Chapter 25: Owner of the Stone Knife

Hefting the stone knife in his hand, Qin Chuan turned to look around.

For a wilderness survivor, losing such a stone knife generally has three possibilities.

The first possibility is that the other party obtained a more convenient tool, making this somewhat rough stone knife useless, so it was casually discarded.

The second possibility is that the other party died, deleted their account and started anew, but the stone knife they made was left behind.

The third possibility, which is also the least likely,

is that the other party really dropped it by accident.

Just as Qin Chuan was thinking this, a sharp cry suddenly came from above his head.

Qin Chuan and Shui Hua quickly looked up, then saw a sky-blue figure swiftly swooping down from high altitude; before the dive, its color nearly blended with the sky, so Qin Chuan and Shui Hua noticed nothing unusual.

"Woof!"

Their brief standoff was quickly broken by a shout.

"Xiao Qing! Have you found my stone knife?"

Seeing a Spirit Beast in this state for the first time in the Dream World, Qin Chuan even froze for a moment, but he quickly realized what it meant.

As the shout rang out, a figure rushed over, froze upon seeing the scene, then ran over even faster, stopped in front of Qin Chuan, grabbed his hand, and shook it vigorously up and down.

【Player Name: Yue Li】

【Contract Spirit Beast: Azure Jade Falcon】

The player behind this Azure Jade Falcon is the owner of the lost stone knife!

"Wait a moment."

【Spirit Beast Attribute: Wind System】

【Spirit Beast Level: Juvenile Stage Lv10】

【Spirit Beast Species: Azure Jade Falcon】

Shui Hua's face tightened; she immediately assumed an attack stance, water surging around her, ready to unleash several torrents at any moment.

The swooping Azure Jade Falcon beat its wings, hovering at ten meters above, its pair of cyan eyes sharply fixed on Shui Hua below, its aura tense.

Already contracted…

"Cry—"

【Player Level: Trainee】

As Qin Chuan approached that blue silhouette, his expression suddenly turned surprised.

【Spirit Beast Introduction: Wind System Spirit Beast Azure Jade Falcon, possessing super keen vision and extreme speed, its camouflaged plumage makes it hard to detect before it strikes.】

That was a female player; her exquisite features up close left Qin Chuan dazed for a moment, but realizing that appearances in the Dream World can be altered, he quickly composed himself.

He reached out to stop Shui Hua, who was about to act, and fixed his gaze on the descending Azure Jade Falcon.

【Spirit Beast State: Contracted】

"Finally met another player! Hello, hello!"

"Hello, just call me Luo."

"I'm Yue Li." The female player said with a grin, "You're the first player I've met in this world; have you encountered any other players?"

"No." Qin Chuan shook his head, feeling a bit surprised by her familiarity, yet relieved by her genuine friendliness.

At this moment he couldn't help thinking of his desk mate Xiao Pang.

Xiao Pang had already met other players, but they were a foreign female player; he's still struggling to learn English and doesn't know how to communicate with her.

"It seems we are each other's first friend in the Dream World." Yue Li said earnestly, as if this mattered greatly to her.

"Cry~"

The previously tense Shui Hua and Azure Jade Falcon both eased their aura; the Azure Jade Falcon flapped its wings and landed on the female player's shoulder, its gaze fixed on Qin Chuan, precisely on his chest.

"Huh?" Upon hearing her Spirit Beast's words, the female player's face showed surprise, "Do you have a Whirlwind Fruit?"

Before Qin Chuan could speak, she quickly produced a Clear Water Fruit, "Want to trade?"

"Trade!" Without hesitation, Qin Chuan produced the Wind System Fruit he had been carrying in his pocket because his equipment slot couldn't hold it.

He also returned the stone knife to her.

While storing the Clear Water Fruit in his equipment slot, Qin Chuan also realized the importance of contacting other players.

Often, resources gathered by lone-wolf players are unusable by themselves.

But the more players one contacts, the more resources can be obtained through similar exchanges.

"Great, another one!" Yue Li happily stowed the Whirlwind Fruit, proudly telling Qin Chuan, "I've already stored nine; once Xiao Qing advances, I'll immediately gain a burst of experience."

"That many?" Qin Chuan couldn't help but exclaim.

"Xiao Qing's trait is energy vision; it can identify energy strength in its field of view and quickly locate Experience Fruits." Yue Li introduced with some pride, "Impressive, right?"

While Yue Li spoke, the Azure Jade Falcon named Xiao Qing raised its head high.

"Impressive." Qin Chuan replied in agreement, though he felt somewhat surprised inside.

The girl before him, whom he had just met, was surprisingly candid.

"Hehe~" Having gained Qin Chuan's approval, Yue Li was delighted; she casually sat on a nearby large rock, "I accidentally dropped my stone knife and asked Xiao Qing to look for it—I never expected it to be this coincidental."

"Uh…" Qin Chuan's mouth twitched slightly, "You really just dropped the stone knife by accident?"

He hadn't expected it to actually be the third scenario he deemed least likely.

"Exactly, this is my most useful stone knife." Yue Li said, pulling a bread‑shaped fruit from her vine‑woven backpack and handing it to Qin Chuan, "This is the Bread Fruit I just picked; have one!"

"I've been here so long and only found this fruit that can fill my stomach." Taking another Bread Fruit and biting into it, Yue Li felt a little down, "But at least it tastes decent."

Qin Chuan glanced at Shui Hua, then took the Bread Fruit, "Thank you."

Seeing Qin Chuan take a bite, Yue Li's face lit up with anticipation, "How is it?"

"It's indeed not bad." Qin Chuan nodded.

This fruit has a hint of bread's fragrance; its flesh is sweet and not cloying, and it is very filling.

"Unfortunately, the entrance will close soon." After finishing the bread-fruit in her hand, Yue Li clapped her hands and spoke with slight regret, "It's rare to meet other players."

"You can still come in tomorrow and continue." Qin Chuan smiled, then changed the subject, "By the way, there will be another update tomorrow."

"Exactly." Yue Li waved her hand vigorously, eyes full of anticipation, "I can't wait! Hopefully the update will add some ways to obtain low-level resources, so Xiao Qing can level up and get stronger sooner!"

"Hope so." Qin Chuan nodded.

Shui Hua still needs two low-level resources for his advancement, and he still has no clue about them; Yue Li's hope is likewise his hope.

The two newly acquainted players chatted intermittently, and the time until the Dream World Entrance closes is drawing ever closer.

【07:59:59/08:00:00】【00:00:02】

【08:00:00/08:00:00】【00:00:03】

【Dream World Entrance Closed】

(End of Chapter)