The two normal-grade pheasants dropped a little over one pound of chicken meat in total. For some unknown reason, one of the pheasants did not drop a Mist Bead. Li Qinglang guessed it might have been because of their strength.
Mist Beads were essences condensed from flesh and blood. Pheasants were small and their strength was not particularly outstanding, so the energy was insufficient to condense into a complete Mist Bead before dissipating.
Aside from that, there were two iron treasure chests.
Without much hesitation, Li Qinglang opened them directly.
Each box contained only one pitiful item. The First box held a set of casual menswear, which was not bad. At least, he now had clothes to change into.
The second box contained an ordinary short knife, which Li Qinglang planned to use as a kitchen knife.
Overall, the harvest from this hunt was mediocre. After all, they were only two ordinary pheasants, so he had not expected any major haul.
Compared with the items randomly distributed by the System, the items opened from treasure chests were simply shabby beyond description. It was probably related to the prey's strength as well.
Killer Bro, for example, had obtained many fine-grade items on the First day because the target he hunted was a wolf!
It was obvious at a glance which was stronger: a wolf or a chicken.
Da Ju, however, had given him a surprise. He had originally thought Da Ju would merely be a mascot until reaching adulthood, but after making a move today, his Battle performance had directly crushed Li Qinglang's.
Out of habit, he patted Da Ju on the head. “Not bad. I'll roast you a fine meat patty tonight.”
“Awooo~”
The daytime was about to end, and today had once again passed without him cutting down even a single tree...
“Fortunately, I have the Big Tycoon. Otherwise, who knows how long it would take me to upgrade to a Level Three Shelter?”
Back on Blue Star, he had never felt that the daytime was so insufficient. Li Qinglang had originally planned to cut some wood yesterday, but ended up moving soil for the entire day.
Today, he had failed to cut any wood again because of making pottery and hunting.
Actually, he had discovered quite a few fine-grade trees in the leaf mold area. These trees had originally been ordinary fir trees, but they had probably become fine-grade trees because of nourishment from the leaf mold.
There were still forty minutes until nightfall. It was an awkward amount of time—not enough to do much, but Li Qinglang did not want to waste it.
“Why don't I take a walk around the rear of the Shelter and have a look?”
Behind the Level-Two Shelter, he had never been to the area behind the log cabin, so whatever was there remained completely unknown. He might as well take a trip there while he had the time.
Once he had decided, he acted immediately. He was currently on the left side of the Shelter. Li Qinglang loaded the loot into an empty treasure chest and prepared to circle around in a fan-shaped route, then return to the Shelter in a straight line once he reached the rear.
One man and one tiger proceeded at an unhurried pace, checking the surrounding resources as they traveled.
They had not gone far before discovering a peanut field.
【White-shelled peanut（ordinary）】
Introduction: A nut-bearing plant containing high-quality protein. It is high in calories and contains oil components, making it a good choice for food. It provides moderate satiety.
Looking at the peanut field, Li Qinglang was extremely pleasantly surprised!
Peanuts could not only be eaten, but also pressed for oil. After being ground into powder, they could even be used as seasoning. Their uses were truly extensive.
The peanut field was not large, containing only a dozen or so plants. Even though the plants on the Mist Continent were large, collecting everything here would yield only about ten pounds.
But that was not a problem. He had a huge area of leaf mold!
Some of these peanuts would be eaten, while a small portion would be saved for planting, in preparation for long-term development.
After silently memorizing the location, Li Qinglang continued traveling.
Just when he thought today's exploration had come to an end, he discovered another large patch of berries directly behind the Shelter.
Li Qinglang picked two and tasted them. Their shape and flavor were similar to plums, sour and sweet, and quite refreshing.
Unlike the peanuts, this patch contained a very considerable quantity of berries.
However, because they contained a great deal of water, their storage time was estimated to be short. Even under low temperatures, they would spoil after five or six days.
Still, he was not picky. At least he would not lack fruit in the future.
It seemed that the location of his Shelter was quite good after all. Previously, Li Qinglang had envied those whose spawn points were beside rivers or near food fields.
After several days of exploration, he discovered that his own spawn point was not bad at all. There were coconut trees and seawater resources ahead, fine-grade wood and soil on the left side, and now peanuts and fruit behind him. It could be said to completely satisfy the survival needs of a Survivor.
The sky had already darkened. Bursts of unknown roars came from the distant mist. Hearing them, Da Ju tensed his body, bared his teeth, and let out a low growl as he watched the surroundings.
Li Qinglang hurriedly ran toward the Shelter. The beasts were already highly active during the daytime, and at night they would only be even more terrifying.
He quickened his footwork all the way and finally returned to the log cabin before darkness completely fell.
He first rekindled the fire in the fireplace. As the firelight spread, Li Qinglang's tense body gradually relaxed.
“It seems I'll have to be more careful in the future. Although daytime is precious, I can't wait until the last moment to go home. My own safety is the most important thing.”
He first poured himself a cup of coconut water. As the cool, sweet coconut water went down, Li Qinglang instantly felt refreshed.
Next came the preparation of today's dinner.
He took the chicken meat from the treasure chest and put it into a casserole, added some excellent grade purified seawater, covered it with a lid, and placed it in the fireplace to simmer slowly.
“Things really are getting better. I'm drinking chicken soup on the Mist Continent.”
At the thought of the chicken soup he would soon be eating, Li Qinglang felt his saliva begin to secrete like madness.
He really had not eaten normal food for many days. Although last night's fine-grade hyena meat had been good, he had merely fried it on a stone slab.
It had certainly smelled delicious, but without seasoning, it still felt as though something was missing.
Today's meal would be different: authentic pheasant soup! He could enjoy the plainest deliciousness without even adding salt!
While waiting, Li Qinglang's Communicator received a private message.
He had assumed it was from Killer Bro or the Big Tycoon, but when he opened it, the sender turned out to be someone unexpected.
Huang Zhiteng: “Brother, do you have any fine-grade wood or stone? I can trade iron for it.”
Seeing Huang Zhiteng's message, Li Qinglang instantly perked up, and even his sitting posture became slightly more proper.
Although upgrading to a Level Three Shelter required two hundred pieces each of wood and stone, obtaining that amount was not difficult for some lucky people.
Wang Yixin, for example, could gather enough in half a day with his Excellent-grade axe and Spatial Backpack.
The reason he had not upgraded to level three yet was that he lacked iron. He had also asked Killer Bro, but unfortunately, Killer Bro had likewise found no trace of iron nearby.
Iron resources were extremely scarce. Not to mention the three of them, Li Qinglang had not even seen anyone offer iron for trade in the chat channel.
That was why Huang Zhiteng's inquiry surprised him so much. He could only marvel that this person truly deserved to be someone who had bravely entered the Dense Fog Zone on the morning of the First day.
Li Qinglang: “I have both fine-grade wood and stone. How do you want to trade?”
Huang Zhiteng: “One to five for wood: one piece of iron for five pieces of fine wood. For stone, how about one to three?”
Li Qinglang: “Too expensive. Although iron resources are scarce, they are still only normal grade in the end. My wood and stone are both fine quality.”
If Li Qinglang had guessed correctly, Huang Zhiteng was already preparing to upgrade to a Level Three Shelter!
That was also why he wanted to trade for fine-grade wood and stone.
A Shelter built with a large amount of fine-grade materials would, without mentioning anything else, definitely have far superior defense compared with one built from normal materials.
Li Qinglang was amazed inwardly. What a huge undertaking!
Although he himself had thought about using fine-grade wood and stone for the entire Level Three Shelter, it was ultimately still only an idea.
Huang Zhiteng, on the other hand, had already taken action and was even close to succeeding.
Huang Zhiteng: “It isn't expensive. This is already a fair price. You know that iron resources are currently practically priceless and unavailable, while fine-grade wood and stone, though rare, are still being sold by other people.”
After pondering for a while, Li Qinglang replied, “Fine, we'll use that price. But I don't currently have the materials on hand. How much do you need?”
Huang Zhiteng: “I still need 150 stones and 100 pieces of wood, and the trade must take place by tomorrow night at the latest.”
Li Qinglang: “Trading tomorrow is no problem, but the quantity is too small. According to your exchange ratio, I can only obtain 70 pieces of iron in total, which is of no use to me.”
Huang Zhiteng: “But I only need this much material right now.”
Li Qinglang: “These materials are for upgrading to a Level Three Shelter, right? After the upgrade, there will definitely be new shelter construction. Are you planning to use fine-grade materials for the upgrade and ordinary materials for the construction?”
As soon as he said this, the other party fell silent. Clearly, Huang Zhiteng had overlooked this problem.
That was not to say he was shortsighted. On the contrary, anyone capable of upgrading their Shelter at this point was definitely no ordinary person.
The other party had simply been completely focused on upgrading the Shelter, strictly planning his resources and trying to maximize the utilization rate of all his supplies, which was why he had only sought enough for his current needs.
Huang Zhiteng: “Fine, but I can take out at most another 100 pieces of iron, for a total trade value of 170 pieces. You must guarantee the minimum quantities of 150 stones and 100 pieces of wood.”
Li Qinglang: “Don't worry. I'll contact you at this time tomorrow night to make the trade.”
After agreeing on the trade time with Huang Zhiteng, Li Qinglang immediately contacted Wang Yixin:
Li Qinglang: “Big Tycoon, how was today's Battle? How much granite did you get?”
Wang Yixin quickly replied, without keeping Li Qinglang waiting long: “Hehe, having a Spatial Backpack really makes a difference. I spent the whole day smashing stone today and obtained more than 900 pieces of granite in total.”
Li Qinglang: “holy crap, President Wang, that's awesome!”
Wang Yixin: “hahaha, it's nothing. Big Brother, how much do you need? Just trade some excellent seawater with me.”
Because he had borrowed the Spatial Backpack today in exchange for two Boxes of purified seawater, the other party was actually not lacking water resources at all.
Taking the initiative to suggest exchanging seawater was actually a way of returning the favor, and it also indirectly proved that Wang Yixin had decent character. At the very least, he was not the type to tear down the bridge after crossing the river.
……
At that moment, inside a log cabin thousands of miles away, Wang Yixin was eating compressed biscuits obtained from a treasure chest and drinking purified seawater.
He muttered, “Why is Big Brother taking so long to reply?”
“Bzzzt~ Bzzzt~ Bzzzt~”
Private message alert.
Wang Yixin picked up the Communicator. After reading the text on it:
“Pfft-----”
The purified seawater in his mouth sprayed all over the floor.
Li Qinglang: “I need at least 650 stones!”