Hank Fowler: "Didn't kill 'em, found 'em."

If the others knew he had single-handedly slaughtered over a dozen Red Pine Crabs, their jaws would hit the floor. No need to be flashy.

Lou Yang: "You can just find these things?"

Hank Fowler: "Here's the deal. This morning, two crab gangs were having a turf war on the beach. A few didn't make it. I just happened to stumble upon the aftermath and, well, finders keepers."

Lou Yang: "Huh, makes sense."

Eddie Drumpf: "Hank, you're one lucky bastard!"

Hank Fowler chuckled. "Yeah, guess I am."

Stan Strong: "Hank, how many crabs did you 'find'?"

Hank Fowler: "Why the sudden interest? You looking to trade too?"

Stan Strong: "I don't have anything to trade. I was hoping you'd give me one. You might not believe this, but I've never had crab before. Don't even know what it tastes like. Take pity on me, man, and just hand one over?"

Hank Fowler's face darkened. "Sorry, only two left."

Trying to freeload off him? No way!

Stan Strong: "Sigh!"

Lee Lightman: "Too bad, I was actually going to offer you something for one."

Hank Fowler: "What do you got?"

Lee Lightman: "Opened a chest today and got two oil lamps. One's enough, two's just overkill."

Hank Fowler's eyes lit up. "Deal."

The Hut got pitch black at night, making it a pain to do anything. He'd been wanting some kind of light source for a while now. This oil lamp was perfect.

Stan Strong: "Hank, I thought you said you were out of crabs?"

Hank Fowler: "I kept one for dinner. Haven't been able to bring myself to eat it."

Stan Strong: "Really?"

Hank Fowler: "Seriously. I never lie."

Jeff Johnson: "Hank, I'm starving to death here. Let's hit up the trading hall already."

Hank Fowler: "Anyone else got anything, like thatch, ore, wood, seeds, or even empty bottles, hit me up. I'm buying."

Wally Cox: "Hank, you serious? You'll trade food for thatch?"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

If there was one thing the island had plenty of, it was thatch. If he could really trade thatch to Hank Fowler for food, he'd never have to worry about starving again.

Hank Fowler: "I never lie."

Wally Cox: "How much thatch for a crab?"

Hank Fowler thought for a moment. "Fifty kilograms."

The hut had absorbed fifty kilograms of thatch and should be able to produce a thatch bed. Trading a crab for a thatch bed was a steal.

Wally Cox: "You're on! I'm going out to cut thatch right now."

Stan Strong: "Hank, you have more crabs?"

Hank Fowler: "Okay, fine, I kept two for dinner."

Stan Strong: "Didn't you say you don't lie?"

Hank Fowler: "I was mainly worried you'd try to mooch off me."

Stan Strong: "..."

Sue Lynn: "Hank, what do you need all that thatch for?"

Hank Fowler: "To upgrade The Hut, obviously."

Sue Lynn: "???"

Everyone else: "???"

Hank Fowler was confused. "What's with the peanut gallery?"

Sue Lynn: "Upgrade The hut with thatch? Are you serious?"

Hank Fowler blinked. "Can't you?"

His Hut could be upgraded by devouring thatch, so he naturally assumed others could too. But judging by Sue Lynn's reaction, maybe not?

Sue Lynn: "Of course not! You need special upgrade gems to upgrade The hut."

Hank Fowler was stunned. "How do you know that?"

Sue Lynn: "There's a guide on the World Channel. Didn't you read it?"

Hank Fowler realized something was off. So, only his Hut could be upgraded by devouring thatch? Why was that? Could it be because of the whole talking-to-objects thing?

That seemed like the most likely explanation. Obviously, he couldn't tell anyone that. "I was just messing around to lighten the mood," he said. "I need the thatch for cooking fires."

Everyone: "..."

Trading a crab for cooking fuel? What a spendthrift!

Jeff Johnson: "Hank, stop spacing out. Let's go trade already."

Hank Fowler: "Fine, let's go."

Hank closed the chat group and opened the trading hall. He quickly completed the trades with Jeff Johnson and Lee Lightman. After the trade was completed, the items were temporarily stored in the trading hall's storage, where they could be kept for up to a day. It was a good thing there was a trading hall storage. Otherwise, there would be nowhere to put fifty logs.

Hank first took out the oil lamp and examined it closely. It was an old-fashioned oil lamp, a bit rough around the edges, but with a certain rustic charm. The main body was a simple metal container, maybe copper or iron, now covered in the patina of age. Hank looked at it for a moment, then greeted it, "Hey, uh... Lampy, how's it going?" The oil lamp didn't respond. Hank tried again, "Why aren't you talking?" Still nothing. Hank was puzzled. He could usually talk to any object he touched. Why wasn't the oil lamp talking? Was it mute?

He didn't dwell on it, placing the oil lamp in a corner before heading out of The Hut.

The sun had already set, and the sky was a dim, hazy gray. Hank made his way to the wooden fence and opened the trading hall storage, retrieving a one-meter-long log.

The wooden fence immediately perked up. "Bro, where'd you get the wood? Is it for me?"

Hank smiled. "Of course, it's for you. But first, I have a question. How many of these logs do you need to eat to level up?"

The fence didn't hesitate. "Fifty is all it takes."

Hank's eyes flashed. "What happens when you level up?"

The fence: "Two options after leveling up. First, I can boost my defense, doubling it. Second, I can grow taller, up to two meters."

Hank frowned. "Can't you do both?"

The fence: "Only one."

Hank Fowler sighed. "Defense boost it is, then."

If it only grew taller without a defense boost, it would be useless.

The fence was a bit confused. "Bro, one log isn't enough for me to level up."

Hank grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Just open wide."

Crack!

A large gap suddenly appeared on the wooden fence, like a giant mouth opening before Hank.

Hank hefted the log and shoved it into the gap.

Crunch, crunch...

The wooden fence happily munched away, like it was eating candy.

"You sure know how to enjoy yourself," Hank muttered. He then pulled another log from storage and fed it to the wooden fence. Then another, and another...

Seeing Hank produce so much wood, the fence yelled in excitement, "Bro, I freaking love you!"