The breeze blew gently, and the desert was a picture of desolation.
Lin Yue thrust the Iron Spear into the heart of the dying Mutant Sheep, ending its suffering.
But he did not immediately pull out the spear.
Bai was eating happily; let it eat for a while.
[You have obtained a Copper Treasure Chest]
After picking up this Copper Treasure Chest, Lin Yue went to collect the other two Copper Treasure Chests, and also butchered the one he had killed with a single blow.
He returned to the Shelter and put away the Mutant Sheep meat he had used as bait.
Lin Yue smelled it before storing it and found that the meat surprisingly had no odor.
It had been in the inventory for a day already, in this hot weather, it should have spoiled by now.
Yet, it seemed as if it had just been placed in there.
Does the inventory have a preservation feature?
Lin Yue instantly understood that the system indeed provided some convenience in this regard.
"Puchi!" Bai lay on the grass, its belly swollen.
The creature appeared to be greatly enjoying itself in the sunshine, closing its eyes contentedly.
Lin Yue petted it for a while, and the creature enjoyed it so much that it half-closed its eyes and rubbed its arm vigorously.
Placing it back on his shoulder, Lin Yue began to dissect.
[You have obtained Mutant Sheep Meat X10kg, Sheep Skin X1, Fangs X2]
Although there was a lot of Mutant Sheep meat, each time he obtained only 10kg. Including the previous amount, he now had 40kg of Mutant Sheep meat, 4 pieces of Sheep Skin, and eight Fangs.
Lin Yue brought Bai back to the Shelter, feeling that the little guy's body was incredibly cool, like ice under the hot temperature.
Having retrieved a total of 16 Iron Axes, Lin Yue directly placed 14 of them on the trading board; they were of little use anyway.
Trade them for whatever he could get.
Using a Shovel, he dug a large pit and buried the rest of the Mutant Sheep's remains with soil, ending the matter.
As for the remaining things to be done...
He looked at the old gate by the woods that hadn't disappeared yet.
It was still early; should he check it out?
However, being fully prepared was necessary.
The most crucial information came from other Survivors.
He opened the group chat and started searching thread by thread.
"The water profiteer just put a bunch of axes up for sale, everyone group up to mock him!"
"Why aren't you selling water? Lin Yue, you're busy, I'm jealous."
"Speaking of which, if there's a snow disaster, would it be very cold? I feel like the temperature might have dropped a lot."
"Let's not talk about that. There's something strange next to my Shelter, has anyone seen it? It's a big gate!"
"Report! I have already explored it, obtained good stuff and put it in the marketplace, still trading for water!"
"What's that place called, Different Realm? Secret Realm? I opened the door, saw a pile of fog and didn't enter. Are there good things inside?"
"Good things, but you need luck to get them. The guy who just went in now has a gray avatar, anyone who wants can go, I'll continue farming monsters."
...
Lin Yue searched a few more keywords and found that many people had been inside that door called "Secret Realm".
It was certain that there were good things in there, but there was also some danger.
This indeed matched the theme of this game—"opportunities and challenges coexist".
Lin Yue glanced at someone who claimed to have good stuff, a familiar trader he had dealt with several times; he opened the marketplace and quickly found the content.
[Seller: Du Ping]
[Auction Item: Bearing]
[Needed: Drinking Water 1L]
[Seller's Note: Whoever has this much water doesn't need me to say their name, one price, direct trade!]
Lin Yue did not hesitate and directly bid.
A mere liter of water, so cheap.
For him, water was a resource he no longer needed to consider in terms of quantity, and 1 liter of water for a bearing was actually quite a bargain.
After all, this thing couldn't be easily found.
The bearing was also an important component needed for the generator, without which it couldn't be made.
Taking out the bearing and placing it on the ground, then connecting it to the stator he previously obtained, Lin Yue was surprised to find they matched quite well.
However, without end caps and terminals, creating a generator was still very difficult.
Maybe these things exist in that Secret Realm?
But before that, he needed to prepare thoroughly and explore inside.
Lin Yue took a deep breath and opened the three Copper Treasure Chests he just 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]
Sure enough, from the Copper Treasure Chests, the items obtained were almost all useful.
After opening these chests, his inventory was once again full.
The backpack capacity was too small.
Lin Yue couldn't imagine how he managed with only 10 slots two days ago.
In the backpack, water, bread, instant noodles, and Mutant Sheep meat were untouchable.
The rest, items exchanged from the marketplace and various materials, didn't really matter much.
Also, there were several design maps unused; might as well use them together 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]
He crafted them all in one go, consuming a considerable amount of materials.
Lin Yue picked up the Wooden Armor from the ground, wore it, and felt it looked quite decent, reminiscent of the Saint Seiya he saw as a child.
After storing a Machete, he took out a small medicine box and tossed all the loot he obtained into the Shelter.
The oversized Soilless Cultivation Kit couldn't fit and had to be held.
He tossed the Sheep Skin and Fangs into the Shelter, finding that the 40-square-meter cabin was filling up.
Checking again, water, bread, instant noodles, Mutant Sheep meat, wood, stone, iron, coal, copper—these five materials, a small medicine box, and a machete took up a total of 11 slots.
He wished he could get another backpack or a design map for Shelter expansion.
As Lin Yue lamented, holding his usual Iron Spear and small round shield, with Bai burping on his shoulder, he closed the stone door of the Shelter and looked at the Secret Realm's gate.
It still hadn't disappeared.
"If I don't do something, I'll always be treading the same ground."
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yue walked toward it.
Reached the gate, Bai on his shoulder lifted his little head, and the cool breath from it made Lin Yue feel comfortable.
It was like a small air conditioner.
"Bai, when exploring the Secret Realm, don't run around," Lin Yue said with a smile.
Fog swirled around, and the gate was within arm's reach to push open.
"So... let's go!"