Chapter 117: Chapter 117: The Treehouse in the Forest Fire

Fortunately, he had already chopped down the surrounding trees, so even if a forest fire came, it wouldn’t reach him. However, considering the smoke might get into the treehouse, he installed glass windows on all the windows and sealed the windows on all four levels.

The thunderstorm outside was ongoing. Xu Xin was so annoyed by the thunder and the constant sound of lightning strikes on the roof of the treehouse that he couldn’t stand it. Finally, he rolled some cotton into a ball, stuffed it in his ears, and felt a little better.

The area around the treehouse hadn’t caught fire thanks to the lightning rod, which diverted all the nearby lightning, but the places farther from the treehouse weren’t so lucky.

Looking out the window, forest fires were blazing in all directions, spreading almost everywhere, gradually surrounding the treehouse.

But Xu Xin wasn’t panicked. He had already done everything he needed to and there was no need to panic. Even if something really happened, panic wouldn’t help.

Just now, because the windows weren’t closed, the heat waves from outside blew in, making the room unbearably hot now. He took a basin of water, threw some saltpeter in it, and instantly, the room temperature became comfortable.

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Xin let out a long breath.

Keke was on the sofa at that time, covering her ears with her head buried, her big tail behind her constantly swaying.

At first, she was startled by the thunder, but now it didn’t bother her that much, though she was still annoyed by the noise every ten seconds.

Xu Xin rolled two more cotton balls and stuffed them into Keke’s ears, allowing her to lift her head from the sofa, though she still appeared a bit listless.

Silver King and Mimi were lying nonchalantly in the living room; they seemed to have a strong tolerance for the noise. Mimi even yawned, squinting its eyes and starting to rest.

Influenced by these two guys, Xu Xin wasn’t so agitated. After chopping trees for such a long time, his stomach was growling, so he decided to have a hearty breakfast.

He brought out the pig meat that Silver King and Mimi had hunted yesterday and gave it to them. Then he summoned a bat from his wristband to join them in feasting, as he went to cook some lotus root mutant pig meat, paired with fresh fruits, having a sumptuous breakfast amidst the rolling thunder.

The faint warm current flowing in his body made him clench his fists. If he continued to eat this mutant beast meat, the longer it went on, the bigger the gap would become between him and others.

After finishing the last segment of the orange in his hand, he suddenly remembered it was the fourth day since he had planted the strawberries. His blue-grade strawberries should be mature by now.

So, he went to the planting garden on the top level of the treehouse.

As soon as he went up, Xu Xin was dazzled by the light emitted from the lightning rod. The lightning rod was like a spotlight emitting white light in all directions, producing a dazzling glow.

Moreover, Xu Xin felt that the light even carried a hint of heat, like sunlight. Perhaps because too much electricity had been stored, it couldn’t continue storing, so it automatically converted into thermal and light energy, releasing it.

Wait, doesn’t that make the lightning rod equivalent to a supplementary grow light in a greenhouse?

This way, even if it’s cloudy with overcast skies and no sun, the plants in his top-level garden could still perform photosynthesis, continuing to grow normally.

Even if it could stay this bright, the plants might continue to grow at night, potentially further shortening the maturation time.

This fits the needs of the top level perfectly.

However, there are also drawbacks. It might be useless when there’s no lightning.

And if the lightning rod is this bright at night, his treehouse would be like a big light bulb, attracting the attention of nearby beasts and mosquitoes, and might even be seen by other survivors not far away, which wouldn’t be a good thing.

Forget it, take it one step at a time. At least for now, it’s a good thing for him.

Xu Xin walked up to the large flower pot where the strawberries were planted.

The five strawberry plants in the pot had all borne fruit. The egg-sized fruits hung on the strawberry vines, each presenting a bright red color, like red agates, making them look very appetizing.

Each strawberry plant had seven fruits, yielding a total of 35 blue-grade strawberries in this patch of soil.

Xu Xin picked a large strawberry, examining it in his palm.

[Strawberry (Blue): A directly edible fruit with a very sweet taste. A single bite can fill you with happiness. After eating, it can eliminate negative mental states and keep your mood at its best for an hour!]

This description made Xu Xin frown. What kind of effect is this, a fruit of happiness? It somewhat feels like something that you inhale…

He wiped the strawberry in his hand and, without washing it, took a bite. It was self-grown and hadn’t been sprayed with pesticides, so it was very clean.

A burst of sweetness bloomed in his mouth. This blue-grade strawberry was indeed much sweeter than the green-grade strawberries he had tasted before.

Xu Xin ate the whole strawberry, licking his lips. Not only was the tip of the strawberry sweet, but the base of the strawberry was also sweet, which brought a slight smile to his lips.

In the moment he ate, his mood, which had been somewhat irritated by the thunderstorm, calmed down, and his mind instantly became clear.

This feeling was different from the mental restoration provided by an orange. An orange restored Spiritual Power, relieving the fatigue of a constantly working brain, but Xu Xin had just woken up and wasn’t tired, only agitated by the noise.

A full Spiritual Power doesn’t mean one’s mood is positive or that one can make the right judgments.

He instantly understood the real function of the blue-grade strawberry.

Thinking back to when he encountered a Cannibal Flower, even though he had already eaten an orange (Blue), which maintained his optimal Spiritual Power, he was still affected by the pollen, leading him to do some careless things he usually wouldn’t do. And when in the dungeon passage, the bats’ cries made his head ache, and he took a long time to recover.

And this fruit could give Xu Xin a clear head and stable emotions in such situations.

A good thing indeed!

Xu Xin picked all the strawberries and stored them in his pouch.

“Wah wah wah!” Keke followed closely behind Xu Xin, and as soon as he picked the first blue-grade strawberry, she was attracted to this new blue-grade fruit. Seeing him storing all the fruits, she got anxious and tugged at Xu Xin’s pant leg, calling out.

Indeed, he hadn’t given the little guy a blue-grade fruit yet today.

Xu Xin took out a strawberry and placed it in Keke’s hand. The strawberry was egg-sized, and Keke held it with satisfaction, sitting on the floor and nibbling at it.

The thunder was still rolling outside, but it no longer irritated him. He even felt the thunder’s rhythm to be somewhat dynamic, which made him marvel at the effects of the blue-grade strawberry.

A happiness fruit that lasts an hour!

Speaking of which, the effects of this strawberry really do seem a bit like something… It shouldn’t be addictive, right?

Returning to the third level, Xu Xin washed a few fruits, brought over a chair, and sat by the window, holding Keke. He ate the fruits while looking out the window.

The sea of fire had already spread over, getting very close to the treehouse. The thick smoke rolling had blocked most of the view, making it nearly impossible to see anything.

But fortunately, the glass windows kept the smoke out of the treehouse, and the treehouse’s outer walls had heat-resistant properties. Coupled with the “powerful air conditioner” effect of the blue-grade saltpeter inside, the entire interior of the treehouse was unaffected. Inside and out, it was the difference between heaven and Hell.

There wasn’t much time left before nine o’clock. The mysterious activities of today should start soon.

Xu Xin sat by the window, waiting quietly for the mysterious voice to announce the start of the activity.