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After finishing the planting, Nan Liujing’s stamina dropped to 110/150—that really took a toll!

Exhausted, he slumped down at the edge of the field. Two streaks of mud smeared his face, but he didn’t bother to wipe them off. He took a couple of sips of cool water first, then pulled out a slice of toast to eat. Half a slice of toast soothed his hungry stomach, and his stamina slowly began to recover.

The temperature had dropped further today, and the sea breeze was bitingly cold. Nan Liujing pulled on his windbreaker and sat gazing out at the horizon.

Wave after wave crashed onto the beach in an endless cycle, white foam rolling in. In the distance, who knows which ship had met with misfortune—the water had capsized it, its hull shattered into pieces, its cargo drifting aimlessly on the surface, carried by the currents.

Nan Liujing watched as this batch of debris drew closer, only to suddenly change course midway. Nine-tenths of it rode the ocean current to the left, drifting further and further away from his small island.

“……” Nan Liujing silently swallowed a bite of bread and let out a long sigh. His heart was breaking.

If only he had a talent for diving, he would have dived in right then and there.

In the end, the only items that washed safely ashore were 2 wet planks of wood, 4 palm fronds, 3 torn fishing nets, 8 empty plastic bottles, 4 empty tin cans, and 3 empty glass bottles.

Not much in the way of supplies, but plenty of trash.

“Not a single treasure chest today,” Nan Liujing said, looking gloomy and feeling sorry for himself. “Fate has finally come for me, a total hunk.”

But what could he do? He had absolutely no way to fight back. That’s just how pretty boys are—good-looking but lacking in skills, so in the end, they can only take it lying down.

After deliberately wallowing in self-pity for a moment, Nan Liujing quickly pulled himself together. He set aside the pitifully meager supplies and turned his attention to the real task at hand: exploring the area.

The makeshift dock was built early in the morning. By 7 o’clock, the thick fog had cleared, revealing the small wooden dock on the beach. Though called a dock, it actually resembled an L-shaped wooden walkway, raised slightly on logs beneath—just large enough to moor a small wooden boat.

But since it was free, it would have to do. Nan Liujing had always been quite lenient about such things.

It was his first time setting out to sea to explore; everything was a mystery, so Nan Liujing had to proceed with caution. He had to make sure his preparations were thorough. He needed to free up space in his backpack—the small wooden boat couldn’t hold much, so he’d have to rely on his backpack to carry supplies back. He also had to make sure his stamina was fully replenished before setting off.

His stamina determines how many supplies he can collect later, while his backpack slots determine how much he can bring back.

That said, he couldn’t set out with an empty backpack either. After all, the destination of the voyage was random—what if danger lurked? Being too greedy might result in bringing back no supplies at all, or even getting stranded out there. Nan Liujing wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake.

As for exactly what to bring, Nan Liujing had already figured it out last night. First, he cleared out his backpack slots, then placed a wooden spear and five stamina potions inside. One of these items was too long to carry conveniently, while the other was made of glass and prone to breaking—he had to keep it in his backpack to be safe.

For the boning knife and oyster knife, he simply tore strips from a piece of canvas, tied them into sheaths, and carried them on his person so they wouldn’t take up any backpack slots. He’ll carry a simple axe in his hand. If he encounters an island with trees, he can take the opportunity to gather some planks. He put 5 bandages in the pocket of his windbreaker so he can provide first aid in case of injury.

One random sea chart—use it right away.

A can of garlic oil-soaked oysters, for a quick energy boost—a backup option once the stamina potions run out. To avoid the glass breaking, it’s safer to keep it in the backpack.

With that, three backpack slots were already taken. Nan Liujing’s goal for today is to fill the remaining seven slots with supplies from other islands.

In addition, Nan Liujing stuffed various odds and ends—like badges and exploration permits—into his pockets. Since he’s conducting a licensed exploration, he naturally has to bring the evidence with him.

“Phew, I’m all set now.” Nan Liujing pulled out a one-time space card, flicked his wrist, and sent the card flying. It landed on the sea’s surface and transformed into a small wooden boat, less than 5 meters long and less than 3 meters wide, with a mast standing in the middle and a sail hoisted. There was a triangular platform at both the bow and stern; they were hollow inside and could be used for seating or storage.

The boat was just big enough for one person; two would be a bit cramped.

Before the waves could carry the small wooden boat away, he acted quickly, grabbing the gunwale and pulling it back. He had a rope ready, which was just the thing for tying the boat to the dock.

Nan Liujing jumped onto the boat, casually set down the axe, took out the nautical chart, looked around, and found a protruding column-like object on the bow platform—only twenty centimeters tall, with a slightly indented top, and exactly the same size as the chart.

“Is it supposed to go here?”

Who cares if it is or not? Let’s just try putting it in.

Nan Liujing decisively placed the nautical chart inside, and the next second, new item information appeared above it.

【Random Sea Chart】

【Three routes detected. Please select one.】

——Fresh Fruit Island

——Feiyan Island

——Songzi Island】

Nan Liujing furrowed his brow. “Just a name?” What about the rest of the information? This is way too perfunctory!

“Ah, this is when you see the benefits of being an avid reader.” Nan Liujing sighed, running a hand through his bangs, but then suddenly smiled. With his other hand, he tapped one of the three options. “As the old saying goes, read more books and newspapers. Look, here comes the information advantage.”

He didn’t know what the situation was on Feiyan Island or Songzi Island, but he knew that the apples on Fresh Fruit Island were ripe.

In that case, let’s prioritize this.

Even if all he could do was pick some apples and chop down a few trees, this trip wouldn’t be a loss.

“Let’s go!”

The nautical chart flickered slightly, and the sail hanging from the mast flapped down, billowing in the wind.

Nan Liujing untied the hemp rope, and the small wooden boat, requiring no human power, began to glide slowly forward.

The tide began to rise again, and waves crashed against the boat. Defying all logic, the small wooden boat pushed upstream, cutting through the waves. A wave crashed over it, causing the boat to lurch. Nan Liujing lost his balance and fell backward onto the deck.

“Ouch.” Nan Liujing winced as his tailbone throbbed, his expression twisting in pain. “Damn, this is actually kind of dangerous.”

Before he could get back up, a shadow suddenly fell over his vision. Looking up, he saw an even bigger wave than before crashing down on him.

“Holy shit!”

Splash.

The small wooden boat was swallowed by the wave in an instant, only to break through the water again the next second, propelled by a mysterious force.

Nan Liujing clung tightly to the mast, his entire body soaked through, dripping wet. A gust of sea breeze swept past, and he let out a massive, muffled sneeze.

“This… is seriously no joke.”

Fortunately, it was only the shallow waters near the island that were so turbulent; once the small boat had made it out, they finally found a smooth stretch of water. The open sea was as smooth as glass, with hardly a ripple. Nan Liujing was able to sit comfortably in the boat, wringing out each of his clothes one by one.

“My mistake. I should have brought an extra set of clothes.” He turned his head and sneezed again, rubbing his nose as he leaned against the gunwale.

The sea breeze was gentle, the sunlight just right. The gently rocking boat was like a baby’s cradle, floating on the shimmering sea surface. The motion made Nan Liujing’s face turn ashen, and his urge to vomit had reached its peak.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t appreciate the scenery; he’d suffered from motion sickness since childhood.

To keep himself from actually throwing up, Nan Liujing had no choice but to force himself to shift his focus elsewhere, thinking about something trivial.

Like… next time he goes out to sea, he shouldn’t waste this time on the water—he should bring a fishing rod. Or hang a fishing net off the back of the boat to make the most of it.

He’d look up guides on how to mend fishing nets on the forum as soon as he got back. But not now—if he played on his tablet while seasick, he’d really throw up. Speaking of which, when would they arrive at Fresh Fruit Island?

An hour later, the island came into Nan Liujing’s view.

Nan Liujing stood up, leaning on the mast, and gazed nervously at the island drawing ever closer.

He won’t even mention its size—it’s dozens of times larger than his own little island, and the abundance of resources there is something Unknown Island couldn’t even begin to match. The entire island looked like a mountain range floating on the sea, a sea of lush green that made Nan Liujing’s eyes turn green with envy.

In the distance, Nan Liujing spotted a pier built on the sandy shore, with a familiar little blue flag flying atop it.

【You have approached the Resource Island: Fresh Fruit Island. You have 10 hours to explore; exceeding this time limit will cause you to miss the return trip.】

Accompanying the system notification was a white seabird taking flight from the island. The seabird flew toward the small wooden boat with a large megaphone clamped in its wide beak, and a voice boomed from the megaphone.

“Warning! Warning! This island is a resource island belonging to the Impermanent Sea Islands Committee and is under the Committee’s protection. Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from landing on the island.”

“Please present your credentials.”

“Please present your credentials.”

Clatter.

A large white bird landed gracefully on the mast, tilting its head slightly as its round, shiny eyes fixed on Nan Liujing, while the voice from the loudspeaker continued to blare.

“Please present your credentials.”

“Credentials? Do these count?” Nan Liujing thought for a moment, then pulled out his committee badge, exploration permit, and that document he had received earlier—

“The Heart of Chaoyang Daily,” he said, pointing to the article about Fresh Fruit Island and speaking to the white bird with a serious expression. “The news says the Harvest Association’s picking season is over. Does that mean others can go up there now? I’m a member of our committee, too. Surely the committee should allow members to explore the island and gather resources, right?”

The white bird tilted its head, set down the megaphone, and pecked at the badge and permit with its beak. After seemingly confirming that both items were genuine, it let out a loud “Caw!” at Nan Liujing, picked up the megaphone again, and flew off toward the island.

“That attitude must mean they’ve agreed, right?” Seeing this, Nan Liujing breathed a sigh of relief and casually put away his badge and other items. “I only brought them just in case, but I never expected they’d actually come in handy.”

With no further obstruction, the small wooden boat headed straight for the dock, automatically finding a berth and coming to a stop. Nan Liujing quickly tied the boat to the dock with a hemp rope.

Jumping off the boat, Nan Liujing took two steps forward, his gaze fixed on the island ahead. By now, the large white bird had flown off to who knows where; not even the sound of the horn could be heard.

Before him lay a white sandy beach, dotted with a few scattered coconut palms, beneath which lay several round coconuts. A hermit crab scuttled across the sand, heading straight for the coconuts with clear purpose.

Beyond the beach lay deep brown soil, where green grass formed a continuous expanse, spreading out into a soft meadow. Sparrows perched on the grass, busily pecking at seeds.

A barren, winding path divided the meadow in two, meandering deeper into the woods.

At the edge of the woodland stood a thicket of shrubs, their lush foliage dotted with bright red berries. Beyond the thicket lay a forest so dense that its end was lost to the eye. A red squirrel poked its head out from among the branches, holding an acorn in its paws. Its cheeks puffed out as it munched, curiously eyeing the island’s only stranger.

Nan Liujing’s gaze shifted away from the two tufts of long, fluffy hair on the red squirrel’s ears and scanned the horizon.

As far as the eye could see, there was not a soul on the island; he could hear nothing but his own breathing. A gust of sea breeze blew in from behind him, ruffling Nan Liujing’s hair before swirling into the forest, rustling through the leaves.

Nan Liujing took a deep breath. The scent of plants, mingled with the earthy smell of soil, filled his nostrils, suddenly stirring a sense of emotion within him.

“The landscaping on this island is really well done—much better than back home.”

Most importantly, the resources here looked abundant at first glance; he had definitely made the right choice in selecting this place.