NOVEL NEXT chapter 60 - Day 20 of Survival
Yun Luohe decided to place the materials obtained from Spider Island and Bat Island together to see if there would be any reaction.
She arranged the individual materials next to each other, and the ones with large quantities she stored together in a wooden box.
She planned to check again after a few days to see if there were any changes.
She checked her backpack.
Just now, Mu Zitang had sent her two Crystals.
Adding the four she already had, she now had enough to craft a Storage Stone.
She immediately used the recipe to craft one, expanding her backpack slots.
This was her second time using a Storage Stone, granting +10 backpack slots.
Currently, she had 25 slots. Plus the Crocodile Skin Backpack, that was more than enough for her to explore islands.
——
It was getting late, so Yun Luohe prepared to cook dinner.
This time, she had not brought back any food ingredients from Bat Island, so she was running out of new dishes to make.
Fortunately, she had harvested plenty of strawberries today. She planned to make fresh strawberry juice mixed with a bit of coconut water.
If only she had an ice maker, there would be so many more options.
She divided today’s strawberries—half stored in the refrigerator for slow consumption, and the other half thrown into the Jam Barrel to make Strawberry Jam.
As for cucumbers, she kept a few, and the rest she put into the Pickle Barrel to make Pickled Cucumbers.
[Congratulations, player successfully crafted one of the Luck Dishes: Strawberry Coconut Water]
[Reward: Salt-Making Recipe ×1]
[Strawberry Coconut Water: Bursting with coconut fragrance and the fresh sweetness of strawberries, one sip is pure bliss! Stamina +10, Luck +2]
[Salt-Making Recipe: Contains 3 salt extraction methods—Sea Salt Evaporation, Rock Salt Processing, and Brine Well Salt Extraction. Provides detailed quick-salt production instructions, with flexible methods based on available materials.]
The recipe was quite detailed; each method required different materials, and the processes varied.
Since Yun Luohe was based at sea, Sea Salt Evaporation was undoubtedly the best choice.
She badly needed salt for seasoning, so this recipe came at the perfect time.
The fish monster Ròubāo killed last night had been lying on the reef all this time. After Yun Luohe returned, she finally butchered and stored the meat—over fifty chunks of fish meat in total.
Yun Luohe cooked ten portions of Fish Head Soup, ten portions of Pan-Seared Fish, and twenty portions of Grilled Fish.
Once she made salt in the next few days, she could turn some of the fish into Salted Fish.
That way, it would last much longer.
Players could only gain a maximum of 40 EXP daily from skill use. Yun Luohe had already reached her limit, so continued cooking would no longer grant experience.
The earlier unlocked special recipe—Strawberry Coconut Water—had given an extra 5 EXP.
Currently, her Cooking skill stood at 411/500. In a few days, she would be able to level up again.
After preparing the food, Yun Luohe listed half of it on the Trading Center, exchanging it for a large amount of resources and materials.
At night, acid rain fell again. Any player who had not reached Level 5 by two days ago had already been eliminated by the system.
Zone 2 now had fewer than 350,000 players remaining, and that number included new players—countless people had died.
Even with system protection, new players still faced elimination.
Currently, within the Survival Mutual Aid Association, aside from °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° new players, all members were Level 5. The new players were generally already at Level 3.
Such rapid leveling was primarily thanks to system support.
New players had a beginner's BUFF, and their daily material haul was several times that of veteran players. Especially upgrade materials—opening shells almost always yielded large quantities.
Earlier, Cheng Xuening had messaged Yun Luohe, saying she had fished up another Diving Card.
She had already gone diving once today, obtaining a large amount of high-grade coral, which she handed over to the association in exchange for a significant stockpile of upgrade materials. With two more dives, she should have enough to reach Level 4.
There were only ten days left before spring ended.
Yun Luohe also planned to gather enough upgrade materials within those ten days. That was why she intended to stay on the reef for now.
What she lacked most were not rare materials, but basic supplies like wood and Coral Stones.
Those could be obtained by crafting tools and selling them at the Trading Center.
Chopping trees on islands was slower by comparison.
After all, collecting 10,000 wood required staying on an island for three days and nights, chopping trees without rest, to barely manage.
However, with the “Turn Waste into Treasure” skill, recycling daily trash yielded large amounts of wood and Coral Stones.
She planned to reset her skill tomorrow to prepare for the upgrade.
For now, she would conduct more experiments with “Turn Waste into Treasure.”
Yun Luohe retrieved two material boxes.
She selected a few items to toss into the recycling bin together.
—Corrupted Fecal Crystal, Crimson Moss, Torn Sack
[Recycling Successful. Turn Waste into Treasure yielded: Corrupted Fecal Crystal Fertilizer Box]
[Corrupted Fecal Crystal Fertilizer Box: Slowly releases nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, reducing crop growth time by 30%. Crimson Moss filters and retains moisture, preventing nutrient loss.]
[Usage: Place with food waste. After one day, produces Intermediate Growth Hormone.]
This was high-quality stuff.
Corrupted Fecal Crystal was already advanced fertilizer, but combining it with other materials resulted in even more advanced supplies.
Together with Crimson Moss…
Yun Luohe carefully selected more materials.
[Oyster Shell, Coral, Glass Bottle, Broken Iron Frame] — Recycling Successful. Turn Waste into Treasure yielded: Marine Fish Tank
[Bat Wings, Rotten Cloth, Leather Cloth, Spider Silk] — Recycling Successful. Turn Waste into Treasure yielded: Bat Glider
[Seaweed, Earthworms] — Recycling Successful. Turn Waste into Treasure yielded: Anti-Acid Protective Coating
[Broken Speargun, Deep Sea Flint, Black Metal Fragments, Worn-Out Tire] — Recycling Successful. Turn Waste into Treasure yielded: Dual-Band Advanced Speargun
[Marine Fish Tank: Decorative item. Can house fish. Increases Reef Score by 10 points.]
[Bat Glider: Advanced gliding equipment crafted from bat wings.]
[Anti-Acid Protective Coating: Basic acid-resistant layer. Can be applied to items for emergency corrosion protection.]
[Rapid Growth Vine (repairs acid rain-damaged fishing nets)]
[Dual-Band Advanced Speargun: High-elasticity speargun with precision design. Stable and accurate—a big fish hunter’s best weapon!]
What a pleasant surprise!
These random combinations of materials had produced excellent supplies.
Yun Luohe spent two hours stationed by the recycling bin.
During that time, she obtained items like Luminous Pearls, Surgical Sutures, Oyster Shell Storage Rack, Coral Kettle, Deep Sea Cage, Anti-Corrosion Fishing Net…
She did not stop until late at night.
Before midnight, she used the lottery.
[Lottery Successful]
[Obtained: Sonic Repeller Blueprint]
[Sonic Repeller: Anti-fish monster defense device. Emits special sound waves to repel fish monsters, preventing them from attacking the reef. Consumes Blood Crystal Fragments ×1 per use.]
[Materials: Blood-Red Bat Wings ×5, Iron Ore ×2, Blood Crystal Fragments ×15]
Yun Luohe personally had no use for the Sonic Repeller, but plenty of other players certainly would. Lately, she had constantly seen people complaining they could not handle Fish Monsters, feeling extremely anxious every day, saying they would rather die than face another night of Fish Monster attacks.
Players with lower combat power were not like Yun Luohe, who actually looked forward to Fish Monsters arriving—delivering free ingredients straight to her.
She planned to craft a few more Repellers tomorrow to see if she could trade them for something useful.
Reluctantly, she packed away the recycling bin and went to lie down on her bed.
Truthfully, Yun Luohe was not willing to switch her skill away from “Turn Waste into Treasure.” Running experiments every day like this was incredibly entertaining.
But she had no choice. Fun was fun, but leveling up as soon as possible was serious business.
——
The next day, Yun Luohe listed the Sonic Repellers on the Trading Center.
She had not crafted many, and the materials were rare for other players. Plus, the blueprint came from the Recycling Bin’s lottery, so aside from herself, likely no one else could produce them yet.
So she set them to auction mode.
Even so, the items quickly drew considerable attention.
Her wealthy-lady shop had not listed anything new for days, and many had forgotten about her.
But this new listing immediately sparked massive discussions in the chat channel.
“Ugh, I really want that Repeller! But there are only two… I’m afraid I can’t compete with others. I’m still new and don’t have much in terms of materials…”
“Can’t she make more? Only two? Big shots are gonna snag them for sure. Just name a fixed price! If it’s too expensive, I’ll give up now.”
“She really managed to make this kind of thing? Yun Luohe’s incredible… With the Repeller, we wouldn’t have to worry about Fish Monsters ever again!”
“Did none of you read carefully? If you don’t have Blood Crystal Fragments, these things are useless to you.”
“What’s a Blood Crystal Fragment? I skimmed through earlier, didn’t read the requirements.”
“From what I know, they’re high-grade materials from Bat Island.”
Besides the Sonic Repellers, Yun Luohe also listed some food, but those sold out instantly, so the discussions were not as heated.
Considering buyers of the Repellers might not have Blood Crystal Fragments themselves, Yun Luohe also listed 15 Blood Crystal Fragments at a price of 2 Iron Ore per fragment.
This effectively meant that anyone wanting to use the Repeller would need to spend an extra 2 Iron Ore per day.
This completely dissuaded players who lacked supplies.
This thing was only affordable for higher-tier players. As for the broke ones? No point even dreaming about it.
Two Iron Ore was not cheap for ordinary players.
The auction ended after two hours.
Yun Luohe had not expected them to sell so well. She was very satisfied with the materials she received:
[Refined Steel ×5, Bees ×10, Eggs ×3, Wool ×5, Biogas Torch ×2, Butterfly Phosphorus Powder ×2, Drying Rack ×2, Fishing Net Repair Kit ×1, Seabird Feathers ×2, Cabbage ×1, Diving Card ×1, Coral ×10]
[Iron Ore ×30, Rose Essential Oil ×1, Coconut Tree Seed ×2, Advanced Fish Bait ×2, Insect-Repelling Sachet ×1, Calcium Seasoning Powder ×1, Mushroom Oyster Sauce ×1, Parchment Fragments ×2, Shells ×20, Cast Iron Pot ×1]
Looking over the materials, Yun Luohe could not help but sigh.
Other players indeed had many resources she lacked. Clearly, she needed to trade more actively with others, especially high-level players, to obtain what she needed.
She also received a private message from Du Ruan-tian.
Du Ruan-tian wanted to purchase two more Repellers, offering to negotiate the price.
She had been one of the auction winners earlier.
If she wanted more even after winning one, she was likely asking on behalf of someone else.
Most probably for members of the Emperor’s Luck Association.
Yun Luohe replied, “Sure, I can craft more, but I’ll need rare materials or equipment in exchange. If you can offer that, we’ve got a deal.”
Since they were well-stocked with resources, she might as well exchange for some quality materials.
Just after replying to Du Ruan-tian, both Qin Sisi and Yang Mian contacted her too—also for the Sonic Repeller.
Yang Mian had now joined the association. Yun Luohe readily agreed to craft one for him tomorrow, asking only for him to forge her a special weapon as payment.
Coincidentally, she had planned to get Yang Mian to forge that black weapon blueprint anyway.
As for Qin Sisi, she wanted the Repeller to protect her child. With this device, even if she went to explore an island and left the reef unattended, she could activate it to keep Fish Monsters away.
Yun Luohe offered, “Trade me Clay and Glass—one hundred materials in total, and I’ll give you one.”
Previously, she had asked Mu Zitang to reach out to Qin Sisi, inviting her to join the association, but Qin Sisi had refused.
Her reason was simple: she wanted to develop independently without joining any groups.
Since she was unwilling, they could not force her. Maybe Mu Zitang could try again after some time.
Perhaps she would change her mind.
——
Life on the reef was too fulfilling. From dawn to dusk, two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Yun Luohe had reaped significant rewards.
She sold five Sonic Repellers to the Emperor’s Luck Association through Du Ruan-tian, obtaining various materials.
Among them were high-end tree seeds, vegetable seeds, and several urgently needed tools: Coral Pressure Valve, Compound Battery, and Nighttime Fluorescent Lamp.
She even got two Luminous Jellyfish, which she planned to keep in her fish tank for both aesthetics and lighting.
She noticed that most Emperor’s Luck Association players had low combat abilities. Fighting Mutated Fish Monsters was extremely difficult for them, even causing major disruptions.
Players like Lin Zhu, with both high Luck and decent combat power, were rare within the association—perhaps only two or three total.
She also took a dive with an ordinary Diving Card. Though she did not find coral or the Deep Sea Ruins, she did harvest a large amount of Coral Stones and Deep Sea Sand.
She discovered an undersea sand mine—the Deep Sea Sand there seemed endless. With a few shovelfuls, she could absorb tons into her backpack.
This Deep Sea Sand had large granules and was considered a marine mineral. It could be converted into usable sand at the workbench.
She brought back 2,000 units in one trip, covering nearly all her upgrade material needs.
As for Coral Stones, thanks to the past two days using the "Turn Waste into Treasure" skill, she had accumulated over 1,000 pieces.
At this rate, she estimated she could gather enough Coral Stones within five days.
Yun Luohe planned to trade surplus Deep Sea Sand for wood, then find ways to collect more Glass, Lime, and Clay.
There was plenty of Clay on the Trading Center. Anyone visiting an island could easily harvest massive amounts of Clay, especially players lucky enough to reach a Clay Island—digging up over a thousand Clay in a day, with leftovers typically traded for other resources.
Swamp Island and Rainforest Island also had significant Clay reserves, and many were willing to trade Clay for materials. Yun Luohe had already arranged for Mu Zitang to have the association slowly gather it.
As for Lime, it had to be crafted from Stones, Shells, or Coral.
Since Yun Luohe began raising Oysters, she discovered that Oyster Shells could also be converted into Lime, though the yield was low—two Oyster Shells burned down to just one Lime.
Still, she had no shortage of Oysters. Producing 100 Oyster Shells daily was no problem.
But that still was not enough. She needed to find more Coral.
Selling Sonic Repellers had earned her 20 Coral. Adding her own undersea harvests, she could currently produce around 300 Lime.
The biggest problem was that Coral was hard to find underwater. Last time, she had only located Coral by following those glowing fish at night.
Therefore, Yun Luohe planned to dive again tonight with a High-Grade Diving Card.
This dive was not only for Coral but hopefully to find clues to the Deep Sea Ruins and complete the system mission.
The Bat Priest’s Journal from Bat Island included a partial map of the Deep Sea Ruins. If she could find them, she might also encounter Merfolk—and who knows what opportunities awaited exploration.
To prepare, Yun Luohe loaded over a thousand Coral Stones into her backpack for refilling the High-Grade Diving Card. She also brought along a Corrupted Mer Pearl—but she would not consume it unless necessary, since she still hoped to purify it later into a Water-Repelling Pearl. Using it now would be wasteful.
Additionally, wearing the Pearl Scale Armor granted +10% underwater movement speed, so she swapped out the Bat King Chest Armor for it.
As night fell and acid rain began again, Yun Luohe instructed Ròubāo to stay put, then grabbed her tools and weapons, diving into the water.