the desert she was intrigued by every
plant though many were cacti and she was
uncertain if they were edible Gian
merely scanned them and moved on as the
system had indicated that cacti were
intolerant to cold and could not be
transplanted to The Refuge the closer
she approached the waterfall the more
flowers adorned the cacti one in
particular bearing red fruit cactus
fruit was sweet and juicy a rare fruit
in the desert rich in nutrients she
unplucked a few Cactus fruits and tossed
them into her backpack taking one to eat
as she walked the moment she bit into it
regret washed over her she shouldn't
have eaten while walking and ended up
with sand in her mouth spitting it out
she exclaimed how sour wasn't it
supposed to be sweet and juicy the
sourness made her teeth tingle and she
quickly took a sip of water to rinse her
mouth her fingers stained from peeling
the cactus fruit nearby she noticed
another tree bearing yellow berries the
system scan identified them as C
Buckthorn berries see Buck Thornberry
thrives in sunlight is cold resistant
and withstands harsh winds and drought
boasting the highest vitamin C content
among fruits Gian had heard of C Buck
Thorn's high vitamin C levels before
known for its ability to Green deserts
but this was her first sighting she
plucked a berry and popped it into her
mouth only to Grimace and dismay how
could dessert fruits be so sour upon
reaching the waterfalls Edge she washed
her face to rid it of sand lest it turn
to Mud later her stained fingers had
dried making them impossible to clean be
why the Lakeside a few popler trees
stood to Shield Against the Wind here
the winds were less Fierce though the
waterfall spray rendered the area less
tranquil as she approached Gian noticed
a small wooden cabin hidden behind the
poppers blending seamlessly with the
Sandy surroundings previously overlooked
she knocked on the cabin door calling
out is anyone there but received no
reply the door was coated in sand
suggesting it had not been opened in
quite some time and there were no signs
of habitation finding the cabin locked
and the desert devoid of anything but
plants Gian felt disheartened and
decided to return to the Refuge area as
she walked toward the coast preparing to
summon xia she unexpectedly tripped over
something Landing face first in the dirt
ouch what did I trip over turning to
investigate she discovered the corner of
a glass bottle hastily Gian retrieved
her shovel and began digging unearthing
a message in a bottle which contained a
note stating Note 5 the desert
experiences a rapid drop in temperature
at night please take care to keep warm
was this a survival guide for the desert
Gian pondered the purpose of the bottle
but ultimately tossed it into her system
backpack the note referred to a fifth
Point indicating there must be at least
three or four others Gian grabbed her
shovel and treasure detector to search
the vicinity the detector appeared
unresponsive to the glass bottle and
after discovering another message in a
bottle she confirmed her suspicion upon
opening the new bottle she read Note 8
there will be sandstorms in the desert
on the night of the 15th of each month
Gian glanced at her system since her
arrival she had lost track of the date
only recalling how many days she had
survived here the 15th was today not
October 15 th although Gian had not
intended to linger in the desert given
its scarcity of resources the notes
prompted her to consider an early return
what was the purpose of this desert's
existence as she continued to ponder she
resumed searching for more message
bottles leaving Dudu resting by the
waterfall where it was cooler shortly
thereafter Gian stumbled upon another
bottle which read note one there are
Treasures in the desert the first note
boldly proclaimed the existence of