Chapter 46: The Silver Resource Box
After all that turmoil, James couldn't sleep at all.
With no other option, he got out of bed and decided to open the remaining two silver resource boxes. He had planned to open them the next day, but the day's events had been too overwhelming.
Unable to sleep, he needed something to do. This was his first time receiving silver resource boxes, so he was quite excited.
Typically, a silver resource box would most likely contain excellent quality items and, with a small chance, rare items.
With a nervous heart, James opened the silver resource box. A dense white light burst forth from the box, blinding him momentarily.
"Although I know the silver resource box is precious, does it really need to emit such blinding light?" James commented wryly.
As the light dimmed, James turned back to examine the contents.
There were three items, all of a silvery-white color, indicating their excellent quality. He had neither the luck to find a rare item nor the misfortune of getting a lower quality one.
He inspected them carefully:
- [Ally Scroll (Excellent Grade)]
- [Prophecy Scroll (Excellent Grade)]
- [Dry and Wet Separation Bathroom (Excellent Grade)]
The first silver resource box indeed contained very high-quality items. The Ally Scroll needed no explanation; he and Luke had become allies using such a scroll.
That was how Luke had been able to come to James's shelter on the last day of the cold wave to hunt together.
For ordinary survivors, the Ally Scroll was just a tool for mutual aid and warmth. But for two strong individuals, its significance was extraordinary. What one couldn't do alone, two could easily achieve together.
But James hesitated, unsure where to use this new Ally Scroll. Nancy? She was too weak to be of any use...
As for the other item, the Dry and Wet Separation Bathroom, it was self-explanatory.
James already had a toilet, but it was low-grade and rudimentary. So, he used the excellent-grade bathroom, setting it up opposite his bedroom, forming a 15-square-meter space, larger than the bedroom itself.
Out of excitement, James repeatedly got out of bed to inspect this new bathroom.
It had a bathtub for bathing and a separate area with a toilet and washbasin. Curious, James turned on the tap and was surprised to find hot water flowing out.
"Where's this hot water coming from? Magically appeared?" James wondered.
Upon investigating, he discovered the reason. The bathtub's heater was wrapped around the fireplace, using its heat to warm the water.
Of course, once the water in the tank was used up, it would need to be manually refilled. James decided to take a proper bath the next day.
He hadn't had a real bath since arriving in the Mist World, just occasional water wipes.
The other item, the Prophecy Scroll, was very special and enigmatic. James didn't understand its significance until he read the detailed information:
- [Name: Prophecy Scroll (Excellent Grade)]
- [Function: Predicts the next disaster.]
- [Description: The gods won't always warn you.]
Simple in function, yet it profoundly shocked James. The next disaster? Did it mean the natural catastrophe following the cold wave?
He had thought the cold wave was just a test and expected a relatively peaceful development period afterward, without extreme weather concerns. But now, it seemed the situation might be worse than he anticipated.
Taking a deep breath, James used the scroll. The words on the white scroll slowly faded until the paper was blank. Then, a new line of text appeared, with two large black characters that caught James's eye: [Heatwave].
James's pupils contracted as countless thoughts raced through his mind. The next natural disaster was a heatwave! He knew these weren't ordinary words; the heatwave mentioned here must be unimaginable.
"No matter if it's true or not, I must prepare quickly!" James muttered to himself, tucking the thought of the heatwave deep inside.
He opened the second silver resource box with a more subdued attitude, turning his head in time to avoid the blinding light. Three items appeared:
- [Ally Scroll (Excellent Grade)]
- [Storage Box x5 (Excellent Grade)]
- [Dimensional Backpack (Excellent Grade)]
Another Ally Scroll! James wondered if the abundance of Transport Scrolls and Ally Scrolls foreshadowed something. Was a terrible disaster approaching that required survivors to help each other to survive? Or was it an encouragement to form groups?
Uncertain, James put these thoughts aside. The remaining two items were also exceptional:
- [Name: Storage Box (Excellent Grade)]
- [Function: A box measuring 0.3m long, 0.2m wide, 0.2m high, containing
5 cubic meters of space.]
- [Description: A mini warehouse!]
- [Name: Dimensional Backpack (Excellent Grade)]
- [Function: Contains an 8 cubic meter dimensional space.]
- [Description: Carry my little backpack... a must-have for collecting resources!]
Both were space-related items, useful for storing more materials.
James had now received all the rewards for his S-class rating: the Spirit Marsh Pool, bamboo forest, two Ally Scrolls, Dry and Wet Separation Bathroom, Prophecy Scroll, five Storage Boxes, and Dimensional Backpack. Each could make other survivors drool with envy.
However, James understood that the other 9999 S-class survivors had received similar rewards, and some luckier ones might have even better items.
He might be proud in front of ordinary people, but in front of true powerhouses, James felt it was better to remain cautious.
After storing all his newly acquired items, James crawled back into bed to sleep.
Listening to the howling wind and snow outside the shelter, feeling the warmth of the fireplace and the dim glow of the fire in his bedroom, he felt a bit more at ease.
As he slept through the night's heavy snowfall, many other survivors experienced a sleepless night.
Outside, the temperature plummeted to -37°C; inside, without heating, it was -23°C; even with a fireplace, the bedroom temperature was only -13°C.
For many survivors without adequate warm clothing or coal for heating, even the warmth of their bedding was insufficient.
Such low temperatures were enough to claim lives. Some slept in comfort, others shivered through the night, and some lay stiff and cold, their lives claimed by the merciless cold.