I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 228 - 98: Translate Translate, What The Hell Is Called a Surprise!_2

Chapter 228: Chapter 98: Translate Translate, What The Hell Is Called a Surprise!_2

"Mining as an element is present in many games, but what have they done with it? To complete NPC quests, you mine, maybe get a paltry daily reward; it’s gotten to the point where I don’t even feel like doing it every day."

"That’s already one of the better scenarios. I’ve seen worse—main questlines that actually make you mine, and you have to dig up a freaking 100 portions. They deliberately slow down player progress. If it weren’t for their good character art, I’d have quit playing long ago."

Meanwhile, in the game.

Nu Liu and Zhuangzhuang spent their first day mining until they were completely exhausted, even having to consume a few dishes to restore their energy, and didn’t stop until they were nearly out of stamina.

Using up your energy could lead to being carried off to the clinic, so the two of them made sure to leave just a few drops.

In the end, they stopped at the 10th level.

They hadn’t reached the 20 levels Nu Liu had in mind.

But the gains were still quite substantial.

They activated the elevator for this level, so next time they could start directly from the 10th level and dig further down.

They also stumbled upon two treasure chests on this level, which was an unexpected bonus.

Opening them, they found two pairs of identical boots, which offered an additional point of defensive power over Nu Liu’s current sneakers.

After swiftly switching to the new boots, Nu Liu took a moment to tally up the day’s earnings.

Together, they had mined a total of 41 copper ore, a dozen other rare ores, and a series of materials dropped by monsters.

They had also stockpiled nearly 200 basic stones.

"Not bad. All in all, it’s worth almost 3,000 Gold Coins, only slightly less than what we earn from fishing," Nu Liu said with a hint of joy. "I didn’t expect mining to be so profitable."

Back at home, she smelted the gathered copper ore into copper ingots.

While waiting, Nu Liu began to plan out the next day’s schedule.

The more she played this game, the more she realized that while the high degree of freedom allowed players to adopt a laid-back approach, if one wanted to play seriously, meticulous planning made the experience much smoother, and the progress would be well-organized and fulfilling, something the audience in her livestream enjoyed as well.

"Today, the lack of stamina really held us back, forcing us to return by three or four in the afternoon. Tomorrow, I’ll bring more food to the mine to replenish stamina while digging. I’ll aim to keep mining until early morning before I go back home, maximizing the use of time."

"As for food, let me see, hmm..."

"This Miner’s Special Drink looks pretty good—it adds three levels to mining skills, enhancing mining efficiency and the rate at which ore drops. Too bad the ingredients needed to make it are too demanding."

"Hmm... A fried egg seems simplest, just need one egg and it restores 50 points of energy... Looks like I’ll need to find Robin to build a chicken coop first thing tomorrow."

"Oh? Omelets might be even better, +125 energy points, but it requires an egg plus milk. Might as well build a barn too."

Even though Nu Liu was eager to start crafting wine barrels right away.

But the money at the beginning must be spent where it’s most needed, otherwise, she’d end up like those fantasy novels where the foundation isn’t stable, which leads to greater difficulties in making progress later on.

"I’ll just make do with the green beans I’ve stored up for now, whip up a spicy bean hotpot to hold us over, and bring a few extra fish as well."

After finishing her planning, Nu Liu had Zhuangzhuang head to the mines early the next morning while she went over to Robin’s place.

She submitted the required materials and 10,000 Gold Coins, having Robin build a chicken coop and then a barn in succession.

Afterward, she joined the mining as well.

On the second day, thanks to the additional food brought along, they managed to reach the 25th level in one go.

They obtained a new weapon—a steel shortsword with a damage range of 4-8—which was a slight upgrade from the Wooden Sword they had been wielding.

In terms of profits, because they delved deeper, they accumulated close to 60 portions of copper ore, enough to make 12 sets of copper ingots.

Once the two structures were unlocked on the third day, Nu Liu couldn’t wait to head over to Marnie’s Ranch.

She bought four chicks and four calves.

The moment the animals were placed inside the barn,

this little farmhouse began to gradually feel more alive.

Both types of animals required five days to mature, after which chickens would lay one egg per day, valued at 50G.

Dairy cows could produce a bottle of fresh milk daily, selling for 125G.

"With this, even if I just consider the crops and farm products, the average daily earnings could instantly jump to 1,500 Gold Coins," Nu Liu’s eyes sparkled with delight.

The chat in the livestream was also buzzing, as they unlocked a new way to make money, with viewers commenting.

"Watching 66 play is really satisfying, everything planned so neatly, you can see the gradual growth before your eyes."

"The main thing is the game creates a strong sense of anticipation, designing a motivating force that drives players to keep moving forward. Seeing 66 now with two barns, I can’t help but wonder what it’ll be like after they’re upgraded into big barns."

While the chat was still active, a loud shout from Zhuangzhuang suddenly came through the headphones.

"Holy shit! Sister! Sister, you’ve got to come see this!"

For the past few days, while Nu Liu busied herself adding new buildings to their homestead, Zhuangzhuang had taken on the mining solo.

After a few days, he had dug down below the 35th level.

At his call, Nu Liu arranged everything at home and then rushed down to the mine.

She took the elevator straight down to the 35th level, but found no one.

She continued along the path Zhuangzhuang had cleared.

Finally

At the 39th level, she spotted Zhuangzhuang.

When Nu Liu approached to see for herself,

she too was stunned by the sight before her.

Copper ore!

A thick cluster of copper ore veins!

She estimated a dozen or so chunks at a glance!

And that was just in the concentrated mining area—the 39th level of the mine was not small in size and was laid out in a grid pattern.