Chapter 47: Extreme Cold

When James woke up the next day, the shelter was frighteningly dark, with hardly a streak of light. The only illumination was the faint flickering of charcoal in the fireplace, casting a dim yellow glow.

"How long did I sleep... What time is it now?" James mumbled, his head heavy and his body weak from oversleeping.

After checking the time in the "Mist Survival Handbook," he realized it was already noon the next day. This was the first time since arriving in the Mist World that he had indulged in such a lazy sleep.

Feeling hungry, James got up to prepare some food in the kitchen. He had promised to provide Nancy with meals for a week and wondered if she had starved by this time.

However, as soon as he stretched his hand out of the blanket, the icy air made him retract it immediately. "This temperature! Why is it so low?! So cold..." he muttered, his arm covered in goosebumps.

"The indoor temperature must be below -20 degrees, right? Then how low is it outside?"

James finally showed a worried expression. 

In such extreme cold, ordinary clothing hardly provided any warmth. 

It was only because of his high-quality bedding that he had managed to sleep well: two layers of blankets, a 12-pound heavy cashmere quilt, an outer layer of wild boar skin blanket, and wearing a sweater and cotton pants. He had piled up his fleece pajamas, cotton jackets, and pants at the foot of the bed to prevent heat loss.

These were precious warm items he had obtained from opening dozens of boxes, totaling more than ten different kinds. But what about the other survivors?

James's heart sank as he opened the chat channel in the "Mist Survival Handbook" and found that the total population had fallen below 5 billion. 

Overnight, seven to eight hundred million survivors had perished.

James finally understood that the cold wave wasn't just about storing food for the winter. Such low temperatures could kill directly!

Just a few minutes of skin contact with the air could result in frostbite, and the chances of getting a cold were greatly increased. It was easy to imagine how many people would starve, freeze, or die from illness during the cold wave.

With a heavy heart, James put on all his clothes while still in bed. 

Despite that, he still felt chillingly cold, as if icy hands were reaching through his thick clothes, leaving a trail of coldness over his body, making him shiver uncontrollably.

The temperature in the bedroom now was colder than it had been outdoors before the cold wave arrived.

Careful not to underestimate the cold, James shivered as he stuffed more charcoal into the fireplace and turned the flames up high. 

He sat on a resource box, huddling close to the fireplace, almost sticking his hands into the fire to feel a bit of warmth. His legs, numb from the cold, trembled uncontrollably inside his pants.

Fortunately, the high-grade charcoal released a large amount of heat, raising the temperature of the entire bedroom. Only then did James feel revived.

"Let's see how others are faring in the chat channel; they must be freezing too," he thought.

James perked up, took out the "Mist Survival Handbook," and started browsing the chat channel.

"It's so... so cold... It's like lying in an ice cave even under the blanket..."

"Stop talking. Lying on the floor next to the fireplace feels a bit better!"

"My feet are numb, turning blue and hard!"

"Bro, if you're frostbitten, consider amputation!"

"I'm not joking; I really can't move!"

"I'm not joking either; I'm the director of a primary hospital."

"Alas, with such low temperatures continuing for days, how many people will survive?!"

"Probably only those at S and A levels. I thought my warm clothes would be enough, but now, even with clothes and blankets, huddled by the fireplace, I'm still freezing!"

"Forget about the Red Name powerhouses, who can withstand such cold?"

A Red Name survivor commented.

James agreed. Ordinary warm clothing was hardly effective in such low temperatures.

"Does any expert have a better way to keep warm? Please share... I'm willing to pay..."

"Yes, we need to save our lives!"

"I saw a kind of Pyro Ore earlier, which can emit high temperatures when burned. It was sold by someone near a volcano!"

"I'll buy it! No matter the price, I can't hold on anymore."

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

"..."

"I'm just cold, but I've had a cold for two days now and am running a fever of at least 40 degrees... I might not make it."

"Hang in there, bro!"

"What's the point of hanging in? Actually, it's not bad. In this cold, at least I

'll be a preserved corpse, maybe for hundreds of years!"

"Bro, I admire your optimism!"

"..."

The situation of others was no better than James's, and for many, even more dire.

It was then that James thought of the batch of charcoal he had stockpiled, which might now have a use.

After warming up, James left the bedroom and went to the workshop to check on the charcoal production. 

He had bought a large quantity of wood the day before: 5380 units of normal-grade wood and 2140 units of good-grade wood. After a night of processing, the workbench had turned them into charcoal.

Inspecting the charcoal quality, James found it to be very good, especially the ones made from good-grade wood, which looked dark and shiny.

Instead of selling it immediately, James first packed up 200 units of good-grade charcoal and sent them to Nancy and Luke. 

Luke, mainly living off hunting, likely didn't have many warm items, so the charcoal should help him. 

Moreover, Luke had been a great help to James, whether in hunting monsters or expanding the bee colony through the hatching room. Their cooperation was close, and it was only right to lend a hand.

As for Nancy, her development was slow, and she probably didn't have many warm items. James couldn't bear to see her freeze to death.

Soon, gratitude messages from both Nancy and Luke came back. Nancy was tearfully grateful, almost moved to tears.

Next, James started considering ways to sell the charcoal. He felt that using the world horn for advertising would be more effective.

He took out the world horn and the "Mist Survival Handbook" and began to organize his words.

Ten minutes later.

[World Horn]

[James: The cold wave has arrived, and the temperature has dropped severely. Indoor temperatures have reached -20°C, and ordinary warm items are barely effective. 

However, everyone can try using charcoal made with system scrolls. 

Whether it's the heat provided or the burning time, it greatly exceeds that of wood. 

From my research, 1 unit of normal wood burns for less than an hour, and good-grade burns for 3 hours. However, normal-grade charcoal can burn for 3 hours, and good-grade for 6 hours, much more efficient and effective than wood. 

I will put a batch of charcoal on the trading market for anyone in need to purchase!]

Although there were many gold-lettered messages in the chat channel using the world horn, James's Red Name impact was no less striking, immediately attracting the attention of many people.