Starting With a Reef [Global Survival]

Yun Luohe held Bai Yuemian’s hand, protecting her as the two of them cautiously stepped forward a few paces.
The cluster of green light suddenly burst open—it wasn’t fireflies that were glowing, but moss growing along the tree trunk.
Before their eyes stood an ancient tree, thick as an upturned tower. Its crown was vast, the top branches vanishing into the mist. Moonlight filtered down through the leaves, silver radiance spilling beautifully.
From every fissure in the trunk seeped a faint green glow. Its roots twisted into the ground like a massive net, with many aerial tendrils hanging down. At the tip of each tendril bloomed glowing mushrooms.
The tree was dreamlike.
Yun Luohe thought, this must be the Ancient Tree Altar.
Ahead of the tree lay many massive black stones, their surfaces carved with strange totems and runes. At the center stood a glowing stone pillar.
“This is…” Bai Yuemian whispered. In a place like this, she didn’t even dare raise her voice.
“The Ancient Tree Altar.”
Bai Yuemian’s eyes lit up. “Looks like we really found the right place!”
The two of them stepped closer to carefully examine the carvings.
Bai Yuemian pointed at one symbol. “Doesn’t this look like a strawberry?”
Yun Luohe nodded. “It really does.”
It made her think back to the earlier Spider Island quest.
“The altar should need offerings. Maybe we can try placing some things on it.”
“Giant strawberries?” Bai Yuemian asked.
“Probably not just that. Let’s look more carefully.”
“Then this one—doesn’t it look like a lotus?”
“And this one, kind of like a magnolia?”
The two of them bent low, their heads nearly touching as they studied the patterns together. After a long while, they identified several possible offerings.
“I know! There’s a golden magnolia—I’ve seen one before!”
“Do you have it on hand? I can trade other supplies with you for it.”
“No, I only saw it at the Trade Hub. The price was sky-high.”
Yun Luohe quickly opened the Trade Hub to search.
To her surprise, it was still available.
The price was indeed steep—fifty Magnets for a single golden magnolia.
But to Yun Luohe, that wasn’t an issue.
She ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ immediately clicked trade and took the golden magnolia into her hands.
A few days ago, Yu Chenjin had given her a white magnolia sapling, which she had already planted. But it hadn’t bloomed yet, and it seemed to be a different variety from the golden magnolia.
She would research it later, see how the golden magnolia could be obtained.
It might come in handy again.
“Then for the lotus—what kind do we need?”
Yun Luohe thought for a moment. “When I went to Lotus Island, I collected some Moonlight Lotus Dew. We can try that.”
Yun Luohe placed the three types of offerings one by one onto the altar.
After ten or so seconds—
Radiance burst across the altar. A golden beam of light spilled down from the crown of the tree, bathing the altar.
[Hidden Strawberry Island Quest triggered: Trial of the Ancient Tree Altar]
[Do you wish to become a Guardian of the Ancient Tree? You have given offerings the tree favors. Next, please gather at least twenty types of seeds and place them within the tree.]
[Quest Reward: Starwish Seed ×1]
Yun Luohe smiled. Twenty types of seeds? That was no problem.
Though she hadn’t brought much while traveling, with the crocodile backpack and sharkskin backpack she’d gotten used to carrying all kinds of materials, just in case. Normally they were rarely needed—
But special times always came. Like now.
She had collected plenty of saplings during the spring reforestation event. Once they matured, they dropped seeds, and she had saved quite a few. Since summer’s harsh outdoor conditions made planting difficult, she hadn’t used them all—so there were still some in her pack.
—Coconut seed, pomegranate seed, red willow seed, apple seed, iron birch seed, cashew seed, pine seed…
She dug out more than a dozen varieties from her pack, then bought three more from the Trade Hub.
For the rest, Yun Luohe messaged her friends. Before long, she had the full set of twenty.
Now she just needed to find where to place them.

The quest said: within the ancient tree.
So Yun Luohe had Yúntūn climb the tree to scout—it saved her the trouble of searching herself.
Soon enough, Yúntūn succeeded, reporting a glowing tree hollow beneath the crown.
Yun Luohe packed the twenty kinds of seeds into a bag. At first she wanted Yúntūn to put them in, but on second thought—better she do it herself. What if the system didn’t count it otherwise?
Quests had to be done with her own hands.
No laziness.
And Yun Luohe was quite good at climbing trees.
She tied a slipknot with a rope, securing one end around her waist, the other looped through her hand. After pulling on a pair of anti-slip gloves, she began climbing swiftly.
The crown was dozens of meters high. She spent some time climbing, but with Yúntūn leading the way, she soon found the hollow.
Sure enough, light spilled out of it, the inside unclear. Yun Luohe opened the bag and poured the seeds inside with a rustling sound.
[Quest Completed]
At that moment, the tree stirred.
A branch stretched outward, channeling red sap down to the black stones, where it condensed—
The altar gleamed.
Yun Luohe approached, reaching to take the red seed—
The ancient tree’s branches and leaves rustled, like a song. Countless points of light drifted down from the crown, scattering over the altar.
The red seed was wrapped in light, slowly transforming into a seed shimmering with a multicolored halo.
[Reward Obtained: Starwish Seed]
Yun Luohe picked it up and held it in her palm.
Golden vein-like patterns etched across its surface. It was beautiful.
[Starwish Seed: Must be planted in high-grade soil. Ordinary soil will cause regression. Cultivation requirements are strict; failure is highly likely if not followed precisely.]
[Requires daily watering with 10ml Golden Nutrient Solution for 30 consecutive days.]
Golden Nutrient Solution?
Yun Luohe frowned. She didn’t have that recipe.
So raising a Starwish Tree wouldn’t be simple.
She messaged the Tianji Pavilion leader, asking them to search for intel on Golden Nutrient Solution and the Starwish Tree.
“It’s late already. Since the quest is done, I’ll find a place to rest. When it’s light, I’ll head back to the reef.”
Bai Yuemian nodded. “Mm, I agree.”
They were both exhausted. By now it was already deep night—better to sleep early and save energy for tomorrow.
At eight in the morning the desert would open, so they couldn’t stay up late.
And tomorrow was already the 28th day of summer—another Lucky Day.
There was much to do.
 
****
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight touched the forest, Yun Luohe’s eyes opened.
It was only six. She checked the time, then quickly climbed out of the tent and woke Bai Yuemian.
The two of them departed from the far side of Strawberry Island, each returning to their respective reefs.
After organizing her spoils, Yun Luohe sent a message to the desert team group chat, asking what time they planned to set out today.
If it was in the morning, then she would meet them at 8:30 sharp.
If they preferred the afternoon, she could go later, avoid the crowds. With the desert reopening, many players would rush in early. Though with the system adjustment, resources there should be richer, too many people could still cause trouble. Going later might save headaches.
But in the end, everyone wanted to leave early.
Yun Luohe kept in mind her hidden quest—[Token of the Desert Traveler].
She needed to find Liu Xiaoluo, Liu Mazi’s younger brother, and deliver the token. The reward might be something unexpected.
But she had no idea where Liu Xiaoluo was. She could only leave it to fate once she entered the desert.
Last night she had managed to get intel on Golden Nutrient Solution, but still no information on the Starwish Tree.
Golden Nutrient Solution was the top-tier plant nutrient. And it required a recipe to craft.
For now, she only knew someone in the European Emperor Association possessed it.
Without the recipe, Yun Luohe could at least contact Du Ruan-tian. She might be able to buy the Golden Nutrient Solution.
And sure enough, the recipe had come from Du Ruan-tian in the first place. Generous as always, she readily agreed to make two bottles for Yun Luohe—but Yun Luohe would need to supply the raw materials.
When Yun Luohe saw the materials list, she scratched her head.
[Star Sand ×1 jin; Golden Royal Jelly ×1 bottle; Moonlight Lotus Dew ×20ml; Lava Turtle Shell Powder ×5g; Crystal Shard ×2]
So many rare components, just to make a single bottle. And the crafting was complicated.
Lately Du Ruan-tian could only squeeze in time to make two bottles for her. If Yun wanted more, she would have to wait. Everyone was busy.
Yun Luohe counted herself lucky—or rather, well-prepared. Every ingredient was extremely hard to come by, yet she just happened to have them.
The Golden Royal Jelly, for example, she had only just obtained from Strawberry Island.
So she packed everything neatly and sent it off to Du Ruan-tian, asking her to craft them as soon as possible. As thanks, she also sent a basket of strawberries, two Blood Peaches, and three high-grade stamina dishes.
Du Ruan-tian was delighted. All of it was top-quality food. She promised to make time that very night.
 
****
Before departure, Yun Luohe checked all the Reef Base workshops, topping off supplies. Then she visited the Pet Area and the Chicken/Duck Coop, checking on the little animals.
She hadn’t had much time for them lately. The poor things looked listless, low-spirited.
Egg production had dropped, the cow’s milk quality seemed worse, and even the sheep’s wool had thinned.
But when Yun Luohe stroked them gently, they perked up instantly.
Clearly they needed their master’s company and touch to stay happy. Only then would their yields and quality improve.
Yun Luohe sighed helplessly. If only there were some tool to replace her in this task.
Like an automatic petting device, or something to improve the animals’ moods.
She searched the Trade Hub with those keywords—and sure enough, found one.
A silver bell called the Pet Mood Bell.
It looked like nothing more than a tiny silver bell. But its description read: “Hang it in the barn to release soothing sound waves, automatically triggering three times per day to calm animals and raise mood.”
The seller wanted 20 eggs and 5 bundles of wool in trade.
Yun Luohe hesitated. Her egg supply wasn’t large. She needed them both for hatching chicks and cooking. And each sheep only produced one bundle of wool per day.
But if you’re too stingy, you won’t gain anything. These resources could be replenished. With the Pet Mood Bell, the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep would be happier—
And she truly didn’t have the time to pet them every day.
After a moment of struggle, she traded away the eggs and wool.
The bell fit in her palm. Inside was a transparent crystal, and when it rang, it gave off a rustling sound like wind through grasslands. The effect was soothing, calming at once.
But there was only one bell. It couldn’t cover both the Pet Area and the Chicken Coop.
After a bit of thought, Yun Luohe hung it in the coop.
The coop was larger, with more chickens inside.
Once that was done, she checked the time—nearly ready to leave. She ate a quick meal, fed Roubao its favorite snacks of dried fish and roasted meat, and reminded it to diligently dig up shells today.
After all, it was a Lucky Day.
Yun Luohe had saved up several days’ worth of shells unopened, waiting to crack them all at once tonight.
Roubao ate happily and promised her earnestly.
She also left Yúntūn at the reef to rest. It had followed her for days and was worn out. Plus, it had eaten many poisonous bees on Strawberry Island yesterday and hadn’t digested them yet. The toxins were slowing its growth—it hadn’t leveled up again. Tonight she planned to feed it some crystal cores or fragments to test the effect.
[Welcome to the Desert. Landing Reward: Iron Wrench ×1]
[15-Day Consecutive Login Reward: Sharkskin ×1]
So today, she finally received her consecutive login bonus.
As she expected, when the other teammates appeared one after another, their faces said it all—the rewards were generous.
“I got a Desert Scorpion Glider!”
“I got Sharkskin!”
“I got a glider too!”
“I got a Desert Eye Coat!”
“No way, that coat is way too stylish! Looks amazing.”
Mu Zitang stared enviously at Cheng Xuening’s new coat.
A flame emblem was etched across its back. Wearing it granted speed and defense boosts, and most importantly, increased mining speed.
The lucky ones got gear. Meanwhile, Yun Luohe and Mu Zitang only received the guaranteed Sharkskin.
Not bad, but compared to the others… it fell short.
“Eh, Yun-jie, what about your friend? Why isn’t he here?” Mu Zitang meant Yu Chenjin. The team was assembled—but Yu hadn’t shown up.
“He probably didn’t realize we were coming in the morning. Or maybe something delayed him.”
“Should we wait for him?”
“I’ll dig treasure nearby first. If he doesn’t come within half an hour, we’ll set out for the next location.”
If Yu Chenjin had intended to come, he would’ve been here already. If not, then he must have been held up elsewhere.