Fang Hao furrowed his brows as he read the private message.
"I'm here. What's up?" Fang Hao replied.
*Truthfully, he already had a hunch about what this might be.*
"Iron Ax. One for 50 units of food. It can increase resource gathering speed. How many do you need?"
Yao Liang's tone brimmed with confidence, not even asking whether Fang Hao wanted to buy it, but straight-up questioning how many he needed.
*Fair enough. Anyone who could afford to trade 50 units of food for a single ax was likely only Fang Hao.*
After all, he regularly put large quantities of food up for sale, showcasing the ample reserves in his possession.
*But it also proved that Yao Liang saw him as some kind of gullible rich spender.*
No wonder he had said earlier in the regional channel, "You can't afford it, but someone else can."
*He had prepared this scheme with Fang Hao in mind.*
Fang Hao typed half a response to decline but paused when he saw Yao Liang post something new in the regional channel.
"I've already completed a deal with Fang Hao. He's buying large quantities of Iron Axes. Remaining stocks are limited, so act fast if you want one!"
Swish!
The channel erupted once again.
"So expensive. Fang Hao's probably the only boss rich enough to afford it."
"They're clearly inflating prices, turning basic tools into luxury items."
"Neither of them is any good."
"I'll buy. I hunted two Unicorn Sheep today. I'll take two axes."
"Exactly. Fang Hao sees the importance of developing early on. Why don't you guys understand this? Stocks are low. Grab them while you can!"
Watching the chat unfold, Fang Hao locked his brows tightly.
*He didn't want to get involved in all this drama, but Yao Liang was blatantly using him as a pawn, making others believe Iron Axes were scarce to justify the high price.*
*To be honest, Yao Liang was quite clever.*
*A smart little manipulator.*
*If Fang Hao hadn't already obtained the blueprint for Iron Axes, he might have genuinely traded food for several of them.*
*At that point, it wouldn't have mattered how many axes he exchanged—as soon as he made the trade, Yao Liang would use him as a marketing tool, turning Fang Hao into free advertising.*
*Fang Hao wasn't someone who cared about others' opinions.*
*But he definitely didn't want to be casually used as a prop in someone else's scheme.*
After some thought, he opened the channel to clarify things.
"I, Fang Hao, have not purchased nor intend to purchase Iron Axes from this person. Please don't blindly believe his claims."
"Whoa, Fang Hao himself spoke up!"
"Get him! The real Fang Hao!"
"What did I say? This moron is messing with us. Fang Hao never bought anything!"
As soon as Fang Hao posted his clarification, the others turned on Yao Liang, angrily condemning his shameless behavior.
It didn't take long for Yao Liang to message him privately.
"Fang Hao, what the hell? Are you trying to ruin me?"
"I haven't traded with you, so I needed to clarify that to everyone," Fang Hao replied calmly.
"Fine, you son of a bitch. You wanna play games with me? Just wait!" Yao Liang cursed, visibly enraged.
Fang Hao squinted slightly, already making a mental note of this Yao Liang character.
*But without knowing the location of Yao Liang's territory, his anger had no outlet.*
*Getting into petty online feuds would only waste his limited daily chat credits.*
After some thought, Fang Hao devised a way to irritate him.
He immediately used the hundredfold crafting feature to produce 101 Iron Axes and listed them for sale.
[Trader: Fang Hao]
[Registered Item: Iron Axe]
[Quantity: 100 units.]
[Required for 1 unit: 4 units of iron.]
(Note: For blueprints or special materials, feel free to private message to discuss pricing.)
With Yao Liang's asking price of 8 units of iron, Fang Hao's price of 4 seemed much more reasonable.
Yao Liang quickly sent him another private message.
"You're dead meat. Wait and see!"
*At this moment, Yao Liang was absolutely livid.*
Fang Hao's callout on the channel had only made Yao Liang lose face publicly.
But now, selling Iron Axes at half the price—4 units instead of 8—had buyers who had just purchased from Yao Liang chasing him down for refunds.
*There were no laws in this world.*
*Even if territories couldn't pinpoint each other's locations, Yao Liang wouldn't dare to offend so many people.*
Under pressure, he had no choice but to issue refunds.
...
*Fang Hao ignored Yao Liang's furious ranting.*
*In this world, strength was the ultimate rule.*
*As territories expanded, survivors would inevitably cross paths one day. When that time came, mere insults wouldn't suffice to settle scores.*
With the new listing, Iron Axes began selling rapidly.
Another private message arrived shortly after.
"Boss Fang Hao, I've got a blueprint. Can I trade it for some Iron Axes?"
The blueprint was promptly attached.
[Blueprint for Wooden Barrel (White)]
[Required materials: 5 wood, 2 hemp ropes.]
"I'll give you two Iron Axes," Fang Hao replied.
"Thank you! Thanks a lot!"
The trade was completed, and the blueprint was immediately added to the Book of Lords.
Fang Hao got to work straight away.
[Hundredfold crafting triggered. You have obtained 101 barrels.]
Just then, a skeleton happened to return with supplies.
"Fill these barrels with water," Fang Hao instructed.
The skeleton grabbed the barrels and walked off.
Meanwhile, more private messages came in.
They all proposed trading blueprints for Iron Axes.
[Obtained White Blueprint: Wooden Bench (Materials: 5 wood, 2 hemp ropes.)]
(Note: A simple wooden bench, accommodating up to three people simultaneously.)
[Obtained White Blueprint: Drying Rack (Materials: 3 wood, 2 hemp ropes.)]
(Note: Used to dry raw meat, ideal for long-term storage.)
[Obtained White Blueprint: Simple Single Bed (Materials: 7 wood, 6 hemp ropes, 3 leather.)]
(Note: A basic yet functional single bed where you can rest assured and sleep soundly without worrying about falling off.)
*Hell, I've got a double bed now—and it's solid wood.*
*Before getting a bed, I could only sleep on straw mats.*
*My whole body would ache after sleeping.*
*Now that I finally got a big double bed, I ended up receiving a single bed blueprint. Why does life swing from one extreme to another?*
Aside from blueprints, Dong Jiayue also reached out to him.
She traded [Shadowstone] for 10 Iron Axes.
*The previous food exchange he conducted with her had apparently been enough to sustain her and her territory's farmers for a while.*
After wrapping up the trade...
Fang Hao listed 2,000 units of food and returned to the wooden lodge to rest.
...
The next morning.
Fang Hao stepped out of the lodge and stretched luxuriously.
*A good bed really makes all the difference.*
The early sun warmed his face. On the nearby lawn, dew sparkled brightly.
A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of greenery.
*Honestly, the air here was much better than in the old world.*
Picking up a prepared wooden plank, he carved the number three into it.
This marked his third day since arriving in this world.
Lighting the firepit, he started preparing breakfast while listing food for sale again.
While waiting for the meat slices to cook, Fang Hao began crafting the [Drying Rack].
He hadn't made it last night despite acquiring the blueprint because there was little to dry at that hour. Morning seemed a better time for it.
[Hundredfold crafting triggered. You have obtained 101 drying racks.]
A hundred drying racks appeared in the clearing.
He stopped a passing skeleton. "You'll be in charge of drying food from now on."
The skeleton laid down the Iron Ax in its hand, headed to the warehouse, grabbed a piece of meat, and hung it on the drying rack.
*These skeletons were odd.*
*Despite their limited intelligence, they efficiently handled basic tasks.*
*Their movements were professional and skilled, as if executing programmed instructions.*
Each rack soon held three pieces of meat, neatly arranged for drying.
Watching the skeleton work diligently, Fang Hao devoured the last piece of his roasted meat.
Swallowing it, he extinguished the firepit.
A notification suddenly chimed.
[A Skeletal Caravan has arrived at your territory. Lords may personally inspect it.]
The marketplace he had built yesterday was ready, with an expected arrival time of 12 hours.
The night had passed, and the moment was here.
"You lot, follow me." Given the uncertainty of what he might face, Fang Hao called on several skeletal warriors to accompany him for safety.
Likely, there wouldn't be any danger, but it was better to be cautious.
The skeletal warriors immediately approached him, axes and shields in hand, following closely behind.
At the marketplace, Fang Hao saw that the grave built the day before had transformed. Beside it sat a well-dressed skeleton, adorned in vibrant robes.
The skeletal merchant exuded wealth, wielding a wooden staff in one hand while skeletal fingers adorned with gemstone rings gleamed faintly.
The hollow sockets of its skull radiated blue light, resembling ghostly flames.
Upon noticing Fang Hao—a living human—the light in its sockets flickered in surprise.
But it quickly calmed down.
In a low voice, it murmured, "The God of Undead accepts the faith of all its followers."
Seeing Fang Hao approach, it rose swiftly and spoke, "Greetings, Lord. Ruer is honored to serve you."
Fang Hao froze.
Holy crap! This skeleton could talk.