Chapter 11: Listening to Duan’s Gossip

Su Ning was naturally a dexterous girl, and she thought about the patterns in the manual.

She first cut two pieces of pure white rabbit fur, but soon realized that using the needle and thread on fur was exhausting. So she bought a leatherworking toolbox from the shop and picked out a set of suitable clasps.

The clasps were cheap—1 copper coin per set, 20 in total. But the leatherworking toolbox cost 1 silver coin, which really hurt Su Ning’s wallet. Altogether, she spent 1 silver and 1 copper coin. Ouch. Her wallet bled.

Fortunately, the items were numerous and dazzling, and there was an instruction manual for the tools, so she didn’t have much time to lament the cost.

Following the manual, she stitched a simple wristguard. Feeling the workmanship was rough, she took out golden thread and embroidered two small stars on it.

Su Ning had intended to make a pair, but sleepiness overtook her and her energy was limited, so she gave up.

She muttered in her mind, “Crafting complete.”

“Beep! Congratulations, player. Crafting successful. Item detected: Accessory—Wristguard. Assigning attributes…”
“Beep! Attribute assignment complete. Please name your accessory.”

“Simple Wristguard.”

“Beep! Naming successful.
Accessory: Simple Wristguard
Grade: White
Level Requirement: 5
Attributes: Constitution +1, Intelligence +1
Crafted by: Su Ning”

Seeing the attributes, Su Ning was overjoyed, brimming with confidence. Her future seemed limitless!

But it was late at night, and she had to suppress her excitement, quietly climbing into bed to sleep.

The next morning, when Su Ning awoke, Duoduo was already gone from the room.

After dressing and washing up, Su Ning, holding the fluffy little wristguard, eagerly went to find her master for guidance.

“Master, I stayed up last night to make this. Please take a look,” she said, presenting it like a treasure.

Madam Li glanced at it briefly and asked, “Why did you use fur for the wristguard? Why not leather—or something else?”

Leather? Fur? Su Ning was puzzled.

“Master, I followed the design in my own wristguard,” she explained, taking off her wristguard and handing it over.

Madam Li examined both wristguards.

“This one is a Blessed Item. Though finely made, its attributes are far inferior to handcrafted ones.”

“Blessed Item?” Su Ning repeated.

“Blessed Items are obtained from monsters outside the city, usually in card form. Their attributes are not high, but they are acquired through combat, considered lucky charms, and some say they bring good fortune.”

As she spoke, a hopeful smile appeared on her face.

“Your handcrafted piece is a bit rough, but it’s your first attempt, so it’s acceptable.

Fur is better suited for winter clothing for warmth. For accessories, fabric, leather, or flax thread works well.

The choice of material affects attributes: leather adds Constitution, silk adds Intelligence, cotton adds Strength, flax adds Agility.

Silk and flax also cool the body, suitable for summer, while cotton is neutral.

Blessed Items are exceptions—they are sturdy and durable but cannot be repaired, and their attributes are completely random.

Handcrafted items have better attributes and can be repaired.

If you like accessories, practice more. Don’t limit yourself to sewing. Wood carving, gemstone inlay—these are all common.

Anyway, for this wristguard, fur isn’t ideal for embroidery. Leather would allow stamped patterns, but nothing else.”

Madam Li returned the wristguard to Su Ning’s hand.

“Tomorrow, don’t make a wristguard. Make a headband instead.”

“What kind of headband, Master?”

“Any kind.”

“All right, then I’ll head out first.”

Su Ning thought of making the headband later at night. It was already noon, and she wanted to check the cockroaches. Having fought mutant cockroaches before, she figured she could handle 20 in an afternoon.

At the east side of the safe zone, Su Ning followed a small path, circumventing a wide, foul-smelling swamp.

Even from ten meters away, she could see a shoe-sized cockroach flying back and forth. Absolutely disgusting.

She wandered around but couldn’t find a suitable spawn spot. After walking some distance, she stood in place and tried a Moonlight Curse skill.

Sure enough, the struck cockroach lost a quarter of its HP and tried to fly toward her.

Two consecutive Moonlight Curse strikes brought the cockroach right in front of Su Ning. In desperation, she swung a stick at its face.

The cockroach was knocked down, and Su Ning quickly used a finishing skill for a lethal blow.

Picking up the cockroach corpse, she hesitated. Should she keep it? What could be obtained by dismantling it? Cockroach meat? Cockroach skin? She decided it was too disgusting and tossed it aside.

Fortunately, each cockroach granted fixed rewards: 8 experience points and 15 copper coins.

Her backpack also contained items needed for quests: a pair of cockroach wings and four cards:

• White Card: Large White Bun
• White Card: Chocolate
• White Card: Two bolts of white chiffon
• Green Card: Strawberry Cake

Looking at the loot, Su Ning wondered if any of it was even edible.

After a short break, she continued fighting. Each cockroach required about four skills, consuming 12 mana; non-combat mana regeneration was 10 per minute.

She fought intermittently and took minor damage a few times, but the cockroaches here were less dangerous than the previous mutants.

After defeating 20 cockroaches, Su Ning, despite craving experience, realized her daily supplies were running low. Based on recent monster-fighting experience, supplies dropped by zombies were more reliable.

Heading south, she climbed a tree for ranged attacks and quickly killed a zombie in two or three strikes.

“Huanran, Huanran, listen to me.”
“Huanran, it’s not safe here, listen to me.”

Hearing movement, Su Ning climbed higher, instinctively hiding herself. Not for anything else—just to avoid trouble.

She preferred to fight alone and usually avoided crowds, but today avoidance was impossible.

“Go away, I don’t need your help,” she heard.

A long-haired woman in a goose-yellow dress, fair-skinned and curvy, with black straight hair and a trembling voice, was speaking.

Luckily, Su Ning had spotted her early; the zombies had already respawned, and the surroundings seemed normal.

Su Ning wanted to get a closer look at the woman’s face. A man calling out from behind hurried over.

Su Ning recognized him immediately—it was someone familiar from the disciplinary team.

“Huanran, don’t run, listen to me.”

The girl stopped and turned around, letting Su Ning see her face clearly. Oh my, it was Li Huanran, the art team’s little princess. Genuine childlike face with a busty body—a loli face with a devilish figure.

When Su Ning first joined, she often “coincidentally” ran into this young lady. How could someone look so good and have such a figure?

“You’re explaining what? I saw it—you and Yunyan were hugging,” Huanran said.

“It’s not what you think. She’s a top high-level player on our team.”

“Top-level? That means hugging is allowed? Fengji, haven’t you forgotten—you’re my boyfriend.”

“Huanran, I’m your boyfriend and the team leader. So many people need to survive; I have to be responsible for them.”

“Responsible? Fine, be responsible! But why come find me?”

“Look, Huanran, I’m the team leader. I have to ensure the safety of the team and its stability. You don’t want your boyfriend to be irresponsible, do you?”

“But you and Yunyan—”

“I know Yunyan likes me, which upset you. But think about it—if she left, wouldn’t the team’s efficiency drop?”

“I’m still a priest—you don’t worry about me?”

Li Huanran’s tone softened, though she still feigned stubbornness. Fengji embraced her.

“I know you’re my girlfriend, my inner person. Yunyan, no matter how strong, is an outsider. We have to be strategic with outsiders. Once the team grows stronger, I won’t let you feel wronged.”

What a gullible little princess, Su Ning muttered to herself. Such a scumbag—he hugged her right in front of everyone, and who knows what he’s doing behind the scenes.

Top-level players and priests—they’re always sought-after!