Giant Fish Survival: I Can Hear the Giant Fish's Heart

Trust between people needs to be built gradually, and I have already proven my character when I traded golden thread fruit with you, Ms. Chen.

"Mr. Zhou, if that's your stance, then when we traded the Golden Silk Fruit, I already trusted you enough to transfer it to you beforehand. But now you want me to gamble again, and with even bigger stakes? That's not fair."

Since you've already trusted me once before, why not trust me again this time? This will further deepen the trust between us.

That won't do. Why does Mr. Zhou always insist that I trust you, instead of you trusting me?

The demand for wooden foundations is so high right now. Wouldn't it be exhausting to keep making them non-stop? Why not give me the blueprints and let me make them for you to sell? I guarantee I'll return the blueprints.

Mr. Zhou, please trust me this once, okay?

The wooden foundation plans will not be given to you.

Zhou Wen refused outright and unequivocally. The importance of the wooden foundation was not a matter of trust. He insisted that the blueprint must remain in his possession and would not hand it over to anyone unless someone else obtained the same blueprint.

Mr. Zhou, how can we build trust with an attitude like this?

Ms. Chen, please don't get the priorities wrong. You're joining my team now; you need to gain my trust, not the other way around.

But you were the one who invited me to join in the first place.

I invited you to keep you calm; you know why.

However, we've had a long-standing relationship in this world, so I've decided to really let you join the team. Of course, if Ms. Chen thinks my request is too much, she doesn't have to join. I just hope Ms. Chen will keep our relationship a secret.

After reading Zhou Wenfa's words, Chen Xin hesitated. Although she had indeed suffered a loss in this pledge of trust, she still respected Zhou Wenfa's character after so many previous transactions.

Moreover, if she doesn't join Zhou Wen's team, who else can she join? Zhou Wen currently has the most blueprints and resources. Even if she establishes her own group, she can't outdevelop it compared to Zhou Wen.

After some thought, she decided to submit this sacrificed pledge of allegiance, but she would change the method.

[Mr. Zhou, I don't have six blueprints, but five. There are 12 algae aeration tanks, but I only sold 10. I kept two for myself. After all, I only traded one with you before, and to truly provide a stable oxygen supply, you need at least two algae aeration tanks.]

I can give you five drawings to choose from, but I can't give you all five at once.

So what do you want?

I'll give you one drawing, you look at it, then return it to me, and I'll give you another one. I'll repeat this process five times. After you've looked at all five drawings, tell me the two you need, and I'll give them to you again.

[Yes, this is a good method; it fully demonstrates the mutual trust between us.]

Chen Xin's method was much better than Zhou Wen's simple and crude approach of forcing the other party to trust him. Although the blueprints went back and forth between the two of them and eventually returned to Chen Xin's hands, the trust between them gradually deepened in the process.

With Zhou Wen's consent, Chen Xin sent Zhou Wen a drawing.

When Zhou Wen took a look at the [Wooden Bowl Blueprint], he was speechless for a moment. Would you say it was valuable? It was definitely valuable to Zhou Wen, since he also had a [Chopsticks Blueprint], which would make a perfect set of bowl and chopsticks. But to most people, it was just trash.

After reviewing the drawings, Zhou Wen sent them back, and Chen Xin sent another set of drawings.

Zhou Wen glanced at the [wooden chair blueprint] and sent it back. It was useful to him, but equally worthless.

[Wooden Table Blueprint]

"What are all these things? Bowls, tables, chairs, and my chopsticks—are we about to eat?"

Zhou Wen was speechless at the quality of the drawings Chen Xin had collected.

[Stone Mortar and Pestle Drawings] Based on the simple images on the drawings, Zhou Wen felt that this was a tool used for grinding powder.

"Boiling Blood Powder, does that mean we need to grind the Boiling Blood Coral into powder using a mortar and pestle?" Zhou Wen immediately speculated. He definitely needed the blueprint for the stone mortar and pestle, but he had to return it to Chen Xin for the time being.

Spiked Glove Pattern

"Why does the spiked suit also have gloves?" Zhou Wen asked, puzzled. He thought he had already collected the entire spiked armor set.

However, spiked gloves are still not very valuable, as they provide too little defensive coverage. Survivors would be better off trading wooden shields for spiked gloves, as shields can protect vital parts of the body and are much more useful than spiked gloves.

Spiked gloves are merely an added bonus for someone who already possesses a full set of spiked armor; their presence or absence makes little difference.

"Which two do you need?" Chen Xin asked after Zhou Wen had looked through all the drawings and returned them.

[Stone mortar and pestle and spiked gloves.]

Having made the decision, Chen Xin didn't say much and directly sent the two drawings to Zhou Wen.

Welcome Chen Xin to my team! I hope you'll contribute a lot to the team in the future.

After sending the message, Zhou Wen sent the remaining watermelon to Chen Xin. When Chen Xin received the watermelon, she was amazed by its perfection. After taking a bite, she was even more impressed by its sweetness and crispness.

"How did you get this watermelon?" Chen Xin asked the same question as Jiang Haitao.

[Hehe, isn't it delicious? It's homegrown. But if you'd like to grow your own, then you'll have to contribute to the team.]

Chen Xin is different from Jiang Haitao. Jiang Haitao is simpler and can be persuaded to do things based on personal relationships, but Chen Xin is a smart person and needs to be motivated by self-interest.

Therefore, Chen Xin needed to have a goal, and the small planting box was her goal. As for when she could obtain the small planting box, that was naturally up to Zhou Wen.

[By the way, how many points of strength do you have now?] Zhou Wen suddenly remembered that Chen Xin had eaten the Golden Silk Fruit, so her strength must have already surpassed his.

Why are you asking this at 13 PM?

Can you move freely while wearing a full set of spiked armor?

Yes, but it gets tiring after a while.

[Yes, I understand.]

Work hard with the team, and if you perform well, you'll get a power-up food item.

[To me, this sounds like an unscrupulous boss making empty promises.]

Haha, I'm not an unscrupulous boss; I always keep my word.

After finishing his conversation with Chen Xin, Zhou Wen used the two blueprints he had just obtained.

[Stone Mortar Blueprint: Requires 2 stones.]

[Spike Gloves Pattern: Requires 2 spiked krill shells and 5 pieces of cloth.]

Both items required very few materials, so Zhou Wen made them directly.

Wearing the spiked gloves, with the back of the hands made entirely of carapace covered in short spikes, and the palms made of the carapace from the abdomen of the spiked krill tail, Zhou Wen felt it was quite good, as it allowed for easy hand movement.

The stone mortar was naturally what Zhou Wen planned to use to make boiling blood coral powder, as he wanted to figure out the specific uses of the boiling blood coral powder.