dream of countless admirers.

She also had a very pleasant name: Ruan Qingtan.

Because this world operated on a real-name system, the name displayed under the avatar was the person’s real name.

With such a beautiful appearance and a lovely name, even Lin Yifan found himself stealing a second glance.

But that was all; now, nothing was more important than survival supplies.

Women only distracted him and slowed his efficiency.

So he quickly refocused and matter-of-factly sent her a private message:

“I’m interested in your workbench blueprint. How do you want to trade?”

At that moment, pale-faced Ruan Qingtan sat inside a drafty thatched hut, trembling as she hugged her knees.

If it weren’t for the warmth from the burning fire, she felt she might die at any moment.

She was starving.

Before crossing over, she had been doing a weekly fast to maintain her figure—36 hours without food, surviving only on water.

She had planned to have some rice porridge first thing the next morning.

But upon waking, her world collapsed.

She had arrived in this survival realm, facing a brutal struggle for life.

With no food in hand, she could only hope to find something edible during the relatively safer daylight hours.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t even have the strength to chop wood or mine stone before succumbing to malnutrition.

But reality was cruel.

She had spent the entire day searching for food but found none.

Only two treasure chests.

And the loot from those chests was valuable: one contained the blueprint for a basic workbench.

The other had a blueprint for making feathered arrows.

But no food.

Ruan Qingtan was nearly fainting from hunger, and although she had asked in the chat channel about trading blueprints for food, no one was willing to exchange.

Not that there was none, just the price was outrageous.

For example, a single loaf of bread or a handful of wild grapes…

Even if she managed to trade for those, it would be useless.

Though everyone was struggling to survive in the wilderness, the scarcity of food far exceeded expectations.

At this moment, Lin Yifan’s appearance was like a godsend.

She had observed that Lin Yifan’s prices in the market weren’t quite what everyone hoped for, but compared to most, he was relatively fair.

So, she dared not ask for too much and cautiously inquired:

“Boss, I’d like three taels of meat and ten blueberries. Would that be acceptable?”

“Three taels of meat?” Lin Yifan was momentarily stunned, staring at the separated chunks of meat, a bit perplexed.

He wasn’t quite sure how much three taels actually was.

Seeing his message, Ruan Qingtan thought he found the price too high and quickly lowered her offer:

“Boss, if three taels is too much, I can ask for less…”

Lin Yifan realized her misunderstanding and quickly clarified:

“It’s not about whether it’s too expensive. I just don’t really know how much three taels is.”

“How about this: I’ll give you five pieces of the meat I listed earlier and ten blueberries. Would you accept that trade?”

“Of course I would!” Ruan Qingtan was overjoyed.

What she called three taels was roughly two or three pieces of the meat Lin Yifan had listed.

Her offer of five pieces was like manna from heaven.

Afraid Lin Yifan might change his mind, she immediately initiated the trade through private messaging.

Only then did Lin Yifan realize he had offered too much.

But since the words were out, he couldn’t back down and proceeded to trade the workbench blueprint.

Ruan Qingtan almost cried tears of joy upon receiving the meat and blueberries.

She grabbed two blueberries and popped them into her mouth; the sweet and sour taste moved her deeply after nearly 48 hours of hunger.

Lin Yifan guessed she must be starving, so he had given her cooked meat.

Although each piece was still about the size of a quail egg, cooked meat shrinks in size.

So Ruan Qingtan had truly gotten a great deal.

After happily eating a piece of meat, she messaged Lin Yifan:

“Boss, thank you! Really, thank you! You saved my life!”

Then she sent him the remaining blueprint for making feathered arrows:

“Boss, I have this blueprint, but it’s useless unless I can get a bow.”

“I can’t get a bow, so this blueprint is just a scrap of paper to me. If you want it, it’s yours!”

Lin Yifan frowned as he read these messages, a wary expression flashing across his face.