Starting With a Reef [Global Survival]

The thatched hut had been transformed into a small wooden house.
Previously, she had been worried about the thatched roof leaking, but now, with a sturdy wooden roof, it seemed like she didn’t have much to worry about anymore.

The wooden house was significantly larger than the thatched hut. Before, it had just been a single room; now, it was divided into one bedroom and one living room, with an added bathroom.
However, the bathroom was currently empty.
As soon as Yun Luohe stepped in, she saw a system notification.
[Select Bathroom Mode]
[1: Biogas Toilet]
[2: Sewer Flush Toilet]
[3: Three-Compartment Septic Tank Toilet]

Each type of toilet came with a detailed description, along with the required materials and respective construction costs.
Yun Luohe never expected that a simple bathroom could have so many intricacies.
She had never lived in a rural area before; she had only seen these types of toilets on TV. After reading the descriptions, she learned a lot of new information.
The system also indicated that the toilet could be upgraded later.
Right now, it was just a basic sanitary toilet. If the house's level increased in the future, it might upgrade to a more advanced bathroom, or even a smart toilet.

Currently, Yun Luohe was considering which type of toilet would offer the most benefits.
The one she wanted the most was the Biogas Toilet, which connected the toilet and livestock pen to a biogas tank, where human waste and livestock manure would ferment to produce biogas.
This type of toilet required the most materials, but it also offered the greatest advantages.
Biogas could be used for cooking and lighting, significantly conserving fuel.
The biogas liquid in the tank was a high-quality organic fertilizer that could improve soil fertility. It could also be used for raising fish or pigs. Spraying it on vegetable leaves or applying it to roots could prevent pests and benefit plant growth.

In short, the biogas tank had tremendous utility.
Yun Luohe was very tempted.
However, the materials required were excessive—iron ore, lime, sand, clay.
Some of these items, she didn’t even have.
Moreover, the biogas tank required a substantial amount of manure. The amount of waste she produced alone wasn’t nearly enough to generate a significant amount of biogas. She would need to raise more livestock or poultry.
At the moment, she clearly didn’t meet those conditions.

As for the other two toilet options, they were relatively ordinary and didn’t require much in terms of materials.
But they were just regular toilets, without any special functions.
After much consideration, Yun Luohe still wanted to build the first type.
The biogas tank was just too tempting for her.

First, she needed to figure out how to collect the necessary materials.
If it didn’t work out, she could always modify her plans.
In addition to the bathroom’s selectable modes, the wooden house could also be expanded, adding a kitchen or a loft.
But that would also require a lot of wood and Ocean Stones, along with some glass, iron ore, and other materials.
The bed in the bedroom was the same one Yun Luohe had crafted earlier, placed against the wall.
The room looked quite spacious; there was enough room to add a wardrobe and a table.

The toolbench was placed in the living room.
Since she was living alone, the current one-bedroom, one-living room layout was sufficient for her. The house was quite empty without much furniture, still feeling rather spacious.
It seemed she’d need to gradually add some furniture, and there was no need to rush with the expansion.
Aside from the house, the reef had undergone significant changes as well.
[Reef Level: 4
Area: 100 square meters
Score: 30 points
Upgrade Requirements: Ocean Stones × 1000, Wood × 3000, Iron Ore × 200, Glass × 100, Sand × 100, Lime × 100, Clay × 100]

Yun Luohe’s head started to ache when she saw the materials needed for the next upgrade.
Why so many materials?
It seemed that the next upgrade would bring massive changes to the reef.
However, the same materials were also required for the toilet. It appeared that she would have to upgrade the reef first before building the toilet; otherwise, it might delay the reef’s upgrade.
The height of the reef had increased significantly, and there was now a small staircase. At the bottom of the stairs was a fishing platform. It was a safer area for collecting resources or fishing, making it harder for those mutant fish monsters to jump up.

The land area had also doubled in size. Although it was still covered in weeds and stones, once she cleared it, she could plant crops and trees.
Yun Luohe wanted to pick up the scattered stones.
However, the system notified her that she needed a specific tool to do so.

She remembered that she would need a pickaxe to break the stones.
She quickly went to the toolbench and used iron ore to craft an iron pickaxe.
Then, she aimed it at a stone and swung it down.

[Obtained Gravel × 2]
Unexpectedly, the gravel was exactly what she needed for the Water Purifier.
This was fantastic—there were more than ten stones scattered around the area.

After breaking them all, she managed to gather over twenty pieces of gravel.
There were also weeds, which she cut down with a sickle, and they unexpectedly turned into fibers.
Previously, when she had cut down the weeds, she hadn’t received any fibers. It seemed to be an effect of the reef’s upgrade.

With the increased land area, she could plant more crops.
Yun Luohe decided to plant soybeans, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes.
That would have to wait until tomorrow.

Oh right, she still had the upgrade rewards she hadn’t checked yet.
Yun Luohe took out the rewards.
Among them was a Space Stone, which was an exceptionally valuable item.

She tapped to use it, and her backpack immediately expanded.
Five more slots might not seem like much, but they were crucial.
Sometimes, because she lacked just one or two slots, she had to make several trips to move resources, spending hours sorting her backpack every day.
She then took out the Island Entry Token.

[Island Entry Token: After using the token, you will randomly land on a small island. Usable once. Duration: 1 day.
Usage Condition: A small boat is required.]
The thought of going to an island made Yun Luohe feel somewhat excited.
After all, the island would definitely have various resources. Even if it was just a deserted island, at least sand and stones would be abundant.

If she was lucky, she might land on a resource-rich island. Who knew? She might even find all kinds of plants, or even wild animals like wild chickens or rabbits.
But how was she supposed to build a boat?
Yun Luohe thought for a moment and decided to trade resources for it.

Water Purifiers, fishing rods, plastic umbrellas—those were her three best trading items at the moment.
If she used those three items, she might be able to trade for a boat or at least a boat blueprint.
Yun Luohe decided to ask Du Ruan-tian first.
Du Ruan-tian was surrounded by lucky players. Maybe she could gather some information.

Yun Luohe: “Do you know how to build a boat?”
Du Ruan-tian: “You want to use the Island Entry Token, right?”
“Yeah.”
Since she knew about the token, it seemed she had also received the upgrade rewards.

Not surprising. With Du Ruan-tian’s luck, it wouldn’t be strange if she upgraded before Yun Luohe.
Du Ruan-tian: “Wu Jing has a boat blueprint, but he’s short on materials. Everyone in the association is currently looking for the materials.”
Yun Luohe: “What materials are missing?”

Du Ruan-tian: “Canvas. We need a lot of canvas to make the sails. One boat requires five pieces.”
Yun Luohe: “No one has any canvas?”
Du Ruan-tian: “Nope. That’s the problem. Everyone wants to build a boat, but no one has canvas. And it also requires a lot of wood. If you hear about any canvas, let me know.”

Yun Luohe: “Got it.”
It seemed like the island exploration plan would have to wait.
If the Lucky Club couldn’t even find canvas, then her chances were slim too.

Yun Luohe took out the remaining blueprints.
[Dagger: A finely crafted, sharp dagger. Damage +18. Extremely versatile.]
[Materials: Refined Steel × 1, Iron Ore × 5. Requires a forge to craft.]
Yun Luohe sighed. It was impossible to make.
She didn’t even have a forge.

The last blueprint didn’t give her much hope either.
Sure enough, she couldn’t make it.
[Anti-Slip Hiking Boots: Breathable, lightweight, with excellent grip. Ideal for wet surfaces.]
[Materials: Leather × 2, Fiber × 10, Rubber × 2. Requires an industrial sewing machine.]

Lacking materials and equipment, Yun Luohe put the blueprints away.
Might as well throw away some junk.
Since she was out of stamina, she couldn’t collect resources or fish. She didn’t want to risk passing out from exhaustion.

Yun Luohe took out a piece of fish meat, grilling it while tossing junk into the Trash Can.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
How could she forget about the Trash Can lottery?

She had thrown away so much junk today. The lottery chances must have already refreshed.
She decided to draw twice in one go.
[Lottery Successful]
[Obtained: Canvas Recipe]

[Lottery Successful]
[Obtained: Cooking Skill Book]
Canvas Recipe:
Materials: Linen Cloth × 2
[Cooking Skill Book: After use, players can unlock the cooking skill. Food made using the cooking skill will have attribute effects, such as restoring stamina, increasing health points, permanently or temporarily boosting stamina and health limits.]
Cooking Level 5 and above unlocks the Chef profession.
The Chef profession unlocks more advanced recipes and high-quality dishes.

What a series of surprises.
The Trash Can always seemed to give her exactly what she needed.
The canvas that had seemed out of reach just a moment ago was now within her grasp.
She happened to have one piece of linen cloth in her backpack.
It was given to her by Mu Zitang.
Previously, she had frequently fished out tattered linen cloth, which she had thrown into the Trash Can to recycle into fibers.

However, she suddenly thought of something. If recycling could turn items into fibers, then perhaps upgrading the Trash Can could also turn torn linen cloth back into usable linen cloth.
It seemed she needed to upgrade the Trash Can as soon as possible and simultaneously trade for more linen cloth in the Trading Center.
As long as she could make the canvas, she could go and strike a deal with Wu Jing.

If she could provide enough canvas, she might even be able to convince Wu Jing to help her make a boat.
And the cooking skill book—just by looking at its description, she could tell it was a fantastic item.
Without even thinking, Yun Luohe immediately used it.

[Learned Cooking Skill]
[Cooking Skill Level 1, Reward: Frying Pan × 1]
Now that she had a frying pan, cooking food would be much easier.
She could place the frying pan directly on the stove to cook things.

It could even be used to fry fish meat. Fish meat had some fat in it, and when placed in the pan, the fat would melt under the heat, making the fish meat crispy and golden brown once fully cooked.
Yun Luohe quickly removed the half-grilled fish meat from the wooden skewer and placed it in the frying pan.
The fish meat, which had already been sizzling with oil, released an enticing aroma. The frying pan heated evenly, preventing the fish meat from burning.

While waiting for the fish meat to finish cooking, Yun Luohe opened the Trading Center to check if any other players had listed fish meat for sale.
Surprisingly, there was.
The seller was someone she recognized.

Qin Sisi had listed two types of fish meat: Sea Bass and Grouper.
She was asking to trade for milk and fresh fruits and vegetables.
That was a bit unusual. Trading fish meat for those items... Was she eating the fish meat herself, or was it for a more balanced diet?
Aside from her, others had also listed fish meat for sale.

But the prices were outrageously high.
One piece of fish meat was being sold for 10 iron ore or 10 bottles of water.
Yun Luohe thought to herself, “Does that mean I could also trade fish meat for good stuff?”

She still had dozens of pieces of fresh fish meat left.
The few mutant fish she had killed recently had all dropped fish meat. Yun Luohe had been too exhausted to process it herself, but the accumulated amount was still quite substantial.
Among them, the mutant pufferfish meat was more valuable, and she also had some sea bass meat.
Grilled fish meat would likely be more popular.

Might as well give it a try and see if she could trade grilled fish meat for better items.
Before long, a serving of pan-seared grouper was ready.
[Pan-Seared Fish Meat (Blue): Tender grouper seared until crispy and golden brown, maintaining its natural flavor, sweet and delicious. Cooking Effect: Stamina +3]

She hadn’t expected cooked food to have a quality grade.
It was different from the food found in Pearls.
It must have been due to the cooking skill.
Her skill was only Level 1, and it was already providing a +3 stamina boost. Not bad.
Since the food had attribute bonuses, she could definitely charge a higher price compared to regular fish meat.

Yun Luohe was already hungry, so she ate one piece herself and grilled two more to sell.
Might as well test out what the high-grade mutant pufferfish meat would become after cooking—maybe the quality and effects would be even better.
Fifteen minutes later.
Yun Luohe listed two servings of pan-seared fish meat in the Trading Center.
[Pan-Seared Fish Meat (Blue)] [Pan-Seared Fish Meat (Gold)]
The dish made from mutant pufferfish meat turned out to be gold quality. Consuming it would increase stamina by 10 points.
That was already a pretty good effect.

Yun Luohe planned to trade these two pieces of fish meat for linen cloth, lime, sand, clay, and refined steel.
All of them were materials needed for upgrades, including the refined steel for crafting the dagger.
The blue-grade pan-seared fish meat could be traded for five materials, one piece each of the five types.
The gold-grade piece would require ten materials in total.
There was no rush to complete the trades right away. She didn’t want to price her food too low, especially since there was currently no other food available in the Trading Center.
If she sold it too cheaply now, she wouldn’t be able to raise the price later.
After taking care of all that, Yun Luohe finally went to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up to the chat channels flooded with complaints from players about their thatched huts leaking.
Thankfully, she had upgraded last night.
It rained every night, and with more players seeking umbrellas in the Trading Center, demand was skyrocketing.
Previously, Yun Luohe had listed umbrellas in the Trading Center, but only a few had sold.
Most players figured they could just stay inside at night and didn’t need an umbrella. But now, they were all regretting it.
The price of plastic umbrellas was steadily rising.

Others had also obtained the plastic umbrella blueprint. Yun Luohe noticed that the umbrellas currently being sold in the Trading Center were priced at ten pieces of iron ore—double what she had sold hers for before.
Yun Luohe thought about it.
If the prices had increased, she might as well raise her own prices too.
Yun Luohe contacted Du Ruan-tian.

“Did the Water Purifiers sell out?”
“You’re awake! I was just about to tell you. All ten Water Purifiers were auctioned off. We made a decent profit. I’ll send you a list of the resources we earned. You can pick six, and the rest will be mine.”
Du Ruan-tian was straightforward and generous. She knew that if the business was to continue, she’d need Yun Luohe, so she ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ didn’t mind letting Yun take her pick first.

Yun Luohe didn’t waste time being polite. She opened the list and examined it closely.
[Iron Ore × 80, Plastic × 30, Glass × 8, Watermelon × 1, Grape Juice × 1, Wardrobe Blueprint × 1, Slippers × 1, Instant Noodles × 1, Linen Cloth × 2, Tea Leaves × 1, Towel × 1]
Selling ten Water Purifiers had indeed brought in quite a haul.

“I’ll take 40 iron ore, 20 plastic, 4 glass, the watermelon, the linen cloth, and the instant noodles.”
That was roughly six items.
The wardrobe blueprint was nice, but currently unnecessary. With barely any clothes to store, a wardrobe was pointless, so Yun Luohe didn’t even consider it.
“Got it. Sending it to you now.”
“I also have blueprints for the plastic umbrella and the fishing rod. I bought over a dozen umbrellas, but I’m too busy making Water Purifiers to produce anything else right now. There are others selling umbrellas in the Trading Center, and the prices aren’t low. As for the fishing rod, no one’s selling it yet. With a fishing rod, you can catch fish quickly. Take a look and decide if you want to make them too. We can set the prices as you see fit, and we can handle the cooperation the same way we did with the Water Purifiers.”

“Can I take a look at them first?”
Yun Luohe sent the blueprint details for the plastic umbrella and the fishing rod.
“Not bad. These two items will definitely sell well. But for today, let’s focus on selling the Water Purifiers. Lots of people are asking about them. I’ll go gather more materials and get back to you tomorrow.”

“Alright.”
“How soon can you get me another ten Water Purifiers?”
Yun Luohe: “Five hours, starting now.”

Du Ruan-tian had previously given Yun Luohe enough materials to make fifty Water Purifiers. To cover the cost of materials, Yun Luohe needed to make at least twenty-five Water Purifiers for Du Ruan-tian before she could start profiting herself.
Since Du Ruan-tian had trusted her so much, Yun Luohe couldn’t slack off.
She set the Water Purifier materials on the workbench, then lit the stove.
She tossed in the fish heads she had saved from yesterday, filled the pot with water, and started simmering.
When the water boiled and the broth turned milky white, she added the instant noodles she had just received.

The instant noodles happened to be seafood fish cake flavor, which paired perfectly with the fish head broth.
Before long, the noodles were ready—rich, savory, and springy.
After her treatment, the pot of noodles even got a name.
[Seafood Fish Head Instant Noodles: Increases health points by 3 upon consumption.]
After finishing the entire pot, Yun Luohe felt her body brimming with energy.

Comfortable!
The cooking skill was proving to be quite useful.
Once she finished eating, she checked the time. It was about right. She took out one Water Purifier and set the materials for the next one on the workbench. The first Water Purifier was sent to Du Ruan-tian to be sold right away; otherwise, waiting for five hours to complete them all at once would be too long.

She grabbed the fishing net, walked down the stairs, tied the rope securely to the wooden frame, and threw the net into the sea. She’d come back to check on it later.
Now, it was time to weed and plant crops.
In her backpack, she had the following seeds:

Cabbage Seed × 1
Potato Seed × 2
Watermelon Seed × 1

Sweet Potato Seed × 1
Soybean Seed × 20
There were so many seeds to plant that it would take quite a bit of time.
She estimated that the entire morning would be spent planting.

But before that, there was something else she needed to do.
Yesterday, she had mixed seaweed, rotten vegetable leaves, and soil together. After a night of sitting, the soil and those materials had begun to ferment.
Yun Luohe decided to make another plastic container. She poured the soil from the torn burlap sack into it, then added the fish innards she had obtained last night, and dug up some more soil to cover everything.

The large plastic container cost her 10 pieces of plastic.
It could hold up to 60 liters of soil.
The first volume of the Planting Guide stated that a sealed compost container was necessary to effectively contain the odor of the waste and prevent other things from getting inside.
Organic materials like rotten vegetable leaves and seaweed would increase soil aeration and nutrition.

Additionally, kitchen scraps could continuously be added to the compost pile. Over time, those materials would decompose and mix with the soil, improving its texture and structure.
Aside from that, it also needed to be watered.
Yun Luohe poured in two bottles of water without complaint.

She had put in so much effort to transform ordinary soil into nutrient-rich soil, and she hoped that the results would be worth it in a few days.
After all, she was strictly following the instructions in the Planting Guide. There was no way it could go wrong.
In the real world, composting would take at least two months. But in the game, the time was greatly shortened.
It would take anywhere from five to seven days to see any noticeable effects.

All Yun Luohe needed to do now was wait patiently.
 
After weeding, she collected 37 fibers and 28 pieces of gravel from clearing the stones.

Next came the exhausting task of digging holes for planting.
Digging was particularly tiring, especially since she had obsessive tendencies about neatness. She insisted that every hole had to be perfectly aligned. Otherwise, when the seedlings grew, they would look messy and crowded.
She dug a total of thirty small pits, then planted the seeds one by one, watering each pit after planting.

By the time she finished, her stamina had dropped by 58 points.
It seemed that farming was a physically demanding job. If it weren’t for her good physical condition, she might not have been able to stand up straight right now.
Whether it was digging or weeding, she had been bent over the entire time.
It was exhausting.

Yun Luohe stopped to drink some water and rest briefly before heading back inside to set up the materials for the next Water Purifier.
She had been so busy that she hadn’t even checked the fishing net yet.
Yun Luohe shook her head, opened the light screen, and walked back inside.

Mu Zitang had sent her a ton of messages.
Yang Mian and Du Ruan-tian had also been trying to reach her.
There were also a lot of new messages in the Trading Center.
What a day—there was no peace.
Mu Zitang: “Yun-jie, I finished the recruitment assessment yesterday and brought in 13 new members. There are still a lot of unlucky people out there, but not all of them are hauling in a lot of junk. Some are unlucky and just don’t catch much.”
“The association is getting quite a few members now. Do you want to join the group chat to stay updated?”
“Today’s junk haul has been fully collected and added to mine, making a total of 78 pieces. I’ll send it all to you now. Can you handle that much? Will you have enough space to store it?”

Yun Luohe felt both happy and a bit overwhelmed after reading Mu Zitang’s messages.
The association was indeed collecting junk at a rapid pace.
It was her capacity that couldn’t keep up.

Seventy-eight pieces of junk in one day, and that was just one day’s worth.
As the association expanded and gained more members, the daily junk haul would only increase.
Mu Zitang was right to ask. Accepting so much junk all at once was definitely going to be a problem for her.
She needed to craft more storage containers.

Wooden boxes were no longer sufficient.
She needed to either use Ocean Stones to make stone boxes or use iron ore to make advanced storage boxes.
The stone box required 99 Ocean Stones and had 25 slots.
The advanced storage box required 50 iron ore and had 40 slots.

The faster she developed, the more materials she needed.
Yun Luohe could only work harder.
Since there would only be more and more things to store, she decided to go straight for the advanced storage box.

However, her workbench was still tied up making Water Purifiers, so she had no way to use it.
She had no choice but to reach out to Du Ruan-tian.
Coincidentally, Du Ruan-tian had also sent her a message.
Du Ruan-tian: “How about I send my workbench over to you? That way, you can work faster and make more stuff. If I need anything, I can just ask you to make it for me.”

Wasn’t that perfect timing? Yun Luohe had been just about to ask Du Ruan-tian to craft something for her. If she lent her the workbench, then the problem would be solved. With two workbenches working simultaneously, she could produce even more Water Purifiers, fishing rods, and plastic umbrellas.
“Alright, send it over,” Yun Luohe replied.
She also sent over the recently completed Water Purifier.
“Okay!”

Du Ruan-tian’s upgrade rewards included advanced blueprints, such as weapon and armor blueprints. But because they were so advanced, she didn’t have the necessary materials, nor did she have a forge or a sewing machine, so she couldn’t produce them yet.
For now, Yun Luohe’s simpler blueprints were more practical.
However, Du Ruan-tian’s luck was indeed exceptional. She had already obtained a forge blueprint today.
As long as she collected the materials, she could make a forge and start producing weapons.

 
Yun Luohe quickly crafted the advanced storage box.
Then, she told Mu Zitang to send over the 78 pieces of junk.
In exchange, she gave him two 5L buckets of purified water.

Yun Luohe: “Keep the extra stuff for yourself. You can use it to trade for resources.”
Mu Zitang was deeply grateful for Yun Luohe’s generosity.
“Got it! By the way, I fished out some more stuff. Take a look. There are some new items.”

Yun Luohe no longer relied on Mu Zitang’s resources.
He was already helping her immensely by managing the association, running around, and collecting junk.
If she still had to scour the Trading Center for every single item, it would waste too much time. She simply didn’t have that luxury now.
Still, Mu Zitang eagerly sent over a screenshot of his backpack.
[Lime × 1, Damaged Blueprint × 1, Parchment Fragment × 1, Bamboo × 1]
“The junk I collected has already been sent over along with the stuff from the others. Except for the upgrade materials, everything is here. Take whatever you want.”

It was just what Yun Luohe needed.
In return, she sent Mu Zitang a plastic umbrella.
“Take it and use it.”

“Oh my god, Yun-jie, such a good item and you’re giving it to me!”
“Take it. I still have more.”
Mu Zitang had wanted a plastic umbrella for a while but couldn’t afford one. His thatched hut had leaked this morning, and he had spent half the day cleaning up the mess.

Now, with a plastic umbrella, he could collect resources at night without getting soaked or risking a fight with the fish monsters.
 
Now that she had all this junk, it was time to throw it into the Trash Can.
She was just over seventy experience points away from leveling it up.

Yun Luohe was ecstatic.
All other tasks could wait. Right now, it was time to toss everything into her precious Trash Can!