Civil Engineering Brother sent over the two packets of seeds.
One was 【Lily of the Valley Seed】, and the other was 【Climbing Tree Vine】. According to the system's scan results, both were ordinary ornamental plants.
At the moment, players were still struggling just to survive, so items like these were practically worthless.
When the two sellers heard that someone was willing to buy them—or rather, exchange food for them—they readily agreed.
Qiyu accepted the seeds, thanked Civil Engineering Brother, and sent him the venison from the trade. Then he began examining his newly acquired items.
【Elementary Magic Scroll】—a seemingly ordinary sheet of dark-yellow paper that emanated a faint trace of magical energy.
The Magic Association's elementary magic introduction mentioned magic scrolls. To create one, a mage had to construct the desired spell using their mental energy, then channel their own magic into the scroll. Once the process was complete, the scroll would be imbued with that spell.
It didn't sound particularly difficult.
Qiyu concentrated and silently recited the Fireball spell, carefully channeling his magical energy into the scroll in his hand.
Crimson magical patterns flickered across the blank paper, appearing and disappearing until a complete fire-elemental magic sigil finally took shape on the scroll.
Success!
All he had to do was tear the scroll open, and the spell inscribed within it would be released instantly.
Qiyu was eager to test its effects, but he was also reluctant to waste it. In the end, he decided to put it away and save it for his next encounter with a mutated creature.
Then, using the same method, he inscribed spells onto the remaining nine scrolls in one go.
Five Fireball spells, three Waterball spells, and two basic Heal spells.
Looking at the stack of scrolls before him, Qiyu couldn't help imagining a scene in which mutated creatures came charging toward him while he stood his ground, casually throwing magic scrolls at them.
The mere thought made him burst out laughing.
He stored all ten scrolls in his backpack and turned his attention to another set of notes.
【Magic Scroll Crafting Notes: Authored by an unknown mage. Requires a Mental Attribute of at least 15 to learn.】
Qiyu fell into thought. Another item with a Mental Power requirement.
The Magic Association's elementary magic introduction required a Mental Power of at least 8.
These magic scroll crafting notes required a Mental Power of at least 15.
And the Mental Power Cultivation Manual, written by the elven Archmage Aegnor, was even more demanding. Learning it required a Mental Power score exceeding 50.
Did this mean that magic in the survival game was subject to strict Mental Power requirements?
Taking that speculation a step further, since elementary magic introduction was merely an introductory guide yet still required 8 points of Mental Power, could 8 points be the minimum threshold for learning magic?
Qiyu made a mental note of this. If his theory was correct, many players would probably find themselves in the same situation as the person who had sold him these items: even if they managed to obtain magical items, they would be completely useless to them.
He successfully learned the contents of the notes, only to discover that they taught him how to craft just one item: an elementary magic scroll.
【Elementary Magic Scroll: Can be inscribed with spells of Tier 3 or lower. Crafting Materials: Parchment Paper x1, Magic Potion 1ml.】
Great. Two more materials he'd never even heard of.
Unwilling to give up, Qiyu searched the trading page himself. Sure enough, no one was selling either of them.
It was now 3:00 PM, leaving another three hours until nightfall.
Qiyu went to check on the sunflowers growing inside the fence.
The plants had grown as tall as an adult, and their buds had finally blossomed. Layer upon layer of golden petals spread outward, each shimmering with countless specks of light, as dazzling as the sun itself.
Qiyu noticed that their names had changed.
【Bright Sunflower: Mutant plant. Wilts fifteen days after being picked. During its growth phase, it has a certain attraction effect on mutant creatures. Effects: Glows, Purify.】
One hour remained until maturity.
So they attracted mutated creatures while they were growing?
Qiyu recalled the mutated gray-horned sheep from that morning, as well as the two mutated creatures that had fought each other to a standstill the previous day.
He had no idea whether something unexpected might happen tonight, so he decided to make additional arrangements for the shelter's security.
To completely surround and protect his wooden cabin, which currently occupied an area of approximately 50 square meters, he would need 300 units of wood.
He currently had 370 units of wood in his backpack, more than enough.
But Qiyu had an even bolder idea.
He wanted to enclose part of the farmland as well.
After all, his innate skill was 【Farming】. He certainly couldn't let it go to waste, and he would inevitably need more farmland and seeds in the future.
Although he could build a separate fence around the plants, doing so would isolate the farmland from his shelter. He didn't know how dangerous the creatures lurking in the thick nighttime fog might be, and he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on his crops after dark.
Qiyu walked around the cabin, made some rough calculations, and finally decided to leave a two-meter-wide space between the house and the fence on all four sides.
The enclosed space could be used as farmland, while also providing enough room to defend himself if anything threatened the shelter at night.
As a result, the original 10m x 5m area would expand to 14m x 9m.
He would need 460 units of wood, leaving him 90 units short.
Unfortunately, the fences he had already installed couldn't be dismantled and reused.
Qiyu slung his axe over his shoulder and set off to chop trees. By now, he had become quite proficient at it. An hour later, he had 99 units of wood in his backpack and one more piece in his hand.
He returned to the workbench, crafted 46 units of fence, and began installing them according to his earlier plan.
Before long, simple fences made of natural wood completely surrounded the cabin. He had thoughtfully left a "gate" at the front entrance, although it was more symbolic than practical. After all, the fence was only one meter tall, and Qiyu could easily step over it.
Looking at the long list of durability values, each reading 100/100, Qiyu felt thoroughly reassured.
The farmland was situated to the right of the main entrance.
Judging by the time, the Radiant Sunflowers should have ripened by now.
Qiyu walked over, arriving just as the sunflowers reached maturity.
A blinding light suddenly flooded his vision.
For a split second, Qiyu felt as though his eyes were about to be blinded.
He hurriedly squeezed them shut, then cautiously opened them a crack to peek ahead. Only after his eyes had adjusted did he dare open them fully.
Where had the flowers gone?
All he could see were dazzling "little suns" perched atop the tall green plants.
Qiyu immediately understood why they were called Radiant Sunflowers.
They literally emitted light.
Above each flower floated the words 【Ripe, Ready to Pick】.
Qiyu decided to harvest them.
The moment he plucked each "little sun," the man-sized plant beneath it instantly withered, then vanished into a flash of white light before his eyes.
Having grown accustomed to such unscientific phenomena, Qiyu could only think: It's a survival game. Whatever you say goes.
He harvested 49 flowers, deliberately leaving one sunflower untouched.
According to the survival game's description, the flowers would remain fresh for 15 days after being picked.
But what if he didn't pick them?
What would happen then?
On the now-empty plot of land, he sowed the gale grass seeds.
To his surprise, the countdown to maturity for the gale grass showed 48 hours.
Qiyu was puzzled.
Was it because these seeds had dropped from a mutated creature? Or were plant seeds, like other supplies, also divided into different tiers?
No sooner had he planted the gale grass than a water shortage icon appeared.
Qiyu noticed that these seeds seemed to require even more water than the sunflowers. He had to cast Waterball three times in succession before they were finally satisfied.
After taking care of these little fellows, Qiyu began setting traps.
He made his way around the fence, placing a ground spike trap at one-meter intervals.
There.
The shelter protected him, the fence protected the shelter, and another ring of spikes outside the fence protected the fence itself.
Qiyu finally felt a sense of security.
With so many layers of protection in place, even after the newbie period ended, he should at least be able to defend himself to some extent.