Chapter 30: Planting Space

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Planting Space

Wang Peng replied quickly: [Not dead. Save some for your bro.]

Shi Zhile held out her hand: [Lava, thanks.]

On the Volcano Island, Wang Peng grimaced as he treated the wound on his leg. The island was scorching hot. The cut, a nasty scratch from a tree branch, had been soaked in seawater, and he was worried it would get infected. He opened his last box of anti-inflammatory medication and gave himself the injection.

Seeing the two words Shi Zhile sent, he heaved a deep sigh and started a group video call.

Soon, Shi Zhile, Jiang Yuxing, Chuyi, and Jiang Yu were all online.

He held out his hands. "Sis, look how miserable I am. Can’t you let me have a couple of bites first?"

On the other end of the call, Shi Zhile was sitting by a lake under a parasol. In front of her was a small table bearing a large watermelon. She looked as carefree as an immortal.

Her lips were a little pale. She pointed to her head. "Lost a bit too much blood. I’m about to die."

Wang Peng revealed the bloody bandage on his leg. "Same here."

Jiang Yu, who was fiddling with something off-screen, saw the two of them in a misery contest and showed them the arm hanging in a sling across his chest. "Busted."

Chuyi’s face filled with pity, and he started cooing terms of endearment, which so disgusted Wang Peng that he kicked him from the call.

A moment later, Chuyi was back online.

Shi Zhile split half a watermelon into four portions and sent them out, then got down to business.

"Do you have any seeds? The more the better."

Jiang Yuxing accepted his slice of watermelon and took a bite. "So, is this a bribe or a trade?"

"A bribe. So far, I’m the only one with a Planting Space. I haven’t found much soil, and seeds are pretty rare. I have to trade with someone, so it might as well be you. If you give me a good price now, I’ll give you a discount on fresh vegetables in the future."

Chuyi said with a smile, "So you’re just selling us a pipe dream?"

"It is a pipe dream. The only question is, are you buying?"

Wang Peng thought for a moment. "I’m in!"

The Volcano Island was too hot, and its ground was just cooled lava, completely unsuitable for planting.

He sent over a bag of corn seeds.

Wang Peng: "I only have this one bag of corn seeds. I don’t want anything else for it. Just give me some greens when they’re grown."

Shi Zhile accepted the corn seeds.

[Corn: Plantable corn seeds. Growth conditions are demanding, requiring ample sunlight. Growth cycle: 120 days.]

’The descriptions for other people’s items are so normal.’

She agreed and ended the call.

Soon after, Jiang Yu and Chuyi sent her friend requests. She accepted them and collected the vegetable seeds and chili seedlings they sent over.

’Winter is hot pot season.’ Shi Zhile planted the chili seedlings first, followed by the corn seeds.

The weakness and dizziness from blood loss were intense. A low Life Value made one susceptible to illness, and she had no medicine or food to increase it.

She thought of the Python Meat, built a fire right where she was, and began to roast a piece.

The unseasoned Python Meat had a strong, gamey smell. Forcing down her nausea, she took a bite. A notification popped up on her panel.

[Life Value +5. Current: 73/100]

Shi Zhile: ?

"View Python Meat description."

Every item came with a description when it first appeared, but Shi Zhile had set conditions to prevent the panel from popping up constantly during combat.

This also meant she had missed the descriptions for many of her supplies.

[Python Meat: Taken from the body of a giant python rich with vitality. Non-toxic and can be eaten directly. Consumption instantly restores 20 points of Life Value.

Note: Cooking or processing may affect the restorative properties.]

’So this is the so-called Healing Medicine?’

’What does ’can be eaten directly’ even mean? Am I supposed to eat it raw?’

She glanced at the cooked meat, suppressed a wave of revulsion, and took another bite. This time, her Life Value didn’t increase.

’Looks like one piece of Python Meat only restores Life Value once.’ ℯℯ𝘭.

She took out a raw piece of Python Meat, and the metallic smell of blood hit her before it was even close to her face.

"UGH! I can’t stomach it raw, but the effect is worse when it’s cooked. This game really doesn’t treat players like human beings."

Unable to take a single bite, she put it back in her storage.

Half of the 100 portions of Python Meat and 1,000 Python Scales belonged to Jiang Yuxing, so she sent them over to him.

[I’m keeping the Snake Gallbladder. I can compensate you with something else.]

After accepting the items, Jiang Yuxing replied: [Fine. I’ll take a coconut.]

Shi Zhile sent the coconut over without hesitation.

Her shelter’s Level was still too low. She checked the upgrade requirements, but the Mission Hall had no direct options for it.

In other words, the only way to upgrade the shelter was through the player’s own exploration.

She had a lot of stone and wood stored from the dungeon—so much that the system didn’t even bother with a number, simply listing the amount as ’Numerous’.

She walked over to the western fence, planning to build a simple washroom next to the house.

Since there were no direct missions in the Mission Hall, she chose to create the smallest possible simple stone-and-wood house, complete with a door and windows.

[Materials required for Stone-and-Wood House: Stone x80, Wood x100, Reeds x20. Create?]

"Yes!"

[Stone-and-Wood House successfully built. Area: 12 square meters. Current Level Two Builder progress: 4/5.]

Shi Zhile opened the door and took a deep breath. "If only it had a toilet and a bathtub."

’After being paralyzed for so many years, she hadn’t had a proper bath in a very long time.’

The words had barely left her mouth when a dazzling golden light swirled inside the room. A toilet and bathtub instantly materialized before her eyes.

Shi Zhile: "..."

’Oh, I see. So that’s how we’re playing, huh!’

"It would be great if my shelter was upgraded into a stone castle for free."

[...]

"Upgrade my raft to the maximum Level for free!"

[...]

"Multiply all my supplies by ten!"

[...]

The system went dead silent, not daring to make a peep.

A toilet was useless without a septic tank, and digging a septic tank required a shovel. Since she had neither, she would just have to make one.

[Materials required for Shovel: Iron Ingot x3, Wood x1. Build?]

"Yes!"

A moment later, a shovel appeared.

The shovel clattered onto the gravel, barely managing to scoop up two small stones.

’Digging this by hand would take forever.’ She opted to use the system’s modification function instead.

[Use Shovel to construct a septic tank for the toilet? This modification will consume 40 Physical Strength. Time required: 2 hours.]

After some rest, her Physical Strength had already recovered to 52.

"Begin!"

Her Physical Strength dropped, and the shovel vanished. The sound of construction was replaced by the scraping of a shovel against stone and dirt.

The afternoon arrived. The sun was still high in the sky, but the temperature had clearly dropped.

She opened her panel. Weather: Sunny. Temperature: 33°C.

The temperature was gradually dropping, but she had too few changes of clothes. Shi Zhile searched for "cloth" on her panel, and soon, all the private messages mentioning cloth were sorted to the top.

She opened the most recent message, from a player named "Foam."

[Foam: You’re in the top five! That’s amazing! Do you need any cloth or clothes? They’re all new, I promise they’ve never been used.]

[I’d like to trade for drinking water, if that’s okay?]

’This was the player who’d been the first to kill someone in the top ten. A player on the leaderboard is short on water?’

’I don’t believe it!’

[Let me see the cloth and clothes first. You’re short on water? Are you sure you want to trade for water?]

[Foam: Yes, my island is a desert. I’m really short on water. I also have seeds I can trade, but they’re just cactus seeds.]

Shi Zhile’s eyes lit up. ’A desert, huh? This person must be desperate for water.’

’I remember they have a Pharmacy Station.’

’I don’t know how to use that thing, but it’s extremely rare.’

[Want to trade for your Pharmacy Station?]