"Would you like to upgrade your backpack?"
"Yes!"
Without any hesitation, Chen Shu used the Backpack Upgrade Crystal.
This thing was a treasure; the sooner he used it, the sooner he could enjoy its benefits.
As the crystal dissolved into a stream of light in his hand, a crisp and pleasant notification sounded.
"Backpack upgrade successful! Backpack capacity increased by ten slots!"
Ten slots?
Not bad.
Chen Shu remained calm; this was within his expectations.
After all, it was something from a Level 2 Treasure Chest. Increasing by ten slots was already quite good, effectively doubling the space.
This meant he could carry more supplies, which was extremely useful in the early stages.
In his view, all those supplies he had found earlier couldn't compare to this Backpack Upgrade Crystal.
"Would you like to dismantle the Treasure Chest?"
The chest could be dismantled?!
Chen Shu was slightly surprised. He had been thinking of hauling it back to use as a storage cabinet. Since it could be repurposed, he decided to dismantle it!
"Obtained: Wood*12, Iron Nail*8, Copper Sheet*3."
Not bad.
Looking at the materials he got from dismantling, Chen Shu was quite satisfied.
Iron nails and copper sheets were definitely in high demand in the early stages; you never know when you might need them for making tools or building facilities.
Although the materials obtained weren't much, in this resource-scarce beginning, every bit was crucial.
After tidying everything up, Chen Shu's clothes were almost dry. He put them on and continued exploring.
The resources in the pond were abundant, enough to sustain him for sure, but time was tight now. He'd have to come back to "restock" later when he had more time.
With the sun still up, he wanted to explore more.
A river flowed eastward from the pond, and Chen Shu followed it.
It was still an endless forest, with Dragonspine Trees everywhere. Chen Shu found several that were even thicker than the one his treehouse was built on.
No use regretting now; he was already bound to it.
Besides, his current treehouse space was quite large and fully sufficient.
Following the river eastward, there were plenty of resources here too, even more than around his treehouse, but most were fruits.
From the current situation, this world seemed to have an abundance of fruits.
At least he wouldn't lack fruit to eat in the future.
Chen Shu didn't pick much, just marked the locations, but he did gather quite a few mushrooms along the way.
He remembered the warning about fierce beasts at night, and according to the prompt, it would be considered night after six. He had to return before then.
Three hours was plenty of time to get back to the treehouse, allowing him to stop and check out resources along the way.
At 5:26 PM, Chen Shu returned to the treehouse with half an hour to spare before nightfall.
For safety, he used some wood to make a door for the treehouse.
"Would you like to consume Wood*20 to create a facility?"
Confirm!
"Starting creation, remaining time: 60 seconds."
During this time, he took everything out of his backpack.
He used the Rattan Chair Blueprint, and the workbench immediately displayed the method and requirements for making a rattan chair.
Chen Shu glanced at it; the main material was vines, which he didn't have any of at the moment, so he set it aside for now.
A minute passed quickly, and a simple wooden door appeared at the entrance of the treehouse.
Though it looked a bit crude, it at least provided some basic protection.
Now he could sit down and quietly wait for night to fall.
Meanwhile, the World Channel was unusually active.
Even in Channel 666666 where Chen Shu was, people were constantly talking. Compared to other channels, it had fewer people.
Among them, he recognized some familiar faces, those who had spoken at noon. It seemed everyone had some free time now.
"I almost didn't make it back. I accidentally wandered too far and lost track of time. I ran all the way back, and I hadn't eaten much, so now I'm even hungrier."
"Didn't you find anything to eat all day?"
"I did, but it was just some wild fruits, not enough to fill me up."
"Do you have other supplies? You could trade for some food, but it might just be Purple Scale Fruit."
"Do you guys think there will really be fierce beasts at night?"
"Why don't you go out and check? If there are, let us know."
"Screw you, if there are, I wouldn't make it back!"
"Fierce beasts, not ferocious beasts, should be manageable... right?"
"I can't handle them; I can't even kill a chicken normally."
"..."
Chen Shu silently watched the screen, enjoying being a bystander.
But these people reminded him, before going out, he had put up 10 pieces of flint for sale, wondering if anyone had bought them.
Thinking about it, he opened the Exchange, instantly flooded with trade requests, the notifications reaching 99+!
"Wow! So many people fighting over flint?" Chen Shu was slightly surprised, then understood.
It made sense; with everyone from Earth here, there were bound to be many who adapted to the current environment and understood the importance of a fire source.
"20 pieces of wood for 1 piece of flint, okay?"
Wood? That stuff was everywhere; if he wanted to trade, there were plenty of people to do so with, and 20 pieces were too few. No deal.
"50 stones for 1 piece of flint?"
No deal, the value wasn't equivalent at all.
Chen Shu continued to look through the offers, finding most people wanted to trade wood or stone for flint, or common wild fruits like Purple Scale Fruit.
Some even wanted to get it for free, and more outrageously, someone sent a suggestive photo.
Trying to get something for nothing!
"Really, what do they take me for? Ahem..."
Chen Shu tactically cleared his throat, his finger uncontrollably enlarging the picture to admire it for three seconds.
Nice figure.
Continuing to browse, most offers were unremarkable, either basic materials or common wild fruits, making Chen Shu shake his head.
Honestly, he was a bit disappointed. He hadn't expected that after a day, these people still didn't have anything of value.
Little did he know, many people didn't know how to use their talents, or had no opportunity to do so, relying on basic tasks like gathering wood to obtain resources.
For example, the person with Fishing Mastery couldn't use their talent without a fishing rod, starting off behind others.
Chen Shu glanced at the time; it wasn't six yet, but close, with only five minutes left. He opened a chat window with someone named Wang Jin.
"I'll trade you this, see if it's okay."
"[Nutrient Soil]."
Nutrient Soil?
What's that?
Chen Shu opened the information to take a look.
"[Nutrient Soil: A soil rich in various minerals and organic matter, can significantly increase plant growth speed and yield, can be mixed with regular soil.]"
Just what he needed, since he had watermelon seeds. Perfect!
Trade!
Chen Shu immediately messaged Wang Jin, but the other didn't reply right away, so he continued browsing.
"More wood, is there nothing good?"
"..."
"Strawberry seeds? I'll take them, feels like I could become a fruit wholesaler in the future."
"Hot Pot Base! Even this is here! Trade!"
"Swing Blueprint? What's the use of this? Swing leisurely in my spare time? Oh well, I'll trade for it first."
After completing a few "big deals," his stock of flint was depleted.
Outside, the forest was completely engulfed in an impenetrable darkness, silent as the grave, with only the newly installed door of the treehouse offering a faint but solid sense of security against the unknown night.