Chapter 23: Another two newbies

However, this meat was definitely inedible.

Light Chu sighed and reluctantly set the meat aside.

"If only we had a refrigerator."

That Blue Umbrella in the mutated leech nest...

He had to get his hands on it no matter what, for the sake of the generator.

But it was only the second week of September, and Lester's merchant caravan wouldn't arrive in this area until the end of the month. Thinking about these things now was pointless.

He couldn't wait until the end of the month to start stockpiling food.

Moreover, a luxury item like a refrigerator was something the sanctuary couldn't afford given its current economic conditions...

For three days, Light Chu would go hunting early in the morning, return around noon or in the afternoon, cook a pot of meat for the gamers, and then squat in a corner of the sanatorium, continuing to contemplate the technique of smoking food.

His fixed routine was as regular as an NPC.

Although progress in researching smoked meat was still not going smoothly, the good news was that the gamers had performed exceptionally well these past few days.

Light Chu calculated.

In these three days, he had accumulated a total of 7 reward points.

Although he could reach 10 points soon, after considering it, Light Chu decided to bet all his chips on the basic blind box.

Fortunately, this time it wasn't just a lollipop. He managed to get a bottle of soy sauce.

He didn't know the brand, but it could at least improve the gamers' meals.

Light Chu cherished the soy sauce like a treasure and put it away.

However...

That being said, his culinary skills were nothing to boast about. He could only cook the food to a level of edibility.

The gamers found it quite fresh when they first ate it, authentic and natural, free from pollution, and with a unique flavor compared to takeout fast food. But eating the same thing every meal was unbearable for anyone.

"Eating stewed dishes every day, I'm about to vomit..." Nighten sat on the ground with a bowl, frowning.

At first, he was excited to discover that they could eat in the game, but now he gradually realized how painful it was to eat.

Every meal was either stewed meat or a porridge made from green wheat.

Even if his mouth could handle it, his buttocks couldn't...

Tomorrow took a bite of the greasy front leg meat and pondered with a furrowed brow, saying, "The taste system probably hasn't been fully developed yet. Even if there's less salt... it shouldn't taste like this."

Not too salty, but greasy!

And it had a slight bitterness to it.

It was worse than the green wheat porridge...

"The gamey taste is too strong. It would be better if we blanch it in a water bath with cooking wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic to remove the gamey flavor. It might improve," White consoled. "Just make do with it. This is the wasteland. Where can we get those fancy things? Delicious food will definitely come in the future!"

Tomorrow gave him a silent glare and didn't say anything.

Ever since being appointed as the "Construction team leader," this guy had started to think from the perspective of the game developers, even actively helping to paint a rosy picture.

But indeed...

Since the selling point was realism, positioning condiments as luxury items wasn't unreasonable. It might even require payment in the future.

Nighten sighed and muttered quietly.

"I hope the next update will bring condiments... I don't mind spending real money to buy them."

Hurricane ate the meat slowly, not participating in the conversation between the three.

He didn't mind the taste. He was thinking about how to improve the fishing traps.

Seeing the sudden silence, Nighten looked at White and casually asked, "How is the cement coming along?"

White sipped his soup and replied, "The quality still needs improvement, but I feel like we're getting closer to success."

"Really?"

"I'm serious, not joking! And it's not just cement. Recently, Tomorrow and I have also been studying brick-making. It's just that we don't have molds, so the shape of the bricks isn't very nice... but they should still be usable."

Nighten hesitated and asked, "Can't we use wood to make molds?"

"Heh, you think it's that simple!"

Tomorrow shook his head and continued, "This is totally different from chopping down trees. We want to make those neat and square ones, and it's purely craftsmanship."

Tomorrow hadn't expected this.

As a master of hardcore survival who could build a house in half an hour in "The Forest," he was unexpectedly stuck on this kind of basic problem in this game.

Of course, this was also related to the excessively hardcore settings of "Wasteland OL"...

Nighten and Hurricane exchanged a glance and looked at White and Tomorrow with helpless eyes.

They were more theoretical gamers, with limited practical abilities. Despite catching many mutated leech spawning these days and setting up countless traps based on the survival masters in short videos, they hadn't caught a single fish.

It was understandable.

The lakeside was filled with fish-eating birds, and the stupid fish had been snatched away and eaten by them long ago. The fish that remained were cunning and never fell for the bait, slipping away after eating the bait.

Hurricane could only console himself by thinking that if he could fatten the fish in the lake, perhaps they would let their guard down and he would catch them next time...

Just then, there was a commotion coming from the direction of the sanatorium.

Only to see the governor walking over with two bewildered individuals.

No need to ask.

That expression, as if shocked for an entire year, was definitely the first-time newbies who had put on their helmets and entered the game world.

Nighten sighed silently again.

Why are there two more dudes...

"Let me introduce you, these two are our new members... [Tomato_scrambled_eggs] and [WC_really_has_mosquitoes]."

What kind of weird names are these?

Light Chu held back the urge to ridicule because, after all, his role in the game was an NPC.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Scattered applause rang out.

The closed beta gamers sitting in front of the big pot put down their bowls and applauded to show their welcome, although their attitude was far from enthusiastic.

But the newbies didn't mind.

At the moment, they hadn't snapped out of the shock in front of their eyes.

Under Light Chu's guidance, they sat in front of the fire pit with the large pot, staring blankly at the white mist floating on top.

The overwhelming dampness and the smell of meat...

It was just too damn realistic!

Seeing that the two newcomers remained motionless, White took the initiative to speak.

"What are your attributes?"

The one called [WC_really_has_mosquitoes] snapped out of it first.

"I'm an Agility build."

Then [Tomato_scrambled_eggs] also came to his senses.

"I am Physique... Have you all eaten already?"

"The governor was planning a welcome ceremony, but it seems like it went wrong... He let us eat first," Nighten made a helpless expression and said, "You guys just woke up, want some?"

[WC_really_has_mosquitoes] swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

He took a bowl filled with big bones and soup, took a sip, and his pupils were greatly shocked.

"Taste... awesome, this game can really simulate eating!"

Damn!

This was too awesome!

"Not only can we eat, but if we don't eat, we'll get low blood sugar," Tomorrow sighed, "I think it doesn't have to be so realistic, or it could be a bit more delicious."

[Tomato_scrambled_eggs] stared at the bowl, hesitated, and asked after a long time.

"What... is this stew?"

White said.

"Meat."

"Meat? What kind of meat?"

"Mutated hyena... Actually, we don't know if that thing is considered a wolf or a dog, but it's a mutant."

Upon hearing this, Mosquito instinctively moved the bowl away and almost spilled the soup.

But Tomato was different.

This guy not only didn't move away, but he approached with interest and took a sip. However, after that sip, his eyebrows furrowed even more.

"Why does it taste so fishy... Did you guys not bleed it?"

Several gamers exchanged glances.

"We don't know."

"The game was brought by NPCs."

White suggested.

"If you can cook, you can discuss it with the Governor. As long as you have a unique skill, it will be highly valued."

Tomato looked eager to try.

"Really? I'll try later."

"Can I be a carpenter? I know carpentry!" Mosquito asked eagerly.

"Carpentry?" White's eyes lit up as he stared at him and asked, "You know carpentry??"

Mosquito was stunned for a moment, and he smiled embarrassedly.

"I do... My family sells furniture, all handcrafted with pure wood. If you're interested, you can add me on QQ, and I'll give you a discount..."

"That's great!" White stood up excitedly. "I need someone to make molds. Come and help me!"

"?"

Not only did White stand up, but Tomorrow also stood up.

Mosquito, who hadn't figured out what was going on, was held by the arms by the two of them.

"Wait, I haven't finished my soup yet..."

Seeing the two people dragging him towards a small grove, Mosquito looked bewildered and was about to protest, but White interrupted him.

"Forget about the soup! We'll make another pot of soup later, alright??"

Tomorrow added.

"That's right! Bro, listen to my advice, that thing really doesn't taste good! Let us show you how to familiarize yourself with the game."

Mosquito: "...*&#$!"

Tomato looked at the newbies being dragged into the small grove, feeling bewildered, and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Is this game... serious?"

Nighten and Hurricane exchanged a glance.

"It's okay."

"Probably?"

Tomato: "..."

Why is it a question?