Return, Merging Islands

Wealth stirs the heart, and Ji Xinghe admitted hers was moved.

Opportunities were fleeting, and she wanted to seize one.

With that thought, she lifted her gaze to the Dark Spirit Tree. "You can follow me, but you have to behave. Once I get a contract scroll, I'll contract with you."

"Let me be clear upfront—I hate betrayal more than anything. If you want to follow me, you must be loyal."

The Dark Spirit Tree's leaves nodded emphatically.

Xiao Xi didn't translate this time. It looked at the Dark Spirit Wood, both pleased and a little sour. "Master, I'm the big boss. I'll help you keep it in line."

Ji Xinghe nodded. "You two get along. Xiao Xi, you're the big boss. From now on, the Dark Spirit Tree is under your management."

Then she turned to the Dark Spirit Wood. "Since we've decided, I won't play favorites between either of you. If you have questions, you can ask your Sister Xi, or have her relay anything you want to say to me."

With that, she went back to digging stones.

Three hours later, Ji Xinghe stopped, surveyed the cleared patch of rubble, and dusted off her hands with satisfaction.

She scooped up Xiao Xi and set it on her left shoulder, then hoisted the Dark Spirit Tree.

Tapping the teleport button, a black hole appeared before her.

Ji Xinghe stepped in, and in the blink of an eye, she was back on her own island.

The sun was setting. She took a deep, heavy breath—the air on her island was still the best.

No sooner had she set down the Dark Spirit Tree than the system's mechanical voice rang in her ear.

[Detected Merge Scroll in player's inventory. Merge Orchard Island? Yes/No?]

Ji Xinghe tugged at a strand of hair by her ear, thought it over, and tapped "Merge."

The dark creatures had already been eliminated.

The aberrant creatures only came out when digging up trees. Now that Ji Xinghe had figured out the pattern, she wasn't afraid of being surrounded.

What she really wanted was the land, the trees, the stones, the herbs—everything.

[Player has chosen to merge Orchard Island. Consuming one Merge Scroll. Merge into Main Island or Sub-Island? Tap to select.]

Sub-Island? Ji Xinghe tapped to try.

[Ding. Player has not yet unlocked Sub-Island permissions. Please select again.]

Fine. Main Island it was.

But Ji Xinghe didn't tap immediately.

She took a stroll around the island, then pulled out soil and Foundation Stones, preparing to expand the right side.

No conditions? Then create them.

[Expand island with 24 units of soil and 24 units of Foundation Stone?]

Tap confirm.

The next second, the materials in her Storage Box automatically merged into the green square she had set.

An eight-meter-long, three-meter-wide passage was completed.

Well, this counted as a sub-island now.

Once the passage was built, Ji Xinghe finally tapped "Merge," positioning the merged island across from the passage.

[Merge Scroll consumed. Orchard Island merging. Merge countdown: 23:59:59]

[After merging is complete, you may claim merged island output once per month at the start of each month from the island menu.]

The island merge would take twenty-four hours.

Ji Xinghe still had two bottles of Nutrient Solution in her Storage Box. She'd promised the Dark Spirit Tree one.

She took both out and waved them with a smile. "Xiao Xi, Dark Spirit Tree, come here."

"One each." Now that she had two pets at home, she couldn't play favorites.

She couldn't help but chuckle as the Dark Spirit Tree gulped down the bottle whole, then reached out and poked its branch. "Since you're my tree now, I'll give you a name."

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

Seeing this, Xiao Xi hooked its vine around her finger.

Ji Xinghe rested her chin on her hand, reached out to rub the vine, and thought for a moment before speaking. "Xiao Sha? How about that?"

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

She clapped her hands together. "Alright. From now on, Xiao Sha is part of the family."

She fed them both thirty units of meat, then let them go play.

Xiao Xi led the Dark Spirit Tree to explore the island, while she headed back to the Shelter.

After washing her hands, Ji Xinghe sprawled out on the sofa like a starfish.

Then she pulled out a KFC family bucket and half a small watermelon.

Opening the family bucket, the aroma of fried meat crept into her nose.

She inhaled like a storm.

Only when the fried chicken legs and fries in the bucket had turned into bones and crumpled paper did she stop.

After gnawing on a slice of watermelon, Ji Xinghe patted her belly with satisfaction.

She loved the feeling of being full.

Tossing the trash into the bin, Ji Xinghe opened her backpack.

She took out all the Deformed Meat and placed it in a separate Storage Box.

She still had one White Ground Orchid left, three Purple Raven Grass, and only one Green Heart Grass.

She put all the herbs into a new Storage Box.

Ji Xinghe's gaze fell on the three items at the top of her backpack—things she'd found in the ruins.

A Purple Crystal Coin, a fragment, and a diary.

"Purple Crystal Coin: one of the currencies of the Nine Yuan Continent."

"Lost Star Sea Secret Realm Fragment: collect five to open the Star Sea Secret Realm."

"Diary: records the daily survival of the diary's owner."

She stored the Purple Crystal Coin and the fragment into the Storage Box.

Ji Xinghe lay down on the sofa, gently flipping through the diary.

Ganxing Calendar, April 1st, April Fools' Day.

"Today, everyone suddenly transmigrated. Unlike the wailing in the chat channel, I actually felt a little happy! Finally, I can get away from them!"

Survival Calendar, Day 2: "My Talent lets me grow food here. I've achieved food freedom, and I can even make a small profit. Happy."

Survival Calendar, Day 3: "Today is the last day of the newbie protection period. So nervous."