With daytime approaching, he could already observe the outside environment through the gaps in the wooden house.
First was a stretch of low grassland, dotted with trees that were not particularly dense. The terrain was slightly uneven, but overall, it sloped downward.
“Could it be that I’m on a mountain?”
“Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz…”
A vibration came from the Communicator tucked against his chest. Li Qinglang hurriedly picked it up to check.
“Mist Continent Announcement:
Survivors, welcome to your First daytime. Today, iron treasure chests and bronze treasure chests will begin appearing at random.
There will definitely be one iron treasure chest near every Shelter, which can be considered your newcomer gift package. Winter Is Coming, so please remember to stockpile enough resources!”
There’s definitely an iron treasure chest?
“That’s still good things!”
However, Li Qinglang did not venture outside rashly. Instead, he opened the World Chat Channel to see how everyone else was doing.
He also took the opportunity to check the materials required for the wooden house once again.
Shelter: dilapidated log cabin （8 square meters）
Introduction: A crumbling wooden house that could barely block the wind and rain, making it unsuitable for habitation.
Shelter Facility: None
Materials required for upgrade: wood *100, stone *50
Seeing this introduction, Li Qinglang sighed helplessly. The System’s evaluation was quite fair.
It seemed that his next goal was to upgrade the Shelter first. This should be every Survivor’s top priority.
Without an upgrade, he could only live in this little shack. Setting safety aside, he could not even get a proper rest, and sooner or later, he would be worn down.
Just as Li Qinglang had expected, the World Chat Channel once again experienced an explosion of information.
“Does anyone understand? The moment I went outside, I discovered that I was actually in a desert. Other than a few cacti, there’s nothing but sand. How am I supposed to upgrade my Shelter?”
“I’m not much better off. I’m on a vast grassland, but I haven’t seen a single tree, only a few alpacas.”
“Holy crap, brother, what are you waiting for? Go take it down! Purely wild mutton isn’t delicious?”
“You think I don’t want to? This alpaca is larger than a cow. Do you think I can defeat it just by carrying this tiny, shabby stone axe and shouting ‘Demacia’?”
“Hahaha, I’m in a forest. There are trees everywhere, and my greatsword has been thirsty for blood for ages!”
The speaker was the person who had obtained the Excellent Grade Flameburst Greatsword. His name was He Yajun.
After reading this far, Li Qinglang put away the Communicator. He had only wanted to assess the danger outside; he had no time to chat and make idle conversation. After all, daytime was very limited, lasting only seven hours.
He picked up the battered stone axe by his feet and pushed open the door of the log cabin.
First, he still needed to understand the environment surrounding the Shelter. Based on a rough judgment of the terrain, Li Qinglang should have been on a fairly small mountain.
There was no mist surrounding the Shelter, as the Communicator had explained.
The area within 100 meters of a level-one Shelter was a Safe Zone, so there was no mist there either.
The area from 200 to 1,000 meters was an ordinary area with some danger, shrouded in a layer of light mist.
Beyond 1,000 meters was a dangerous area filled with mysterious, dense mist. No one knew what was inside.
Visibility in the Dense Fog Zone was almost zero, and the danger was extremely high. Unless one possessed an item like Mist-Piercing Glasses, most people could only obtain resources within 1,000 meters.
Li Qinglang cautiously advanced straight ahead from the wooden house, in the direction of the downward slope. He gripped the stone axe so tightly that his knuckles turned slightly white.
After entering the Light Mist Zone, he left a marker on a tree with the stone axe every hundred meters. After all, visibility in the Light Mist Zone was not good either, falling below 200 meters.
The silence along the way was somewhat eerie. Only the friction of his trouser legs against the weeds and the sound of his own breathing echoed in his ears.
Li Qinglang suppressed the unease in his heart and silently calculated the distance he had traveled.
When he was approximately 900 meters from the Shelter, the faint sound of water reached his ears.
“A river!”
Li Qinglang’s eyes lit up. A river meant an abundant supply of freshwater, as well as various fish. Although he possessed a homeland spring eye, who would complain about having more water resources? It would also be useful for washing.
He quickened his pace, and at the edge of the Dense Fog Zone, a corner of a river finally appeared.
No, it wasn’t a river! He caught the salty, fishy scent carried by the breeze.
“This is the sea! I’m on an island!”
After realizing his surroundings, Li Qinglang’s first thought was: “Are there any other people on this island? If not, how far away am I from the other Survivors?”
This island probably was not very large, so the possibility of other Survivors being here was extremely low. The confusion and sudden loneliness made Li Qinglang feel dejected.
“Phew, it’s too early to think about this. I should first find a way to survive.”
He exhaled slowly, adjusted his mood, and prepared to return to the Safe Zone to fell trees.
He shifted his angle slightly and returned along a route that diverged from the one he had taken. He had looked carefully earlier, and there had been no System-deployed treasure chest along the way.
After tasting the benefits of the Azure Treasure Chest, Li Qinglang understood the importance of treasure chests. Moreover, he now desperately desired food resources.
Although a human could persist for a week without eating, if he could not replenish his stamina soon, he would surely die miserably on this Mist Continent!
Especially with Winter Is Coming! The temperature would absolutely drop to an unimaginable level.
Li Qinglang had to stockpile enough food and warm supplies to feel even a little safe.
Perhaps he was blessed by the heavens. He had not gone far when Li Qinglang spotted a flash of blue-green metal light on a tree ahead!
This should be a Bronze Treasure Chest!
Because the terrain sloped upward, he had to look up while returning to the log cabin, or he really might have failed to notice it. After all, since ancient times, CTs have never looked up.
He hurried to the tree, and it was a double stroke of luck!
It was actually a coconut tree. Besides the Bronze Treasure Chest, two enormous coconuts hung from its branches, each as large as a winter melon.
He made a fly-rubbing-its-hands gesture, fastened the stone axe to his waist, and began climbing the tree. Having grown up in a small rural village, Li Qinglang had no problem climbing a coconut tree.
After climbing to the branch and securing his position, Li Qinglang took out the stone axe. He first knocked the treasure chest down to the ground, then swung the axe and chopped down the two large coconuts.
However, the stone axe’s sharpness was truly pitiful. It took seven or eight strikes to cut through the coconut branches.
“It takes so much effort to fell trees with this thing!”
Li Qinglang shook his head and quickly returned to the ground. The moment of a delightful harvest had arrived!
【Bronze Treasure Chest】
Introduction: A treasure chest exclusive to Survivors that other creatures cannot open. A Bronze Treasure Chest can produce three common items or two fine items, with a small chance of producing one excellent item.
“It really is a Bronze Treasure Chest. Aren’t things finally looking up?”
On the Mist Continent, besides manually obtaining various items, one could also acquire abundant resources from treasure chests.
Besides the food and warmth items Li Qinglang wanted, they could also contain wood, stone, blueprints, and even extraordinary items such as the Flameburst Greatsword and Mist-Piercing Glasses!
With an excited heart and trembling hands, Li Qinglang opened the Bronze Treasure Chest nervously.
It was just like playing scratch-off tickets on Blue Star. Who would not love a scratch card guaranteed to win? The only difference was whether the prize was large or small.
As the treasure chest opened, a burst of blue light bloomed. Li Qinglang stared intently into the chest.
After the light Dispersed, a bead about the size of a thumb lay inside.
“One item! Could it be an excellent-grade item?”
Li Qinglang happily picked up the bead to inspect it:
【Purified Water Pearl（Excellent）】
Introduction: A precious pearl possessing the power to purify. It can purify any water source into drinkable-quality water, purifying 100 milliliters of water resources per minute.
Note: After purification, the water’s effects will be Increased according to its original trait!
“Good things!”
Li Qinglang cried out in excitement. He had just been lamenting that seawater could not be used directly, and now he had obtained a natural water purifier.
Moreover, water purified by the Purified Water Pearl would have its effects Increased according to its original trait, meaning the homeland spring eye in the Shelter could also be used!
Unable to wait, Li Qinglang picked up the empty Bronze Treasure Chest, returned to the seaside, filled half the chest with seawater, and placed the Purified Water Pearl inside.
【Seawater（ordinary）】
Introduction: Saltwater containing various salts, unsuitable for direct consumption.
Half a chest held approximately 2,500 milliliters of water. Purification would take 25 minutes, so after returning to the Shelter and resting for a while, it should be completed.
Li Qinglang chose to carry the chest back first. He could only leave the two harvested coconuts at the original place and return for them later.
He left markers with the stone axe along the way and smoothly returned to the Shelter. By then, the seawater had already changed.
【Purified Seawater（Fine）】
Introduction: seawater purified by a miraculous power. Its original salt content has been removed while its minerals and trace elements have been retained. Drinking it provides a certain antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect.
…
The originally ordinary seawater had become fine grade. Besides being drinkable, it could also provide antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects! This was practically a divine artifact for wilderness survival.
On the Mist Continent, besides the unavoidable harsh winter, the most life-threatening things were illness and injury.
Especially now, when everything had to be done personally, it was easy to suffer minor wounds.
For example, when Li Qinglang climbed the tree just now, he had scraped the skin on the back of his hand. If it was not treated properly, inflammation could develop.
With such a huge population, there would certainly be many cases like this. Putting it on the Exchange would surely allow him to trade it for quite a bit of material.
Li Qinglang lifted the purified seawater and took a sip, then smeared the seawater remaining on his hand over the wound.
He then took out the Purified Water Pearl and placed it in the recess where the homeland spring eye stored spring water.
“Ordinary seawater already has such an effect after purification. I wonder what will happen when spring water that was originally fine grade is purified?”
Although he was eager to check the purified spring water, Li Qinglang still chose to hurry outside to retrieve the coconuts. The Purified Water Pearl would not run away sitting there, so he could inspect it slowly after returning.
This exploration had taken two hours because he had moved relatively slowly at the start. Now, only five hours remained until nightfall. Daytime was precious!
The round trip from the Shelter to the seaside took approximately half an hour. A single coconut was simply too heavy, so Li Qinglang could only transport them in two trips.
During that time, he also checked whether there were any other coconut trees around the sea. Unfortunately, after searching the area, he found only one new coconut tree, with three coconuts hanging from it.
Li Qinglang planned to retrieve them tomorrow. Because of this delay, another two hours had passed, leaving less than three hours until nightfall.
He planned to replenish his stamina, then use the remaining time to fell trees.
After cracking open a coconut, he found that although it was large, it contained very little coconut meat, probably enough for only two meals for an average person. The rest was filled to the brim with coconut water.
After hastily filling his stomach, Li Qinglang took the stone axe and went outside to fell trees…