The Double Drop Buff Surviving The Endless Ocean novel Chapter 25

Rodger sighed. “So many people are waiting, and they’re all getting impatient.” But there was nothing he could do.

Rodger had to gather supplies, collect braziers, light them up, and handle the trades. Even if he didn’t take a single break, this was as fast as he could go.

Besides, he was getting worn out, and his pace had dropped a lot. Leeanne, on the other hand, was able to move a bit quicker.

On the chat channel, everyone was getting impatient, and some people started to complain.

Myron texted: [Leeanne, come on, can’t you go any faster? I’ve been waiting for over half an hour, and it’s still not my turn.]

Mick echoed: [Seriously, why is it taking so long? Is this how you run a business? You’re just dragging things out.]

Right away, someone spoke up for Leeanne. [Chill out; making a brazier isn’t instant, you know. She has to craft it, light it up, and then trade it.

[Each one takes at least half a minute. It’s only been an hour, and tons of people already got theirs. What more–do you want?]

Someone else echoed: [Exactly. Leeanne isn’t here to make a profit. If she were, she wouldn’t be only asking for 2 iron and 8 wood for a brazier.]

Another player chimed in: [I traded a horn bow blueprint for my brazier. You’re just handing over a bit of iron and wood for yours, and you think that’s business?]

Someone texted: [Seriously, Leeanne’s doing you a favor, not running some shop.]

Another guy echoed: [Leeanne, just jack up the price. Let those broke folks miss out, then maybe they’ll stop whining about how slow things are.]

Mick answered: [Look who’s calling people broke. I’m loaded with supplies.]

Myron echoed: [You’re all just a bunch of snobs.]

Danelle chimed in: [Don’t act all high and mighty if you’re still begging for a brazier. If you’re so rich, why didn’t you trade earlier? Just admit you’re cheap and waiting for a handout.]

Myron replied: [Danelle, are you sucking up to some random nobody?]

Danelle: “Myron, do you even have any friends?”

The chat channel was blowing up, but Leeanne didn’t even know. All she knew was that relying on her and Rodger wasn’t enough. It was too slow. She contacted Jessica.

Jessica texted: [Leeanne, I knew you’d come to me sooner or later. Relax, anything Rodger can do, I can handle too. And honestly, I work even harder than he does.]

Leeanne then contacted William, offering him and Jessica the same 5% commission as Rodger.

Then Leeanne announced in the chat: [Everyone, you can place your orders and trade with Jessica or William now. I will continue crafting in the order received.]

A wave of excitement swept through the chat. Quick–fingered players immediately flooded Jessica and William with private

messages.

1/4

10:21 am PM M

Chapter 25

55 vouchers

After placing orders, some folks started to suspect there was something going on. [Hey, why does Leeanne trust William so much? How did they even get connected?]

Another echoed: [Yeah, I’m wondering too. Rodger and Jessica are easy to figure out. They’re both active; one’s always flipping trades, and the other’s always explaining stuff.

[But William barely says a word, and he was almost done for just a few days ago. How did he end up linked with Leeanne?]

A third chimed in: [Come on, did everyone forget? William mentioned yesterday that some angel saved him and even gave him pasta. In our district, how many people have pasta?]

It turned out bored players had sharp deductive skills. Soon, someone figured it out: [Leeanne’s got pasta, and she even sold some.]

Someone else echoed: [Mystery solved! Leeanne’s the one who saved William.]

Another player chimed in: [Man, why wasn’t I the one dying yesterday? Why didn’t I cry for help? Maybe I’d have gotten Leeanne’s help and trust, too.]

Someone replied: [William just lucked out. Ugh, I’m so jealous!]

Myron texted: [Heh, you’re all just a bunch of hypocrites.]

With Jessica and William pitching in, the trades started moving way faster. Another hour went by, and Leeanne’s wood stash had grown by over 1,500, with her iron stock up by several hundred.

Leeanne was glued to the brazier, running herself ragged. Even though she was just in her sweats, she didn’t feel the cold. But she was exhausted.

Even so, only a small fraction of people had gotten a brazier. After all, there were a hundred thousand folks in this district, and almost everyone needed one.

Making braziers just took time. There was no way around it. This was already as fast as Leeanne could go.

People were freezing, and just then, the chat channel blew up with a whole new kind of chaos. [A shark! It’s biting my raft again. It already took a chunk out of it.]

Someone else chimed in: [I have no idea what’s under my raft, but it’s about to flip my raft over.]

A third echoed: [I’ve got a shark here too! Help!]

Someone said: [I’ve got a shark too, but it just circled my raft and swam off. Oh, and I’ve got a brazier.]

Someone else replied: [A brazier? Yeah, I’ve got one too. That’s probably why the shark just circled my raft and then took off.]

One player replied: (The newbie guide said if you’ve got a torch, you might be able to avoid getting attacked]

Another player texted: [Ugh, I still don’t have a brazier. I’m stuck waiting in line.]

Rodger urgently told Leeanne to check the chat. She did, and her heart sank. ‘So that’s the other danger, she thought.

Leeanne hadn’t spotted any sharks near her raft. Maybe the fire from my brazier is just too bright for them? she wondered.

Jessica texted: [Hey guys, every brazier comes loaded with 20 pieces of firewood. Why not share some with those who still

don’t have a brazier?

2/4

10:21 am P M M

Chapter 25

[Let them use it to craft a simple torch and scare off the sharks. Just one time is all it takes.]

0191

1355 vouchers

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify