Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: No Shortage of Iron Ore

Xu Xin was silent for a moment, then spoke: ”In any case, what we should be considering now is the next beast riot; it’s too early to think about these things at present.”

”Yes, actually, what I wanted to say is that if possible, try to lend others a hand without harming your own interests. Those who survive now might all become a source of strength in the future.”

”Then why didn’t you tell those survivors that gathering other materials would also count towards the resource ranking this time?”

”You’re talking about this time? Anyway, 50 people need to die; why help them? The best outcome is that the 50 dumbest ones die.”

Xu Xin somewhat liked Ji Chaoyang’s personality.

Although it seemed a bit unfeeling, he always made the choices most beneficial to the collective interest. Perhaps this is what a natural leader is like.

After exchanging some information, the two ended the video call.

From his conversation, Xu Xin learned that the survivors ranked second to tenth also received a watch, but theirs were not as functional as Xu Xin’s. They could only communicate, make calls and video calls, and check information, but couldn’t craft or even trade resources through the watch.

After all, Xu Xin’s watch was of purple level, while theirs were blue. However, even the blue-level watches were quite convenient; once an organization was established, all members within it could communicate anytime, anywhere.

He left the organizational matters to him to handle. Xu Xin could help by asking Li Wenxi.

Checking his private messages, Xu Xin felt overwhelmed. There were thousands of messages, most of which were useless pleas for help and resources, some even resorting to moral blackmail. Some were even trying to initiate voice or video calls with him.

He hurriedly set his watch to only allow voice or video calls from Li Wenxi and Ji Chaoyang.

From the pile of private messages, he found Li Wenxi. She still had not replied to the iron ore trade matter Xu Xin sent her before.

Keke was still curled up on the bed, taking a nap.

Xu Xin leisurely sat by the grill, threw wood into the fireplace, and enjoyed a hearty dinner of bear meat with lotus root.

”Let’s plant those two types of trees,” Xu Xin decided to do something after he was full and satisfied.

He took fertilizer and two bags of seeds and went down from the treehouse to the plot of land he had tilled before.

The seeds in the bag were numerous. Xu Xin wasn’t sure exactly how many, just like nobody knows how many seeds are in a bag of sunflower seeds.

Anyway, there were enough.

”Let’s first test the effect of the fertilizer.” Xu Xin buried a birch seed in the soil, and a few seconds later, a small sprout slowly emerged from the ground. This was the normal growth speed of the seed, which could become a large tree in ten days.

He looked at the fertilizer in his hand.

[Natural Organic Fertilizer (Green): Can transform barren soil (White) into normal soil (Green), and when sprinkled on normal soil (Green), it accelerates plant growth. Remaining: 50 portions.]

This bag of fertilizer only had 50 portions. Xu Xin carefully sprinkled it over the small seedling.

[Fertilization successful, birch tree growth time reduced to 10 hours.]

Reduced by so much?!

Xu Xin was quite surprised. He thought that cutting the time in half would already be a great gain, but it reduced from ten days to ten hours.

It was not yet seven in the evening, which meant he could harvest the new materials by tomorrow morning.

”This fertilizer is really something good; I wonder if anyone is selling it.” Xu Xin immediately opened his watch and began to search for information on the trade platform.

Unfortunately, no one was selling fertilizer at the moment, though a bunch of people were trading green resources for the wolf meat he had put on the shelf earlier. Xu Xin chose some stone and a few stray green iron ores to complete the transactions.

”The automatic weapons for the treehouse require staple wood, and the defense facilities require logs, so let’s do half and half.” Xu Xin planted thirty birch trees and thirty pine trees on the empty lot and sprinkled fertilizer on them.

Including the one before, Xu Xin sprinkled fertilizer on ten birch trees and ten pine trees, using twenty portions.

”According to poplar trees, each tree should yield five staple wood or logs, so with ten trees each, that’s fifty new materials, enough for my needs. Better to use fertilizer sparingly for now.”

He then made simple wooden fences around the saplings, nodded satisfactorily at his labor results.

Suddenly, Xu Xin’s watch vibrated. He looked down; it was a video from Li Wenxi.

”Wow! Xu Xin, you really are a big shot! You’re actually first in the entire region! First place! Even better than that Ji Chaoyang!” On the small screen projected by the watch, Li Wenxi was dusty and short-haired, with a bit of dust in her hair. She was incredibly excited.

As expected, Xu Xin didn’t find it surprising she called immediately after seeing the rankings.

”Aren’t you fourth as well? I didn’t expect you to be so strong too.” Xu Xin replied with a smile.

”Oh, it’s just because... I got lucky!” Li Wenxi touched her head sheepishly, ”Not like you big shots who can even find golden treasure chests.”

”You just got back?”

”Yeah, I got excited after finding a silver treasure box and continued searching for a golden one. I didn’t find any until the event ended, just made it back.” Li Wenxi’s pretty face was filled with excitement, ”I came back and saw I’m fourth! You’re first! That’s so strong!”

”Haha, congratulations! By the way, do you still have lots of iron blocks on your side?”

”Of course, I have plenty. I don’t have much timber or plants on my side, but there are plenty of minerals. Let me tell you, I found two more mines during this event exploration, and there are no beasts in them!” The cute girl stood with hands on hips, head held high, with a face expecting praise.

”Awesome! Awesome!” Xu Xin was sincerely envious; this cute girl truly had a mine at home, especially now when iron armor and weapon crafting were open, and iron ore was scarce. The mines’ strategic value was extremely high.

”Hehe, how much iron ore do you need? I can give you some!”

Xu Xin remembered Ji Chaoyang’s organization and told Li Wenxi about the earlier matters.

”Joining an organization of all big shots? Of course, I’ll join if you’re in it. Why wouldn’t I!” Li Wenxi was easily convinced, ”By the way, you said you and that Ji Chaoyang already can make iron weapons and armor?”

”That’s right.”

”Hmm... How about I provide materials for two sets of iron armor, and instead of trading resources, you make a set for me too?” Li Wenxi asked tentatively.

”You?” Xu Xin sized her up, ”Are you sure you can move wearing iron armor?”

”Come on, I’m really strong, alright!” Li Wenxi made a muscle-showing gesture, and although her muscles weren’t visible, her fitness brought a sense of strength and beauty, ”Plus, my body has been strengthened once by the contract.”

”Alright, but don’t blame me if you can’t wear it.”

”I won’t, I won’t. If they don’t fit, I can sell them to others in the organization you mentioned anyway. I have lots of iron, not short on mines!”

Wow, Li Wenxi directly solved the troubling iron ore source problem.

After hanging up the video call, as soon as Xu Xin returned to the treehouse, Li Wenxi initiated a trade with him. To his surprise, he received not iron ores, but already smelted iron blocks (Green), even generously giving him eight iron blocks (Blue).

Eight blue resource blocks? That’s quite extravagant. No wonder only one person among those who got silver treasure boxes ranked higher than her.

She also sent a message: ”I gave you the iron blocks directly. My room is too small to hold all the iron ores; the furnace hasn’t stopped, so lots of iron blocks! One set of iron armor is a four-piece suit. You four pieces, I four pieces, eight pieces in total! The four blue iron blocks are to repay you for the two oranges. You really helped me a lot!”