Free Web NovelChapter 1253: Chapter 958: Binding Conch Island
But before that, I need to see what good things are in the starter pack.
[Farmland Upgrade Card +10; Building Upgrade Card +10; 10 packs of seeds; Fish bait +100...]
For a newbie, this starter pack is quite a thrill; for Jiang Yuan, the biggest benefit is that by saving up upgrade cards, the main quest can be pushed forward!
Bai Yunqi, without a word, took the tools and buried himself in work vigorously.
Since following the gentleman, he had done quite a bit of pioneering work, and it was completely a familiar routine.
When the sun rose over the wilderness at exactly six o’clock, the courtyard enclosed by the broken fence was almost cleaned up—mainly because this wood and stone were the most basic materials, meant for newbies to use with the most basic tools for pioneering. Jiang Yuan had now upgraded his tools to advanced, dealing with it naturally with half the effort.
[The Conch Island System Mall is officially open.]
The system succinctly stated and then went completely silent.
At the beginning, when he first bonded with the system and entered Shuiyun Lake, both materials and gold coins were used with frugality, unlike the present. Now, various basic materials are piled up like a mountain in Jiang Yuan’s "infinite" storage bag!
Although the floating market no longer accepts public service orders now, what can’t be found in the mysterious cave? Points can be exchanged at will!
"Ahem, first build the thatched hut, then the well, and buy a workbench..." He planned while checking out new items in the system mall.
The mall’s page displayed various types of buildings waiting to be unlocked. Once the courtyard was cleaned, the thatched hut was unlocked.
Based on farming experience, Jiang Yuan figured, he had to first raise the "prosperity". Since the system didn’t give a task this time, he’d just have to explore it on his own.
[Do you want to consume 30 wood, 20 dry grass, and 100 stones to build a thatched hut?]
He chose the location and clicked on build. It was still the familiar formula and process; a swirl of gray mist covered the site, and as the progress bar filled, a thatched hut brimming with island vibes appeared before him.
Bai Yunqi was not surprised at all, even thinking that the gentleman was too low-key. Clearly able to build Celestial Palace-like constructions, yet returning to simplicity to construct a simple thatched hut on this deserted island.
But there must be a deeper meaning, and he didn’t need to guess, nor could he guess clearly; the only thing to do was to follow instructions.
The chaos of the forest outside the "courtyard" was like the unreachable forest of Shuiyun Lake in the past; without clear instructions from the gentleman, even if he transformed into a Flood Dragon, he could not pass through the invisible barrier to touch it in the slightest.
[Do you want to consume 50 wood, 30 pine planks, 100 stones, 50 dry grass, and 20 fibers to build a well?]
Indeed, the system had no clear quests, but after constructing the thatched hut, the well was unlocked and could be built at an appropriate location of choice. It could always be adjusted later, so Jiang Yuan clicked next to the thatched hut and created a well.
The next step allowed spending 1500 gold coins to purchase a basic workbench to place inside the thatched hut.
He manufactured a storage box and consumed some wood on the basic workbench to craft a wooden fence and a wooden gate. Then, he replaced the original dilapidated "courtyard wall" with new ones, and a decent-looking island thatched house courtyard began to take shape.
"Eh? Why aren’t other buildings unlocking?" Jiang Yuan prepared quickly and methodically, then realized that was the end—buildings had no upgrade marks, surrounding plots wouldn’t unlock, no further pioneering was possible, and no more buildings were unlocking in the system mall.
Could it be time to go pioneering in farming?
He carefully recalled the things he’d done upon arriving at Shuiyun Lake, recalling that back then, growing strawberries was a requisite to completing a mission.
Then let’s try planting a few plots!
Taking out a hoe, in the spacious courtyard he dug up twenty plots of land, drew water from the well, used a watering can to water them, clicked to plant seeds from the starter pack, and then used Butterfly Demon Scale Powder to expedite growth.
Twenty corns transformed from newly buried seeds to seedlings breaking through, then growing, tasseling, and in ten seconds or so, the robust corn matured, leaning golden and lush against the stalks.
Clicking through to harvest, the disposable crops instantly vanished on the spot.
However, there was still no reaction!
"What else can be done?" Jiang Yuan recalled everything Mr. Li had told him in detail, a gleam in his eye, "That’s it! He said the system gave him a task to build a boat to go fishing!"
Whistling softly, he clicked to view the workbench and found that he could indeed use wooden planks and fibers to manufacture a small boat capable of holding just one person for heading out to sea.
Clicking on manufacture, soon his storage bag had an additional simple-shaped small boat.
He didn’t immediately go fishing but instead called the idle Bai Yunqi to click and return to the first courtyard, sending him back home to take care of his own affairs.
He then clicked to enter the second courtyard, Conch Island, and walked along the simple path paved with coarse gravel and pebbles, making his way to the natural harbor at the southeastern corner of the island.
"Oh~ Oh~"
The early morning sea was calm, with seagulls circling and flying on distant islands.
Even though he was in the wilderness, the scene here was indistinguishable from the human world, seemingly without any danger.
He surmised it was likely because this was the starting area for players logging in. Danger must exist, just like when he encountered Flame Rats, but they were all newbie village low-level mobs. As long as he followed the system-issued tasks step by step, buying weapons from the system mall, even if not overwhelmingly powerful, he could at least secure his life.
"Perhaps these seagulls flew over from the human world, after all, there really seems to be no danger here." Jiang Yuan clicked on the water surface to place the small boat, then jumped on, using the simple oar to gently push, and the small boat drifted slowly out to sea.
On the last day of the seasonal change, might as well give himself a break!
He thought to himself, pulling out a fishing rod from his storage bag, loading it with low-level bait from the starter pack, and randomly selecting a spot to start fishing.
[Barracuda +1]
[Barracuda: Common fish, fast swimmers, lively, edible]
[Barracuda +1]
[Sea Bass +1]
[Ribbon Fish +1]
[Octopus +1]
...
It’s truly living off the waters; Conch Island is simply a fishing paradise!
Jiang Yuan used the lowest level of bait, consistently casting his line, and fish seemed eager to bite the hook, all sea fish well-known in the real world.
In no time, seven or eight kinds of sea fish piled up in his storage bag, but the professional recipe was not unlocked, which meant that even with all this fresh fish, he couldn’t turn it into a delicacy to enjoy.
Could he possibly eat sashimi?
He hesitated for a moment, ultimately giving up. After all, he hadn’t learned the technique of preparing sashimi; he could either boil them in water directly or roast them over fire, which surely couldn’t compare in taste to system-made products. Better to wait and see when he could craft a stove and unlock the professional recipes.
The Banner Master of the Leisure Sect sent a few more messages, about sensing that Yang Sansi was in a tricky situation, although he wasn’t dead, he’d probably suffer greatly, his wording significantly softened.
After reading the new messages, Jiang Yuan still adopted the cold approach.
Once the seasonal change is complete, and the trivial, mundane tasks are handled, he would plan methods to gain the Banner Master’s trust and infiltrate the organization. If he could swap for another Banner Master’s Merit Token, that would be even more satisfying!
[Achievement: Catch 500 sea fish. Reward: Spirit Stone +10000]
"Fishing so many fish, yet still nothing can be unlocked..." He pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood a little, "Could it be that it’s only after completing all the main courtyard’s main quests that new courtyard constructions are unlocked?"
The original Netherworld Lotus Peak, although opened, was not recognized by the system, so he could tweak things as he liked.
But binding with a recognized courtyard should fall under the main quest category, needing to wait and follow the procedure.
After realizing this, Jiang Yuan wasn’t fixated on constructing a new courtyard anymore. He rowed the small boat to nearby islands for a stroll, spent the afternoon lying on the soft sand of Conch Island, basking in the sun.
When he awoke from his nap, the sun hung low.
Clicking to exit the game, returning to the real world, he chatted via video with his parents, found a travel agency, and had them prepare a deep travel itinerary for three months.
Leisurely roaming the world, eating, drinking, and having fun, until it was late autumn in the real world, as the weather turned colder, matching the season in Wilderness World. Finally, Jiang Yuan returned to his cozy home and once again entered the wilderness.
The sunset painted the sky orange-red, casting a warm glow over the entire island.
Sitting idly on the beach, he carefully reflected and sorted out what needed to be done, then clicked to return to the main courtyard. With everything ready, it’s just a matter of waiting for tomorrow’s seasonal change!
