Chapter 63: Sailboat Upgrade

"Large planter box blueprint."

Lily Rhodes eagerly learned the blueprint.

The small planter boxes required wood and soil, while the large ones needed stone, soil, and two Crystal Cores. Despite the higher cost, the large version was several times bigger and possessed the ability to accelerate plant growth. However, after reviewing these specs, the joy faded from Lily’s face.

"These won’t be easy to sell," she thought. "If large planter boxes flood the market, it’s going to hurt my own business."

Lily pondered carefully. The impact would be undeniable, especially in the long run. Once other Survivors became self-sufficient, their reliance on The Supreme Shop would drop sharply. Then again, The Supreme Shop didn’t actually focus on ordinary produce anymore. All the vegetables, fruits, and grains she currently held were mutated varieties. They were larger, yielded more, and tasted far better. Long-term consumption even improved one’s constitution—a massive boon for the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those with underlying health issues.

Furthermore, while her daily harvest was increasing and over ninety percent of the land on Shelly’s back was dedicated to farming, her total output was still a drop in the bucket compared to the sheer number of Survivors out there.

"Maybe it’s not entirely unsellable."

Stroking her chin, Lily calculated the margins in her head. She could price the large planter boxes a bit higher, considering they weren’t ordinary items. Then, she could set up a recycling system within The Supreme Shop specifically to buy back excess produce that other people couldn’t finish eating. After buying them back, she could resell them for a profit, or process them into cooked meals to sell to other Survivors.

Right now, only The Supreme Shop used mutated vegetables for cooking. The high prices meant not everyone could afford them. Only the presidents of the major Guilds had the luxury of ordering daily meals from her shop. Setting up the recycling system wasn’t urgent, however. She could take her time, especially since the System already had its own trading zone. Initially, Survivors with surplus vegetables would definitely try to sell them at high prices themselves, making them unlikely to bring their goods to her for recycling right away.

With this plan in mind, Lily’s hands flew to work, crafting both small and large planter boxes simultaneously and storing the finished products in her spatial inventory. Because crafting extracted local soil, it didn’t take long for a deep pit to form right where she was sitting. Seeing this, she quickly got up and moved to another spot.

After walking for a bit, the Bee King, which had been resting on her shoulder, suddenly twitched and fluttered into the air. It hovered and bobbed in front of her. Even without her listening skill, she understood its message perfectly: Follow me.

Thus, Lily followed the Bee King all the way to the edge of a small creek.

The water was crystal clear but extremely shallow, and the stream itself was only about two hand-widths across. Here, she spotted traces of other bees. One was currently hovering right above the water, seemingly pointing something out. Lily walked over, bent down at the marked spot, and picked up an irregular, moss-covered stone from the creekbed. Once she washed away the moss, a translucent, sparkling green color was revealed beneath.

[Sailboat upgrade material detected. Current progress: (2/50)]

She hadn’t expected to actually find it.

"Are there more around here?" Lily asked.

The Bee King gave an affirmative response. "There are many of these stones in this creek, but they are quite scattered."

Lily’s eyes lit up. As long as she could find the remaining forty-eight pieces, she could upgrade her sailboat to Level 3. Even though Shelly was her primary vehicle, she was highly anticipating the sailboat’s next evolution—especially after seeing that colossal sunken ship with her own eyes. She wondered what Level her sailboat needed to reach to become a vessel of that magnitude.

Putting her planter box production on hold, Lily began scouring the area around the creek. She quickly found a third piece, then a fourth, then a fifth. Just as the Bee King had said, the stones were widely dispersed. To make the search easier, she simply crawled along the ground. With the Baby Orca and the Bee King keeping watch, she didn’t have to worry about ambushes.

It didn’t take long for her to gather the required number of stones for the upgrade, but she didn’t stop searching. These were essential sailboat upgrade materials, after all. Since she had finally found such a large amount, she decided to gather extra just in case she needed them later. Moreover, aside from those green Crystal Stones, she also found something else—Dog Head Gold. A chunk the size of a fist lay quietly in the creek, constantly washed by the flowing water.

[Sailboat collection material detected: Dog Head Gold. Current upgrade progress: (1/100)]

"This can be used for upgrades too, but it requires a hundred pieces," she murmured.

Lily scratched her head. A similar situation had happened with Shelly’s upgrades before. However, judging by the sheer quantity around here, there was far more crystal than Dog Head Gold.

"Whatever," she muttered. "Finders keepers. I’m taking it all."

Lily stayed busy until the sun was about to set in the late afternoon. Throughout all that time, she hadn’t encountered a single other Survivor, which meant the island was much larger than she had imagined. Having no intention of resting on the island, she noted the time and turned back. There were still many unexplored areas on Rugged Isle, and she wanted to craft more planter boxes and gather more sailboat materials, so leaving wasn’t on her immediate agenda. As for Shelly, knowing the turtle could move and act on its own had taken a huge weight off her shoulders.

Returning to the beach, Lily was just about to pull out her sailboat when she spotted two Level 5 rafts parked a short distance away. One person stood on each raft, busy moving supplies. She paused briefly at the sight before withdrawing her gaze. She hadn’t taken her original route back, opting for a different path instead. She never expected that the people she hadn’t bumped into on the island would be waiting right here.

The pair clearly noticed her presence as well, but due to the distance, they merely glanced at her before resuming their work. Lily retrieved her sailboat and rowed away.

Once she was a safe distance from Rugged Isle, Lily took out all the green crystals she had collected that day.

[Upgrade materials detected. Do you wish to upgrade the sailboat?]

"Yes."

As soon as the word left Lily’s lips, the fifty green crystals in her hands melted instantly, fusing straight into the hull. Almost immediately, the sailboat’s exterior began to transform, doubling in size right before her eyes.