Starting With a Reef [Global Survival]

Such a big bucket.
This is a windfall.
[Sheep Manure Organic Fertilizer: Fermented and composted, odorless, germ-free, insect-free, effectively replenishes soil organic matter and improves soil quality.]

Tomorrow, after getting up, I'll pour this whole bucket of fertilizer into the soil to fertilize that vegetable plot.
Lying down, Yun Luohe bought some bamboo in the Trading Center and fell asleep, feeling quite satisfied.
She slept straight until nine o'clock.
After getting up, she realized it was still raining.

The sky outside was gray and hazy, and the air was thick with moisture.
Didn't they say the rain would stop during the day after falling through the night?
Looks like there are exceptions.
Yun Luohe glanced at the interface.
Due to the rain, the temperature today was also relatively low.

She opened the chat channel, and many people were complaining.
"The reefs are completely submerged. If it keeps going like this, how are we supposed to live here?"
"That's simple, just hurry up and upgrade. Otherwise, you'll be eliminated sooner or later. This is the apocalypse, and the system will force us to level up."
"It was freezing last night. This damned weather is torturing us."
"Last night, a bunch of fish monsters jumped onto my reef. They were ferocious as hell. I nearly got bitten to death. Fortunately, I bought a stone axe, but the stone axe broke while chopping the fish monsters. Looks like I'll have to make an iron axe instead."
"Why is no one selling quilts in the Trading Center? I was shivering all night."
Yun Luohe did want to sell quilts. She even had the Quilt Blueprint, but she didn't have the blueprint for the industrial sewing machine.

However, she now had the forge, allowing her to produce weapons. The prices of weapons in the Trading Center were quite high. She could try trading weapons for the sewing machine blueprint.
Yun Luohe got up, ate a potato cake to fill her stomach, then lit the stove and started stewing fish head soup.
She had several fish heads in her backpack. The fish head soup she made had a special effect—it not only warded off the cold but also increased stamina. Yun Luohe planned to cook a large pot and sell it in the Trading Center.
She placed three large fish heads in the frying pan, added a piece of fish meat, and began stewing.
After stewing for half an hour, the aroma started to waft out.

Once the fish heads were cooked until they were falling apart, the remaining bones could be used for compost, and the soup could be sold.
Oh right, it had been four days, and the cabbage she had planted was ready to be harvested.
Yun Luohe opened her umbrella and went to the vegetable plot.

She saw a vibrant green cabbage standing in the field, looking quite adorable.
It was a Napa cabbage variety, short and plump.
Yun Luohe had bought it before at the supermarket.
The other seeds she had planted had only produced a few small black seedlings.
To be honest, they looked more like weeds.
They didn’t resemble any kind of vegetable.
The leaves were somewhat like bamboo leaves but smaller.
Could it really be a weed?

Yun Luohe reached out and touched it.
No detailed information was available.
She would just have to wait until it fully matured to find out what it was.
Might as well keep it for now.
She reached out and picked the cabbage next to her.
[Obtained: Cabbage ×1]
[Cabbage: Thrives in cool climates, a semi-cold-resistant vegetable that can be grown year-round.]
The cabbage she had grown was fresh, juicy, and tender, with a delicate texture. Yun Luohe loved eating it.

One Napa cabbage was only enough for a single meal—not much—but it would go perfectly in the fish head soup.
Yun Luohe planned to eat the cabbage today. She hadn't eaten any vegetables in days.
She had also planted another cabbage seed yesterday, so in a few days, she could harvest it again.
Plus, a single leaf could be turned into a seed. Later, she would tear off a leaf, toss it into the Trash Can, and exchange it for another seed to plant.

She remembered that yesterday Qin Sisi had asked if she had anything suitable for children to eat. This cabbage would be perfect.
Vegetables and fruits were great for supplementing children's nutrition. She could ask Qin Sisi if she wanted some.
Yun Luohe went down the steps of her reef, placed the fishing net, and then washed the cabbage with seawater. At the same time, she sent a message to Qin Sisi.
"Want some cabbage? I just harvested one. I can split it with you."

"Sure, did you grow it yourself? I just harvested some ginger. I can trade you some."
Ginger was great!
Adding it to the fish soup would remove the fishy smell, and in this cold weather, drinking some ginger soup ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) would be very beneficial.
Qin Sisi dug up a piece of ginger with a hoe from her plot and handed it to Yun Luohe.
She then turned to her daughter, Qin Mo, and said, "Momo, I traded with a sister for some cabbage. I'll cook it for you later. How does that sound?"
Qin Mo was practicing fishing. Her tiny body didn't have much strength. Qin Sisi had made her a small fishing rod out of bamboo just to keep her occupied. She wasn't expecting her to actually catch anything.

"Mmhm, thank you, Mama," Qin Mo said in a small voice, as if she was afraid of scaring the fish away.
Qin Sisi also noticed many people in the chat channel complaining about the cold weather, so she used the ginger to cook a pot of ginger soup, planning to sell it.
Over the past two days, she had traded fish meat for quite a few supplies. Yesterday, she upgraded her reef and received an iron pot as a reward, just right for cooking soup and meals.

According to her knowledge, ginger could be directly planted and didn't require seeds.
It was similar to soybeans.
She knew this thanks to a diligent colleague in the police station. They often had meals together in the cafeteria. That colleague liked to plant little things at home like scallions, ginger, garlic, and peppers. Occasionally, during meals, she'd talk about her small gardening projects.
The method of planting soybeans was something Yun Luohe had learned from her.
But as for how to sprout ginger, she hadn't heard anything about it.

Maybe it was similar to how sweet potatoes and potatoes sprouted when left out for too long. Ginger would likely sprout on its own too.
This whole piece of ginger was quite large. She broke it into five pieces and decided to use one piece today to make soup.
The fish meat was already tender, and the broth had thickened. Adding the ginger made it even more aromatic.
There was still some time left for stewing, so Yun Luohe didn't need to keep watching it. She took out the newly crafted forge.

The forge looked completely different from the workbench.
It resembled a large, pitch-black furnace. The middle section was for placing fuel. A lot of wood was required to smelt ore and steel. The left and right sides had racks—the left was for materials and blueprints, and the right was the production area. Once a weapon was completed, it would appear on the right rack.
[Basic Forge (Upgradable)]
[Note: Players without the Forging Skill can only produce basic weapons. Players with the Forging Skill can start producing intermediate weapons. Once they become a Forgemaster, they can produce advanced weapons.]

For now, she just needed to produce weapons.
Yun Luohe took out the Dagger Blueprint.
She placed it on the forge.

Immediately, several lines of text appeared above the forge—
"Basic Weapon Blueprint."
"Please insert the corresponding materials."
Yun Luohe placed the refined steel and iron ore into the forge.
"Please insert fuel."

She quickly pulled two pieces of wood from her backpack and placed them in the middle of the furnace.
No response...
Was it not enough? Did she need burning wood instead?

Thinking for a moment, Yun Luohe went to the stove, lit two pieces of wood, and tossed them in.
Instantly, a bright orange flame flared up in the furnace.
"Forging started. Duration: 1 hour."

Perfect. Now all she had to do was wait.
At the same time, the fish head soup was ready. Yun Luohe added the washed Napa cabbage, blanched it slightly, and let it simmer for a bit longer.
She poured some soup into a coconut shell bowl and took a sip.

It was so fresh.
So delicious!
[Fish Head Soup (Gold-Grade): A meticulously stewed fish head soup made with multiple fish heads and premium fish meat. Highly nutritious, capable of boosting immunity, expelling wind and alleviating pain, enhancing brain function and refreshing the mind. Each 100ml consumed restores 15 stamina points.]
The effect was pretty good.

Yun Luohe drank a whole bowl in one go, and her entire body felt warm and cozy. The stamina points she had just expended were fully restored.
Her stamina points were originally 95, so drinking one bowl was a bit of a waste, but since she made it herself, it didn’t really matter.
The large pot contained a full 1000ml. After drinking one bowl, she could still divide it into 10 more bowls.
The problem was that she didn’t have enough bowls.

Yun Luohe decided to gather some coconut shells. Coconut shells could be turned into bowls. If she collected 10 coconut shells, she could sell the fish head soup.
It just didn’t feel right to put it in plastic bottles.
When selling it later, she would include the cost of the coconut shells in the price.
There were some coconut shells available in the Trading Center, and each one could be exchanged for one piece of wood or one piece of fiber. Yun Luohe traded for seven of them.

She tossed them one by one into the Trash Can to be recycled and upgraded.
Still a few short. Yun Luohe decided to ask Mu Zitang.
It was also a good opportunity to talk about the association.
The Survival Mutual Aid Association was officially established on the fifth day, and today was the seventh day.
Today marked three full days since its founding.
She needed to give Mu Zitang more purified water for distribution.

Fortunately, she had already delivered the 50 Water Purifiers to Du Ruan-tian yesterday. Producing with two workbenches really sped things up.
The Water Purifiers she produced today, she planned to keep a few for herself to stockpile more purified water.
In three more days, the number of association members would increase, and she could use the extra resources to upgrade the supplies for the first batch of members.
She could also implement a point system, allowing members to exchange points for resources.

But as for the specifics of how to operate it, Yun Luohe hadn’t quite figured that out yet.
"Yun-jie, we now have 50 members in the association. I’ve been keeping it under control. Lots of people want to join, but I’ve been strict with the screening process. The first batch of five members will hit the three-day mark tomorrow. I told them what you said—hand in more junk to get more stuff," Mu Zitang reported.
Yun Luohe: "Alright. Did we receive any coconut shells today?"

"Yeah, we got quite a few coconut shells today. I guess everyone managed to fish some up over the past few days. I also got two myself," Mu Zitang said.
"Great. Give them to me first," Yun Luohe said.
Yun Luohe headed over to the Water Purifier and handed the filtered purified water to Mu Zitang.

"The junk collection isn’t finished yet, but I’ll give you the coconut shells first," Mu Zitang said.
Yun Luohe: "Alright."
Yun Luohe ladled out a bowl of fish head soup and handed it to Mu Zitang.
"Here, have some."

Mu Zitang: "Yun-jie! Damn, this stuff is amazing!"
Yun Luohe: "It’s cold, drink something warm."
Mu Zitang: "I haven’t even dared to eat the fish meat you gave me yesterday. This fish head soup can also restore stamina points. I’ll save it for the afternoon!"

Yun Luohe: "Drink it. Have you had breakfast?"
Mu Zitang: "I ate a steamed bun. You know, I never used to eat steamed buns, but since entering this game, they actually taste pretty good."
Yun Luohe chuckled. "Have you upgraded your reef yet?"

Mu Zitang: "Almost. I’m buying and reselling stuff every day with the other association members, flipping resources. Just a bit more, and I can upgrade."
Yun Luohe: "Good. Keep at it. I’ll let you get back to it then."
Mu Zitang: "Alright, my fishing net is just starting to move."

—
In one go, Yun Luohe managed to get 20 coconut shells. Now she no longer had to worry about having no bowls.
Looks like she should stew another pot of fish head soup. After all, she still had several fish heads left.
Now, the problem was pricing.

The fish head soup’s effect was even better than the pan-seared fish meat she had sold to Wu Jing. At the very least, she should exchange it for some high-grade items.
Why not just trade them all for refined steel? Or blueprints.
She would try to make more daggers and then sell the daggers. She could definitely make a killing.
Yun Luohe poured the fish head soup into the coconut shell bowls and then put them up for sale.

She set the price: one bowl of fish head soup for one piece of refined steel or any blueprint.
Every day, the Trading Center had tens of thousands of items listed. Yun Luohe thought her items wouldn’t get noticed so quickly, and since she was selling anonymously, it wasn’t convenient to go into the chat channel to advertise. She decided to wait and check back later.
But only a few minutes after she listed the fish head soup, someone in the Lucky Club chat group sent a message.

"The seller who sold the pan-seared fish meat last time has new stuff! This time it’s fish head soup. The effect is even better. It restores 15 stamina points and can ward off the cold. If she weren’t asking for refined steel or blueprints, I’d buy it right away."
"Really? What’s her username? I’ll go check it out."
"Just search for fish head soup, and you’ll find it."
"Oh, there it is. I just happen to have a blueprint I’m not using. I’ll trade it for a bowl and try it out. I just finished some farm work, and I’ve used up most of my stamina. Plus, I love fish head soup!"
"Lao Liu, give us some feedback after you try it. If it’s good, I’ll buy one too."
The rain finally stopped, and Yun Luohe prepared to go out and fertilize the vegetable plot.
She planned to use half of the sheep manure organic fertilizer she obtained last night on the plots that hadn’t been planted yet.
It wasn’t advisable to fertilize land where crops were already growing.
She’d save the other half for later use.

As for how to collect strawberry seeds and whether they would sprout properly, she wasn’t entirely sure.
After all, that was something for professionals to know.
Yun Luohe was a bit troubled.
If she could somehow get her hands on two planting guides, that would be great.

But since Qin Sisi was also planting crops, why not ask her?
"Are you busy? I have a question for you."
"Do you know how to get seeds from strawberries?"
Qin Sisi replied quickly.
"I know how to get them, but as for how to handle them afterward, I’m not so sure. Coincidentally, I was planning to extract some strawberry seeds today too."
"Put the strawberry in a bottle, add some water, and leave it for two days. After it ferments, the flesh will break down, and you can rinse the seeds out. One strawberry has over two hundred seeds. You only need one strawberry."

Yun Luohe: "Got it. I’ll give it a try."
Since she only needed one strawberry, Yun Luohe still had five or six on hand. To thank Qin Sisi for the tip, she sent one strawberry over to her.
Yun Luohe: "Thanks a lot."

Qin Sisi: "No problem. My kid really liked the cabbage you gave us!"
—
After finishing her tasks, Yun Luohe went to check the fishing net.
She pulled up a broken wooden barrel.

[Broken Wooden Barrel recycled and upgraded, obtained Wooden Basin ×1]
The wooden basin was just the right size. It could be used to raise two fish or even for soaking feet.
In any case, it had a lot of uses.
She returned to the wooden house.
The dagger was already finished.

She eagerly picked it up to examine it.
The dagger was small and exquisitely crafted, resembling a hunting knife. The iron handle was cold to the touch but had a decent grip. It was lightweight with a sharp, pointed blade. The top edge had a slight curve, perfect for precise slicing and piercing.
She had to admit, she really liked this dagger. It would be excellent for cutting things or close-range stabbing.
If she used it for trading, she could definitely exchange it for some valuable items.

She still had one piece of refined steel left. Should she make another dagger?
After all, making a basic bow and arrow didn’t require refined steel, and upgrading the bow wasn’t as simple as just upgrading the arrowhead.
If she could trade the daggers for more valuable items, she would feel more confident about venturing onto the island.

Yun Luohe only hesitated for a few seconds before making a decision.
She placed the materials on the forge and started crafting another dagger.
Once again, she had to add fuel, and it was quite a wood-intensive process.
She opened the interface to check the chat channel messages.
"That fish head soup was amazing! So delicious! After drinking it, I feel like my cold is almost gone, and she even gave me an extra bowl. So generous!"
"Generous? It's expensive as hell. A small bowl for a piece of refined steel—only the rich can afford that."
"I traded a sand drawing blueprint for it. If I weren’t feeling so lousy, I wouldn’t have spent that much."
"Why doesn’t the fish head I cook have such effects? Is it some kind of special recipe? A system-exclusive dish?"
"Your fish head probably wasn’t good enough."
"I checked. She used multiple fish heads and high-quality fish meat! Your ingredients must’ve been subpar!"

Were they talking about her fish head soup?
Yun Luohe switched to the Trading Center, and sure enough, she had sold several bowls!
[Player Wang Zhifei traded Refined Steel ×1 for a bowl of Fish Head Soup]
[Player Du Ruan-tian traded Refined Steel ×1 for a bowl of Fish Head Soup]
[Player Yang Meng traded Sand Drawing Blueprint ×1 for a bowl of Fish Head Soup]
[Player Zhang Bailing traded Trap Blueprint ×1 for a bowl of Fish Head Soup]

This was amazing!
While she was checking, another bowl sold.
[Player Ma Dazhi traded Reclining Chair Blueprint ×1 for a bowl of Fish Head Soup]

It seemed that the fish head soup was quite popular.
She also received a private message.
"Boss! Could I trade a damaged blueprint for a bowl of soup? I’ll throw in a piece of sheepskin fragment too!"
"Please, my kid really wants to try the fish head soup!"

Yun Luohe’s eyes lit up. What a coincidence.
Those were exactly the items she was looking for.
"Sure," she replied.
"Awesome, Boss! But you’ve set the system to only accept refined steel and blueprints. Can you add me as a friend so we can trade privately?"

Yun Luohe: "I can just adjust the settings."
"Oh, okay. Thanks a lot!"
The player wasn’t anonymous. Yun Luohe opened her profile to take a look.

[Username: Bai Yue-mian (Zone 2)
Gender: Female
Age: 21
Signature: Just a salted fish in the survival game
Other Info: Food enthusiast!]
She seemed like an interesting girl.