Chapter 16

Chapter 016: Trading House Goes Live

In the Fate Star Sea, the moment countless inner spaces lit up like stars, the entire Fate Net trembled slightly.

This was not a physical vibration, but a "ripple" on a mental level.

All online users experienced a momentary daze. Some with keen perception even vaguely touched upon an ethereal space, but the feeling was fleeting, so fast it was dismissed as an illusion.

Before they could think further, a notification prompt appeared:

[A new section, "Trading House," has been added to the Fate Net. Here, you can freely trade any items with other users.]

[The Personal Space function is now online. You can access your exclusive portable space through the Trading House interface.]

Trading House?

Portable Space?

Realizing the immense significance of this, almost everyone simultaneously stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to the change in the Fate Net.

There, beside the original two sections, [Fate Net Forum] and [Personal Interface] , a brand new [Trading House] entrance had quietly appeared.

Some couldn't wait and clicked on it.

More details unfolded:

[Your exclusive personal portable space has been opened. You can store or retrieve items at will.]

[Warm Reminder: Storing too many items may cause mental strain and accelerate mental fatigue.]

[Note: Maintaining the personal space requires the user to stay online on the Fate Net. Before going offline, please ensure all items in the space are cleared, otherwise, irreversible losses may occur.]

...

"It worked!"

Yan Cang let out a long breath, his consciousness returning to reality.

He flexed his slightly stiff fingers, and a wave of hunger surged up at just the right moment.

He couldn't help but glance at the wild fruit on the leaf beside him.

Then, he silently averted his gaze and sank his mind back into the Fate Net.

"Let's see how effective it is first."

With a thought, he called up the Trading House interface.

A clean layout came into view: on the left was a category bar (Materials, Food, Weapons, Skills, Mysterious Artifacts, Other), in the middle was the product display area, and on the right were the entrances for personal storage, listing items, and transaction history.

A search box was at the top.

On the page for listing items, a small line of text could be seen: "A 10% service fee will be charged on each transaction, with a minimum of 1 Fate Point per transaction."

Looks pretty complete!

Just as Yan Cang was examining it, the empty product array area in the middle of the Trading House homepage began to sprout various items like mushrooms after rain, their numbers rapidly increasing.

[Half-meter tall bear plushie]

[Description: Just pulled it from a supply box, selling it cheap.]

[Seller: Shi Dashan]

[Price: 666 Fate Points]

[Status: For Sale]

[Microbially contaminated sewage water x 1 liter]

[Description: Water from a nearby river, perfectly clean!]

[Seller: Anonymous]

[Price: 10 Fate Points]

[Status: For Sale]

[Delicious and juicy wild fruit x 1]

[Description: Don't buy it! I'm just listing it to test things out.]

【Seller: Zhang Bin】

【Price: 1 Fate Point】

【Status: Sold】

What a "bargain sale"! What a "clean and clear"!

Even funnier is this "Don't buy it, I'm just listing it for fun."

The punchline: Sold.

Just as Yan Cang clicked on the "Wild Fruit" product details page, he watched it instantly change from "Available" to "Sold," and the hundreds of people who witnessed the same scene couldn't help but twitch their mouths and let out a silent laugh.

Compared to those who only got a laugh out of it, Yan Cang could at least thank Zhang Bin for contributing 1 Fate Point.

Hmph.

At the same time.

The World Channel in the Chat Room had already exploded.

"Holy crap! The Trading House?!"

"Wow, there's even Storage Space and Trading House features. The Fate Net is just too powerful—it's like a system from a novel."

"Great, Mom, I'm saved!"

"Fellow folks, is there any cheap, drinkable clean water for sale? I'm dying of thirst in the desert..."

"Who bought my wild fruit? I was just messing around with the listing!"

"Ultra-luxurious and comfortable Simmons Mattress, 888 Fate Points listed on the Trading House, grab it fast!"

"I'm done, tired, thirsty, and hungry. Too few Fate Points to buy or top up anything. Feeling miserable and want to cry."

"With the Trading House online, Fate Points aren't just an Internet Fee anymore—they've become a currency!"

"Haha, good thing I topped up a bit before bed last night. Now I'm mostly rested, so I'll top up a bit more. Should be enough to buy some food."

"Hey, after topping up last night, I felt so weak~"

"Don't top up too much at once, or your body won't be able to handle it!"

"Huh? What are you guys talking about so weirdly..."

"Whatever, I want to top up! I want to top up! I want to top up!"

...

The uproar triggered by the Trading House's launch was like a boulder thrown into a lake, with ripples spreading across the entire Fate Net at an astonishing speed.

Not just the World Channel, but tens of thousands of Regional Channels were also buzzing with frantic discussions.

Endless streams of product listings and purchase requests emerged.

Yan Cang's consciousness drifted through the Fate Star Sea, observing every corner of the Fate Net, like looking down on a suddenly boiling virtual world.

More and more people were joining in.

More and more products were being listed, and more and more transactions were being completed...

Of course, more and more people were also topping up Fate Points.

The violent fluctuations in the Energy Pool were clearly perceptible. Every top-up of Fate Points was like a trickling stream flowing into this invisible ocean, causing it to swell at an unprecedented rate.

Like opening a sluice gate, the energy in the pool visibly rose.

In just a quarter of an hour, its scale had nearly doubled.

The growth momentum then slowed, and Yan Cang, who had been absorbed in watching, snapped back to reality.

He blinked, and a strong sense of hunger came from his stomach.

"Right, it's time for lunch!"

Yan Cang belatedly remembered this, and his gaze fell back on the pile of wild fruit.

Then, he immediately looked away.

Although those wild fruits were a bit sweet, they weren't filling and weren't suitable as a main meal.

He was also tired of them from breakfast.

He could make do when conditions were poor, but now there was no need.

After the Trading House was updated, Yan Cang felt it was time for him to enjoy a good life.

His mind focused on the Trading House on the Fate Net.

In the product categories, he selected [Food] and filtered by price from high to low.

"Hehe! I've got plenty of cash."

"Let me see what delicious stuff there is!"

Yan Cang rubbed his hands together excitedly.

However, as he scrolled through, the sparse variety of food quickly dampened his spirits.

Perhaps because the Trading House had just launched, most items were survival essentials like unseasoned grilled meat and sour or slightly sweet wild fruits.

The exquisite cuisine he had imagined was nowhere to be found.

Ingredients and seasonings were available from some sellers, but he was so hungry his stomach was growling, and he couldn't be bothered to fuss.

In the end, he had to set his sights on a humble "junk food" item.

[Instant Noodles x1 Cup]

[Description: Old Hen Soup flavor instant noodles, unopened, easy to store and prepare!]

[Seller: Wu Zhengping]

[Price: 30 Fate Points]

[Status: Sold]

[Boiled Water x500 milliliters]

[Description: Freshly boiled mountain spring water, suitable for soaking noodles or drinking cold after cooling... earning a processing fee.]

[Seller: Wu Zhengping]

[Price: 5 Fate Points]

[Status: Sold]

...

While waiting for the instant noodles to steep, Yan Cang felt a bit off: "Hey, I ate instant noodles before crossing over, and I'm still eating them after crossing over—didn't I cross over for nothing?"

A few minutes later, figuring it had steeped long enough, he quickly lifted the paper lid. Steam rose, carrying the familiar aroma of instant noodles.

Ah, what a great smell!