Sea Survival: My Luck is Off the Charts

Are you kidding? When it came to Dungeon Fragments, Faye Yardley would only trade them for other fragments; she wasn’t interested in anything else.

After saying her goodbyes and hanging up with Zephyr Sterling and Master Veridian, Faye Yardley thought for a moment before jumping off her bed. She retrieved an unopened Wooden Treasure Chest from her warehouse and, for the first time, opened it without chanting any incantation.

[Obtained: Shag Carpet x1, 12-inch Fruitcake x1, stones x15, Oil x3]

Talent triggered... Rewards doubled.

[Obtained: Little Red Riding Hood x1, a pair of crystal shoes x1, wood x20, iron block x10]

Talent triggered... Rewards doubled.

After opening two in a row, Faye Yardley blinked and stored everything away.

’How strange. I just opened them casually and got items representative of Veridian fairy tales. Is the next event related to them somehow?’

Though puzzled, Faye Yardley decided she could spend tomorrow peacefully fishing for treasure chests, hoping to get more event-related items.

After all, it was always better to be prepared.

She went out to the small balcony and checked on the Green Egg and the vine. They had barely changed.

’If only there was a place with enough energy for me to use.’

That black seawater last time had been a real stroke of luck.

’I wish that would happen again. Bramble is seriously awesome and so useful.’

She’d had no choice but to leave Bramble on Conch Isle. The island’s combat strength was simply too weak. Having Bramble there would provide an extra layer of protection.

Besides, her raft’s defenses were, frankly, far superior to Conch Isle’s.

The main reason was that at sea, her raft was under the System’s protection and couldn’t be easily destroyed.

As she was going downstairs, Faye Yardley received a call from Zachary Pierce.

"Mr. Pierce, what’s up?"

"Something is. Can you return to your island at any time?"

"I don’t know. Let me ask the System."

After Faye Yardley asked the System, she got an affirmative answer: under normal circumstances, she could dock her raft at Conch Isle Pier at any time.

Obviously, that meant it wouldn’t be possible during an event.

But returning to her own island actually cost money! A round trip was at least 2 gold coins, with the price varying by distance, though a single trip maxed out at 10 gold coins.

That was ridiculous.

’Who has to pay to go home?’

But the System’s retort—"Who *doesn’t* have to pay travel expenses to go home?"—left Faye Yardley speechless.

"Yes, I can, Mr. Pierce. Did something happen that requires me to go back? I haven’t received any distress calls from Franklin Yardley."

Faye Yardley was genuinely confused. The island had a signal installed, and Franklin Yardley had an All-World Communication Phone. If there was really a problem, shouldn’t he be the one calling her?

Zachary Pierce quickly shook his head. "No, no, it’s not that something happened on your island. It’s that many of my comrades here are worried. They’re wondering if the hundred or so of them on the island can live normally without the System. After all, there are some beasts on the island with considerable combat strength, and there are no fields. Even if there were, and they brought seeds with them, it would take at least a month or two to get a harvest, right?"

Nodding in understanding, Faye Yardley said directly, "If you want to know how they’re living now, you can just call Franklin Yardley. As Village Head Thorne’s assistant, it’s no problem for him to show you their living situation over a video call."

At this, Faye Yardley paused. ’Wait,’ she thought, ’they have a water system, but I don’t think they have any power equipment. Could Franklin Yardley’s phone be dead?’

’No, that’s not right. The All-World Communication Phone doesn’t get its energy from charging.’

Zachary Pierce said helplessly, "Mr. Yardley said he needs your permission before he can tell me the situation. So I had to come and ask for your permission first."

"Oh, that’s simple. I’ll just tell him it’s fine. By the way, I just remembered, the island doesn’t have any power equipment yet. Do you happen to have a blueprint for a ready-to-use power system? If so, I’d like to buy it."

Faye Yardley was starting to think that being an Island Master wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She suddenly had so many things to worry about; if she overlooked a single detail, her islanders would be forced back into a primitive lifestyle.

"We actually have a blueprint like that. They just brought it out of Dungeon No. 3 yesterday. I’ll send it to you right now."

After hanging up with Zachary Pierce, Faye Yardley received the electrical installation blueprint he’d sent over, along with a wind power generator.

While calling Franklin Yardley, she pulled up the Conch Isle interface, used the electrical installation blueprint, and selected a nearby high mountain to install the large windmill.

"Hello, Master."

"I’ve told you not to call me Master. If you must, call me Island Master. By the way, I just installed the power system. The installation wasn’t too loud over there, was it?"

Franklin Yardley shook his head. "It was completely silent, just like when you installed the water system for us, Island Master. If it’s convenient, next time you come to the island, could you bring us some electric lights and other appliances, a large fishing net, and enough food to last all of us for half a month?"

"Huh? Isn’t the kitchen working?"

"One moment, let me try... The kitchen has power now. Cooking will be much more convenient from now on."

Faye Yardley couldn’t quite grasp the System’s level of control over the island. Blueprints could be used on the island without issue, but once something was built, it seemed to fall outside the System’s direct control, no longer benefiting from its conveniences.

"Okay. By the way, if my brother and Zachary Pierce call and ask about the residents’ situation, just tell them. If there’s anything you can’t handle, go find Village Head Thorne."

"Understood, Island Master."

"Have there been any conflicts on the island recently?"

"None. Everyone is getting along very well. They even organized the young and able-bodied fighters to clear out the nearby beasts. Meanwhile, the elderly, women, and children are cultivating the fields in the designated area. Everyone’s morale is quite high."

"Call me immediately if anything comes up. As for the food, I’ll find time to make a trip back in the next day or two."

After hanging up, Faye Yardley called out to Willow Yardley, "Willow, go get Eamon. I have a few questions for him about seeds."

"Okay. Where are you planning to have dinner, sis?"

"Jennifer likes to be outside, so let’s eat on the terrace."

It was pretty rare for everyone to eat together.

After Faye Yardley finished questioning Eamon, all the talk of Conch Isle piqued Jennifer’s interest. "Could you take me to your island for a visit? If it’s okay, could I settle there?"

"You want to go? I suppose you can. I’ll be making a trip there soon, but I don’t plan on opening it to the public. If you settled there, how long were you planning to stay? And you’re not planning to return to your people?"

It was no wonder Faye Yardley was curious. A young Merfolk wanting to move around all by herself... wouldn’t that cause problems?

What if her parents and relatives came looking for her?

Jennifer seemed friendly enough now, but what if someone accidentally crossed one of her taboos? Would she still be so friendly?