James felt that he had reached the limit of his body's improvement and continued absorption would be wasteful, so he got out of the bathtub.
There was still about 30% energy left in the bathwater, and it seemed a shame to waste it.
It was perfect for watering plants and as drinking water for the bee colony, wild chickens, and mountain pigs.
After dressing, James made about a dozen wooden barrels in the workshop and stored all the bathwater in them in the living room for future use.
Compared to the excellent-grade spring water, the diluted Milk of Water was slightly different.
Milk of Water, being the essence condensed from the spring water, had a finer and more pure composition. When diluted with water, it was even more easily absorbed than the spring water.
Scientifically speaking, Milk of Water had smaller molecules and higher purity. Therefore, using it to water plants would be more effective.
Stretching lazily, James felt refreshed, both physically and mentally.
He checked the time in the "Mist Survival Handbook" and found it was already past six in the evening.
Suddenly, he noticed a friend request message.
It wasn't unusual since many people had sent requests after his world horn message, wanting to team up with him. However, this requester was different; his name was Henry, and it was in red.
Shelter shield... Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance...
These terms surfaced in James's mind. On the first night in the Mist World, Henry had posted about the "Shelter Shield" in the chat channel and set up the "Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance."
James wondered if he had succeeded, as many similar alliances eventually disintegrated amid continuous disrepute.
After pondering, James accepted the friend request. Soon after, Henry sent a message.
Henry: "Hello, James brother."
James: "Hello, what can I do for you?"
Henry: "Just to introduce myself, I'm Henry, the leader of the Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance."
James inquired, "Which Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance? There are many with that name."
Following Henry's initial proposal of the Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance, numerous others attempted to set up various alliances with similar names, like Survivor Aid Society or Mist Survival Alliance. There were even quite a few with identical names.
However, alliances weren't really suitable for the conditions in the Mist World. Everyone was separated by tens or hundreds of miles, making it impossible to enforce any commitment, leading to rampant deception within these groups.
Even many alliances were created for deceitful purposes, tarnishing the reputation of such alliances.
This was also Henry's most embarrassing issue. He had wanted to establish a "Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance," but it ended up being a failure.
Somewhat helplessly, Henry replied, "The current Survivor Mutual Aid Alliance I run has been filtered down to just over a hundred reliable people."
James: "So, you want me to join?"
Henry: "Exactly. I hope you'll consider it. Everyone has different specialties, and mutual assistance can accelerate our development."
James wasn't entirely opposed to cooperation but was skeptical about the current form of alliances. He would prefer alliances formed using Ally Scrolls.
James: "I'm not very interested in joining, but can you tell me more about how your alliance operates?"
After about fifteen minutes, Henry sent a long message:
"I've used a special scroll to create a group chat, hence the establishment of the alliance. Our communication is mostly within the group. Each member lists their specialties, i.e., the resources they can provide, and they trade privately as needed. Think of it as a small-scale market."
James: "Why are you inviting me if your trading circle is already well-established?"
Henry took a moment to formulate his reply:
"The growth of the alliance also depends on the strength of individuals. Ordinary survivors need our high-quality resources, and we need their regular resources.
So, we certainly won't refuse strong individuals like you.
Once you join the alliance, you can sell your goods in the group and buy what you lack. Whether it's weapons, daily necessities, various scrolls, tools, or even good-grade food and life-saving drugs, everything is tradable if you can afford the price."
Henry believed most survivors would be attracted to such resources and eager to join.
Unfortunately, James wasn't one of them.
The resources Henry mentioned were all things James already had, and he didn't need anyone else's help.
Moreover, such alliances were never as perfect as Henry claimed.
More people meant more problems, and James wasn't interested in wasting his time and effort on other survivors.
Thus, James ultimately refused, replying, "No thanks, I won't join the alliance. But if you're sincere, we could still trade with each other."
James wasn't interested in ordinary materials, but as a top 10,000 Red Name survivor, Henry surely had many valuable items. After all, the top 10,000 rewards included rare-grade shelter facilities and resources, all highly coveted.
Surprised by James's response, Henry didn't insist further and agreed to a trade partnership, leaving the door open for future alliance membership.
Subsequently, the two exchanged information about the resources they could trade.
Henry's development was oriented towards agriculture, which was linked to the "Shelter Shield" he had acquired.
His foundational strategy was to use the "Shelter Shield" as a basis to transform his shelter into an agricultural base.
Therefore, he had a good variety of good-grade food, including various vegetables, fruits, and grains.
This matched James's needs quite well, as he only cultivated crystal rice and winter wheat, lacking in the department of vegetables and fruits.
However, during the current cold wave, Henry's agriculture was greatly affected.
Although the crops were barely surviving under the protection of the "Shelter Shield," a bountiful harvest was impossible. Consequently, Henry was unable to sell much food at the moment.
According to Henry, he could also provide a substantial amount of good-grade freshwater, another resource available near his shelter.
When it was James's turn to discuss resources, he pondered for a while before sending information on four items: healing potions, spring water, charcoal, and meat steaks.
He also sent a message saying:
"Spring water and charcoal are available for direct purchase from me. Meat steaks are not available during the cold wave. The healing potions are highly effective but extremely precious. If you have blood essence, I can make them for you, charging only a processing fee."
After sending this, an idea suddenly struck James, and he added:
"Oh, and if there are any good-grade beasts near your shelter that you can't handle, you can contact me for help, but you'll need to provide a teleportation scroll."