61: Chapter 61 The Bearskin Coat at the Top of the List

Li Taiping's message exploded like two depth charges in the lifeless regional chat channel.

After a full dozen seconds of silence, the entire channel instantly erupted!

"Holy crap! It's rank one! Top Rank Boss has appeared!"

"He's not dead! He's still alive! I knew it! I knew the boss would be fine!"

"'The danger has been temporarily resolved'... What does that mean? Could it be... that terrifying monster was actually... by the boss..."

"My God! No way? That was a monster that could drive you mad just by looking at it! The boss actually dealt with it?"

"Dealt with it' might not be the right word, but he definitely drove it away somehow! Otherwise, he wouldn't say that!"

"No matter what, this is absolutely fantastic news! We're saved!"

"Wuwuwu... That's great! I was almost about to jump into the sea and kill myself just now!"

Everyone's emotions instantly shifted from the previous despair and panic to the wild joy and excitement of surviving a disaster.

Li Taiping's appearance was like a shot of adrenaline, giving everyone hope of survival.

And when they saw the second message Li Taiping posted, that wild joy directly escalated into fanaticism!

"Bearskin coat?! A good grade warm coat?!"

"Traded for good grade materials? One piece for five?! And five days' worth of food and water included?!"

"Am I seeing this right? Five pieces?! Is the boss running a charity?!"

"Jackpot! I opened a treasure chest earlier and got a piece of good grade coral stone. I never knew what to do with it, but now I can trade it for five coats! There are exactly five people in our fleet, one coat each!"

"I have one too! I have a good grade blueprint I can't use! I wonder if the boss will take it?"

"Brothers! What are we waiting for? Check your warehouses! This is a welfare package delivered right to our doorstep by Top Rank Boss! You won't get another chance like this!"

The entire chat channel went completely insane.

Everyone, as if injected with adrenaline, frantically searched their warehouses, hoping to find some 'treasure' they could trade with Top Rank Boss.

The price Li Taiping offered was simply too generous, so generous they couldn't possibly refuse.

In this Extreme Cold Sea Region, where even a T-shirt is incredibly precious, what does a good grade coat that can resist the severe cold mean?

It means life!

Not to mention the five days' worth of food and fresh water included!

This is practically a 'Beginner Survivor Starter Pack'!

And all they need to give up are some good grade materials they can't use right now, or don't even know the use of.

This deal is a massive win no matter how you calculate it!

...

At the same time.

At the border between the Treasure Chest Sea and the Extreme Cold Sea Region.

A small speedster was docked beside a floating ice floe.

Shen Xiu, the 'war correspondent' who had recorded Li Taiping's battle video, was now shivering, huddled in a corner by the sail, his face blue from the cold.

In the end, he hadn't dared to venture deep into the Extreme Cold Sea Region and had retreated.

Watching the frenzied discussion in the chat channel, his heart pounded wildly.

Top Rank Boss... actually dealt with that monster?

And now, he's actually buying good grade materials in bulk?

Shen Xiu's hands trembled slightly as he opened his personal warehouse.

In a corner of the warehouse lay a faintly glowing stone.

It was a good grade energy stone.

He had risked his life to retrieve it from a stone treasure chest fished out of a dangerous whirlpool. He had been treating it like a family heirloom ever since.

This was a good grade energy stone!

Absolutely the top-tier hard currency at this stage!

He had thought about trading it before, but every time he listed it on the trading post and saw people trying to exchange it for a few pieces of bread or bottles of water, it made his blood boil.

These short-sighted fools have no idea of its value!

He'd rather let this stone rot in his warehouse, starve or freeze to death himself, than let those despicable Survivor get it cheap!

This was his last shred of dignity!

But now...

He looked at the price Li Taiping offered.

Five good grade warm coats.

Five days' worth of food and fresh water.

Shen Xiu's throat moved uncontrollably.

Gulp.

He swallowed.

That's five coats!

With those five coats, he and his 'brothers in misfortune' who also piloted speedsters wouldn't have to fear this damnable cold anymore!

They could form a 'speedster squad' and roam freely across this sea region!

And that five days' worth of food and water!

That's the hope of survival!

His previous, laughable 'dignity' instantly became worthless in the face of such naked temptation for survival.

Hesitate?

If it were just one or two coats, he might have hesitated, weighing the pros and cons.

Three, and he might have been tempted.

But Top Rank Boss offered five right off the bat!

What the hell is there to hesitate about?!

Shen Xiu no longer had any doubts. He immediately sent a trade request to Li Taiping through the trading post.

He even used the most humble tone in the remarks.

"Boss! It's Shen Xiu! The one who posted your battle video earlier! I have a good grade energy stone. Please trade! Please take me under your wing!"

He believed that upon seeing his name, Top Rank Boss would remember him a little.

Being able to establish a connection with the boss, even a tiny one, would bring endless benefits in the future!

...

On board the Many Children, Many Blessings.

Li Taiping watched the trade requests flying in like snowflakes on the trading post, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider.

Everything was going according to his plan.

He saw Shen Xiu's trade request.

"Oh? This kid."

Li Taiping vaguely remembered him. That so-called 'war correspondent' had actually done him a small favor by helping to establish his righteous, heroic image of 'ridding the people of a scourge'.

He casually approved Shen Xiu's trade.

[Trade successful! Obtained: energy stone (good) x1]

[Trade successful! Obtained: Flexible Vine (good) x1]

[Trade successful! Obtained: Blueprint · Fine Harpoon (good) x1]

[Trade successful! Obtained...]

Ding-ding-dong-dong system notifications kept ringing in his mind.

His stock of good grade materials was increasing at a visibly rapid pace.

In just a few minutes.

The quantities of each material he needed—[energy stone (good)], [Coral Stone (good)], [Flexible Vine (good)], [Waterproof Resin (good)]—had all easily surpassed the threshold of thirty-six units!

Harnessing the power of the entire region to serve me alone!

This feeling was simply exhilarating!

Li Taiping even received some pleasant surprises, like a few good grade equipment blueprints and a [Sunny Scroll] that could alter the weather in a small area.

These things were treasures to others, and for him, they were just the icing on the cake.

Without any hesitation, he 'fed' all the good grade materials that had reached thirty-six units to the treasure basin.

As faint glows flashed one after another.

A thought that made his heart race surfaced in his mind.

From this moment on.

All good grade resources, for him, had also achieved...

Infinity!

...