Volume One, Chapter Six: A Highly Effective Mosquito Repellent Formula?

If that were truly the case, obtaining treasure chests in the future would become much simpler!

Lin Yifan held the Cloudbreaker Bow in his hand; with a ranged weapon like this, even a fierce wild boar was not beyond his ability to confront.

However, after exploring so many places today, aside from encountering this snake, he had only heard the calls of some birds.

What’s more, those birds seemed to be hiding somewhere unseen—only their cries could be heard, but no shadows were visible.

Otherwise, he would have long since shot at them with the Cloudbreaker Bow!

As for other wild beasts, he had yet to spot any.

He guessed he would have to venture farther to find them.

Now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.

Shaking his head to clear away the cluttered thoughts, Lin Yifan refocused his attention on the treasure chest.

Without hesitation, he applied the last item upgrade Buff to the chest.

Instantly, the chest’s quality upgraded to green.

Taking a deep breath, he silently prayed for a moment, then opened the chest with eager anticipation.

A green-quality chest—surely this time, it couldn’t be worse than before?

Muttering to himself, Lin Yifan cautiously peered inside.

Hmm? Three items again?

Could it be that green chests only yield three items?

That thought flickered briefly, but he didn’t bother pondering further.

No matter how many items it contained, the decision was out of his hands. More would be better; fewer meant weaker leverage.

Pushing the thought aside, Lin Yifan reached in and withdrew the first item.

It was a scroll. Slowly unrolling it, the name appeared before his eyes:

“[Strong Mosquito Repellent Recipe] (Craftable upon learning).”

“Mosquito repellent?”

Lin Yifan was momentarily stunned!

At the same time, a shiver ran through him.

This was a survival world—it was impossible for a useless item to appear without reason.

If a recipe for mosquito repellent showed up, then there was likely a mosquito threat.

Thinking of his thatched hut—even though it had upgraded to level 1.5, transformed from a shabby shack to a brand-new cottage—would it truly keep mosquitoes out?

Even he couldn’t be certain.

Should he learn it?

Of course!

Such a formula was safest kept in his own hands.

“Learn the recipe!”

With that thought, the scroll vanished instantly.

Simultaneously, a luminous screen—usually invisible unless summoned—materialized automatically.

Potion name: [Strong Mosquito Repellent]

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Ingredients: Mugwort (2), Mint (1)

“Mugwort? Mint?”

Lin Yifan frowned, his expression turning serious.

Both were common herbs, yet after all his exploration today, he hadn’t seen a single plant of either.

It seemed that even with the recipe in hand, crafting the potion would not be easy.

A clever housewife cannot cook without rice.

Without the herbs, Lin Yifan was helpless.

For now, he set aside the task of making mosquito repellent and focused on the remaining two items in the chest.

One of them was a square flowerpot.

About fifty centimeters in length and width, it contained rich, black soil that looked fertile.

Lifting the pot, Lin Yifan’s face lit up with joy.

Name: [Universal Cultivation Soil]

Grade: Good

Review: Suitable for cultivating any plant, it accelerates growth speed. The higher the grade, the greater the growth bonus. A gardener’s beloved treasure!

It could actually increase plant growth speed!

This was a true blessing for a horticulturist!

Lin Yifan, being a dedicated gardener by nature, held a deep passion for farming.

Moreover, with this cultivation soil, as long as he could find seeds for crops, he could achieve resource regeneration!

Only by regenerating resources could one survive long-term.

His ancestors in the gardening lineage had proven this truth over thousands of years.

Recalling the crop seeds, Lin Yifan suddenly remembered the wild blueberry bush he had pruned earlier.

Wild blueberries were sweet and tart—a precious food source in this survival world.

If he could quickly cultivate them with the soil, they would be excellent either for his own consumption or for trading.

With that in mind, Lin Yifan hastily stored the cultivation soil in his space and then retrieved the chest’s final item.

To his surprise, it was a frying pan.

Name: [Frying Pan]

Grade: Good

Review: Though it’s just a frying pan, being a good-grade one, believe me, its use goes far beyond cooking. Perhaps it can even be used to bonk your head!

Reading the review, Lin Yifan’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

He wondered who wrote these evaluations—they were unexpectedly humorous.

However, the reviewer seemed a bit violent, always associating items with hitting or fighting.

Regardless of whether the pan was suitable for bonking heads, for Lin Yifan, it was timely relief.

He had been pondering how to cook the snake meat.

In the end, roasting was the only option, as he lacked any kitchen utensils.

Now, with the frying pan, he could fry, sauté, or even deep-fry!

He could even manage to boil some soup, albeit barely.

---

Thinking of a steaming bowl of meat broth, Lin Yifan licked his lips involuntarily.

Not having eaten meat for so long, he realized how ravenous he had become.

After tossing the frying pan into his space, Lin Yifan stuffed the snake’s body segment into the empty chest and stored it away.

Then he took off the sleepwear that had been punctured twice by the cobra’s fangs from the wooden stick and put it back on.

Though he felt somewhat uneasy wearing clothing that the snake had touched, it was his only set; otherwise, he would have no choice but to go bare-chested.

Redonning the raincoat, Lin Yifan checked the time—it was already 4:30 p.m.!

Night would fall at 5:00.

Only half an hour remained.

Although it took just five minutes to return to the safe house from here, Lin Yifan decided against continuing his search.

He planned to rush westward and dig up that blueberry bush.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the blueberry tree, clutching the straight stick.

Twelve minutes later, he arrived.

With no digging tools, he had to dig by hand.

Since it took eight minutes to return to the safe house, he only had fourteen minutes to dig.

Time was pressing, so he paid no mind to the pain in his fingers.

After digging for a short while, he clutched the bush and pulled hard.

To his surprise, he actually managed to uproot it!

Throwing the blueberry bush into his space, he prepared to head back.

Ten minutes remained—enough time.

Just then, he noticed a corner of something gray and white protruding from the hole where the bush had been uprooted.

Instinctively, he brushed away the dirt, and his eyes lit up!

It was a white treasure chest!

With the chest in sight, Lin Yifan could no longer move away.

He immediately crouched down and began clearing the debris.

Fortunately, the chest was not buried underground but was hidden beneath a pile of dried branches and leaves.

Uprooting the blueberry bush had loosened the surrounding twigs and leaves enough to reveal the chest.

With little time left, he spent three minutes excavating it.

Then, he dashed toward the safe house with all his might!

As darkness deepened, an indescribable chill and dread closed in from all directions.

Sweat-drenched from running, Lin Yifan shivered involuntarily.

Looking up, he saw the blood-red moon hanging in the sky.

A sudden wave of terror gripped him—it was as if that moon were an ancient beast poised to devour him whole.