Chapter 11 Plant Seeds

Seeing that she looked quite pleasing to the eye, Xu Xin decided to give her a little tip: "You should try digging around the treehouse and place the soil on the identification table to see its grade. The soil here also has grades, but we can't see or tell its level ourselves."

"Is soil a resource too?" Li Wenxi sprang up from the bed, facing the screen head-on, then sat back down impatiently asking, "What have you discovered?"

Xu Xin explained to Li Wenxi the patterns he discovered about soil and plants. The more she listened, the more her expression became animated, and she started looking at him with admiration, seeing him as a pro.

"Xu Xin, no, I mean master, you're so strong, take me with you!" Li Wenxi gave him a salute.

Xu Xin looked at the little beauty playing serious as she saluted him and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You believe everything I say? Don't you want to verify it yourself?"

"Verify what?" Li Wenxi carelessly sat back on the bed, "I don't see any blue plants around me, and besides, you have no reason to lie to me, right?"

"I feel like you would still count money for someone who sold you." Xu Xin couldn't help but tease.

"How can you talk like that!" Just now he was the master, now he's this guy, Li Wenxi stared at him with wide apricot eyes, "Are you really tricking me?!"

"What good would it do me to trick you?" Xu Xin rolled his eyes at her, realizing she's just a naive girl, probably overly protected by a wealthy family, thinking everyone around is good. Fortunately, she's trading with Xu Xin, someone rich in resources with special abilities, who doesn't need to con others to survive, otherwise, she really might get conned.

"Hmm..."

"Alright, let's stop chatting, time to work." Xu Xin stood up, putting the stone pick down first. He now wanted to make an upgraded stone spade, since the tree was chopped down but the stump was still there, and it needed clearing.

And he remembered the stone spade has a chance to obtain seeds.

"I don't want to work, moved rocks all day yesterday, my whole body is sore." Li Wenxi pouted, getting hooked on the conversation.

For her, these past couple of days felt like being caught in a limbo where her future seemed foggy, and her life was out of her control, not knowing what to do besides mining. Now she found someone to chat with, and most importantly, it's a handsome guy! This made her not really want to close the video.

"Today's the last day of the newbie protection period, who knows what kind of monsters will come tomorrow, better haul back as much stone as you can today." Xu Xin immediately persuaded her, such a last day couldn't be wasted.

"Hmm...fine!" Though her limbs were aching, Xu Xin had a point, and after chatting for a while, the pressure accumulated over the past two days had mostly been released, now since there was something to do, she couldn't stop. As a girl who can stick to fitness, her self-control is stronger than most people.

"Then... let's exchange information again tonight." Li Wenxi said somewhat reluctantly.

"Alright, let's chat tonight," said Xu Xin, ending the video call.

He picked up a stone (blue) and directly made a stone spade.

[Improved Stone Spade (Green): Able to dig blue grade and below soil-type materials, with a 50% chance to obtain seeds of plants on the soil, durability 200]

The probability went from negligible to 50%, impressive!

Xu Xin took the stone axe and stone spade and came down from the treehouse to continue working.

The improved stone spade could shovel the stump out of the soil in one go.

[Obtained Common Soil (Green) *1, Wood (Green) *1, Aspen Seed *1]

The stump directly turned into a piece of wood, and he also got a seed!

Xu Xin dug out the seed from the soil.

[Aspen Seed: Can be planted in soil, takes only ten days to grow into a harvestable aspen tree.]

Speaking of which, aren't aspen seeds supposed to be catkins? Forget it, never mind that now.

Xu Xin examined the seed in his hand. Like the treehouse seed, it also had no level, and his identification ability couldn't see the seed's color. He pondered, perhaps the growth quality of the aspen tree depends solely on the richness of the soil.

The dug-up land became a pit, so Xu Xin filled it back in with soil and continued digging.

Before long, Xu Xin harvested over 20 aspen seeds and more than 40 pieces of wood. However, he didn't plant the seeds back in the original spot but transformed the area under the treehouse into a flat open space. After all, having to find a treeless spot to get onto the treehouse every time was a hassle, and later on, the open space could accommodate some facilities or low crops.

Xu Xin first placed the wood he collected upstairs, then spent half a day chopping trees in other areas and planted seeds in those empty spots left by the chopped trees, ensuring sustainable development!

Soon, the sun hung overhead, it was midday on the third day. Xu Xin looked at the first layer covered with wood and nodded in satisfaction.

Wiping away his sweat, he decided to have lunch first and explore some unvisited areas in the afternoon. The last half of the protection period must be fully utilized.

Before that, he wanted to take a bath in the lake because he couldn't stand the sticky feeling on his body any longer.

After bathing, he also washed his clothes. It was high summer, and the noonday sun was fierce, so he hung his clothes by the window, and they could dry within ten minutes.

Despite the dense banyan tree leaves outside the window, the sunlight could easily pierce through and fill the room, as if the leaves were transparent.

Eating some fruit, Xu Xin opened a pack of bread. Planning to explore in the afternoon, he needed to replenish his energy. As he ate, he checked the chat hall.

"Does anyone have water? I'm dying of thirst..."

"This cursed place has nothing but trees!"

"Isn't there a stream around? Why don't you take a walk?"

"How would I know where the stream is? If I wander too far, I won't even know where the treehouse is, can't get back home!"

"Why did I choose to plant my treehouse here in the first place!"

"Any pros by the stream, share some water, it's not like it's worth anything!"

While Xu Xin and Li Wenxi discussed blue-quality resources, a bunch of people couldn't even secure the most basic water resources.

But Xu Xin didn't plan on helping them; providing them water meant carrying it up, using containers. He didn't even want to do the first step of carrying it up; that would waste too much time, and he couldn't afford to waste the last half-day of the newbie protection period on such chores.

Containers could be made; there were wooden barrels, basins, and bowls in the crafting list, which didn't need a crafting table and could be made with white-grade wood. Once the newbie protection period was over, and if he made a backpack to freely carry water resources, maybe he could casually share some then. Now as to being a delivery man, no way, let those saints handle it, if he did, wouldn't he be stealing their thunder.

Water resources might seem scarce, but to survivors who have found water resources, their water is essentially inexhaustible, so water doesn't really exchange for good stuff, just white-quality items at best. Those who can't find water resources likely only have white-tier items, expending effort fetching water only to exchange it for white-tier items, only fools would do it.