Chapter 76: Upgrading to the Top-tier Stone House

“What do you think?”
Ye Da let out a cold laugh and said, “If you turn into a pig, you’ll definitely get eaten… Huh?!”
Just as Ye Da was grumbling about the troublesome little wolf pup, he suddenly noticed something metallic glinting in the mud pit.
“What is that…?”
Ye Da quickly used his analytical glasses to examine it. Within a minute, he confirmed the identity of the metallic object: “A black iron treasure chest!”
“Xiao Bai, can you help me fish the chest out?”
Ye Da had no intention of wading into the filthy mud pond himself and hoped Xiao Bai would retrieve it for him.
But Xiao Bai was clearly still upset about Ye Da’s earlier threat to eat him!
The little fellow even turned his head away, refusing to pay Ye Da any attention.
“Alright, alright, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said I’d eat you.” In resignation, Ye Da coaxed, “If you help me get the chest, I’ll treat you to roast pork tonight, okay? Delicious, fragrant roast pork!”
“Woof!”
Xiao Bai immediately responded and scampered over to dig up the chest.
Such a little rascal—so easy to please!
But…
Ye Da had overestimated the pup’s strength.
Xiao Bai dug in the mud for ages, barely managing to expose a corner of the black iron chest, only to have the shifting mud quickly cover it again. He simply couldn’t get it out.
“Uh…”
As time slipped away, Ye Da realized he had no choice but to go into the mud himself.
Reluctantly, he stripped off all his clothes and waded into the mud pit, finally hauling the chest out.
Seeing both his master and Xiao Bai rolling in the mud while he was left out, Xiao Hui became anxious and spun in circles.
Feeling sorry for Xiao Hui, Ye Da stretched out his hand and said, “Come down!”
“Woof!”
Xiao Hui, thrilled at the invitation, leaped into the mud, splattering Ye Da’s face with mud.
At that moment, Ye Da burst into laughter.
He hadn’t played in a mud pit like this for ages. As a child, he hadn’t cared about dirt at all, only finding joy in rolling around in the mud.
Though he always got scolded afterwards for making himself filthy, his mother would wash him clean with soap and water and dress him in fresh clothes.
But somewhere along the way…
He stopped wanting to play in the mud, maybe because he feared dirt, maybe because he grew up.
Yet now, rolling in the mud with two wolf pups, he felt just like his younger self—free and happy.
“Thunk!”
Unfortunately, time was running out.

Ye Da couldn’t afford to waste too much time here, so while still in the mud pit, he took out the treehouse orb from his storage bag and secured it close to him, then quickly gathered twenty portions of mud.
Each compartment in the storage bag could only hold twenty units, and since mud wasn’t a rare material, Ye Da had no intention of collecting more. He filled one slot and decided he could return for more if needed in the future.
“Let’s go, time to head back!”
It was getting late, and with his storage bag full, Ye Da decided to return and open the chest.
…
“We’re finally home!”
Ye Da tossed the chest aside and collapsed next to the heated kang bed, exhausted.
If it weren’t for upgrading his stone house, he wouldn’t have pushed himself so hard, especially when the sun was nearly setting.
But at last, he had gathered all the upgrade materials!
[Upgrade materials for the stone house detected. Proceed with upgrade?]
[Name: Premium Stone House (Mist World Level 6 Refuge)]
[Premium Upgrade: 120/110 units of quality stone, 200/11 units of quality wood, 20/2 units of refined mud, 24/22 units of glass. Upgrades to Premium Stone House (after upgrade, can build fireplace, shower room, basic workbench, smelting furnace, potion table, etc.)]
After upgrading, he could build a shower room!
Seeing the shower room option, Ye Da’s eyes lit up. The three of them were now mud monkeys, and the mud clinging to their bodies was uncomfortable.
Ye Da wasn’t a savage; he found the sticky mud hard to tolerate, and the two wolf pups seemed equally distressed, constantly shaking their fur and splattering mud everywhere—a headache!
If only there were a shower room for a proper bath…
Just the thought made Ye Da happy!
[Upgrade!]
He had to upgrade!
As Ye Da pressed the upgrade button—
Whoosh!
A beam of golden light radiated from where Ye Da lay, spreading outward. The room’s style transformed instantly.
The wooden walls became stone, and even the central fire pit vanished, replaced by a fireplace built into the wall.
The fire blazed in the fireplace, bringing warmth to the house, and the smoke was vented outside through a chimney.
The stone house was no longer smoky, and a fresh scent of wood filled the air, without affecting the warmth inside.
The stone house remained as cozy as ever!
[Separate compartment detected in stone house. Shower room upgrade available. Build?]
[Shower Room: 10/10 units of quality stone, 189/10 units of quality wood, 18/1 units of refined mud, 33/22 units of steel ingots.]
[PS: The shower room extracts tree sap for bathing. Do not overdraw from a single tree, or it will die. Frequently change trees and allow recovery time.]

Ye Da had wondered how a treehouse could have a shower room.
It turned out to extract tree sap for bathing—a bit cruel, but undeniably clever.
It just couldn’t exploit a single tree forever; he’d have to move regularly or risk draining the tree dry.
But for now—
Ye Da decided to enjoy himself!
[Build!]
The next moment—
Ye Da’s little room instantly gained a bathtub made of stacked stone, with a showerhead above.
The showerhead was likely forged from steel ingots. Ye Da twisted the faucet, and a fragrant stream of tree sap flowed out.
To conserve water, Ye Da showered first.
Then he blocked the tub, and by the time he finished, half the tub was full—perfect for washing the wolf pups’ fur.
Too bad there was no soap, or Ye Da could clean the pups thoroughly and rid them of their wolfish odor.
Perhaps…
He could make soap himself.
Ye Da recalled that soap wasn’t hard to make: filter wood ash water, add lard and boil, then mix in soapberry.
If soapberry wasn’t available, the roots of yucca plants could substitute, making it very convenient.
He’d make some tomorrow!
Of course, he could make several bars at once and sell them to other players.
In such an environment, many would surely need soap!
The thought of a new way to make money excited Ye Da once more!
[Ding!]
Just as Ye Da finished bathing himself and the wolf pups, washed his clothes, and hung them by the fireplace to dry,
A new announcement popped up on the screen!
[Congratulations to all for surviving the novice phase. Most players have adapted well to this world and acquired their own abilities. Survival rates will now greatly increase!]
[Today’s report: 1,052 players remain in this area!]
[Today, players in this area found 352 wooden treasure chests, yielding abundant survival resources. Congratulations to all lucky chest finders.]
[Next, the new player leaderboard for Area One will be announced, ranked by shelter level, materials collected, and player strength.]
[Top three on the novice leaderboard will receive super prizes!]
[PS: There will be a cold snap tomorrow. Please gather enough supplies and prepare for the cold!]