"Is anyone there? Can someone tell me what's going on? How did I end up in the sky?"
"Amitabha, dear God! Aren't we supposed to go to heaven after we die? Does this mean I'm dead? But I haven't paid off my mortgage yet!"
"Shen Mengting, where are you? It's me, your husband, Wang Hongrui! If you see this, please respond."
"Wait a minute, where's my husband?"
The communication channels were flooded with messages. Some were panicked, crying out in desperation, while others were frantically searching for their families, seeking any form of comfort.
Han Xing sifted through these messages. He understood that being abruptly thrown into such an unfamiliar world would be hard for anyone to accept. However, he knew that if people didn't adapt quickly, they'd soon face the grim reality of running out of resources and dying of thirst or hunger.
Still, not everyone in Region 107 was panicking. Some individuals had already begun exploring this strange new world with calm and curiosity.
One person sent out a message: "Help! I just touched a cloud, and the system prompted me that there's a foul stench inside. Does this mean there's a monster in it?"
"You're asking us? We don't know either! Just go in and find out!"
"Okay, I'll take a look."
Two seconds later, the chat exploded with terrified cries: "Damn it! It's a Mud Slime!"
"Help! It's jumping on me! It's pulling me into its body—*glug*…*glug*…"
"…"
The chat fell silent for a moment before someone cautiously asked, "Do you think he drowned in the Mud Slime?"
No one responded, but the possibility seemed high.
"Help! I encountered a monster too!"
"Same here! The clouds are full of monsters!"
"These monsters are terrifying! How did the guy who got the first kill even manage it?"
While many were starting to adapt, they were still a few steps behind Han Xing. By the time he achieved the first kill in the entire server, most people were only beginning to interact with the clouds.
Of course, not everyone was unlucky. Some people found clouds with no danger at all.
"Haha! You poor suckers! I didn't run into any monsters, and I found food inside! If you want it, trade me some water!"
"I didn't encounter monsters either! I opened a wooden chest and got a green weapon for rogues. It feels amazing! Don't ask me how to trade; I'm only accepting water or food!"
Han Xing thought carefully. Right now, the most critical resources were definitely food and water.
He entered the trading channel and was met with a flood of trade offers.
"20 pieces of gravel, usable as throwing weapons. Trading for food!"
"10 units of slime goo, magical materials, trading for 200 ml of water!"
"One-star beast hide, premium leather, usable for crafting gear, trading for 3 units of water or food!"
"Beast hide!" Han Xing's eyes lit up. One of the materials he needed for the backpack blueprint he had obtained earlier was exactly this one-star beast hide.
In Sky Island Paradise, each player could equip two backpacks, and Han Xing still had room for another one. With his god-level craftsman talent, the backpack he crafted would likely be superior to any standard system reward. If he was lucky, it might even have a special effect that could greatly enhance his survival chances!
However, the seller was asking for three units of water—equivalent to 3,000 milliliters. Who had that much water so soon after arriving in this world?
Han Xing knew this guy was deliberately setting a high price to see if anyone would negotiate. Smiling, he clicked on the private message option. The seller's name was 'Emperor of the Sad Wind.'
Galaxy: "Hey man, how about three berries for the one-star beast hide?"
Sad Wind Emperor: "Three berries? Are you trying to insult me?"
Galaxy: "Three is plenty. You don't have the blueprint for crafting gear yet, so the beast hide is useless to you. It's better to trade it for something practical. In this world, survival is the priority."
Han Xing tried to reason with him, but the other party wasn't budging.
Sad Wind Emperor: "No way! I nearly died getting that one-star beast hide! At least ten berries, or the deal's off!"
Han Xing chuckled. "You're bluffing. One-star beasts drop beast hides, and with your current stats, there's no way you took down a one-star beast. You probably found it on another sky island, right?"
The seller was taken aback. "How… how do you know that?"
Han Xing grinned. Of course, he wasn't going to tell him he had played this game before.
"I'm just saying, one-star beast hide isn't exactly rare. By tomorrow, you'll be lucky if you can get three berries for it."
Han Xing was bluffing too. Beast hide was an essential material with many uses, so it would always be in demand.
Still, Sad Wind Emperor hesitated. "Are you… are you serious?"
He seemed swayed by Han Xing's words. "But three berries is still too little. How about… you add a bit more?"
"Alright, five berries. Any more, and I'm not interested."
"Deal!"
The other party quickly agreed.
[Survivor 'Sad Wind Emperor' has sent you a trade request.]
Han Xing accepted the trade. The transaction completed, and the five berries disappeared from his inventory, replaced by a fresh piece of beast hide lying on his territory floor.
A smile spread across Han Xing's face. "Perfect. Now I've gathered two of the materials needed to craft the spatial backpack. All I need now is some Aether."
Aether was a material that only dropped from magical monsters.
Scanning the trading channel, he noticed that many people were offering Aether in exchange for water and food. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to trade any more berries—his tree only had 19 left, and he needed to save them for emergencies.
However, he did have something else up his sleeve.
**Sharpened Wooden Arrows!**
Han Xing had already tested the power of these arrows in battle. After three shots, the special effect had activated, allowing him to instantly kill the level 1 Mud Slime.
There were bound to be many players who had chosen the hunter class, and they would certainly recognize the value of these arrows.
Sure enough, as soon as Han Xing listed the arrows for trade, the chat exploded.
"Damn! These are high-quality wooden arrows with special effects!"
"Whoa! The attack power is nearly double that of my current arrows. This is insane!"
"Hunter players are in for a treat. Give me a few of these, and I'll be brave enough to challenge the monsters in the clouds!"
"Who has Aether? Trade it quickly! This guy is offering 10 units of Aether for one arrow!"
In less than three minutes, all five of Han Xing's arrows had been traded, netting him 50 units of Aether in total.
"Great! Now I've got everything I need to craft the spatial backpack!" Han Xing's lips curled into a smile.
Just as he was about to start crafting, two system notifications popped up.
[Survivor 'Cheng Jian Yong' has sent you a friend request.]
[Survivor 'Shen Yun' has sent you a friend request.]