[Today's Weather]
Daylight Duration: 6 hours
Weather: Overcast
Temperature: 5°C to 9°C
Climate Trend: The cold wave is getting closer, remember to collect enough supplies for winter and keep warm!
James, as usual, checked the weather for the day. The temperature was getting lower, and the cold wave was drawing nearer. Today, his main goal was to find boxes and explore a bit further outside.
With the same six hours, time was incredibly precious. James zipped his cotton jacket all the way up and braved the cold wind.
The foggy area of the level two shelter spanned 5 kilometers. He planned to explore within a 3-kilometer radius to look for suitable food.
The range with a radius of 3 kilometers was not small. Starting from the east, James walked counterclockwise.
Before long, he found a wooden resource box under a tree to the northeast.
James didn't open it immediately, planning to let the box ferment a bit and open it all together when he returned to the wooden house.
Continuing against the cold wind, his pace slowed. To the east of the shelter, beyond the 500-meter tree line to the further east, was a not-so-tall mountain forest. The dense trees in the forest, shrouded in white mist, looked mysterious and ethereal.
James didn't dare to enter rashly but circled around the periphery and headed north.
To the north of the shelter, beyond the stone quarry, was an endless stretch of weeds, and scattered stone mines were visible. James wondered if he could find other ores, but there was no significant discovery. It's possible that the ores were buried deep underground, not visible on land.
In the west, originally thought to be the most barren, James didn't have much hope. Surprisingly, about two kilometers to the west, he found a dozen pod trees. The branches of the pod trees were dry, and all the leaves had fallen, leaving only numerous shriveled pods hanging on the trees.
The information displayed:
[Name: Pod (Ordinary)
Function: Pods grown in semi-arid areas, nutritionally weak and singular, medium satiety.
Description: Large quantity, satisfying!]
Most of the pods looked shriveled, some even just shells, but the quantity was indeed substantial. Although not highly nutritious, they were excellent as stored food for winter. James had been worried about not having enough food and planned to purchase some at the trading market before the cold wave fully hit. Unexpectedly, he found food near the shelter.
With only one unopened wooden resource box on hand, James decided to open it due to the current situation.
A faint light flickered, and three orbs appeared inside the box: a set of winter flannel pajamas, a pair of leather gloves, and a bag of one-pound white rice. James was surprised at the generous items in the wooden resource box.
"Is this a pre-cold wave benefit?" he muttered.
He put the three orbs in his pocket and then used the wooden resource box to collect the pods.
Considering the large number of shriveled pods and the inconvenience of transportation, James decided to extract only the beans from the pods.
With a gentle rub, the peas fell into the wooden box. He grabbed a handful of pods, removed the peas, and dropped them into the box, satisfied with the sound.
Soon, one box was full, having harvested only from one tree. This pod tree area was the most abundant food resource James found near the shelter. The quantity was immense, and the yield was high, bringing him a great surprise.
After noting the location, James brought this box of pods back, estimating its weight to be around 7-8 pounds.
He then took two more boxes from the wooden house, allowing him to transport three boxes of pods at once. With a total of thirteen pod trees and two trees' pods filling one box, he filled seven boxes and made three trips.
This was despite the pods being shriveled and reduced in quantity. Had they been harvested at peak ripeness, the amount could have doubled! But James was already satisfied.
Thirteen boxes of pods were piled up like a small mountain outside the workshop. Checking the details, they totaled 52 pounds!
"Looks like a lot, but only over 50 pounds," James complained, but he was happy inside. This batch of pods would be an important food source during the cold wave.
After the fruitful harvest, James headed south to enter the forest, looking for suitable food.
Approaching the forest, he saw a tree top emitting a green light—a bronze resource box!
James's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over. Chopping trees, digging roots, and picking up the resource box, he obtained the treasure box after a series of smooth operations.
James couldn't help but exclaim, "The probability of finding these has increased a lot. I didn't expect to pick up two resource boxes so easily!"
What happened to James also occurred throughout the misty world. More and more people found resource boxes, almost everyone getting one. Some even found two or three. Many who had nothing started to gain food and clothing for winter.
Although not in large quantities, it still secured many people's lives.
James checked the regional chat channel; about 200 people out of 10,000 in the area had disappeared. And that was just one area!
If it were the entire misty world, billions would have vanished, dying in various dangers.
Most of the deceased were the old, weak, sick, and disabled, those with lower physical fitness who couldn't withstand hunger and cold at the beginning of survival.
Of course, some perished in dangerous places like deep mountains, swamps, and water bodies.
...
James entered the foggy forest, seeing only ordinary plants but in unusually large numbers.
Due to the cold wave, most leaves had withered, and branches wilted. The crisp air mixed with the smell of decaying leaves in the soil and the fragrance of pine resin, creating a unique forest scent.
James cautiously walked on a thick layer of fallen leaves, holding an iron pickaxe.
Suddenly, amidst the withered vegetation, he spotted a patch of fresh green. Curiously approaching and ensuring no danger, he inspected it closely.
[Name: White Spruce (Good)
Function: The wood is white, lightweight, and sturdy, suitable for construction and making tools, offering better defense and insulation, with a fragrant aroma aiding sleep.
Description: High-quality construction wood!]
It was good quality wood! James was amazed at the white spruce trees, which were also excellent construction materials, enhancing defense and insulation. He felt the surprise was too sudden!
James had seen many high-quality resources in the trading market and chat channels, all found near the shelters. Like Oliver's wisteria, Peter's potatoes, Mary's guard thorns, all discovered near their shelters. It was like finding a fortune just outside the door, making James envious for several nights.
He had thought his area was particularly poor in resources and even considered moving. But now, he had discovered good quality resources nearby! Although he didn't yet know the uses of good quality resources, their value was definitely high.
Since "healing potion" could be made with excellent "spring water" instead of ordinary mineral water, could other wooden items, even shelter upgrades, also use high-quality wood? James felt it was likely possible.
The distance from the shelter wasn't far, making timber collection not too troublesome. James could use white spruce wood for upgrading the shelter to level 3.
If he could upgrade the shelter before the cold wave hit, it would be more comfortable during the harsh winter.
Thinking this, James started chopping trees.
His plan for the day was to roam around the shelter, find all resource boxes, and then go north to mine stones. However, since he found better resources, it made more sense to stay and chop trees.
James thought about using the whole day to find resource boxes, given the higher probability today. But relying on luck for resource boxes was too risky, so he chose to collect good quality wood.
This was when James truly felt the inadequacy of his stone axe. Its already blunt edge was notching and uneven, seeming close to breaking. A normal stone axe was hardly effective for chopping good quality white spruce trees.
It took him nearly thirty minutes to cut down one tree. Looking at the heavily worn stone axe, James shook his head: "Looks like I need to buy a new axe in the trading market."
With more manufacturing scrolls available in the market, tools like axes and hoes were becoming common.
However, due to scarce iron mines, the quantity of iron tools was limited. His axe seemed ready to retire. On its last day, he'd use it to cut as much white spruce as possible.
Although hard to chop, the white spruce yielded a lot of wood. One tree alone provided 22 units of timber, more than double the efficiency of chopping ordinary trees.
This high collection rate and large timber yield were among the advantages of good quality white spruce.
With little time left in the day, James decided to chop trees here until dark. As the stone axe grew blunter, chopping became more challenging.
By dusk, he had only cut four trees, gathering 85 units of timber and four white spruce roots. On his way back, he luckily found another wooden resource box. It was indeed a day of great harvest!
Braving the cold wind and night, James sprinted home. From somewhere came a long, fierce howl of a beast. The whimper of wolves mingled with unknown beast roars echoed in the deeper part of the southern forest. James felt afraid, lacking Luke's strength to kill good quality wild beasts. The thought of having stayed there for hours made his heart race.
Luckily, he safely returned to the wooden house. Under the orange glow of the oil lamp, his pounding heart gradually calmed down.
Yesterday's announcement said that due to the cold wave, wild beasts would increase. James hadn't encountered any animals, so he hadn't paid much attention. But this experience served as a warning!
From now on, he needed to be extra cautious about wild beast attacks when going out! It would be best to buy a weapon for some self-defense capability.