Free Web NovelChapter 44: Step 44 to Greatness: The Rewards Aren’t Worth Much If You Can’t Use Them
Adrian had just finished his daily tribal dance with Amika when the settlement notification arrived.
[Daily Settlement Has Arrived!]
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[Daily Settlement Has Arrived!] freeweɓnovel.cøm
• Congratulations! You have successfully survived the fourth day in the wilderness.
[Survival points awarded: +10]
• You produced seven Epic-grade armor cards, significantly improving the survivability of your settlement.
[Survival points awarded: +28]
• You constructed a compost pit and improved the long-term fertility of your land.
[Survival points awarded: +8]
• You discovered wild potatoes and successfully transplanted them into cultivated farmland.
[Survival points awarded: +16]
• Your tribe fought against seventeen hostile survivors. You personally eliminated three enemies and contributed to the victory.
[Survival points awarded: +25]
• You assisted in collecting clay and contributed to primitive pottery production.
[Survival points awarded: +6]
• You helped your companion evolve.
[Survival points awarded: +12]
• You constructed an Epic-grade Sentinel Tower, greatly enhancing your settlement’s defensive capability.
[Survival points awarded: +30]
• You introduced oral hygiene practices and helped improve the health standards of your settlement.
[Survival points awarded: +18]
• You purified coarse salt and established a primitive filtration method.
[Survival points awarded: +7]
Overall Survival Rating: 160 Points
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Hell yeah! Working my ass off worked. Though it didn’t count my contribution towards Sera’s structures. Tsk, tsk.
As usual, he checked the rankings, and as usual, he didn’t make it to the top fifty. Still, he wasn’t too focused on it. At first, he wanted all the rewards he could get his hands on.
However, now he was enjoying the progress and was not obsessed with getting into the global ranking. Instead, he just wanted the tribe to grow, as it had the thrill of starting a possible civilization like one of the RTS games he used to play.
But nothing beats the thrill of unlocking rewards.
Adrian would have rubbed his hands in excitement, if not for Amika, who was sleeping on his left hand... which had already gone numb. It was also why he wasn’t speaking out loud, like he usually would while checking the rewards.
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Based on your performance, the following rewards have been automatically added to your inventory:
• [Torn Page(s) of the Book: Roughly Translated Pottery Instructions] x1 (+10)
• [Seed Card] Garlic Seeds x1 (+10)
• [Blueprint] Drying Rack x1 (+10)
• [Structure Card] Small Pond x1 (+10)
• [Torn Page(s) of the Book: A Guide to Meat Preservation] x1 (+10)
• [Structure Card] Primitive Smokehouse x1 (+10)
[10x Reward Talent Activated]
[All rewards multiplied by 10!]
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Nothing special about the pottery pages. He had more or less expected it since he had helped Sera collect clay before. It only confirmed his theory that not all rewards were random. They had something to do with the tasks he had undertaken that day.
It was the same with the seeds. He already had herbs and salt, and now, with garlic, Adrian’s mouth was already watering thinking of grilled chicken with proper seasoning.
Unfortunately, his food lust would have to wait for a while. Until he figured out a way to properly utilize the water around him.
Next was the blueprint of a drying rack. Adrian was surprised to see it because he was thinking of making one from scratch. The meat in his inventory was about to spoil since he was approaching the 100-hour preservation limit.
Then, bam! He got a blueprint for the thing he wanted. As for the extra copies of the blueprint, he could just make Sera sell them at the marketplace for exorbitant prices and get her to level up faster.
At this rate, she would even surpass my level, unless she gets restricted like I did. Alright, what’s next... what the hell!?
A small 24-square-meter pond. Its water wasn’t drinkable, but from experience, Adrian knew that could change at rare or at most the epic grade.
Even if it didn’t, the pond would solve the irrigation issue for the farmland, and at least that water could be used by the chickens or other animals he might put in the pen later.
Oh right, I wouldn’t have to bring water over to Freki either. He could just drink from the pond. Better yet, if I catch fish in the stream, I could put them in there!
However, there was an obvious issue with it. Forget about an epic-grade pond, he did not have enough space to place the small pond inside the fence.
What little area there was had gotten used up by the marketplace and the wishing well.
If he wanted to construct the pond, he would have to do it outside the fence, which would defeat the entire purpose of having a pond in the first place.
Besides, if I placed the pond outside, it would only attract wild creatures, making it unsafe. Maybe I should think of a way to expand the fence itself.
There were two ways to do it.
First was to get an uncommon fence card, which was like finding a needle in a haystack. With so many types of cards, the probability of getting the same card was negligible.
The marketplace would have been useful in this case if it permitted the buying and selling of cards, not just physical goods.
So, the only remaining way was to physically expand it. It wouldn’t be an easy job. The tree outside the fence would have to be cut down and then processed into smaller planks and whatnot.
Just like that, Adrian planned to farm slimes first to help Mika level up. Then start chopping trees. It was something he was already planning to do since Sera needed ash for something related to pottery.
Looks like I’ll be even more tired tomorrow. A guide to meat preservation is another useful thing that would come in handy tomorrow.
Then came the final reward... the smokehouse. Unlike the pond, it wasn’t an issue to make it since it was essentially a small, four-squared-meter, enclosed structure built around an existing firepit.
He could build it without any issues. He would just need to dig a trench linking the fire to the smokehouse so the smoke would travel through the tunnel right into the smokehouse. Once he gets salt, Adrian could also use the smokehouse to cure meat directly.
That said, just like the pond, he couldn’t upgrade the smokehouse. If he did, the area would become too big for him to construct it.
But it’s fine. I just need a method to preserve meat for now. After the fence is expanded, I can always use the remaining cards to upgrade it.
With the plan for tomorrow in mind, Adrian was about to drift to sleep when a sharp ring tore away his sleep.
The sentinel tower’s bell rang out twice in quick succession. Adrian’s eyes snapped open, and so did Amika’s.
"Male, what is happening!?" she asked, reaching for the spear that was placed next to the door.
"We’re under attack," he said, jumping off the bed. "Gather everyone outside." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Amika nodded and rushed outside, only to see everyone was already in the common hall with weapons in hand. Although they didn’t know what was happening, the sudden noise made them instinctively grab the weapons.
All across the settlement, the women jumped to their feet. Mika was the first one out of the longhouse, spear already in hand. Nixa, Rixxa, and the others followed right behind her, with Sera the last one outside.
Meanwhile, Adrian received the warning from the sentinel tower.
[Intruder Alert!]
[Last detected threat: 17 wolves.]
[Direction: North-east, 312 meters away.]
[Threat assessment: Hostile.]
