Chapter 20 – Leveling Up Again

After tidying everything up, Xiao Wuwang returned to the train.

He had 400 kilograms of Wild Bull Meat, far more than he could eat by himself.

So, he kept only 20 kilograms for himself and decided to trade the remaining 380 kilograms for resources.

By now, those who had upgraded should have gradually realized that eating Common food left them hungry quickly, and only consuming meat could keep them energized and in good condition for long periods.

Therefore, he didn’t plan to sell this 380 kilograms of Level 1 Wild Bull Meat cheaply.

After some thought, he set it as 1 jin (500 grams) per portion. One portion of Wild Bull Meat could be exchanged for 1 unit of Copper, or 2 units of Iron, or 8 units of Wood.

Once set up, he didn’t forget to post an advertisement in the Chat Channel.

Although it was already 10:30 p.m., the Chat Channel was still bustling with activity, which suited Xiao Wuwang just fine.

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【Freshly available Level 1 Wild Bull Meat, tender and nutritious! One portion can keep you full for a whole day, making it the perfect choice to maintain your stamina! Now listed in the Trading House. 1 jin per portion, exchangeable for 1 unit of Copper, or 2 units of Iron, or 8 units of Wood. Limited quantity, first come, first served! Those who haven’t upgraded can trade with me manually.】

Xiao Wuwang posted the advertisement five times in a row. After a brief moment of silence, the group exploded, with messages flooding in like a tidal wave.

Gourmet Explorer: 【Wow, is it really Level 1 Wild Bull Meat? Sounds delicious. I’m hungry right now, so I’ll buy a portion as a midnight snack. Consider me the guinea pig—I’ll share my thoughts later!】

808bass: 【Anything from Big Shot Wuwang is bound to be top quality! But I haven’t upgraded yet and don’t have Trading House privileges. @Wuwang Kuangzun, Big Shot, please approve my trade request.】

Yun Feifei: 【Since Big Shot Wuwang Kuangzun dares to set this price, it must be worth it. I’ll buy two portions first.】

I Pardon Thy Shot: 【Hmph, haven’t any of you noticed the price? One portion of his Wild Bull Meat can trade for three or four portions of Common food. It’s way too expensive—I’m not falling for it.】

I’m Zhang Lang Not a Cockroach: 【@Wuwang Kuangzun, the price is indeed a bit high, Big Shot. Can you lower it a little?】

Overlord Don’t Rush: 【Yeah! It’s too expensive. Who can afford it?】

Little Millet Congee: 【Hey, you guys upstairs, haven’t you noticed this is Level 1 Beast Meat? It’s Beast Meat, and Level 1 at that. How can it compare to the Common food you have?】

Wangzai Little Brat: 【Hmm~, I missed out on the last batch of Beast Meat, and here you are nitpicking. Hehe, I’ve already grabbed 5 portions!】

Ya Jin Luoyu: 【Damn! I didn’t manage to get any! How are your hands so fast? I’ve noticed that after upgrading, not eating meat makes me feel off all over!】

…

Xiao Wuwang hadn’t expected his batch of Beast Meat to attract so many eager buyers.

He barely had time to conduct a few manual trades before the Wild Bull Meat was completely sold out.

There were over 2,000 people who had upgraded after the first Station Site, so if everyone wanted a portion, it was indeed not enough to go around.

But when he checked the transaction records, he found that many people had purchased multiple portions.

The most extreme among them was a player named “Dora B-Dream,” who had used 180 units of Iron to exchange for 90 portions of Wild Bull Meat!

This person must have encountered an iron mine along the way, and a rich one at that—otherwise, there’s no explaining where he got so much Iron.

Just as Xiao Wuwang was wondering why he had exchanged for so much Wild Bull Meat, another advertisement suddenly appeared in the group chat.

Dora B-Dream: 【Selling Wild Bull Meat. 1 portion of Wild Bull Meat for 8 units of Wood, or 1 Train Upgrade Shard for 10 portions of Wild Bull Meat. Alternatively, 1 Train Upgrade Shard can also be exchanged for 50 units of Iron! Come quickly if you need it!】

Seeing this advertisement, Xiao Wuwang couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly, inwardly marveling at this guy’s clever thinking!

He probably had plenty of Iron. Using his surplus Iron to exchange for Wild Bull Meat, which most people needed, and then using the Wild Bull Meat to trade for upgrade resources.

This “Dora B-Dream” was clearly trying to compete with him for the upgrade rankings!

Although his move was unexpected, it made perfect sense.

From another perspective, if he himself had that much Iron, he would also prioritize exchanging for upgrade resources just like him.

And the Wild Bull Meat he provided happened to give him a boost. Converting Iron into Wild Bull Meat made it easier for him to trade for other resources.

If he managed to gather the resources first and upgraded ahead of him, that would be a huge loss!

“I was careless!” Xiao Wuwang couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. He should have set a purchase limit when he listed the items earlier.

However, it would probably take that person quite some time to gather enough upgrade resources.

Because anyone with a clear eye could see that the value of a Train Upgrade Shard far exceeded 10 portions of Wild Bull Meat.

But he couldn’t let his guard down either. With so many people in the group, there might be someone willing to trade a Train Upgrade Shard for Wild Bull Meat.

Xiao Wuwang took stock of his upgrade resources:

Wood500 (currently 2,830), Iron100 (currently 890), Train Upgrade Shard*10 (currently 9)

He was only missing one Train Upgrade Shard!

Xiao Wuwang opened the Trading House. Three of the five axes he had listed earlier had been successfully traded, but none were exchanged for Train Upgrade Shards. For the three axes, he received 10 units of Rare Metal and 40 units of Iron.

And unsurprisingly, the 40 units of Iron were traded by the player named “Dora B-Dream.”

“Looks like it’s time to bring out the big move!”

After saying this, Xiao Wuwang took a screenshot of the attributes of the axe with the Sturdy Trait added.

Then, he returned to the Chat Channel.

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【Full Durability, added Sturdy Trait, Level 1 Black Iron Axe in exchange for a Train Upgrade Shard. The Sturdy Trait reduces Durability loss by 30%. One axe can let you chop 400–500 more units of Wood. Absolutely worth the value! If you want to trade, PM me quickly. First come, first served! Black Iron Axe.jpg】

After sending the message, Xiao Wuwang didn’t forget to attach the Attribute Panel of the Black Iron Axe.

Player A: 【What’s a Trait? Does anyone know? Can someone explain?】

Next-Door Lao Wang: 【Traits are additional effects. I know some Equipment can have added Sturdy, added Sharp, added attributes, added negative status effects, and so on.】

Little Millet Congee: 【@Wuwang Kuangzun, can this axe really let someone chop 400–500 more units of Wood?】

Wuwang Kuangzun: 【@Little Millet Congee, how much more you can chop depends on the hardness of the trees. The Sturdy Trait reduces axe Durability loss. Conservatively estimated, chopping 400–500 more units of Wood is absolutely no problem. This deal is definitely worth it!】

Little Millet Congee: 【@Wuwang Kuangzun, Alright! I’ll trust you this once. Let’s trade!】

With the final Train Upgrade Shard in hand, Xiao Wuwang hadn’t expected the process to go so smoothly.

With all the materials gathered, there was no reason to hesitate any longer.

He immediately pulled the brake, waited for the train to come to a stop, and then opened the Train Panel.

—Upgrade!