"Did I ask for too little?"
Watching the other party respond so decisively, Ethan Ye scratched his head. He didn't regret it, but he couldn't help but wonder.
["Deal. Let's trade."]
Shangguan Yingxue: ["Wait, I need more ammunition and some food."]
This woman? Where is she getting all this water?
Finding a lot of water wasn't the surprising part—she had already specified it was lake water, so her first station was likely a body of water. What truly piqued Ethan's curiosity was her storage capacity. Where did she get the containers?
Before the average three-hour docking period of the first station ended, the trading platform and chat rooms were supposed to be offline.
Did she scavenge them? Or did she use a blueprint to build them, just like him?
He didn't ask. Everyone had their secrets.
Ethan Ye: ["Ammo is cheap. Five low-level rounds per kilogram of water; I'll provide the containers on my end. As for food, I have military compressed biscuits. One biscuit for five kilograms of water."]
Shangguan Yingxue: ["Fine. I want one hundred low-level rounds and three biscuits. Adding that to the previous rifle and twenty rounds, that's eighty-five kilograms of lake water total. Prepare for the trade. Do you have enough containers? If not, I can sell you some."]
Ethan Ye: ["Not necessary. Just send it through."]
He set the trade reception point directly over the reservoir.
The instant the firearms and ammunition vanished, eighty-five kilograms of water surged out of thin air, cascading into the reservoir's partitioned tanks. Adding this to his previous haul, Ethan now possessed 135 kilograms of water.
Staring at the clear liquid in the reservoir, he suppressed the urge to take a massive gulp. While it looked clean, anyone with common sense knew that untreated lake water was a death sentence waiting to happen.
["Pleasure doing business. If you need anything else, look me up."]
Shangguan Yingxue didn't reply, but a friend request from her popped up on Ethan's interface. He accepted it without hesitation. Compared to the pretentious Li Xiaosheng, Ethan preferred trading with people like her.
Fewer words, less hassle.
After concluding the deal with Shangguan, Ethan successfully sold several more low-level marksman rifles and ammunition to various buyers. He managed to secure the fiber and glass needed to reinforce his carriage. Once the modifications were applied, windows appeared in the frames, and the previously drafty interior of the carriage became significantly more habitable.
"A bountiful harvest indeed."
By the time the last transaction closed, Ethan had only twenty-one rifles left. He didn't set a rigid price; if an offer felt fair, he took it. This wasn't a loss-leading strategy; Ethan knew that while everyone was currently at Level 1, once the majority upgraded their trains and triggered their own reward modules, better weapon blueprints would inevitably appear.
"Hoarding" was a fool's errand. The value of low-level items would only plummet over time.
"Finally, some peace."
Taking out a purchased loaf of bread and a bottle of mineral water, Ethan ate his first proper dinner since arriving in this world. He returned to the engine car, found a relatively warm corner, and curled up.
To hell with survival for a few hours. He was exhausted. His only thought was sleep.
Accompanied by the rhythmic thump-thump of the train traversing the endless wasteland, Ethan gazed at the giant moon hanging high outside the window and slowly closed his eyes.
Thump-thump—thump-thump—
"Hiss!"
The midnight chill sent a violent shiver through Ethan's body. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, stretching his stiff neck and instinctively glancing out the window.
The wasteland was still the wasteland, its horizon shrouded in a mysterious, unsettling gloom. Above, the cold light cast by the massive moon seemed to drape the entire world in a layer of profound loneliness.
[Stamina: 87][Spirit: 91]
"How long was I out?"
He checked the system timestamp and rubbed his bleary eyes.
[03:37]
Three thirty-seven in the morning. Ethan sighed helplessly, opening the chat room to see the messages still scrolling at a frantic pace. Very few people were able to sleep as soundly as he just had.
"Whatever. Can't get back to sleep anyway."
He patted the dust off his clothes and stood up. With his Stamina and Spirit significantly restored, it was time to continue his Sublimation.
"Let's start with this."
The Colt M1911. This pitch-black pistol was a work of art. If he sublimated it, how much would its lethality increase? The second station wouldn't be a "Safe Zone," and only a powerful weapon could provide him with true peace of mind.
"Sublimation."
Stamina drained steadily from his body. Faint, intricate patterns began to etch themselves onto the previously matte black surface of the gun. The slide and frame lengthened slightly, making it feel somewhat heavy for a single-handed grip.
[Blacklight Enchanted Pistol] (Level 3) [Ability: Can consume Stamina to convert internal ammunition into Armor-Piercing Rounds.]
[Stamina: 47][Spirit: 90]
A cost of forty Stamina was acceptable. He balanced the Blacklight pistol in his hand and stacked several metal scraps into a makeshift target.
He pulled the trigger, mentally triggering the Stamina drain. An armor-piercing round shrieked out of the barrel accompanied by a deafening roar and a searing flash of light.
BANG!!
Looking at the hole that had completely punched through the metal stack, a look of pure delight flashed across Ethan's face.
"So powerful... aside from the kickback, is this really just a pistol?"
[Stamina: 45]
"Two points of Stamina per armor-piercing round. Manageable."
"Hm? It looks like it can be sublimated again?"
He toyed with the gun, but after a moment of hesitation, he abandoned the idea. The recoil was already at the edge of what he could handle. If the power and recoil increased again, he might not be able to control it.
With his remaining energy, he walked into the first carriage and pressed his hand against the wall.
"Sublimation."
To his surprise, sublimating the carriage didn't require much Stamina.
[Stamina: 25]
"That's it? I thought I'd have to tap into my Spirit."
[Warm Train Carriage] (Level 2) [Enchantment: Warmth. Maintains a constant internal temperature of 22°C at all times.]
"At least I won't freeze to death in my sleep now."
Although the carriage couldn't undergo a second Sublimation like the engine could, Ethan was more than satisfied.
"Plenty of time left. Might as well get a little more rest."
He fetched a thin blanket he had bought, spread it on the floor of the now-balmy carriage, and lay down. Losing a large chunk of Stamina was the best cure for insomnia.
He didn't plan to sublimate anything else today. The second station was looming.
For now, he would conserve his energy. And wait.