634 Purple Scale Fruits, 14 pieces of Flint, 15 Starbeam Pomelos, 78 logs of Wood, 16 pieces of Stone, 265 grams of Wood Ear, 560 grams of Mushrooms, 42 Shepherd's Purse, 18 Bamboo Shoots, and 9 fruits called Honey Fruits.
This was everything he currently had. Oh, right, he also had the bread and bottled water from the Starter Pack.
Items like Wood Ear and Mushrooms were stored in the Backpack by weight, not by number, since they varied in size. Unlike the uniformly sized Purple Scale Fruits and Starbeam Pomelos.
What puzzled Chen Shu was why Wood Ear wasn't categorized under Mushrooms, as it was a type of fungus.
The only explanation was that "Mushrooms" wasn't a general term but referred to the most common type of fungi. This particular Mushroom looked unusual, something he hadn't seen before, possibly a unique local variety.
He found the Bamboo Shoots to the east of the Treehouse, in a small bamboo grove. It wasn't large, and after searching, he only found 18, which he uprooted.
He knew many Bamboo Shoots grew underground, covered by soil and fallen leaves, so the actual number was more than that.
However, he couldn't afford to spend time on this now; he'd come back to it later when he had more time.
As for the Honey Fruits, he found them near the bamboo grove. They grew on trees much shorter than those of the Starbeam Pomelo, low enough to be picked with a jump.
[Honey Fruit: Juicy and sweet without being cloying, the peel can be used in cooking.]
The Honey Fruit had a golden-yellow exterior, about the size of an apple, but looked incredibly tempting.
Chen Shu had eaten one earlier, and it was so juicy it felt like it was gushing from a faucet.
These were all his morning's gains. He still hadn't found the Treasure Chest he longed for, but the haul was substantial.
However, some items weren't immediately edible, like Wood Ear, which needed to be soaked and fully cooked.
The same went for Mushrooms, Shepherd's Purse, and Bamboo Shoots. So, the only things he could eat were the Purple Scale Fruits, Starbeam Pomelos, and Honey Fruits.
Fortunately, he had plenty, enough to trade for other food at the Exchange.
As for the Stones, he hadn't collected much. First, because gathering them was physically taxing, and second, because there wasn't much use for them at the moment. Third, resources like Stone and Wood, which could be gathered with brute force, were likely abundant. He could just trade some food for them later.
With that in mind, he opened the Chat Channel.
It was noon, the sun was blazing, and even he found it hard to bear after such intense work. Yet, the Chat Channel was buzzing with activity.
Since he had previously stayed on Channel 666666, it opened to that channel again, and the number of people had noticeably increased.
Perhaps people realized the earlier channels were too crowded to get a word in, and 666666 was considered a lucky number.
"I've been chopping trees all morning, I'm exhausted, and only managed to get over seven hundred logs."
"What? How many? You chopped over seven hundred logs in one morning?"
"Wow, why did I only manage to get eighty logs after working all morning?"
"Does anyone have extra food? I'll trade wood for it."
"Where's the food? It's all wild fruits. I searched for ages and only found a little over a hundred."
"That many! Trade some with me."
"What's so much? I can eat a dozen in one bite, not even enough to fill my teeth."
"Wow, you have a big mouth."
"I found a river and caught some small fish and shrimp to eat."
This person even used the Photo Function to upload a picture of himself sitting by a fire, roasting fish and shrimp.
Chen Shu was taken aback. This person was progressing so quickly? Not only eating river food but also having a fire ready.
Though the fish and shrimp didn't look big, they were still meat.
His current food stock was all vegetables and fruits, not as substantial as meat.
Thinking of this, he started to crave the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the river.
The resources around him were plentiful, and the protein in the stream was abundant, but the key was how to catch them.
While he was lost in thought, many people expressed their envy and amazement.
"Wow, how are you already eating, and it's hot too? What's going on?"
"Where did you get the fire? How do you have skewers? How did you catch them?"
"Damn, comparing people is infuriating. I thought eating fruit was good enough, but someone's already eating meat."
"Ah, it's simple. First, find a river, then strip and jump in. I love swimming. As for the fire, I made it myself, using the fire-starting technique. It took a lot of effort."
He then uploaded another photo of the cooked skewers.
At this moment, a skewer of roasted fish and shrimp was incredibly tempting. Chen Shu imagined the others salivating as they read the chat.
Not to mention them, even he, with so much food, felt a bit envious seeing those skewers.
Just then, someone raised a question.
"Wait, where did you light the fire? In the Treehouse?"
"Aren't you afraid of setting the Treehouse on fire without a Fireplace?"
"No worries, I've tested it. The fire only burns the wood part inside the Treehouse, not the Treehouse itself."
"Is there really such a good thing?"
"I'm starving; I've only had those two pieces of bread since morning."
"..."
Chen Shu realized from their conversation that if this was the case, there was no rush to make a Fireplace.
As for lighting a fire, he'd do it at night. It was too hot during the day to light a fire inside the Treehouse; it would be torture. He'd make do with some fruit for lunch.
He didn't idle, though. He took the time to check out the Exchange, and there were indeed many items available.
From clothes to bread, to various foods, everything was there. Wood and Stone were especially abundant, taking up a large portion of the listings.
He wanted to see if there was anything he needed. There was no rush to trade Wood and Stone; there would be more by evening, and prices might drop a bit.
[1 piece of bread for 30 logs of Wood]
[Half a bottle of mineral water for 10 logs of Wood]
[10 Purple Scale Fruits for 40 pieces of Stone]
[Used stockings for 1 piece of bread]
[Chewed gum for 10 logs of Wood]
...
There were many items, and some absurd trades, even chewed gum.
From the trade quantities, it seemed Purple Scale Fruits were a common berry, with many people selling them, though not in large quantities.
Additionally, Stone was generally valued less than Wood, which made sense. Stone didn't need to be quarried, it was everywhere, just needed to be picked up. But Wood required tree-cutting, which was labor-intensive.
However, the half bottle of mineral water caught Chen Shu's attention, and he traded for it without hesitation.
What he valued wasn't the water but the bottle.
Initially, everyone cherished water, and each person's Starter Pack only had one bottle. Later, they discovered a fixed water source in the Treehouse, making water less critical, prompting some to trade it for other items.
This worked out for Chen Shu. Even with plenty of water, you needed containers to carry it.
With more water, he could travel further when he went out.