A gentle breeze blew, and the desert lay desolate.
Lin Yue plunged the iron spear into the heart of the dying Mutant Sheep, putting it out of its misery.
But he didn't pull the iron spear out immediately.
Little White was happily eating; let it eat a while longer.
[You have obtained the Copper Treasure Chest]
After picking up this Copper Treasure Chest, Lin Yue went and collected the other two Copper Treasure Chests and also dissected the one that he had killed with a single blow.
He returned to the Shelter and took the Mutant Sheep meat he used as bait.
Before putting it away, Lin Yue sniffed it and found it surprisingly odorless.
You'd think since it was in the inventory for a day in such hot weather, it should have gone bad.
Yet it seemed like it had just been placed inside not long ago.
Does the inventory have a preservation function?
Lin Yue instantly understood that the system indeed provided some convenience in this regard.
"Squeak!" Little White lay on the grass with a swollen belly.
In the sunlight, it appeared to be in pure bliss, contentedly closing its eyes.
Lin Yue petted it for a while; it seemed to enjoy it immensely, rubbing his arm energetically with half-closed eyes.
Placing it back on his shoulder, Lin Yue began dissecting.
[You have obtained Mutant Sheep Meat X10kg, Sheep Skin X1, Fangs X2]
Although the Mutant Sheep had a lot of meat, each time he only managed to get 10kg. Including the previous ones, he now had 40kg of Mutant Sheep Meat, four pieces of Sheep Skin, and eight Fangs.
He took Little White back to the Shelter, feeling that this little creature was surprisingly cool to the touch, like ice in this scorching heat.
He picked up a total of 16 iron axes, immediately placing 14 of them on the trading panel since having too many was of no use.
Swap them for whatever he could.
Using the shovel, he dug a big hole to bury the rest of the Mutant Sheep's remains and covered it with soil, putting an end to that matter.
As for other tasks yet to be done...
He looked towards the edge of the woods at the ancient door that hadn't disappeared.
The day was still young; should he check it out?
But it wouldn't do to go unprepared.
And the most crucial information came from the other Survivors.
He opened the group chat and started searching through messages one by one.
"The water scalper just listed a bunch of axes, let's group up and ridicule him!"
"Why aren't you selling water? Lin Yue, carry on, I'm eating lemons."
"By the way, won't it be really cold if a snowstorm hits? I feel like the temperature has dropped quite a bit."
"Enough of that, there's something strange next to my Shelter, have any of you seen it? It's a big door!"
"Report! I've explored it and obtained good items, now listed in the Mall, still trading for water!"
"What's it called? A Different Realm? Secret Realm? I opened the door, got a blast of fog, so I didn't go in. Is there good stuff inside?"
"Good stuff requires a life to retrieve; the one who went in now has a greyed-out avatar, go if you will, I'm sticking to monster hunting."
...
Lin Yue searched for a few more keywords and found that several people had already entered through the door known as the "Secret Realm."
It could be confirmed that there were good things inside, but also certain dangers.
This aligned with the game's theme of "opportunity and challenge coexist."
Lin Yue glanced at the familiar trader who mentioned good items, having traded with him a few times. Checking the Mall, he quickly found the listing.
[Seller: Du Ping]
[Auction Item: Bearing]
[Required: Drinking Water 1L]
[Seller's Note: No need to mention names if you have so much water, set price, direct trade!]
Lin Yue didn't hesitate, immediately purchasing it.
A mere liter of water, how cheap.
For him, water was a resource he didn't need to worry about, and trading 1 liter for a bearing was quite a bargain.
After all, such items couldn't be easily found.
Bearing was an essential component for a generator, impossible to create without it.
He placed the bearing on the ground, then connected it with the stator he'd previously obtained, surprisingly finding a good fit.
Although without end caps and terminals, creating a generator was still challenging.
Perhaps these things could be found in the Secret Realm?
But before that, he needed to prepare thoroughly before investigating further.
Lin Yue took a deep breath and opened the three Copper Treasure Chests he recently acquired.
[You have obtained Mountaineering Boots X1, Umbrella Design Map X1]
[You have obtained Wooden Helmet Design Map X1, Telescope X1]
[You have obtained Emergency Food Kit X1, Compressed Towel X10]
As expected from Copper Treasure Chests, the items obtained were almost entirely useful.
After opening these treasure chests, his inventory was once again full.
The backpack capacity was way too small.
It's hard to imagine how he managed with just 10 slots a couple of days ago.
Water, bread, instant noodles, and Mutant Sheep Meat in the backpack could not be touched.
Other items from the Mall and various materials didn't matter much.
With several design maps unused, it was a good opportunity to use them to save space.
[Wooden Armor: Wood X3, Iron Block X2]
[Wooden Bowl: Wood X1]
[Barbecue Rack: Wood X1, Iron Block X3]
[Iron Sword: Wood X1, Iron Block X2]
[Machete: Wood X1, Iron Block X2]
[Umbrella: Iron Block X2]
After crafting all of them in one go, a significant amount of materials was consumed.
Lin Yue picked up the wooden armor from the ground, wearing it, and felt it was quite decent, like what he remembered from his childhood saint warriors.
After storing a machete, he took out a small medicine cabinet and tossed all the previously acquired items into the Shelter.
The Soilless Cultivation Kit was too bulky and could only be carried for now.
Sheep skin and fangs were also thrown into the Shelter in one go, and Lin Yue found that this little 40-square-meter house couldn't hold anything more.
Looking around, water, bread, instant noodles, Mutant Sheep Meat, wood, stone, iron, coal, copper materials, the small medicine cabinet, and machete took up a total of 11 slots.
He really wished for another backpack or a Shelter expansion design map.
While sighing, holding the usual iron spear and small round shield in hand, with the burping Little White on his shoulder, after closing the stone door of the Shelter, he looked towards the door of the Secret Realm.
It still hadn't vanished.
"If you don't do something, you'll always be stuck in place."
Lin Yue took a deep breath and walked in that direction.
When he reached the door, Little White on his shoulder also lifted its head, and its cool breath felt quite refreshing to Lin Yue.
This was like a mini air conditioner.
"Little White, when exploring the Secret Realm, don't run off." Lin Yue chuckled.
Mist surrounded them, and the door was within reach, just a push away.
"Well then... let's go!"