Thanks to the large trees cleared while tidying up the courtyard yesterday, there's plenty of wood and pine planks, so there's no need to rush to the forest to chop down more trees to complete tasks.
After much consideration, he finally dragged and placed the well from the new buildings in the store, situating it in the corner near the field and not far from the thatched cottage, ensuring convenient access to water without obstruction.
Consuming a large amount of wood, pine planks, stones, and dried grass and fibers from harvesting wild grass, he heard a series of clanging sounds. Jiang Yuan watched as the selected spot seemed to have invisible hands casting magic, digging into the ground and laying neatly stacked stones layer by layer. In just two minutes, a simple and rustic styled well was constructed at the chosen location.
The stone well rim was about half a meter high with a diameter of approximately one meter, and the clear water inside gently rippled, its depth unknown.
Above the well, apart from a brand-new wooden winch and a rope holding a wooden bucket, there was a simple triangular wooden roof providing some protection against dust and rain.
[Level 0 Well: Normal water quality, safe for direct consumption, usable for cooking and irrigation with no extra benefits. Water quality improves upon upgrading.]
Though the system's product appeared a bit rudimentary, its facilities were complete and, when upgraded, could provide extra benefits. Could it make the food taste better or enhance the yield from the fields?
Could it be... Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up, recalling stories in online novels where people carried around springs with them. Usually, such enhanced water not only tasted great but could also detoxify, making skin fair and smooth, eliminating acne and filling in scars, making one more handsome, preserving youth and improving health!
Some even cultivated and extended their longevity by drinking spring water, eventually becoming immortals!
With hopes and dreams for the future, Jiang Yuan drew half a bucket of water from the well and gulped down several mouthfuls.
After a morning of exhausting land clearing, both drinking and heat were intense. However, based on survival knowledge from wilderness survival shows, he was always cautious of parasites in river water and never dared drink it. Now, with the availability of directly drinkable well water, there was no need to exit the game to drink water in real life.
"Truly sweet!" Whether it was because he was too thirsty or due to psychological effects, the cool and sweet well water tasted better than the purified water he usually drank, prompting him to sincerely exclaim with praise!
The exact feeling was beyond description, but the smooth and sweet water seemed to permeate his cells from the moment it entered his mouth and quickly relieved his dry mouth, making him feel extremely comfortable, bringing to mind those high-quality water images from advertisements.
Sure enough, even at Level 0, it's already so tasty; once upgraded, could it evolve into a Spiritual Spring?
[Task 5: Build a bamboo fence and install a wooden gate for basic home protection. Reward: Gold Coins X5000]
Thanks to uninterrupted diligent effort, the clean and flat courtyard now has the rudiments of a home.
A neatly squared field, a brand-new well, and a simple thatched hut that can shield from wind and rain — overall, it allows for the maintenance of basic daily life without stepping outside.
Therefore, he speculated that building a fence and a gate to enclose the courtyard should complete the main quest of constructing a Level One home.
However, a bamboo fence requires a lot of bamboo, and constructing the well has almost depleted the wood stock. It's already noon now, with about six hours left before the wilderness descends.
If he hurries, he should be able to complete the first main quest and build a basic Safe House before dark.
And by then, the north cliff face, termed a "natural courtyard wall," should fall within the home's safe perimeter, making it safer to find the Teleportation Array then.
Time is money. Jiang Yuan exited the game to eat a few buns he brought back for breakfast to replenish his Physical Strength. After glancing at the time on his phone, he didn't even think of browsing his usual favorite short videos and eagerly re-entered the Wilderness game, axe in hand, heading straight to the bamboo grove he passed by in the morning.
As he walked through the courtyard following the path displayed on the map, passing through wild grass taller than a person, Jiang Yuan noticed the ground under his straw sandals didn't feel like usual dirt. He bent down and scraped off the thick mud, discovering that the road was paved with green stone slabs, nearly five meters wide. It seemed that, before being overgrown by wild grass and trees, a spacious and grand road once existed here.
"Isn't it a bit too modest to call it an Immortal Cave Mansion? Could it have been built during the time the diary writer lived here? Who was that person and where did they go afterward?" Remembering the contents of the parchment, his curiosity about the side storyline was piqued.
Quickening his pace towards the bamboo grove, he thought the sooner he completed the task, the sooner he could find the Teleportation Array. If he could use it, perhaps he'd be able to leave the Deserted Island to explore other New Continents!
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
Small birds chirped in the bamboo tips, and the breeze swayed the bamboo leaves with a gentle rustle. The serene midday spring sunlight filtered through the bamboo tips, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The fresh air and quiet environment uplifted his spirits.
Jiang Yuan glanced at the time, realizing it took nearly twenty minutes to walk from the courtyard to the bamboo grove.
"It would be great to have a means of transportation, also clearing away the wild grass and trees on the path would make going out more convenient and reduce the safety risk of poisonous snakes hiding in the tall grass..." he planned in his mind while swinging his lowest-level axe to chop the bamboo.
A bamboo as thick as an arm fell quickly under his full-force attack, automatically collected into the Storage Bag.
In the next moment, he noticed a patch of bright yellow color in the brush swept aside by the bamboo tips, "Huh? Chicken of the Woods mushrooms?!"
Just talked about eating mushrooms yesterday, and today he found Chicken of the Woods in the bamboo grove, promising a great dinner tonight.
The Wilderness game really is a treasure trove, offering surprises from time to time!
[Chicken of the Woods: Edible mushroom, delicious and fruity-scented, with medicinal value. Can be found in the wild during spring and summer.]
As he picked up the large, bright yellow, trumpet-shaped, high-quality mushrooms, the system provided corresponding prompts.
"Struck it rich!" He gathered about fourteen or fifteen well-formed Chicken of the Woods mushrooms growing in this large clump, carefully burying the hole afterwards to avoid damaging the mycelium. In time, more mushrooms could grow.
Chicken of the Woods, whether stir-fried or made into soup, is a rare treat. A few days ago, he'd seen some at the market and wanted to buy them to try, but the steep price of nearly forty per kilo deterred him.
He had thought of treating himself once his salary came in, but then the company suddenly went bankrupt, and his boss disappeared. Naturally, the plan to eat mushrooms fell apart as well.
"Wild forests during spring and summer have mushrooms to pick, but I don't seem to have much time to waste." He planned while chopping bamboo, wondering if the villagers in Riverfront Village might gather mushrooms for sale? Could he consider hiring people or directly reselling them?
Jiang Yuan felt a bit lacking in confidence, as he'd never done business before. How to discuss wages? How to discuss resale prices? Once he took them out, would he manage to open a market and sell smoothly? These were all questions he needed to consider.
He didn't know what had become of Riverfront Village, could the villagers have successfully found their scattered family members? How long would it take for them to make the village safe again? With the wilderness descending again tonight, would they once more attract the attention of monsters?
As his thoughts wandered, Jiang Yuan kept chopping enough bamboo and went to chop trees in the forest.
[Porcini: Edible mushroom, delicious, sweet, and nutritious. Can be found in the wild during spring and summer.]
[Matsutake: Edible mushroom...]
......
Eager to return to the courtyard and pick cherries in the forest in the morning, he only glanced at the scenery. But now, as Jiang Yuan ventured slightly deeper, he discovered various kinds of wild mushrooms. Carefully gathering them while checking system prompts to avoid picking poisonous ones, he excitedly planned how to cook the mushrooms back home and strategized on how to sell the remainder!