[Courtyard fence damaged...]
After he stared at the fence that had stopped functioning for a few seconds, another notification appeared.
When building his new house, Ye Fei had only kept the open space at the front of the courtyard, because the trees and the vegetable patch that had yet to sprout were there.
Now that his new house was finished, the old fence had long since disappeared, its original location covered by the new construction.
"Good, there's still time!"
Ye Fei quickly ran behind the house. He checked the flat snow around his home and considered things like how long it took him to clear the courtyard every morning and evening, then chose a suitable spot and started building a new fence.
The poor-quality timber in his inventory finally came in handy.
It didn't matter that he had no hammer. Everything was covered in snow, so all he needed to do was push the wood through the snow until it touched the ground.
It felt terribly unsafe, but plenty of things in this game world defied common sense.
He could build a house with the Crafting Bench as though he were playing with building blocks. What else was there to get hung up on?
The fence gradually extended around Ye Fei's current house, and he expanded the front courtyard outward by quite a bit as well.
The fence behind his house still stood two meters from the building.
There were three meters on either side, while he had expanded the front courtyard to five meters. The vegetable patch and the two pine trees now looked much closer to the house.
Once he had enclosed the new courtyard with barely enough poor-quality timber, Ye Fei breathed a sigh of relief.
[Your new home is now complete. You have gained considerable understanding of how to survive in this world. Defense mode unlocked. Hunting mode unlocked...]
The string of notifications announcing newly unlocked modes nearly made Ye Fei trip over thin air.
What did it mean by defense mode?
Hunting, I understood, but...
Did this defense mode mean something was coming to attack my courtyard?
I'd barely managed to put up a fence. One kick would definitely break it, and now you're telling me to defend myself with this thing...
Defend my ass!
His little fox was so tiny, yet even she could easily leap back and forth over the fence!
However, when Ye Fei returned to the courtyard and dug a hole near the fence, he read the detailed descriptions of the newly unlocked modes and decided the changes were actually pretty good.
Ye Fei planted the Sapling of unknown grade near the fence. Looking at the Sapling, which still needed twenty-four hours before its species could be identified, he picked up his broom in a reasonably good mood and continued sweeping the snow out of the courtyard.
Basically, he could go out hunting, or kill animals and beasts that came near his home to cause damage...
There were all kinds of random events. The weather would become more changeable, and plants and animals would spawn more frequently and unpredictably than before.
With animals appearing at random, attacks on his home and trips out to hunt would naturally follow.
Still, having animals to hunt meant he wouldn't have to worry about running out of meat anymore!
"Yip?"
Qingxue the Little Fox evolved quickly. By the time darkness fell, Ye Fei had eaten some bread and drunk some water, and was just about to lie down to rest when she finished evolving.
[Pet: Qingxue (Level 2 Snow Fox cub), loyalty 100, combat power 10, healthy and active]
After waking up, the little fox was about the same size as before, but her combat power had reached 10.
"Hungry? We'll go out looking for prey tomorrow. Today, there's still only bread."
Ye Fei took out a piece of bread, poured water into the bowl he had prepared for the little fox, and placed both on the small wooden table.
Although the little fox was tiny, she could leap back and forth over the nearly meter-high fence outside for fun. The low table was no obstacle at all.
"Yip, yip~"
Qingxue the Little Fox still couldn't understand human speech, but she could sense that Ye Fei was worried she might go hungry.
"Be good and eat something first. Tonight might not be peaceful."
Ye Fei stroked the little fox's head and let her go eat on her own.
He no longer needed to worry about turning on a light consuming energy, because apart from these few basic necessities, there was nothing else left in his wooden cabin.
He would even have to find another way to take care of his bathroom needs.
It looked like he would have to build a toilet in a corner of the courtyard first thing tomorrow. He had no interest in exposing himself out in the snow. Frostbite was no laughing matter.
The little fox slowly ate her bread on the table while Ye Fei lay on the bed, reading the chat channel.
Tonight's chat channel was incredibly busy. Messages were appearing two or three times faster than on their first day in this world.
Some people cried, some cursed, some denounced this world's cruelty, and others began recounting their lives.
At this point, many of them didn't need replies or comfort from anyone. Even being cursed at wouldn't stir much of a reaction.
Perhaps they had already lost all hope for the future. All they wanted now was to vent their feelings in the time they had left.
[You have received a message from a friend.] [Grassland/0090-1144-3656: My friend in Snow Mountain, have you finished building your house?]
It was past ten, and Ye Fei was getting ready to sleep when he suddenly saw the message.
[Me: It's finished. A little square wooden house. As long as it's livable, that's enough. It doesn't take much timber, either.]
Ye Fei thought for a moment, then sent a reply.
The floor space of the house he had built was actually a bit wasteful. Apart from a bed and the boiler in the corner, everything else was empty.
That was also why he couldn't understand how those people were unable to build houses. Even if they couldn't build a big one, they could put up four walls, add a roof and a floor, and spend the night sitting against a wall. At least they wouldn't freeze to death.
He had seen people sleeping in phone booths before...
[Grassland/0090-1144-3656: That's pretty good. I built a stone house here. It's a little hot, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with it. Our chat channel is about to explode. Those people have gone crazy. Some are even calling for everyone to get together and jump into the volcanic crater.]
The person in Grassland seemed rather unsettled. Now that Ye Fei had replied, he began rambling about the situation on his side.
[Me: A volcanic crater? Aren't you in Grassland? There are volcanoes in the grasslands?]
Ye Fei felt he couldn't quite resist questioning that particular detail.
That wasn't the right location. It wasn't like you lived on a volcano.
[Grassland/0090-1144-3656: There's a really, really tall mountain here. It's clearly at the far end of the grasslands, but every player says they can see it. The volcano started spewing thick smoke this evening. It's pitch-black outside now, but the mountaintop keeps flashing with fire, like fireworks going off.]
His complaints about the strange phenomena over there sparked a few theories in Ye Fei's mind.
If everyone could see it, did that mean everyone was actually in the same location?
People in his own chat channel had mentioned the terrain too. They were all on a flat expanse of snow, and had to walk for over half an hour before reaching a slope.
If everyone really was in the same location, did that mean every player in this game was actually in a separate space...?
[Me: It's all snowy mountains here, so there's no chance of seeing fireworks. But looking out the window now, I can see fierce winds whipping the falling snow into a wild dance, as if some kind of spirit had appeared out there.]
Ye Fei pulled open the wooden window, took a look at the wind and snow outside, then quickly shut it again.
Things weren't peaceful outside his place, either!
Before you continue