Chapter 36

Chapter 036: This Is Harming Me!

The night was like ink, quietly seeping into the Trial Ground.

Inside the wooden cabin, the lights were bright, casting a warm and luminous glow over the room.

The traces of dinner had long been cleaned away, leaving only a faint, lingering aroma of food in the air.

Yan Cang was now curled up in that comfortable chair, sinking into a state of relaxed contemplation.

It felt as if the savory aftertaste of the delicious meal still lingered on his tongue, and the warm, satisfying feeling in his stomach brought him both physical and mental comfort.

His thoughts naturally drifted back to the question he'd pondered after dinner: how to more conveniently access good food.

The existing features on the Fate Net, like posting a long-term bounty in the Bounty Zone or requesting a purchase in the Trading Zone, were all too passive and cumbersome.

He preferred a food delivery-style ordering system, where the food arrived ready to eat without any unnecessary communication.

The current Trading House did meet this requirement to some extent.

However, filtering was difficult, and the food available wasn't freshly made.

After thinking it over, Yan Cang felt that adding an Order Mode to the Trading House was the way to go.

"Right now, good food is scarce mainly because sellers are afraid of making a loss if they cook and can't sell it."

"If there's a model where buyers place orders and pay first, and sellers then accept the order and cook, I believe more chefs will come forward to show their skills."

"Buyers would also get to eat freshly cooked, piping hot food, instead of buying 'stock' that's been sitting around for who knows how long."

"This way, I just need to know the chef's storefront, and I can order whatever I want from then on."

The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed.

Yan Cang decided to simply add a dedicated "Food Zone."

After all, the framework of the Trading House was already in place; he only needed to add a new sub-section and a simple set of order process logic.

But was it worth updating the Fate Net just for this?

Yan Cang rubbed his chin.

The first two Fate Net updates had been significant: the first laid the foundation for communication with the Forum sections, Chat Room, and Location Function;

The second was the groundbreaking Trading House and Portable Space.

In comparison, this "Food Zone" update seemed a bit...

"It feels a bit low-class," he muttered to himself.

But for the sake of good food, it wasn't a big deal.

After some thought, he decided to quietly launch this Food Zone late at night.

He'd skip the Update Announcement and let the users discover it on their own.

That way, it would be a win-win situation.

Having made up his mind, he felt a sense of relief, as if a major "concern" had been resolved.

Out of habit, he sank his consciousness into the Fate Net Forum, intending to check on everyone's situation for the day.

The first thing that caught his eye was a lucky post with a short title and a dazzling golden image of a [Golden Chest].

This was the hottest post of the day, with an astonishingly high level of activity.

But considering the rarity of the Golden Chest, he could understand the hype.

Who was so lucky?

Yan Cang subconsciously glanced at the poster...

"Yu Jing?!"

It was only then that he remembered, when he had peeked into her Fate Trajectory yesterday, he had already known about this Golden Chest and the "Digital Heart" ability.

At the time, he had even envied the woman's luck.

You have to understand that the "Digital Heart," a supernatural ability that integrates perception, information processing, and energy interference, and can even continuously grow...

Even within the category of Golden Chests, it's absolutely considered top-tier.

Although Yan Cang could freely choose whatever he wanted, this feeling of "getting what you wish for" was ultimately different from pure luck.

Actually, thinking about it carefully, getting what you wish for is better.

Ahem...

His gaze swept over the comment section.

Among the massive number of replies, aside from amazement at the Golden Chest, there was also admiration and closeness toward Yu Jing herself.

[Sister Jing is really such a good person! She comforted so many people in the post last night!]

[Sister Jing isn't just strong in ability, she also has a good heart. I heard that many people in need in the Help Zone received Fate Points she transferred to them.]

[After reading Sister Jing's previous posts, I thought she was a weak woman who needed protection... but now, sister, you've got me!]

[Beautiful, strong, and with a great personality—what kind of perfect setup is this?]

[And her luck is insane. She got a pistol before, and now a Golden Chest... I admit I'm jealous.]

[Other people hide their Golden Chests, but Sister Jing openly shows hers and even shares the ability's effects... Sister Jing is way too honest!]

[I declare Sister Jing my new idol!]

Sister Jing? Honest?

Did she tell you that this Golden Chest was actually opened yesterday?

Yan Cang couldn't help but want to complain in his mind.

Toward this existence that he had labeled as a "bad woman," Yan Cang now always carried a bit of prejudice.

He always felt that Yu Jing's decision to openly reveal the Golden Chest must have some deeper meaning behind it.

But this curiosity wasn't enough to make him expend energy to find out the truth.

With a subtle feeling of "the world is drunk while I alone am sober," Yan Cang withdrew from Yu Jing's post.

He began browsing other trending posts on the forum.

Today's theme seemed particularly focused:

A large number of posts were discussing the experiences, pros and cons, and precautions of joining or forming regional teams.

It seemed that last night's Beast Disturbances had indeed brought greater survival pressure to solo travelers, prompting more people to seek warmth in groups.

Of course, the topics naturally included weapons for defending against or dealing with beasts.

Many were complaining about the high prices of weapons, especially metal tools, in the Trading House, calling them "sky-high prices."

Others were sharing knowledge about crude methods for making wooden spears and stone axes from simple materials.

Some even showed off self-made rough shields and leather armor, attracting envy and purchase requests.

But all of the above, including Yu Jing's Golden Chest post...

Actually, none of them were the biggest hot topic today.

What really dominated the screen today was that unavoidable name—Chief.

Who is this?

Me?!

It was only at this moment that Yan Cang belatedly realized he had gained this nickname.

Whether on the forum or in various chat channels, the word "Chief" appeared with extremely high frequency.

Through various factors, people had clearly identified him as the "Master of the Fate Net."

If before, on the Fate Net, mentioning "first place on the Contribution Ranking" might have brought up a few sour or disparaging remarks...

Now, looking around, everywhere is filled with loyalty and flattery!

Comments like "The Chief is great, no need for words," "Thanks to the Chief for carrying me," and "Chief, look at me, Daddy" are endless.

Some have even started making up jokes and poems of praise.

As for the specifics... well, let's not go into detail.

Anyway, compared to the comments under Yu Jing's Golden Chest post, this is exaggerated by at least an order of magnitude.

"It's too cheesy. I don't like reading this stuff at all."

Yan Cang only browsed for half an hour longer than usual before his ears burned and he logged off the Fate Net.

As for being so "popular," he actually felt a bit resistant inside.

You could see the corners of his mouth uncontrollably lifting as he said helplessly:

"I originally set up the Fate Net just to make things convenient for everyone and earn some energy on the side."

"Who knew Faction Contribution would snowball and shoot up like this?"

"This is ruining me!"