Money had a way of tempting people. Ji Xinghe admitted she was tempted.
Opportunities were fleeting, and she wanted to seize this one.
At the thought, she looked up at the Dark Spirit Tree. "You can come with me, but you have to behave and listen to me. Once I get a Contract Scroll, I'll make a contract with you."
"I'll make this clear from the start: I hate betrayal more than anything. If you want to follow me, you have to be loyal."
The Dark Spirit Tree's leaves nodded vigorously.
Xiao Xi didn't translate this time. Looking at the Dark Spirit Tree, she spoke with both excitement and a hint of jealousy. "Master, I'm the boss. I'll help you keep it in line."
Ji Xinghe nodded. "You two get along. Xiao Xi, you're the boss, so from now on, you'll be in charge of the Dark Spirit Tree."
Then she turned to the Dark Spirit Tree. "Now that we've settled this, I won't show favoritism to either of you. If you have any questions, you can ask your Sister Xi. If you want to talk to me, you can have her relay the message."
With that, she continued digging up stones.
Three hours later, Ji Xinghe stopped and looked at the patch of ruins she'd cleared. Satisfied, she dusted her hands off.
She scooped up Xiao Xi and set her on her left shoulder, then hoisted the Dark Spirit Tree onto her back.
She tapped to teleport, and a black hole appeared before her.
Ji Xinghe stepped through. In the blink of an eye, she was back on her island.
The sun was setting. She took a deep breath. The air on her own island really was the best.
As soon as she set the Dark Spirit Tree down, the system's mechanical voice rang in her ear.
[Player detected with a Merge Scroll. Merge Orchard Island? Yes/No?]
Ji Xinghe tugged at a loose strand of hair by her ear, thought for a moment, then tapped Merge.
The Dark Creatures had already been wiped out.
Mutated creatures only appeared when she dug up trees. Now that Ji Xinghe had figured out the pattern, she no longer feared being surrounded.
The main thing was that she wanted the land, the trees, the stones, and the Herbs. She wanted all of them...
[Player has chosen to merge Orchard Island. One Merge Scroll will be consumed. Merge it with the main island or a sub-island? Tap to choose.]
A sub-island? Ji Xinghe tapped it to see what would happen.
[Ding! The player does not yet have access to sub-islands. Please choose again.]
Fine, then the main island.
But Ji Xinghe didn't tap it right away.
She walked around the island, then took out soil and Foundation Stones, preparing to expand the island on its eastern side.
If there were no conditions, she'd create them herself.
[Spend 24 units of soil and 24 units of Foundation Stones to expand the island?]
She tapped Confirm.
The next second, the materials in the Storage Box automatically merged into the green square she had designated.
An eight-meter-long, three-meter-wide path had been built.
There, that counted as a sub-island too.
After expanding the path, Ji Xinghe finally tapped Merge and chose the spot across from it as the island's merger location.
[Merge Scroll consumed. Orchard Island merging. Time remaining: 23:59:59]
[After the merge is complete, you can collect the merged island's output once at the beginning of each month from the Island tab.]
The island merger would take twenty-four hours.
Ji Xinghe had two Nutrient Solutions left in her Storage Box. She'd promised to give one to the Dark Spirit Tree.
She took out both and waved them over with a smile. "Xiao Xi, Dark Spirit Tree, come here."
"One for each of you." Now that she had two pets, she couldn't play favorites.
Watching the Dark Spirit Tree gulp down the bottle along with its contents, she couldn't help laughing. She reached over and poked one of its branches. "Since you're my tree now, I should give you a name."
Rustle, rustle...
Seeing this, Xiao Xi hooked one of Ji Xinghe's fingers with a Vine.
Ji Xinghe rested her chin on her hand and stroked the Vine as she thought it over. After a moment, she said, "Xiao Sha? What do you think?"
Rustle, rustle...
She clasped her hands together. "All right, from now on, Xiao Sha is part of our family."
After giving them thirty units of meat, Ji Xinghe let them go play.
Xiao Xi took the Dark Spirit Tree to explore the island, while Ji Xinghe returned to the Shelter.
After washing her hands, Ji Xinghe sprawled out on the sofa.
Then she took out a KFC family bucket and half a watermelon.
She opened the bucket, and the aroma of fried meat wafted into her nose.
She wolfed it all down.
She didn't stop until the Fried Chicken Legs and fries in the bucket had turned into bones and scraps of paper.
After eating a piece of watermelon, Ji Xinghe rubbed her stomach in satisfaction.
She loved the feeling of being full.
She tossed the trash into the Trash Bin, then opened her backpack.
She took out all the Deformed Meat inside and put it in a separate Storage Box.
She had one White Ground Orchid, three Purple Raven Grass, and one Green Heart Grass left.
She put all the Herbs into a new Storage Box.
Ji Xinghe looked at the three items at the top of her backpack. She'd found them in the ruins.
Purple Crystal Coins, a fragment, and a diary.
"Purple Crystal Coin: One of the currencies of the Nine Yuan Continent."
"Lost Star Sea Secret Realm Fragment: Collect four to open the Star Sea Secret Realm."
"Diary: Records the daily survival of the diary's owner."
She put the Purple Crystal Coins and the fragment in the Storage Box.
Ji Xinghe lay on the sofa and gently leafed through the diary.
Ganxing Calendar, April 1, April Fool's Day.
"Everyone suddenly got transported here today. Unlike the wailing in the Chat Channel, I'm actually kind of happy! I can finally get away from them!"
"Survival Calendar, Day Two: My talent lets me grow food here! I can finally have as much food as I want, and even make a little money. I'm so happy."
"Survival Calendar, Day Three: Today's the last day of the newbie protection period. I'm so nervous."
Before you continue