The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

"Selling [Level 1 Strength Breakthrough Talisman] in exchange for 20 portions of food or water. You can also exchange it with a blueprint; one blueprint of any kind is worth 10 portions."

Su Mu's gaze froze instantly.

A level one power-type breakthrough talisman?

He clicked on the message details, and the talisman's attributes immediately appeared before his eyes:

[Level 1 Strength-type Breakthrough Talisman]

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: When Lv1 experience points reach 100/100, use this to break through to Lv2 and forcibly allocate the attribute points gained after leveling up towards the Strength tree.]

Su Mu frowned slightly after reading it.

Do I need this to upgrade from level 1 to level 2?

This is outrageous!

He originally thought that he could automatically level up once he had enough experience points, but now it seems that it's not that simple.

Moreover, he had only ever opened boxes dropped by monsters and found basic supplies such as food, water, iron ingots, and glass essence; he had never seen such a talisman before.

The drop rate for this item must be very low.

However, judging from the description, this thing not only relates to whether it can be upgraded, but also to the direction of the attributes after the upgrade—leaning towards the strength type.

This means that without this talisman, the attribute growth direction after leveling up is random. With good luck, you might get the attribute you need; with bad luck...

With this talisman, at least the direction can be controlled.

Su Mu looked at his experience points of 54/100 on his panel, and then at the sale listing.

We must take it down.

He clicked on the profile picture of the person who developed the message.

The other party was a girl named Lin Yuwei. Her profile picture showed her to be in her early twenties with long, flowing hair. She was the kind of girl who was pleasing to the eye.

Su Mu did not hesitate and opened the private chat.

[Private Chat] Su Mu: Hello, do you still have that breakthrough talisman?

The other party replied very quickly.

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Yes, do you want to buy?

[Private Message] Shetland Sheepdog: Can we negotiate the price? 20 portions of food and water, nobody can provide that at this stage.

Although Su Mu could provide all the food at once, the price was negotiable.

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Do you have blueprints? Blueprints can be used as 10 copies.

[Private Chat] Su Mu: No, not either.

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Do you have any warm clothing or blankets? I can give you three of those.

Su Mu raised an eyebrow slightly upon seeing the message.

Three sets of warm clothing can be exchanged for one set of warm clothing?

This price... Su Mu actually thinks it's quite a good deal. After all, judging from the daytime weather, it should be early summer or early autumn, and the temperature difference at night won't be too big, so this thing shouldn't be worth much.

But since the other party wants to take it, it can't be that simple. After all, food is the most scarce resource at this time of year.

Thinking of this, Su Mu tentatively asked another question.

[Private Message] Su Mu: I do have warm clothing, but I also need to eat and drink, so I can't offer much. I have a bottle of mineral water, a loaf of bread, and three pieces of warm clothing; how about I trade them for your talisman?

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: ? ? ?

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: You're bargaining way too hard! Three warm items are only worth 9 portions, plus water and bread, that's only 11 portions. I asked for 20 portions!

[Private Chat] Su Mu: It's tough for everyone in the early game, food is so important in the early game!

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: You know food is important, so why are you willing to switch? Are you about to level up?

[Private Chat] Su Mu: How could that be? I can't even run away from monsters right now. I just feel like I'll definitely need this later, so I'm stockpiling it to avoid getting stuck when I need to level up.

A few more seconds of silence followed.

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: ...Okay, add one more item of food, and the deal is done.

Looking at the message, Su Mu felt no joy at having gained an advantage; instead, he began to ponder.

This price is clearly unreasonable, yet the other party accepted it.

Given how crucial food and other resources were in the early stages, he was actually willing to trade them for warm clothing.

Unless she knew it would be very cold tonight, and not just any kind of cold.

That's why she was so eager to stockpile warm clothing, and was even willing to exchange it for rare items like breakthrough talismans.

Su Mu did not ask any further questions.

This information gap means that even if you ask, the other party won't tell you.

Should we go with this deal?

He glanced instinctively at the three sheets piled at his feet—the ones he'd torn from the goblin's lair to pack supplies.

It was covered in green bloodstains, and had a strong smell of urine and fish, filling the entire cable car with an indescribable odor.

He had originally planned to throw the sheets out, but the glass windows on the cable car were too small for him to do so.

Forget it, this blanket is of little use to me; food is much more useful, so I can't give him that much.

And this stuff smells awful.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Mu typed again:

[Private Chat] Su Mu: I really can't afford to add another one. How about this, I'll add half a portion of bread, that's all.

[Private message] Lin Yuwei: Deal.

Su Mu found a loaf of bread, divided it into two portions, and then opened the transaction interface, placing a bottle of mineral water, one and a half loaves of bread, and the three rolled-up bed sheets on it.

Click to confirm.

The other party also clicked "confirm".

The transaction is complete.

next second.

Su Mu held a yellowish talisman, about the size of a palm, with intricate patterns drawn on it in cinnabar, and a faint shimmering light.

[Level 1 Strength-Type Breakthrough Talisman (White)]

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: When LV1 experience points reach 100/100, use this to advance to LV2 and forcibly allocate the attribute points gained after leveling up towards the Strength tree.]

Su Mu carefully put the talisman away.

He currently has 54 experience points out of 100, and is 46 points short. Once he reaches level 2, this talisman will come in handy.

Just as Su Mu was secretly pleased with himself, the private chat interface suddenly exploded.

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: ? ? ? ? ?

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Where did you get this blanket?

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Oh my god, this stinks so bad!!!

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Were you fished out of a latrine? ???

[Private Chat] Lin Yuwei: Reply!!!

Su Mu's lips twitched as he looked at the series of messages.

He could imagine the girl's expression right now—most likely pinching her nose, typing with a look of disgust, her fingers trembling.

But this problem...

He couldn't answer.

You can't exactly say, "I just killed a dozen goblin cubs from a goblin lair and used their sheets to pack supplies," can you?

Exposing supplies is a minor issue; the real problem is if they attract the attention of malicious individuals.

Su Mu silently closed the private chat.

No matter how much the other side bombarded him, he resolutely refused to respond.