In a vast forest, you'll find all kinds of birds.
On an open marketplace, you'll encounter every kind of seller—and every imaginable item.
After scouring the trade platform for a while, Meng Hao stumbled upon a trove of peculiar treasures.
Though their usefulness wasn't immediate, he decided to keep them—just in case.
With the trade complete, it was finally time to build his very first cabin.
Now that all necessary materials were gathered, all that remained was to choose the perfect location.
Everything was ready—he just needed a favorable wind.
"Eh? Another clumsy brute joined the ranks!"
Two hours had passed since the barracks had been activated, and a second goblin sentry had been successfully trained.
Upon inspection, Meng Hao discovered that the two goblins looked exactly alike—perfect replicas.
Yet, he felt a special attachment to the first one, likely due to their time fighting side by side.
"From now on, you're my goblin captain. Remember that."
Goblin No. 1 straightened his back and nodded vigorously.
He twirled his spear with new-found pride; his entire bearing had shifted.
Meng Hao thought for a moment, then took out a low-tier red cord from his storage ring and approached him.
"Bow your head."
The goblin looked slightly confused, uncertain of what was to come.
But as a guard, obedience was his nature—he complied without hesitation.
Meng Hao smiled in satisfaction and tied the red cord around the goblin's head.
"Now I won't mistake you for the others."
After all, as captain, he needed a distinguishing mark.
Goblin No. 1 beamed with joy. His stiff, wooden face seemed to come alive with warmth.
Yes, indeed—building bonds worked wonders.
Next, Meng Hao pulled another spear from his ring and handed it to Goblin No. 2.
"Do your job well from now on—understood?"
Though he knew talking to goblins was pointless, saying it out loud brought a strange sense of satisfaction.
Goblin No. 2 took the spear—attack power +15.
He nodded solemnly, perhaps understanding, perhaps not.
Either way, his master's word was law.
With an additional guard, the island's defense had once again been strengthened.
Meng Hao stood atop the drifting platform, scanning the island for the ideal spot to build his cabin.
To the north lay the functional zones—farm, mine, factory, barracks—all tightly packed after recent upgrades. He preferred not to build there.
The south was all beach—where he had once bathed. It seemed idyllic, but the deeper waters harbored sharks. Exposure to sun by day and cold sea winds by night made it far from ideal.
The west was a deepwater zone, reserved for the future construction of a harbor.
That left the east—a dense forest of vibrant, flourishing trees.
Near the shoreline, tall coconut trees stood proudly, full of vitality.
Meng Hao decided to place his wooden cabin in a clearing within this eastern forest.
By day, the trees would shield him from the searing sun; by night, they would block the biting wind.
Most importantly, goblin guards regenerated health rapidly in the woods—if the island were ever attacked, this forest would be his final line of defense.
There, his troops would gain red-buff bonuses in battle.
With his decision made, Meng Hao strode toward the forest.
His two goblin sentries flanked him like loyal bodyguards, forming quite the impressive entourage.
Soon, he arrived at the clearing he had previously marked and took out the construction blueprint.
[Wooden Cabin Requirements]:
Wood: 3420/2000
Stone: 618/500
Iron Ore: 80020/200
Copper Ore: 108/50
Rope: 300/200
Glass: 20/20
[Proceed with Construction?]
"Build!"
He pointed coolly at the clearing ahead, issuing the command.
A flurry of system prompts followed:
[Ding! Requirements met. Construction initiated.]
[Surveying foundation...]
[Foundation approved. Building commenced.]
[Current progress: 1% | Estimated time: 12 hours]
[Tip: Spend 1 Crystal Coin to reduce build time by 1 hour.]
"Twelve hours?"
Meng Hao scoffed.
Typical cash-grab trickery—no different from those exploitative mobile games.
The sun was already setting. At this pace, he'd be sleeping under the stars.
Clearly, the game wanted him to burn through his crystal coins.
"Do they think I can't rough it?"
"That I'll give in and pay for comfort?"
"That I'm that kind of player?"
"...Yes, I am."
"What's a few coins? It's only twelve."
"Let's do it."
[Accelerating construction... -12 Crystal Coins]
[Construction complete: 100% — Wooden Cabin built successfully!]
A loud boom echoed through the forest. In a blink, a towering cabin stood tall.
Massive logs were hammered into thick walls—sturdy and robust, exuding a sense of unshakable security.
The front featured a smooth, finely-crafted wooden door nearly two meters tall.
On the sides and rear: glass windows—clearly where those precious materials were used.
The interior would now be blessed with natural light.
The cabin, according to the system, could withstand at least ten zombie attacks.
That said, Meng Hao had no intention of letting them get that close.
If they reached his home, it would mean the entire island had fallen.
He needed to strengthen his goblin guard force. Fortify the frontline.
"You two, hold the perimeter. I'm going in."
With that, Meng Hao approached the cabin, the goblins standing guard—alert and armed.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, he stepped inside.
"Whoa—what a tall threshold."
He carefully stepped over it, then glanced back.
Clearly, it was designed as a defense measure—against more than just zombies.
There were other threats too—like venomous snakes.
If the threshold were too low, smaller dangers might slip in unnoticed.
Still... it had its drawbacks.
At 182cm tall, even he barely cleared it without mishap.
Any shorter, and...
"Hiss…"
Meng Hao winced.
A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined a very specific kind of misfortune.
To all future adventurers, he silently whispered:
Take care of your boys.