Chapter 74: Lots of Debt, No Worries

Lin Yifan rubbed his temples, feeling a bit disappointed.

Never mind the rest, glutinous rice is truly hard to deal with.

But disappointment is still disappointment, yet there is still hope!

Lin Yifan directly studied the blueprint of the wall; although he cannot build a wall yet, in the future he will definitely construct a large manor for himself.

Then he opened his Ring Space, hoping to see if among the items he had accumulated these past days there were any that needed appraisal.

Unfortunately, there was no second item.

However, Lin Yifan suddenly remembered another thing that might be worth studying.

He took a leather-bound booklet out of the Space Ring.

This booklet was the one he had found today in a cave beneath the Water Pool; because he couldn't read the text and time was limited, he hadn't examined it further.

Now that he has free time, he can study it properly.

And he held a sliver of hope: maybe the 【Eye of Appraisal】 could help decipher these strange characters?

Unfortunately, it was of no use!

However, although his 【Eye of Appraisal】 couldn't read the booklet's text, it did notice that the whole booklet displayed an appraisal prompt.

【Mysterious Book】 (appraisable)

(Appraise?)

Since it can be appraised, of course it should be.

Lin Yifan raised an eyebrow, and then it was discovered that the once tattered booklet suddenly changed its appearance.

The original booklet was only palm-sized, made of some beast hide, but it was covered in stains and dust and was severely damaged.

Now, although it remains palm-sized, the stains and dust are gone, and even the damaged parts have been repaired.

The whole booklet now shows the rustic color of beast hide, and a line of characters appears on its cover.

However, that line of characters, like the text inside, is unreadable to Lin Yifan.

But the item description of this booklet has changed.

【Barolinte's Forging Diary】 (can be translated with a Translation Card or by a Translator.)

【This is the forging diary written by blacksmith apprentice Barolinte; it records everything he experienced while learning the trade, including much of his dark history, so he cherishes this booklet immensely. Anyone who dares to lay a hand on it will incur his raging fury!】

It's that blacksmith apprentice Barolit again!

It seems that cave truly belongs to this person.

However, Barolinte's temper seems poor, and he's rather stingy.

Taking his iron pot would provoke his raging fury, and taking his diary would also provoke his raging fury.

Yet Lin Yifan not only took the iron pot but also his diary; it seems this raging fury is unavoidable.

But will he be scared?

More of them brings no worry; more lice brings no itch!

Moreover, the forging diary is a valuable item; if it can be translated, perhaps he could learn some forging techniques.

However, translation is the problem!

So far, this is his first time obtaining a card-type item, namely an unupgraded 【Appraisal Card】.

The 【Translation Card】 is clearly also a card, and most likely can only be obtained from a blue Treasure Chest, yet he has only gotten two blue Treasure Chests so far.

As for a Translator, one probably needs to learn translation skills to become a Translator.

He doesn't know if anyone in their District has become a Translator.

Lin Yifan thought for a moment, then decided to try his luck, so he opened the chat channel.

He didn't expect that it was already past 12 a. m., yet the chat channel was still bustling, with everyone discussing the Survival Ranking and the donation of supplies.

"Brothers, how much supplies have you donated? How many Contribution Points do you have?"

"I donated over 100 units of Basic Supplies, now I have 125 Contribution Points. Tomorrow when the 【Survival Shop】 opens, I'll definitely buy some gourmet food to treat myself."

"Hey upstairs, can you have some ambition? The 【Survival Shop】 has so many strength‑boosting items, even attribute fruits. You don't save Contribution Points to exchange for them, but instead buy food—so unambitious!"

"If you have ambition, save up! One attribute fruit costs 1500 Contribution Points; even if I dismantle a level‑2 Shelter and donate everything, I still can't accumulate that."

"Sigh! I don't know if there'll be another chance to earn Contribution Points later; otherwise watching all those good items and not being able to buy them is agonizing!"

"Everyone, don't panic! As long as we survive until tomorrow morning and our District makes the top hundred, we'll earn 1000 Contribution Points. If we donate a bit more, we'll definitely get an attribute fruit."

"Didn't Leader Chen Yunuo of the 【Longevity Association】 say earlier? Our District is currently ranked 42nd; even if we slip later, reaching the top hundred should be fine."

"Hope nothing unexpected happens; otherwise, not even a reward—our 【Survival Shop】 might never open, and we could fall forever behind everyone else."

……

Lin Yifan watched everyone's discussion and suddenly felt that the time to announce the next Disaster Message had arrived!

So he set aside the matter of finding a Translator for now and sent a message:

"Brothers and sisters, don't worry. It's already this late; each District's resources should be nearly exhausted. As long as we maintain our current survivor count and stay in the top hundred, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Also, regarding Contribution Points, to be honest, my Shelter has already upgraded to level three. As the first person in our District to reach a level‑three Shelter, I received a reward, which I exchanged for Disaster Information."

"From that information I learned that besides the current 【Mosquito Swarm Disaster】, countless other disasters await. In four days the second disaster will strike, this time a 【Heavy Rain Disaster】 with a four‑star rating."

"Therefore, please prepare. According to this Disaster Mission, each disaster brings a mission; completing it should yield generous rewards, with Contribution Points among them."

When Lin Yifan sent those messages, the entire chat channel fell silent instantly.

A moment later, someone cautiously asked:

"Big brother Lin Yifan, is what you said true or false? Will another disaster appear in four days?"

"Right! This disaster isn't even over, and the next one is already looming!"

"Is this even giving us a chance to survive? A disaster every three days—what are we supposed to endure?"

"Exactly, even though this is the 【Survival Realm】, at least it should provide us a way to survive!"

Just now I was still rejoicing that I had gotten through this calamity, but I didn't expect to hear more terrible news so quickly; these days truly have no glimmer of hope!

……