To make her statement believable, Isla Lane quickly teleported back to her raft.
The four men were stunned. They searched around frantically but couldn't even find a trace of her shadow.
After a few minutes, Isla Lane returned.
They assumed that both her disappearance and the boat's earlier vanishing were due to her ability. What an incredible power!
No wonder she dared to stay in this place alone. With such an ability, she could travel safely or escape at any time!
Their thoughts were abruptly cut off when Isla placed four loaves of bread and four bottles of clean water on the thwart.
"Is that bread? I'm not hallucinating, right?" Ron murmured.
Wells wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. Pal and Bear stared intently at the breads as well.
This woman really hadn't lied. There was food and water!
Isla Lane smiled and advertised her goods. "One loaf of bread and one bottle of water cost one F-Class core."
Hearing the price, they were dumbfounded.
"What? Only one F-Class core?" Wells exclaimed in shock. That was incredibly cheap. She was practically giving it away!
"Miss, did I hear you correctly? You said F-Class, not D-Class, right?" Bear asked in disbelief. In the base, a small dried fish no bigger than his palm and one strand of dried kelp were already sold for one E-Class core.
Water was even more expensive. A 500 ml bottle cost twenty E-Class cores.
The bread she was selling was larger than his palm, and the water looked much cleaner compared to what was sold in the base.
Pal and Ron were equally stunned. They looked at Isla eagerly, waiting for confirmation.
Isla Lane nodded. "Yes, you heard it right. It's indeed one F-Class core."
Despite their suspicions, who could resist such temptation when hungry and thirsty? Besides, it was only eight F-Class cores in total.
Bear quickly bought all the bread and water.
When he distributed them, everyone felt as if they had returned to the time before the apocalypse. The bread was still warm and in pristine condition, as if it had just come out of a bakery.
Although eager to taste it, they forced themselves to hold back.
"Let me try it first," Wells said. He took it upon himself to test the bread since his ability made him immuned to most toxins. When he tore open the package, a sweet, enticing scent filled the air, making all four of them salivate.
It smelled amazing.
Wells could not wait any longer. He took a bite. The moment his teeth sank into the soft bread, his eyes lit up. He looked at the inside and froze in surprise.
"There's filling inside?"
"There's filling too? That woman is so generous."
"How is it?" the other three asked, swallowing hard.
But Wells didn't answer. He devoured the loaf in quick bites.
The other three could no longer contain their hunger. They tore open their packages and began eating as well.
In between bites, Ron mumbled, "It's been so long since I tasted bread that I almost forgot what it was like. Now that I'm eating it again, it's even more delicious than I remember." His eyes grew moist.
For nearly three months, all they had eaten were salty dried fish and kelp. The luckiest days brought canned goods or instant noodles. This meat floss bread washed away the salt that had numbed their palates for months.
"This is what food is supposed to taste like," Pal said with satisfaction.
Ron nodded, tears slipping down his cheeks.
If there had been toxins, Wells' tongue would have tingled as a warning. He also tested the water and found nothing wrong.
Not only was the bread delicious, but the water was cool, clean, and refreshing as it slid down their throats. Before they realized it, half of it was already gone.
They quickly sealed the caps and reluctantly packed the remaining bread into their backpacks, intending to give it to their families later.
But when the woman mentioned there was more available, the four no longer held back. They finished the rest of the bread and drank more water.
Moments later, Isla Lane made room for the four of them.
They boarded the boat. The space was small, so they had to squeeze together.
As a sign of respect, Bear introduced himself and his teammates.
"I'm Isla Lane. You can call me Isla," she replied with a smile.
Bear handed her a handful of cores as payment for the boat ride.
Isla's eyes shone briefly, but the system's next words dampened her mood.
[For the cores you received to count as sales profit, the customers must purchase or rent system products. Personal transactions are not included.]
Isla Lane had no choice but to return Bear's cores.
Bear and the others looked at her in a new light.
Surprisingly, the boat did not rock or sway despite their combined weight. It remained perfectly stable no matter how they shifted.
They had witnessed her ability earlier. They had been worried that teleporting five people along with the boat might be too much, but it seemed effortless for her.
In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed.
They found themselves beside a wooden raft, facing the wide-open window of a cabin.
They were stunned.
"This is my store," Isla Lane said, pointing at the cabin.
Isla smiled inwardly.
Hehe. Time to make some money!