Chapter 2: DIY, Finding Food
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Guo Li stood under a rock overhang that was situated at the highest point of the island, looking down at the scenery below him. Though he was covered in sweat, he felt an indescribable sense of joy in his heart.
From today onward, he was the master of this island.
There was a steep mountain on the island, and climbing up here had been really tiring for Guo Li. However, in order to gain a glimpse of the entire island and its resources, he had persevered.
His exquisite wooden house was located halfway up the mountain, a fair distance away from the shore. As such, it would not be too noisy at night, which would allow him to sleep comfortably and peacefully. The elevation also meant that the air around the house was rather cool and refreshing.
Looking down, he could see a Y-shaped river, which divided the island into three distinct regions.
He was currently in the eastern region. As far as the eye could see, there were rippling lakes and big trees that one could hug all over the place. The ground was covered in greenery, though he did not know the name or type of vegetation there.
There were also several ore sites scattered around nearby, but those would need to be mined and refined.
Unlike the mobile game, the farmland, fruit trees, pastures, and other resources that were easily available in mobile games were all missing.
In the real world, playing games had been quite simple. He only needed to tap the phone screen and follow the game's prompts, after which he would be able to build some basic facilities and forge some basic equipment.
Guo Li, who had transmigrated to the game world, came to a realization that from this moment on, everything needed to be created with his own two hands.
Since he had just entered the game world, he would need to start from scratch. Rather than worry about it though, he was more excited about the sense of accomplishment he would experience by creating everything himself.
There were clear and crisp mountain springs on the small island, which flowed down to form the river. Due to this, his supply of freshwater was assured. However, he still had to deal with the issue of finding and producing food.
As such, Guo Li's most urgent task right now was to solve the problem of food. He could figure the other things out after he filled his stomach.
His livelihood on this island depended on the mountain and the sea.
Since there was a river and lakes on the island, Guo Li decided to try his hand at fishing.
Guo Li was penniless at the moment, so even though there were all kinds of basic tools in the game mall, such as fishing rods, axes, hand saws, hammers, and so on, they had to be bought with game coins.
Guo Li looked at his bag, and the big fat zero displayed on his account balance. He smiled bitterly.
"I'll have to think of a way of making tools myself."
To fish, he needed a fishing rod. Guo Li was lucky enough to find a tree branch that was properly weighted and sturdy. After cutting away the smaller branches on it with a sharp rock, he now had a simple "rod". Next he had to figure out the fishing line, hook, and bait.
As he had no iron ore, nor the tools required to shape it, Guo Li needed to find some other material to make the fishing hook.
In the real world, when he first played this mobile game, Guo Li had grinded sharp stones to create a fishing hook.
Banking on his previous experience, he decided to give it a try.
He found a piece of sharp granite and began to grind it patiently with another rock.
The process was very boring and monotonous, and Guo Li even thought about giving up many times. However, if he gave up on making a simple fishing hook, how could he develop this small island that belonged to him?
The noon sun was blisteringly hot, and Guo Li was drenched in sweat. When he was thirsty, he would drink a few mouthfuls of the clear river water. When he was hungry, he drank even more mouthfuls of water.
"Soon, soon I'll be able to eat some fat fish and drink fish soup. Just gotta keep going." Guo Li cheered himself on.
Finally, after a few hours, he finished grinding it into a coarse-looking fishing hook.
One end of the hook could be tied to the fishing line, while the other end of the hook sported a sharp barb.
Guo Li brushed his finger over the sharp end and found it to be satisfactory.
He now needed a strong fishing line.
Guo Li discovered an unknown flax-like plant. As long as he twisted enough of the fibers together and dried them, he would be able to use it as a fishing line.
He first hit the plant with a stone repeatedly to release the fibers from the stem. After that, everything was ready. Guo Li put all the items into the groove of the Tool Synthesis platform and opted to synthesize them.
[Ding! Synthesis successful! Obtained a low-quality fishing rod!]
[Description: Extremely low-quality. If you manage to catch a fish with it, it's probably because that fish is blind...]
The corners of Guo Li's mouth twitched. This was the first fishing rod I made in 'Everyone's Island', okay? How could it say something like that…
After a while, Guo Li reached out and started to rummage through the fertile soil around him.
One earthworm…
Two earthworms…
Three earthworms…
Soon, Guo Li had gathered up more than ten fat earthworms. Now that everything was ready, it was time to fish.
Fishing required patience and perseverance. Guo Li himself had only tried fishing a few times in the real world.
He walked over to the side of a lake. While making the fishing rod earlier, he had noticed that there were fat fish swimming around from time to time.
It was as if they were waiting for Guo Li to fish them up.
"Ahem!"
Guo Li cheered himself on. Holding up the fishing rod he made, he felt confident.
He picked out a dry place to sit, put an earthworm on the hook, and casted the fishing line into the lake .
"There are so many big fish in here, so I'll at least be able to catch a few, right?"
Guo Li waited patiently.
Suddenly, something tugged on the line. Guo Li became extremely excited. He tightened his grip on the rod and started pulling. The weight on this fishing rod instantly became lighter. The big fish had gotten away.
"F*ck!"
Guo Li looked at the empty fishing hook. His heart felt like it had been stabbed with a thousand blades.
He did not have much experience fishing, so he had used too much strength just now, which allowed the fish to escape.
Guo Li was annoyed, but he immediately composed himself again.
He comforted himself, "It's okay, it's okay. That was due to my own lack of experience. I'll just have to be more careful next time."
He hooked up another earthworm and casted the fishing line into the lake again. Guo Li took a deep breath and sat down again.
It was a good sign. At the very least, it proved that the fish in this lake would bite the bait. His next attempt would definitely succeed.
Soon, he felt another tug on the line. Guo Li knew that another big fish had taken the bait. This time, he learned from his mistake and slowly pulled the fishing rod back.
This big fish was very strong, so Guo Li had to be patient.
As long as the fish ran out of stamina, he would be able to pull it ashore.
However, after pulling and relaxing the line several times, Guo Li swore again. The weight on the fishing rod had disappeared again. A fish had escaped once more.
He had failed twice, which made him want to scream and curse.
He had lost both the bait and the fish.
Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "Calm down, calm down. Let's not get agitated!"
Guo Li continued to encourage himself.
The first two times were considered learning experiences. He would definitely succeed the third time. 'Guo Li, you're the best!'
He casted the line into the lake the third time, and patiently waited for a fish to take the bait.
One minute...
Five minutes...
Ten minutes…
Just as he was wondering if the fishes in the lake had learned their lesson...
He felt a tug on the line!
-- Gift
received