Chapter 22: Future Plans and a Team Invitation

After hearing Nick's words, Sally's pretty face turned serious. With her current strength, she could barely handle a dungeon creature like a Sand Wolf.

If the regional danger level increased, she would undoubtedly face an extremely difficult situation.

"I haven't thought about it..."

Sally shook her head gently, looking at the severely worn short blade in her hand and the damaged shield lying on the ground not far away.

Finally, she said, "I'm not planning to explore for now. I'll go back to the market the way I came. In a few days, I'll trade the survival resources I have, and I should be able to get a set of equipment."

Even though Sally was covered in dust, the spirited look in her eyes couldn't be concealed.

In terms of current strength, she still had a long way to go to catch up to Nick, but in other aspects, Sally didn't think she was inferior to anyone.

"Trading survival resources?"

After hearing Sally's words, Nick thought for a moment and understood her intentions. With the increasing difficulty of dungeon exploration, survival resources and weapons would become the most sought-after items.

As long as she had enough resources, she could wait until other survivors were in desperate situations before trading with them, and the bargaining chips would definitely not be small.

"Yeah... I traded 500ml of purified water for this short sword with another survivor yesterday."

When she talked about her area of expertise, the confidence in her eyes increased. She brandished the severely worn short blade, and it was impossible not to feel a pang of regret.

Nick's mouth twitched slightly after hearing Sally's words. He had just learned today that the value of a Fire Rune was similar to that of a short sword, but...

He had used 2L of purified water to trade for the Fire Rune from Sally, while this girl had traded only 500ml of purified water for a short sword of equal value.

Wasn't she a complete profiteer?

But what he didn't expect was that this girl was so bold, carrying such a large amount of survival resources and trading for weapons with other survivors.

In terms of trading, Sally was indeed much more experienced than him. If there was a difference, it was that Nick didn't want to waste his time on tedious transactions.

"After deducting the survival resources used for trading, I can last four or five days if I'm careful. There must be survivors who are afraid to explore the dungeon, right?"

"If everything goes smoothly, getting a set of ordinary equipment shouldn't be a problem."

Sally said truthfully, but the most pressing problem in front of her was to return to that trading market. If she encountered dungeon creatures on the way back, the only outcome waiting for her was death.

She took a deep breath to adjust her mindset, took out the miniature altar from her pocket, and took out a fist-sized translucent crystal, handing it to Nick.

Sally said seriously, "Anyway, I still have to thank you for saving me. This [Rune Charging Stone] should be useful to you."

The moment he took it, Nick felt its substantial weight. The size of this Rune Charging Stone was larger than the one he had previously obtained from the treasure chest.

The energy contained within it would certainly be much richer.

Nick held the Rune Charging Stone in his hand and didn't immediately pocket it. He said with some curiosity in his eyes, "This thing is worth at least 6L of purified water, right?"

"What do you mean?"

Sally looked surprised. When she saw the strange look in Nick's eyes, she subconsciously covered her flat chest with her hand.

She said cautiously, "If you think that because you saved my life, I should offer myself to you, then you should give up on that idea. I'd rather die at the hands of a dungeon creature."

"..."

Nick's expression became even stranger. He really wanted to know what kind of image he had in Sally's eyes...

"What kind of person do you think I am?"

Sally frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled, and finally said slowly, "A... strange person, I guess?"

"Or maybe half a good person?"

Yesterday, after the trade, he had kindly reminded her to avoid contact with other survivors... And today, he had even saved her from the Sand Wolf.

Sally didn't think Nick was a fool who would save a customer he had traded with for no reason. There must be something on her that Nick wanted.

"What do you mean by 'half' a good person?"

After hearing Sally's evaluation, Nick's lips twitched, and he felt a little helpless. It was exactly the same as when they parted last time.

But in some ways, Sally was right. Nick had indeed taken a liking to her, but not for her flat figure, but for Sally's ability in trading.

Nick was already busy enough with digging and exploring, let alone dealing with some useless survival resources. Accumulating too much would take up space, but throwing them away would be a pity.

Finding someone he could temporarily trust to manage them was also a solution.

Right now, this Sally was obviously a good candidate. If he hadn't heard the last sentence, he would have reluctantly considered it as repaying a favor.

Nick looked at Sally and asked, "With your current strength, what are your chances of getting back to the trading market?"

Sally's eyes dimmed considerably.

She looked at the worn-out short blade in her hand. Its sharpness was almost gone. Trying to use this weapon to fight dungeon creatures was simply a fool's dream.

"None..."

After hearing Sally's answer, Nick said directly, "Have you considered teaming up with other survivors? At the very least, it can help you avoid a lot of dangers in the dungeon world."

After Nick finished saying this, his intention couldn't be more obvious.

Even Sally looked at him with a somewhat inexplicable look. She didn't agree directly, but asked, "Why?"

Nick's face was calm, and he said truthfully, "The difficulty of dungeon exploration is constantly increasing. If you can team up, who wants to be a lone wolf?"

"And you're very talented at trading. I want you to help me deal with those useless life supplies."

Nick gave a pertinent evaluation. Being able to trade for a weapon with only 500ml of purified water, she was definitely very talented in being a profiteer.

Sally frowned slightly and continued, "Are you serious... Are you sure you're not using this team-up as a way to get close to me?"

Nick's face darkened. He shouldn't have had any expectations of this girl. After the trade ended last time, she called him a weirdo.

So today's contact was to understand Sally's true nature?

He picked up the shovel on the ground and walked to the Sand Wolf's corpse. Besides the unique smell of the wolf, there was no pungent smell of decay. It was edible, but the taste would definitely not be good...

After collecting the Sand Wolf's corpse using the miniature altar, Nick didn't want to stay in this dungeon for a second longer.

He wished he could just leave this self-conscious girl.

The next moment, Sally followed Nick's footsteps. Her face was much more serious, and she said, "It seems you're a good person..."

"As for the invitation to team up, as long as I'm not crazy, I have no reason to refuse."

After she finished speaking, a smile appeared on her face, and she said slowly, "Then, I'll be in your care from now on."