During the process of crafting tools, Xu Xin noticed a special workbench in the crafting list.
[Basic Identification Bench (White): Place materials on it, and after 10 seconds, it will emit light of a color matching its level, useful for identifying the grade of acquired items. Requires Wood (White) *20, Stone (White) *20]
It seems that even without his identification abilities, other survivors can still use this identification bench to determine the grade of materials.
But this identification bench is as large as a dining table, making it nearly impossible to carry around, so other survivors have to bring the materials back to their treehouse for identification, unlike him who can tell at a glance and even choose which materials to gather.
This efficiency difference is quite significant, and for some hidden resources like mushrooms, Xu Xin can see the blue glow from afar, while it's uncertain if other survivors can even find them.
It seems creator's privilege is truly something good.
Of course, it's not difficult to rule out the chance that everyone else has abilities like his, but the probability is low. If such a bug did exist, it wouldn't be a survival game but a happy co-traveling adventure.
With a crafted stone axe in hand, Xu Xin left the treehouse once again, aiming to gather 20 pieces of Wood (Green) first.
Green trees are fairly common around here, and at a glance, there are plenty of Green Poplar Trees. Xu Xin decided to start clearing the area under his own treehouse.
Since the treehouse canopy covers over 100 square meters, the plants underneath are enveloped in the shade, appearing oddly swollen and conspicuous, and sunlight no longer reaches them. It would be better to chop them down directly.
Wielding his stone axe, Xu Xin started clearing the area. Surprisingly, the seemingly blunt axe chop cleanly into the trees; White Poplar Trees can be felled with five swings, and Green Poplar Trees require ten.
Once a tree is chopped down, it automatically breaks into several segments, mostly four or five. To collect 50 pieces of Wood (Green), at least ten Green Poplar Trees need to be chopped down.
For others, it might require a considerable amount of time, but for Xu Xin, it's too easy. The green glow encompassing his view almost makes him want to laugh.
However, without items like a backpack, carrying them becomes a major issue. Each piece of wood is large, and Xu Xin could only slowly carry them upstairs. After quite a bit of effort, he finally managed to gather 50 pieces of Wood (Green).
By this time, the skies had already turned sunset red, and he had been working for the entire afternoon.
"I'm exhausted. This efficiency is too low..." Xu Xin slumped onto the third floor of the treehouse.
Besides the Wood (Green), Xu Xin also hauled up plenty of Wood (White), as he was clearing the space under the treehouse, chopping the white-quality ones as well.
Most importantly, he plans to use this Wood (White) to craft some furniture like tables, chairs, beds, because the treehouse feels too empty.
Choosing to craft tables, chairs, and beds from Wood (White), Xu Xin's treehouse soon acquired its first batch of furniture.
[Wooden Table (White): A crude table that can barely hold things, but don't put anything heavy on it, as it might break.]
[Wooden Chair (White): A crude chair, if you weigh over 90 kilograms, use it as firewood.]
[Wooden Bed (White): A crude bed, the only difference from sleeping on the ground is the creaking noise that would hamper sleep.]
He sat on the wooden bed, which unsurprisingly made a squeaky sound that set his teeth on edge.
This batch of furniture is incredibly crude. Xu Xin shook his head helplessly but had to make do. He wasn't used to sleeping on the floor, and he felt a lack of safety, always fearing something might crawl onto him and disturb his rest. Unlike before in the Black Bear Cave, now he'd sleep on a bed.
Sitting on the chair, Xu Xin munched on a freshly picked apple for dinner. Although there were fish and shrimp in the lake, he hadn't figured out how to catch them yet nor had the means to make a fire; as for fire starting by friction, it was practically impossible for him, he would rather save some energy for other tasks.
As for the water and bread the treehouse provided, he planned to save them, since they were sealed with long shelf life.
"The crafting table should be able to make a campfire or fireplace." Xu Xin thought about it and decided it was best to focus on completing the crafting table. With the beginner protection period still ongoing, there were no dangerous animals in the jungle, so there was no need for cautious defense, making it a prime time for collecting materials.
Looking at the now darkened sky outside, Xu Xin grabbed a [Large Red Berry].
[Large Red Berry (Blue): A fruit that can be consumed directly, with a sweet and sour taste, offering vision-enhancing effects, providing 2 hours of night vision upon consumption.]
After eating a Large Red Berry, Xu Xin felt a refreshing sensation around his eyes and looked out the window. What was once pitch-black was now completely visible, as clear as during the day.
Though the trees beneath the treehouse hadn't all been cleared yet, Xu Xin decided not to finish clearing them, and instead headed to the lakeside stream to find some Pebbles (Green) or Stones (Green) to craft the synthesis table.
Cautiously walking along the stream, Xu Xin collected pebbles, since he hadn't seen any large Green stones yet. The stone pickaxe he brought wasn't much use.
Soon enough, his pockets were full, and like before, he took off his short-sleeve shirt to use it as a pack for the pebbles. Surprisingly, these clothes were newcomer-issued items, but their quality was genuinely good.
Before long, Xu Xin reached the area near the Black Bear Cave where he stayed the night before. Last night was too dark, and during the day he moved too quickly to notice much; this time, he intended to go inside for a look.
[Black Bear Cave (Green): Habitat of Black Bears, once occupied by fierce bears, but a mysterious force recently made the bears disappear.]
Walking up to the Black Bear Cave, Xu Xin placed the pebbles down and peered inside.
The cave didn't look very big, but last night, while sleeping, Xu Xin often heard the faint sound of the wind, suggesting there might be hidden passages or something inside.
Surveying the surroundings, he didn't find anything noteworthy, which left Xu Xin slightly disappointed. How could this Green-quality Black Bear Cave have nothing inside?
Xu Xin touched the cave wall.
To verify his suspicion, he struck a protruding rock inside the cave with his stone pickaxe.
There's a feeling of collecting! Xu Xin was delighted.
After ten swings with the stone pickaxe, the entire protruding rock shattered and scattered into stones on the ground.
[Stone (Green): Rocks from inside the cave, harder than ordinary rocks.]
Great, now there's a source for Green-quality stones!
However, the place is quite far from the treehouse, and once the beginner protection period ends, the black bears will return.