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Originally it was a mutually beneficial transaction, so there's no need for apologies, and this girl even has some manners.

Athena Ravencroft found herself in a dilemma as she looked at the trade requests on the chat interface. There was just too much stuff, nowhere to pile it up.

Walking out into the small courtyard, she finally clicked to agree to the trade.

Rows of neatly stacked wooden blocks were now piled in the courtyard. She went back inside to continue tending the fire. Her private messages in the regional channel were exploding.

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The afternoon temperature had dropped from the tens at noon to single digits, probably around 5 or 7 degrees now.

The sudden drop in temperature made many people start to feel uneasy; the temperature would only continue to decrease. If the temperature kept dropping at this rate without encountering any monsters, many people would freeze to death first.

-- Big Dream boss, I'm still short on some wooden blocks. I have some stones here, would you consider trading?

-- Boss! Please, I beg you, be merciful and give me some food!

-- Why did the trade for bear meat stop? Can't we trade for some more?

By now, everyone had some supplies on hand, more or less. Everyone was doing their utmost to gather enough resources to upgrade the shelter and survive this cold wave. However, Athena chose not to participate in this trade.

Her supplies were already saturated. She didn't intend to touch any of the remaining resources. The system had never been reassuring; who knows if there might be other variables.

It's better to be cautious. But leaving those wooden blocks outside, would they get damp?

...Maybe it's better to sell them off.

Looking at the packed little cabin, Athena felt she could also take advantage of the situation. She decided to post a trade on the trading interface.

[ Selling Wooden Blocks ] Price Accepting all kinds of blueprints, tools, and things to pass the time. Description If you want to survive the cold wave, you need to make a fire. Making a fire requires wood, and upgrading the shelter also requires wood. Limited to 80 units, first come, first served.

Exchanging wood for rare tools and blueprints was very uneconomical, but in reality, this was a profiteering trade. The trade had just been posted, and someone already approached, but Athena wasn't in a hurry anyway.

Since she wasn't in a hurry, she'd leave these people hanging for a while.

The chat channel became even more lively. Taking advantage of the panic and fear caused by the impending cold wave, some people began to form alliances.

This was the right choice because when a person couldn't survive alone, joining a group could still provide a glimmer of hope.

-- Among the blueprints I obtained when opening packages, there's a special reward to create a chat group. Since everyone's having a hard time, let's gather together. Those who want to join the group can add me.

-- I can testify for Lord Ask-the-Heavens. I'm already in the group. Friends in the group can help each other; it's not difficult to survive this crisis.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

-- Is that true? We can create a group chat?

-- Yes, just like me and the person above. Hurry up and join, no conditions!

-- I want in, I want in, save me a spot!

-- I want in, and no one should compete with me!

-- What they said is true. Lord Ask-the-Heavens gave me the remaining 13 wooden blocks. I've successfully upgraded my shelter!

Athena felt somewhat surprised; forming alliances was normal. But she didn't expect this guy to have such strange rewards, even creating a group chat. No conditions? Was this guy, Ask-the-Heavens, really so kind-hearted?

She looked at the flood of requests to join without any ripple in her heart. Perhaps there were no conditions now, but even harvesting cabbage required waiting for it to grow, didn't it?

The temperature was getting lower and lower, and even indoors, Athena started to feel cold. She walked to another stove and lit it the same way as the first one.

Lighting both stoves simultaneously consumed a lot of resources, which was a very extravagant behavior. But she couldn't help it; she was now a little rich woman.

Instantly, the room felt much warmer. The sky outside began to dim, and darkness was about to fall again. Athena stared at her watch, watching the seconds tick by, and it struck 7 o'clock.

7 o'clock had arrived, but something was missing. That was the reminder sound that would ring every night before the darkness came.

She knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Outside, the wind howled, and cold gusts blew one after another. But other than that, there were no other anomalies. Opening the chat channel, everyone's thoughts were basically the same as Athena's.

-- What's going on?

-- Why does the wind keep blowing? It shouldn't be like this. If it were that simple, would it be necessary?

-- Haven't you guys noticed? There was no warning of darkness approaching today. So, is it still considered night now?

-- Something's wrong, really wrong.

-- What's wrong? Isn't it cold enough already? What else do you want? The thatch on my house has been blown away!

-- Forget it, we're all dead anyway. Since it didn't warn us about darkness coming, I'll just go out and chop down some more trees. I'm just a few short of upgrading!

-- Brother above, remember to come back safely!

Athena lazily scrolled through these messages while constantly turning over the grilled meat and mushrooms. Both fires were lit, so there was no need to waste them.

Tonight's meal was more abundant; she sat by the left fire, roasting mushrooms and meat. On the other side, a soup was simmering on the fire, occasionally throwing a berry into her mouth. It made her feel like she was back at home, snacking and scrolling on her phone.

Watching the brave person's remarks, she deeply admired them.

--> Keep going, come back alive.

-- Wow, so many big shots are active today!

-- It's Big Dream! Chatting here in the chat channel, don't you care about your trading interface?!

Reminded by someone, Athena also felt it was about time. It was enough; it would be too much to keep these people hanging any longer.

She opened her trading interface. Watching the howling wind outside, the reason she hadn't been paying attention to the trading interface was simply because she didn't want to go out.

Holding a bright candle in her hand, she still opened her small wooden door.

A gust of cold wind blew into her clothes. She already only had a pair of worn-out grass shoes, feeling like her feet were about to freeze off.

She hopped over to the wooden blocks, touching them with her hand while frantically pressing the agree button for the trade.

Without even bothering to see what she had agreed to, she hugged a bunch of miscellaneous items, just wanting to hurry back to the fire. As she turned her head, she noticed a strange figure resembling a doll lingering at her courtyard gate.

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Lost soul had been shouting outside for a long time, but no one answered him.

This human didn't know where she had dug up this broken flower from. Lost soul was too scared to come in directly and the human just planted it at the door, which made him too scared to enter.

He wanted to go back, but thinking about the seriousness of breaking the agreement, he could only wait here, finally catching someone's attention.

When all the wooden blocks in the courtyard were traded away, Athena went straight back into the cabin without even glancing at him, leaving him alone in the wind.

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Sitting back on the grass mat, she rubbed her hands, gulped down a mouthful of hot soup, feeling alive again.

"Strange, I wonder where that black, ugly ball came from."

After careful thought, it seemed like that thing was the lost soul.