As soon as midnight struck, Yun Luohe immediately switched the Trash Can's mode to activate the Trash-to-Treasure skill.She tossed in the worn, damaged Island Access Token she had saved for this moment.[Damaged Island Access Token successfully recycled. Acquired: Spring Islands Overview Map.]She had originally hoped to obtain a restored, functional Access Token, but clearly, that was wishful thinking.Still, the map seemed to have its own uses.Yun Luohe examined it carefully.[Spring Islands:]Limited Main Islands (50% Access Rate): Resource-rich, moderate danger level — Swamp Island, Rainforest IslandLimited Resource Islands (32% Access Rate): Resource-specialized, low danger level — Butterfly Island, Reed Island, Croaking Island, Clay Island, Misty Island, Dawn Island, Flower-Bird Island, Bamboo Forest IslandFour-Season Islands (15% Access Rate): Diverse resources, hidden opportunities, high danger level — Spider Island, Bat Island, Volcano Island, Mechanical IslandUnknown Deserted Islands (3% Access Rate): Scarce resources, but potential to find hidden blueprints.The map not only introduced all the islands but also categorized them by size.The Main Islands were the largest, followed by the Four-Season Islands, then the Resource Islands, and lastly, the Deserted Islands, which were pitifully small.So far, Yun Luohe had set foot on three types of islands—everything except a Deserted Island.Yun Luohe thought to herself, Looks like my luck isn't as bad as I imagined.What she did not know was that, at this stage, very few players in Zone 2 had even managed to obtain an Island Access Token. It was still considered the early accumulation phase, and the system generally prevented players from landing on Deserted Islands for now.Regardless, with the Spring Islands Overview Map combined with her Main Island Atlas: Spring Edition, she now possessed what amounted to a complete Spring Islands guide set.This information could fetch a solid price if packaged together.And there was no need to sell the full set at once. She could split the data and sell portions to many different players.She would need to carefully consider the most profitable approach.Yun Luohe lacked experience with this type of trade, so she contacted Mu Zitang for advice.Additionally, she intended to share select portions of this data with five chosen players from the Mutual Aid Association. These five were her key development targets moving forward.Of course, Mu Zitang was among her top priority contacts, even ahead of those five.She briefly described the Spring Islands data she possessed and proposed exchanging the intel for valuable materials.Mu Zitang quickly came up with a plan.“Sister Yun, you can do this: our Association should set up a trading organization—something that handles intel, answers questions. Think of it like those secret information guilds from martial arts novels, like a 'Tianji Pavilion'… you get it? Basically, intelligence dealers.”Yun Luohe: “…Keep talking.”“We collect player questions, sell answers, and price the information based on difficulty. For example, if someone lands on Rainforest Island and confirms it, they can buy intel from us specifically about that island.”“We could sell single pieces of intel—like resource coordinates, dangers present—or offer bundled island data packages. Individual intel would be cheaper, but bundles can command higher prices. Or we draft agreements to claim 5% of their total resource profits in exchange for intel, and restrict them from reselling our info for five days. The system would monitor for violations, and there would be penalties for breaking the contract.”Yun Luohe: “Sounds pretty solid.”She had to admit, Mu Zitang thought things through well—and quickly at that.Mu Zitang grew increasingly enthusiastic:“And we can buy intel too! There are eight Resource Islands. Anyone who lands on one can trade that info to us for materials or other island data. Eventually, we’ll control the most comprehensive database, and players will have no choice but to come to us. Once we're strong enough, we can establish ourselves as the top intel authority! The Non-Chosen Association might even crush the European Luck Association and become the number one guild!”Though officially named the Mutual Aid Association, they often joked in their chat group, calling themselves the Non-Chosen Association, and the nickname had stuck.Mu Zitang spoke with such fiery passion, it was as if he could already see that future.Yun Luohe nodded slowly. “Alright then, organize it. Keep it small at first—ten people tops. We'll use your idea and call them 'Tianji Pavilion Members.’”“Let me advertise in the chat and see if anyone bites.”When it came to self-promotion, Mu Zitang was a master.Yun Luohe suddenly remembered something. “By the way, if anyone comes to you asking for intel on Swamp Island, demand they search for Black Sludge and hand over half as payment.”Mu Zitang immediately understood that Black Sludge must be crucial for Yun Luohe.“Got it, leave it to me.”That would save her from personally handling inquiries.After all, information trades often faced skepticism regarding authenticity. Drafting contracts took time, and reading through all those clauses was tedious.Earlier, both Yang Mian and Qin Sisi had already paid deposits—each bought one set of Crocodile Leather Armor. There were still two Spider Silk Armors left.Even with friends, Yun Luohe processed the transactions through the Trade Center, securing the deposits and protecting both sides.But she had already finalized the resource trades:Yang Mian offered: [Parchment Fragments ×2, Black Metal Fragments ×3, Refined Steel ×2, Iron Ore ×15, Resin ×10]Qin Sisi provided: [Chicken Coop Blueprint ×1, Refined Steel ×2, Iron Ore ×50, Spider Silk ×50]It was a friendship price, really.Selling at auction could have earned her much more, but Yun Luohe intended to build good relations with them. That way, she could turn to them for assistance or resources when needed.To stay on schedule, Yun Luohe crafted the Crocodile Leather Armor first, followed by the Spider Silk Armor, working nonstop until 2 a.m. before finally turning in for the night.She slept soundly.Upon waking, Yun Luohe found her room completely transformed.She sprang off the bed in one swift motion.System notifications were muted while she slept, a rather humane feature.Now awake, she quickly checked her alerts:[Reef Upgrade Successful.][Congratulations! You are among the first 10 players in Zone 2 to upgrade your Reef to Level 5. Current Rank: 6th.][Rewards: Iron Ore ×100, Refined Steel ×10, Obsidian ×1, Designated Island Access Token ×1, Random Skill Book ×1, Basic Pet Contract ×1, Space Stone Blueprint ×1][Reef Status: Level 5]Area: 800 square metersRating: 98 pointsNext Upgrade Requirements: Sea Stones ×5000, Wood ×10000, Iron Ore ×1000, Glass ×1000, Sand ×1000, Lime ×1000, Clay ×1000, Redwood ×100, Iron Birch ×100, Reef Rating must reach 120.The top-ten rewards were incredible. With these resources, Yun Luohe’s strength would see significant improvement in a short time.She wondered who the five players ranked ahead of her were.Yun Luohe clenched her fists. Next target—the top three!She examined the materials she had received:[Designated Island Access Token: Input the desired island’s name to immediately travel there.][Random Skill Book: Grants the player a random skill they have not yet mastered.][Pet Contract: Allows the player to bond with plant or animal pets. After bonding, pets can enter upgrade mode, learn special skills, and grow significantly stronger.][Note: Basic Contracts can only bond with low-tier pets and have a 30% success rate. Advanced Contracts bond with high-tier pets with a 70% success rate.][Reminder: Forming a contract requires building a deep bond with the pet first. Using a contract enables mind-link communication, allowing the pet to grow alongside the player. The deeper the bond, the higher the contract success rate.]Before she could finish reviewing her items, the Pet Contract floated into the air.[Notice: Contract-eligible creature detected. Would you like to initiate the contract?]Yun Luohe paused, glancing toward Ròubāo, sprawled across the couch, sound asleep.Its chubby belly jiggled softly with every breath, layers of fat rippling gently. Clearly, she had been feeding it too well lately. With no sea monsters showing up, it had barely moved at all.Sensing her gaze, Ròubāo opened its eyes, meowed twice, as if asking if it was mealtime.It noticed the house had changed, but simply rolled over and drifted back to sleep.[Bond detected: 60 points. Current Contract success rate: 55%. Would you like to proceed?]Yun Luohe hesitated. She walked over and gently stroked its head.“Ròubāo, would you like to bond with me? If we succeed, I’ll be able to understand you better, make your favorite food, and you’ll grow even stronger.”Ròubāo lazily opened its eyes, meowed twice, then lifted its paw and placed it on Yun Luohe’s hand.“You agree?” Yun Luohe’s eyes lit up. “Shall we do the contract now?”A 55% success rate was not particularly high.After some thought, she retrieved two pieces of grilled fish from her backpack and offered them to Ròubāo.The cat perked up instantly, grabbing the fish and devouring it enthusiastically.[Bond increased by 5 points. Success rate now 60%.]Yun Luohe tried feeding more food, but the bond did not increase further.She considered it for a moment. Might as well try now.After all, this was only a Basic Contract—the success rate would not exceed 70% no matter what.The Contract transformed into a beam of white light, shooting toward the feasting Ròubāo.A brief moment passed…Yun Luohe saw the contract success notification pop up.Ròubāo… seemed different now.Its eyes were noticeably brighter, filled with intelligence, and its body no longer looked so chubby.When Yun Luohe opened her character profile, her expression shifted instantly.What… how did my Luck increase so much!?Her profile had undergone significant changes—not only her attributes but also a new Pet tab had been added.[Name: Yun Luohe][Gender: Female][Age: 26][Zone: 2][Health: 100][Stamina: 100][Strength: 79 (Upgradeable)][Agility: 71 (Upgradeable)][Luck: 25 (Upgradeable)][Trait: Perception +11][Skills: Cooking Lv2, Gathering Lv2, Basic Archery][Pet: Leopard Cat Lv1][Leopard Cat][Name: Ròubāo][Appearance: Adult Leopard Cat, large body frame, muscular build, weighing approximately 30-40kg.][Personality: Gluttonous, Lively][Combat Ability: High base combat strength, can be further enhanced through leveling.][Basic Skill: Swift Assault (Lv1)][Effect: The Leopard Cat rapidly closes the distance to the enemy, delivering a powerful strike.][Upgraded Effects: Attack speed increased by 20%, damage increased by 10%.]She still had no idea how to level Ròubāo up…But from now on, it was officially one of her trusted companions.The final reward, and a particularly valuable one, was the Space Stone Blueprint.[Space Stone: High-grade resource used to expand backpack capacity. First use adds +5 slots, second use adds +10 slots, third use adds +15 slots. (Maximum three uses per player.)][Materials Required: Crystal ×5]Only five Crystals were needed to synthesize a Space Stone.Unfortunately, she did not have enough Crystals yet.And even if she did, the expansion limit meant she could not endlessly increase her backpack size.Without delay, Yun Luohe pulled out the Random Skill Book she had just obtained and used it.The characters on the skill book cycled rapidly through several options among the six major skill categories.At last, it stopped on Beast Taming.[Beast Taming Skill Book: Unlocks the Beast Taming skill. Using this skill allows the player to train pets more efficiently, accelerating pet level-ups, teaching them new abilities, and enabling constant monitoring of pet status, satiety, and bond level.][Reaching Beast Taming Lv5 unlocks the Pet Trainer profession, enhancing pet combat abilities and overall assistance potential.]What luck!She had just bonded with Ròubāo, and now she acquired the Beast Taming skill.But how exactly was she supposed to level it? What counted as skill usage?Yun Luohe thought for a moment and reached out to stroke Ròubāo's head.She glanced at her experience bar—no change.Ròubāo: "Meow! What are you doing?"Yun Luohe's eyes widened. Ròubāo's voice had transformed into words she could fully understand.Turns out, after the contract, she could communicate with her pet freely.So this was the effect of the mind-link connection.Yun Luohe chuckled softly. "I was seeing if petting you would increase experience."Ròubāo: "Meow meow, you need to feed me! Eating is what increases it!"Yun Luohe could not help but laugh, but still half-skeptical, she handed over a piece of food.Ròubāo: "Meow! This doesn’t taste good, not my favorite."Even so, Yun Luohe noticed her experience bar increase by 1 point.But Ròubāo had eaten plenty already. She had fed it twice before the contract, and now its belly was round and bulging again.Ròubāo: "Meow~ I'm stuffed!"Yun Luohe patted its head. "Alright, time to move around. Go harvest some seaweed."Reluctantly, Ròubāo waddled out of the house.Meanwhile, Yun Luohe looked around her home.The house had transformed into a massive, roughly 200-square-meter stone building.The exterior walls were constructed from Sea Stones, the roof supported by wooden beams. All windows had wooden frames, and the sloped roof was covered in stone tiles, complete with a large chimney along the side.The interior featured warm wood tones, and the rooms were divided into a living room, kitchen, master bedroom, bathroom, storage room, and two separate workrooms.The living room alone spanned about 50 square meters, with a giant stone fireplace and wooden storage shelves. To the south, there was a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.The spacious kitchen contained a clay stove, an iron chimney, and wooden cabinets.The bedroom had an upgraded platform bed and a built-in wardrobe.The storage room was small but equipped with iron racks for organizing miscellaneous items.One workroom housed the Workbench and Heavy-Duty Sewing Machine, while the other contained the Forge.The bathroom was split between a wash area and the toilet. Last night, before bed, Yun Luohe had finished constructing the Biogas Toilet, but it had been too late to thoroughly study its use.The toilet itself had a connected biogas tank.The tank was a semi-buried cylindrical structure, 2 meters in diameter and 1.5 meters deep, with a sloped rainproof lid and a waste input opening.Several plastic pipes extended from the sides, connecting to the kitchen and vegetable garden.Daily Biogas Tank Output:Biogas ×5 units (1 unit = 1 hour of burn time)Organic Fertilizer ×3 portions (Increases crop yield by 30%)Starting today, she could use the biogas from the tank to fuel cooking.She also planned to install an additional pipeline to the workroom to see if she could connect the Furnace. That way, she could smelt materials using biogas instead of consuming wood or peat.Far more resource-efficient.She would also never have to worry about fertilizer for her vegetable garden again.But there was no way her personal bathroom visits alone, even combined with Ròubāo's, would produce enough biogas.She would have to find ways to toss more rotting materials into the tank. Once she raised chickens and other animals, this problem should resolve itself.Now this… this was what she called an ideal home.Yun Luohe loved it, completely satisfied.At the entrance, she noticed a glowing zone nearby. Walking over for a closer look, she realized this was a construction point for building a basement.But the materials required were steep:[Materials Required for Basement Expansion:]Coral ×100, Tempered Glass ×50, Iron Ore ×100, Temperature Regulator ×1Yun Luohe: “…”Better put that idea on hold for now.Stepping out of the stone house, Yun Luohe finally took in the sight before her.The reef had transformed into what looked like a small island. All the zones were now clearly divided, and the vegetable patch she had previously cultivated had become an official Planting Area, with an additional strip of arable land newly available.The area where she had planted trees was overgrown with weeds, littered with stones, but the saplings were sprouting from the soil, growing vigorously.The potatoes in the garden were ready for harvest. Yun Luohe quickly grabbed her hoe and set to work.Each dig yielded a small pile, one seed produced five to six baby potatoes.The Magnetic Ring auto-collected the potatoes—Potato ×10 added to inventory.Yun Luohe set aside two potatoes for personal use, with the rest saved as seed stock. She planned to mass-plant potatoes across the new land—wasting empty soil was unacceptable.—Time flew by. Over the next two days, Yun Luohe stayed busy on the reef—tending the crops, harvesting seaweed, working at the various crafting stations from dawn till dusk, balancing cooking and feeding Ròubāo.The oysters she had been raising multiplied rapidly. The eggs had already hatched into baby oysters, so Yun Luohe crafted several more Oyster Breeding Nets.Once the oyster population reached a certain scale, they naturally filtered seaweed spores from the water.100 oysters could reduce daily seaweed growth by 50%.If oyster numbers became excessive, seaweed would stop growing altogether. Thus, Yun Luohe made sure to remove at least 30 oysters from the nets each day.Every three days, the Oyster Breeding Nets also produced edible oyster meat, without reducing the oyster population—only generating oyster meat as a byproduct.Unexpectedly, the oyster meat was exceptionally plump and delicious, making it an excellent ingredient for Oyster Soup.Additionally, crushed oyster shells mixed with biogas tank byproducts enhanced fertilizer potency, enriching soil with calcium.Many players faced rampant seaweed overgrowth on their reefs, spending hours each day cutting it back. If seaweed survived more than three days, it mutated into Giant Seaweed.Reefs infested with Giant Seaweed attracted even more mutated sea creatures—sometimes even evolving into Seaweed Monsters, which damaged structures and crops.However, defeating a Seaweed Monster rewarded players with Advanced Seaweed Fertilizer, which boosted crop yields and accelerated growth.Since Yun Luohe always cleared her reef's seaweed on time, she never dealt with Seaweed Monsters. But seeing players in the chat channel boast about killing Seaweed Monsters and obtaining advanced fertilizer made her briefly consider leaving some seaweed untouched to test it herself.But after thinking it over, she decided against it. If seaweed could be composted, she might as well throw it directly into the biogas tank for fertilizer.The results were immediate and impressive!Although her reef's natural seaweed supply was limited, she could always purchase more from the Trade Center. Players everywhere were drowning in seaweed, and it was dirt cheap—one unit of Wood exchanged for several kilos of seaweed, one unit of Iron Ore for ten barrels of seaweed.Yun Luohe bought 1,000 barrels in one go, dumping five barrels into the biogas tank daily. Her previous fears of a biogas shortage vanished.She distributed 10 oysters and an Oyster Breeding Net to each member of the Mutual Aid Association, encouraging them to raise oysters themselves.This eco-friendly aquaculture approach resolved the seaweed crisis and provided players with a sustainable food source, strengthening the Association's unity.Every day, members enthusiastically contributed resources.Aside from the Tianji Pavilion intel group, Yun Luohe had also established a 5-player development team. Everyone recognized the Association's promising future and worked harder to gather materials, no longer resigning themselves to despair over low Luck stats.After all, plenty of low-Luck players were thriving.Mu Zitang constantly boosted morale in the group chat.His Tianji Pavilion intel team had also gained notoriety in the chat channels.The intel he sold was highly accurate, drawing even top-tier players to him for information.The intel team members focused on gathering data, while Mu Zitang primarily handled sales—most intel originated from Yun Luohe anyway, and any new information gathered by the team was both sold and reported to Yun Luohe for synchronization."Sister Yun, I’ve got news on Black Sludge. A player landed on Swamp Island and found it using the intel I provided."Yun Luohe received the message while making Seaweed Biscuits.Just yesterday, she had cooked up Oyster Tofu Soup, Braised Oysters, Grilled Oysters, Steamed Oysters, and Oyster Omelettes.Unlocking five distinct dishes from one ingredient granted her 10 experience points, fueling her motivation to experiment with new recipes and unlock more cooking achievements.She ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) discovered that combining seaweed powder with flour produced Seaweed Biscuits—a convenient, portable snack.Although each biscuit restored only a small amount of Stamina, they did not fill her up like other foods, which meant she could eat large quantities without getting full—unlike typical meals where one or two portions were enough to leave her stuffed.With these biscuits, she could easily down ten pieces at once.Each biscuit restored 1 Stamina, making them ideal for casual snacking—slowly munching thirty biscuits steadily replenished her Stamina.Plus, they were dirt cheap to make!Seaweed and flour produced Seaweed Biscuits.Yun Luohe intended to experiment with other ingredients to enhance the biscuits, aiming to increase the Stamina recovery per piece.Seeing Mu Zitang's message delighted her—after two days, finally, news of Black Sludge.If the system notifications were accurate, tomorrow’s disaster event would escalate.Yun Luohe: “When can we get the Black Sludge?”Mu Zitang: “Probably tonight, once he returns from the island. He bought the full intel package for Swamp Island, but I don’t know if he'll head to the Poison Mist Forest to find the Parasitic Vine.”Yun Luohe: “Who is it?”Mu Zitang: “Yang Mian.”So it was him.Yesterday, Yang Mian had purchased a lot of food from her.Buying the full package for a Main Island required handing over 5% of all island-gathered resources, plus a hefty stack of upgrade materials.The price was steep—most players only bought targeted intel.But the benefits of a full package were considerable, especially for high-level players.Knowing Yang Mian might attempt to challenge the Parasitic Vine, Yun Luohe was eager to see the outcome.She had originally planned to use her Designated Island Access Token to explore—there were many islands she wanted to visit.For example, other Four-Season Islands.Bat Island held the materials needed for Mu Zitang's weapon.Mechanical Island, with its mysterious name, also intrigued her.But after careful thought, Yun Luohe had decided to target Swamp Island, urgently needing Black Sludge. Plus, she was most familiar with Swamp Island, and with thorough preparation, she could secure significant resources.However, when she tried to use the Island Access Token, the system informed her that players could only land twice per week.Frustrated, she had no choice but to stay on the reef and focus on infrastructure. There was plenty to do.Yun Luohe considered messaging Yang Mian but realized any questions would expose her knowledge of his island activity.Then again, what did it matter if she revealed that?Yesterday, he had purchased so much food from her—it was obvious he was preparing to explore.So Yun Luohe sent him a message directly:"You're on an island now, right? Can you tell me which one? I want to collaborate on gathering resources."The intel Mu Zitang sold did not include complete information on the Parasitic Vine.Yun Luohe had intentionally held that detail back.

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