Chapter 12 Targeted
Ye Da discovered something—the basic magic backpack had a storage limit!
When Ye Da picked up ten agave leaves, the slot in his backpack reached its maximum capacity. Any attempt to pick up an eleventh leaf would see it automatically placed into another empty slot. Apparently, each slot in the backpack could hold up to ten items.
From this, Ye Da drew a conclusion: the basic magic backpack could only hold five different types of items, with a maximum of ten of each type.
Though the backpack’s capacity was limited, it boasted one undeniable advantage: it was light! Despite having packed fifty agave leaves—at least ten or twenty pounds—the backpack felt as light as if nothing were inside. Even if the magic backpack didn’t reduce the burden, Ye Da could still carry it. But if, instead of leaves, the backpack held a hundred or two hundred pounds of iron or sand? The difference would be immense!
With the backpack completely filled, only three or four smaller leaves remained on the ground—ones Ye Da had intentionally left behind. If the backpack couldn’t hold them, he planned to carry them by hand. Each agave leaf would yield one unit of inferior flax. Ye Da wasn’t willing to abandon a single leaf!
He took off his mushroom suit, stuffed the remaining agave leaves into it, and slung the mushroom skin over his arm like a shopping bag. How convenient!
…
After collecting the agave leaves, Ye Da returned to the treehouse to empty his load. As he headed out again, he glanced at the time: 1:35 p.m.
He had already explored the south, west, and north, leaving only the direction to the north unvisited. Ye Da remembered that the north was a forest. If he needed more wood, he could chop trees there. Thanks to the meat skewer trade, he already had plenty of inferior wood, so he wasn’t particularly eager for more.
Instead, the bamboo grove piqued his interest. Besides the many uses of bamboo, he recalled seeing a prompt about bamboo shoots in the grove—perfect for dinner. A pot of bear meat with bamboo shoots—just the thought made his mouth water!
The bamboo grove offered not only wild delicacies like bamboo shoots, but also the special “Jumping Mushrooms.” Although Ye Da had eaten his fill, other survivors spoke highly of them. To trade for more resources, Ye Da considered catching a few more to sell.
---
However…
Ye Da stood outside the tree hollow, hesitating before choosing a direction. One matter weighed on his mind: the refresh time for treasure chests. When he’d visited the swamp for a chest, it had displayed a refresh time. This meant that, throughout the Misty World, treasure chests might respawn!
So, before setting out again, Ye Da decided to make a circuit as usual, using his analysis glasses to check for new hints before making a decision.
[2,500 meters ahead lies an underground stream—a wild boar’s territory! Without a proper weapon and formidable strength, it’s not wise to provoke them.]
That was to the south, where the agave had been. With the agave now gone, the most valuable thing there was the stream two kilometers away. Water was essential for everyone.
But there was a problem: it was wild boar territory. Fetching water wouldn’t be easy. Wild boars weren’t gentle like domestic pigs—armed with formidable tusks and weighing three or four hundred pounds, they could easily kill a person with a single charge.
And Ye Da wasn’t sure how many boars might be there, so he abandoned the idea of heading south.
North: [Three hundred meters ahead is a swamp. Besides lush pasture, freshwater crocodiles lurk beneath the mud.]
“!!!”
Crocodiles in the swamp?!
Reading this new warning, Ye Da felt as if he’d narrowly escaped death. If he had known there were crocodiles, he’d never have ventured there so recklessly. He had been lucky to escape with his life!
Never mind. Let bygones be bygones—Ye Da’s new motto.
For now, the swamp was off-limits. Time to try another direction.
East: [A hundred meters ahead is a small grove. You can chop wood here for inferior lumber!]
[PS: You’re in luck—a treasure chest has just appeared in the grove. Come and see if you can find it!]
[PPS: Perhaps your luck has run out—a hungry she-wolf has also appeared in the grove. If you want to bring her a meal, consider heading that way.]
“…”
Ye Da felt as if the world itself were targeting him.
---
He’d only opened two treasure chests in one day—was that reason enough for such trouble?
It seemed the only direction left was the bamboo grove.
Yet… The treasure chest in the grove was hard to ignore. According to what he’d observed, chest respawn times weren’t too long. If he saw one now, it might be gone by tomorrow. And even if it remained, the hungry wolf probably would too.
After weighing his options for a while, Ye Da decided to take his stone axe and deliver a meal to the hungry wolf in the grove!
…
At the edge of the small grove, Ye Da gazed into the dense, sun-dappled shade. The slender trees grew thickly, their lush foliage blocking out much of the light, making the interior gloomily dark.
Ye Da stared into the shadows for ages but saw no sign of the hungry wolf.
Originally, he’d hoped to catch a glimpse of the wolf before deciding whether to challenge it. But with visibility so poor and the wolf hidden, he dared not venture inside—wolves could see far better than people.
Just because Ye Da couldn’t see the wolf didn’t mean the wolf couldn’t see him.
So…
Ye Da decided to deliver a meal—literally.
He tossed a large chunk of fresh bear meat with all his might, hurling it to the grove’s edge.
Then he retreated thirty meters, crouched behind a big tree, and quietly watched the bear meat, waiting for the wolf to appear.
A wolf’s sense of smell was sharp, so Ye Da wasn’t worried about it missing the meal.
His only worry was… that the wolf might refuse to eat the meat he’d offered.