Chapter 9: Trading Market

Nick looked at the intelligent pangolin. The instant he had attacked the red python, it had made a choice: not to continue digging to escape, but to provide cover for Nick.

This alone was probably more reliable than a "teammate" relationship in a crisis.

Taking this little guy along meant that, at the very least, he wouldn't be fighting alone against the dangerous dungeon creatures.

A faint smile appeared on Nick's face. He gently patted the pangolin's head.

"Little guy, I'll be counting on you from now on..."

The pangolin seemed to understand his thoughts. It contracted its scales as much as possible before gently nuzzling Nick's palm.

This gesture made his smile widen. It was like the affectionate clinginess of a puppy. Exploring the dungeon should be a lot more interesting from now on.

After settling the pangolin, Nick went straight back to the tent to rest. The previous battle with the python had drained his stamina, not to mention the tedious work of dissecting the giant snake.

Perhaps because the pangolin was right outside the tent, Nick slept exceptionally soundly that night, his sleep quality improving dramatically.

Day 3 in the dungeon world.

Nick got up early. As soon as he unzipped the tent, he saw the pangolin curled up in a ball at the entrance. Sensing the movement, it raised its small head from the center of the circle.

Its dazed eyes instantly brightened when it saw Nick.

Nick ate something simple to replenish his energy and gulped down a large mouthful of purified water. He didn't forget to pour a small half-bowl of water for the pangolin.

"Let's go..."

After packing up the temporary camp, Nick looked at the pangolin and realized he had forgotten something.

Now that this pangolin was his companion, it needed a name.

"From now on, your name is Python!"

After thinking for a moment, Nick finally spoke this name. After all, their meeting was entirely due to the red python.

Naming it Python was perfectly appropriate.

The pangolin quickly understood Nick's intention. It lay half on the ground, exposing its softest belly to Nick, its attitude obvious.

"Then let's set off, Python."

Nick picked up the shovel, strapped the hand crossbow to his waist, and began a new day of exploration.

Today's task was to gather as many survival resources as possible, and if he could find the materials for the [Rune Water Purifier], that would be even better.

He looked at the three directions he could dig, and the hints for each direction appeared before him.

[Dig 7 meters to the left, and you will obtain 3 compressed biscuits.]

[Don't dig up, or you'll become food reserves for the One-Eyed Spider.]

[Dig 4 meters down, and you will enter an abandoned forge. There might be unexpected gains!]

Nick naturally wouldn't be crazy enough to dig upwards. As for compressed biscuits, an emergency food, he wasn't interested in them at all.

Instead, the abandoned forge below caught Nick's attention. To make the [Rune Water Purifier], iron and copper were essential.

Perhaps he could find these two resources in the abandoned forge.

After making his decision, Nick swung his shovel and started digging downwards. Seeing his actions, the pangolin, Python, intelligently walked to his side and helped with its sharp claws.

The 4-meter distance to the forge was incredibly easy for Nick. In just a short time, he had dug through the dungeon.

He jumped down lightly and landed safely, followed by Python, who curled into a ball.

"So this is the forge?"

Nick used the faint light to examine the dungeon in front of him. From the remnants of the building, he could roughly see that it was indeed a forge, but it had been destroyed to this extent for some reason.

He didn't have high hopes for this abandoned forge, as long as he could find some of the materials needed for the [Rune Water Purifier].

Nick first went to the smelting platform. After all, it was a place for metal smelting, so there might be some residual iron, copper, and other metals.

After searching carefully, he found a fist-sized black metal on the smelting platform. It felt cold to the touch.

It should be some kind of metal, but he wasn't sure if it could be used for the [Rune Water Purifier]. Nick opened the [Workbench] function on the black panel.

From the materials he currently possessed, he learned the name of this black metal: [Iron], a crucial component for making the Rune Water Purifier.

Nick suppressed his excitement and continued searching for metal in the abandoned forge. Just then, he felt a gentle tug on his clothes.

Nick turned around and saw Python with a palm-sized, yellowish-brown metal in front of it. Its intelligent eyes looked at Nick as if asking for praise.

Sure enough, through the [Workbench], he obtained information about this metal: the scarce copper metal required for the [Rune Water Purifier].

"Little guy, you really gave me a nice surprise!"

Nick gently patted the pangolin's head. He had successively found the iron and copper metals, taking another step forward in collecting the materials.

What followed was almost a "dig three feet deep" level of effort. The entire abandoned forge was turned upside down, and the final harvest did not disappoint Nick.

Not only had he gathered all the iron and copper needed for the [Rune Water Purifier], but he even had a surplus.

He put these metals in the camp. Now, the only two missing materials were the Water Rune and the Fire Rune.

Nick had no clue about these two items. There wasn't even any information about Runes in the regional chat channel.

"If I find a trading market... maybe I can find the Runes."

Nick quickly made up his mind. After confirming that there were no resources left in the abandoned forge, he picked up his shovel and prepared to continue digging.

He looked at the other three directions, and the hints that only Nick could see appeared before him.

[Dig 8 meters to the left, and you will obtain 1L of purified water.]

[Be careful on the right. Disturbing the sleeping Stone Gargoyle, you might be smashed into a pulp!]

The first two hints made Nick's eyes light up slightly. Before the [Rune Water Purifier] was built, water resources were crucial. However, when he looked at the digging hint below, Nick felt a chill.

[Continue digging 11 meters down, and you will enter the trading market!]