Chapter 49: Crab Shell Armor and Shrimp Shell Helmet

At that moment, many people in the regional chat channel were thanking Lily Rhodes.

Last night, the sea storm had overturned their vehicles. In their moment of despair, the wooden rafts from Lily’s Supreme Shop had saved them. It gave them a sanctuary, sparing them from drifting aimlessly in the open ocean.

Reading the endless stream of gratitude, Lily felt a profound sense of euphoria. No wonder some rich people were so keen on playing the savior. So this was what it felt like to be worshipped and thanked. It was actually quite nice.

While many expressed their thanks in the regional channel, there were also discordant voices.

"Wake up, you idiots. If Lily was truly kind, she would have given them away for free instead of setting up some loan system. You fools, she’s just buying your loyalty."

The moment this was posted, someone immediately fired back.

"So what if she’s buying loyalty? If you’re so capable, why don’t you do it? At least Boss Lily actually provided something and even let us use it before paying. What have you done? You only know how to make snide remarks. Bah, absolute scum."

"How classless."

"Yeah, right, you’re so cultured. Mr. Cultured, can you shut up? Your bad breath is choking me."

Lily scrolled through the chat for a while longer before getting out of bed. She washed up, changed into clean clothes, and headed downstairs. By the time she reached the ground floor, hot food had just been served on the dining table. As expected of The Omni-Kitchen; its timing was absolutely perfect.

After eating and drinking her fill, Lily went to the training room. Though it was called a training room, the equipment available for actual training was pitifully scarce.

After exercising for about an hour, Lily stepped outside. The rain was still falling, but the wind had stopped. She only took a casual glance, but the sight outside completely stunned her.

What was going on? Was she seeing things? That was a massive crab!

Lily hurried to the edge of the fence and saw Shelly with half a crab dangling from its mouth. It must have just caught the prey from the sea. Although the Absolute Defense barrier prevented outside Sea Beasts from entering, it did not stop Shelly from hunting. It wasn’t just Shelly. A pile of completely polished crab shells and shrimp heads had already formed beside Sprout.

Sensing Lily’s approach, Sprout habitually wrapped a vine around her and handed her something. It was a pair of blueprints. Sprout waved the two blueprints in front of her, acting exactly like a child showing off for praise.

She took the blueprints. One was for a helmet, and the other for a suit of armor. Upon seeing the details clearly, Lily almost screamed in excitement.

Previously, she had priced the dozen or so sets of Fishbone Armor obtained from the Pirate Ghost Ship in Crystal Cores, and they had been snatched up in the blink of an eye. The value of these two new blueprints far exceeded that of the Fishbone Armor. They would definitely be easy to sell. The crafting materials were extremely common. The primary components for the helmet and armor were simply shrimp heads and crab shells, followed by some fabric.

Lily stared at the densely packed crab shells floating outside. Though she didn’t know why they were all scrambling to the surface, it worked out perfectly in her favor. With that in mind, she commanded Shelly and Sprout to start catching the shrimp and crabs from the sea.

The creatures here were significantly larger than those on Azurea, and this catch was no exception. Soon enough, Sprout flung a massive shrimp onto the shore. It was as thick as an adult’s arm. Its entire body was bright red, looking as if it had already been boiled, and a sharp, knife-like spine jutted out from its head. If someone were accidentally stabbed by that, it wouldn’t just hurt—it could very well be fatal.

However, Lily was no longer the person she used to be. She could face a massive shark without batting an eye, let alone a mere shrimp.

As Sprout continuously tossed shrimp and crabs ashore, Lily processed them on the spot. She cleanly separated the usable shells from the meat, crafting them into Crab Shell Armor and Shrimp Shell Helmets. She planned to sell the two items separately. Considering that people didn’t have many Crystal Cores on hand right now and had just endured the sea storm, she didn’t set the price too high: twenty Crystal Cores per piece. It was a little pricey, but affordable if they gritted their teeth.

Lily listed each piece the moment she finished crafting it. They sold out instantly. A small mountain of Crystal Cores soon piled up beside her.

She had already made up her mind. She would use the Spirit Stones earned from selling the armor and helmets to build walls. It cost one hundred Crystal Cores to build a single meter of the defensive wall. That meant she needed to sell five pieces of Crab Shell Armor or Shrimp Shell Helmets just to build one meter. To enclose Shelly’s entire back, she would need to craft... an astronomical amount of Crab Shell Armor and Shrimp Shell Helmets.

Never mind, she shouldn’t think about the exact number. Otherwise, she might just give up. Actually, the fences weren’t so bad. Sprout looked quite beautiful coiled around them anyway.

Sprout and Shelly continued their relentless hunt for the marine crustaceans. Even the two Orcas joined the fray. Mother Orca whipped her tail, kicking up a wave as tall as a person. Several crabs and giant shrimp were blasted into the air along with the water. Baby Orca was young, but it mimicked its mother, slapping the waves with its tiny tail. Because of its small size, the action had zero practical effect, yet the little calf still had the time of its life.

Just then, as Lily listed a few newly crafted Crab Shell Armors on The Supreme Shop, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow darting through the water. Her heart tightened. She immediately called the two Orcas back.

"You two, get back here, now!"

Although it was daytime, the sky remained cloaked in dark clouds from the sea storm. The light was dim, but she knew for a fact that the shadow was absolutely not a crab or a shrimp. Judging by its shape, it looked more like a Sea Serpent or an eel. It was roughly a dozen meters long.

Mother Orca had clearly sensed the anomaly as well. With a brutal smack of her tail, she launched Baby Orca onto the shore before diving deep into the water.

Lily was stunned by the sight. Mother Orca certainly had maternal love for Baby Orca, but not much. That tail whip had been utterly merciless. Baby Orca bounced against the ground like a giant rubber ball several times before finally skidding to a halt.

Watching Mother Orca’s disappearing figure, Lily couldn’t help but feel a wave of anxiety. As apex predators and overlords of the ocean, the Orcas should be fine, right? Comforting herself with that thought, Lily’s hands didn’t stop. She continuously dismantled the salvaged shrimp and crabs, crafting them into armor and helmets for sale.

Mother Orca still hadn’t returned by the time the sea storm completely subsided. By then, the remaining shrimp and crabs had sunk back into the depths of the ocean.

But it wasn’t a big deal. Her harvest this time was already more than enough.