A new cave opened in front of Xia Chengfeng. The cave was colored fiery red. The ground and walls were covered in red crystals.
System notification: "Discovered fire crystals."
"[Fire Crystal]: Ore that is concentrated with the fire element. It can be used to refine fire elements and to create flames."
"Fire crystals indeed!" Xia Chengfeng's guess had been correct. Fire monsters had powerful battle abilities and were not something that a new player would come across.
A player could generate flames by hitting a fire crystal hard and agitating the powers of the fire element within.
They were a necessary resource for raising flames, cooking, and forging materials.
Xia Chengfeng carefully harvested the fire crystals. He collected more than 300 units of fire crystals. A standard unit of fire crystal was about the size of a ping-pong ball. One unit of fire crystal could generate temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees and last for two to three hours.
Xia Chengfeng chose to conquer the cave after he'd finished harvesting the crystals. He obtained another beginner space crystal and increased the area of his space bubble by another cubic yard.
After he was finished with his tasks, another person contacted him through the trading channel.
"@Breeze: Are you there? I have a rusted runic key to trade for food."
"Finally!" Xia Chengfeng was excited and immediately started a discussion with the other party.
By this time, the forum had already been operational for a few hours. The once-confused newbies had started to explore the crypt world, guided by a few experienced users of the forum. They had obtained a wealth of experience.
"Five berries. Deal." Xia Chengfeng had to spend five berries this time. The prices of goods in the trading channel were ever-changing.
He estimated that goods like berries would depreciate greatly over the next few days. When that time came, meat and other premium food items would become more valuable.
"Received a rusted runic key." An ancient rusted runic key appeared in Xia Chengfeng's hands.
He took out the rusted runic treasure chest and placed the runic key near the chest.
There was a flash of light. The runes that had been engraved on both the runic key and the runic treasure chest vanished at the same time. The treasure chest could now be opened.
"Bless me, God of Luck!" Xia Chengfeng opened the treasure chest. Two sheepskin scrolls were lying within the chest. There was the faint shimmer of magic circling the scrolls.
"[Sharp Knight Longsword Design]: Beginner design. You will obtain the skill to forge [Sharp Knight Longsword] after you learn this."
"Necessary materials: Five refined steel, five fire crystals."
"[Beginner Sword Technique]: Beginner skill book. You will obtain beginner sword techniques after you learn this."
"Wow! Two scrolls. My luck is not too bad." Xia Chengfeng was very satisfied. There were not many good items in early-stage treasure chests.
Also, the design of the longsword was more valuable than the longsword itself. If he had obtained a longsword, he could only have used it for himself. The longsword would also have been destroyed after its durability was depleted.
However, he could continuously forge longswords since he had obtained its design. He could even sell the swords for money.
Every player lacked weapons at this stage of the game. Everyone would definitely fight to buy his weapons if he started to sell them.
Xia Chengfeng immediately chose to study the design and the skill books. A flurry of information coursed into his brain.
The process of creating the longsword played out in his brain. He also saw clips of swordplay practice.
He could not waste the materials that made up the treasure chest after he had finished opening the chest. Xia Chengfeng immediately decomposed the shattered runic treasure chest.
System Notification: "Obtained metal fragment +5, obtained sealing rune fragment +5."
"[Sealing Rune Fragment]: Can be used to create a sealing rune. Currently 5/10."
Xia Chengfeng immediately headed over to the trading channel to purchase refined steel ores.
These items were not rare. He easily got what he needed with a few berries.
"Decomposition of refined steel ores success. Obtained refined steel +9."
He then took out a fire crystal and hit it hard. The fire element power in the crystal vibrated, and blazing embers burst out of the crystals.
"Time to quench." The laws of physics in this world operated in a different manner to the previous world. The refined steel quickly melted to become liquid metal after the fire element power came into contact with it.
Then Xia Chengfeng poured the liquid metal into a mold made out of soil to give the sword its shape.
Xia Chengfeng could guide the fire element energy now that he had studied the design of the sword. A sword formed this way could be used immediately. There was no need to temper or quench the sword.
The tempering process was still required for high-level weapons. However, he could omit this step for low-level weapons like these.
Xia Chengfeng forged two swords.
System Notification: "Obtained [Sharp Knight Longsword] +2."
"[Sharp Knight Longsword] (Inferior): A longsword of crass workmanship. It can be used to attack."
"[Sharp Knight Longsword] (Common): An ordinary longsword. It can unleash unexpected power in the hands of a true knight."
Xia Chengfeng chose to use the sword that had a better quality. He then placed the inferior sword for sale on the trading channel.
Breeze: "Selling a longsword. Can be used to defend yourself or attack enemies. Buy it before it's gone! Looking for: Premium food items, premium ores, treasure chests, treasure keys, various scrolls, etc. Interested parties should send me a message quickly!"
At this moment, the trading channel of area 2222 was largely occupied by trades for food and water.
Xia Chengfeng immediately received a large number of replies the moment he offered a sword for sale.
"Selling weapons? You've obtained a weapon so quickly? I'm still using a piece of rock. I nearly got bitten to death by a gopher that was larger than a dog."
"I really want it. My magic soul is the Knight Soul. I should be able to defeat the common monsters if I got the knight longsword."
"@Breeze I have a bag of wheat. May I trade it with you?"
"Boss, you managed to get such good items so quickly? Do you need a lackey? I'm begging for you to take care of me. (Selfie attached)."
Xia Chengfeng looked at all of the messages that he'd received. Most of them were offering low-value items that he did not need.
A message piqued his interest, however. It had been sent by his former boss, Wu Rui.
Wu Rui: "@Breeze Friend, I have a few things to offer. Look and see if you need them?"
"[Exquisite Steel Pick], [Singing Grass Seed], [Furniture Manufacturing Blueprint], [Level One Energy Crystal]..."
"He already has so many things?" Xia Chengfeng felt a sense of threat. The idea that magic souls could devour each other to grow meant that battle would occur when players encountered each other.
The more powerful someone else was, the more threatening it would be for him.
Wu Rui must have joined forces with the several hundred employees of Tianxun Company. He could only possess that many resources if he had the support of a few hundred people.
Out of what Wu Rui offered, Xia Chengfeng wanted the level one energy crystal the most.
The energy crystal could be used by players to strengthen their abilities and obtain energy. In the terms used by other web novels, these were the equivalent of spirit energy or battle auras.
"Since that is the case, I'll have to ask for more!" Xia Chengfeng read through the message and sent a reply.
"[Sharp Knight Longsword] for [Exquisite Steel Pick], [Singing Grass Seed], [Furniture Manufacturing Blueprint], [Level One Energy Crystal], and ten [Carrot Seeds]."
Wu Rui: "Friend, you are too greedy. I can only offer you one or two items for your longsword."
Xia Chengfeng was unmoved. He replied, "Your items are not necessary for survival. My longsword is much more valuable than your items.
"If you encounter monsters in the caves and do not have a longsword to ensure your survival, there's no need for you to possess so many items. Furthermore, I am the only one in the trading channel who is selling a weapon. Other people will be willing to make an offer also."
Xia Chengfeng might not be the only person in area 2222 who possessed a weapon. However, most people only had enough weapons to satisfy their needs and would not use them as items for trade.
Even if a player might have a design for weapons, they might not have the necessary materials. After all, the decomposition talent was vital for obtaining crafting materials.