Magic Farm 140

Chapter 140: Recruiting Plant Sprites, A Visit from the Wandering Merchant

[Dusk Watcher: And there’s another thing. Only a top-ranked player like the game bigwig could offer something as valuable as the martial arts technique, half-charity, half-sale, to exchange for ice and snow. He’s working with another top player from a different region, and together they’re more than the sum of their parts, able to run a business that spans entire districts. But I’m just an ordinary player—I don’t have anything special to offer, and I can’t do business on that scale.]

This player seemed to be the cautious and conservative type.

But, thinking it over, what he said wasn’t without reason.

[To Pluck the Moon: @Dusk Watcher, can the teleportation array be sold?]

In truth, as he asked, To Pluck the Moon already had an inkling of the answer.

[Dusk Watcher: No, if it could be sold, I’d have listed it on the market long ago—at least I could get something good for it.]

[The More I Grind, The Harder Life Gets: But it’s such a good thing. Isn’t it a shame not to use it? Want to add me as a friend so we can discuss how to use it privately?]

[Dusk Watcher: I know what everyone’s thinking. Just now, more than one top player has sent me a friend request. But as I said, unless I can be absolutely sure of my own safety, I won’t risk activating the teleportation array. And I’m not the only one who thinks this way—my teammate hasn’t set up the array either.]

[Dusk Watcher: Besides, until the array is built, I have no way to contact him, so we can’t discuss or make any agreements.]

[Little Laozi: So, the game bigwig was really lucky to get matched with a friend as a teammate.]

[Gan Di: It’s not just trust—it’s confidence in his own strength. With that kind of skill, the bigwig has nothing to fear from the other side.]

After finishing up the trading business, Qi Yu exited the regional channel.

He watched as Dan Xingyu packed snow into his backpack while feeding the “mature trash can.”

After eating the snow, the trash can spat out a pile of things.

A whole heap of “smooth ice beads.”

The beads were about the size of a thumb, crystal clear and beautiful.

Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu studied them for a while and finally decided to string them together and hang them on the fence at the entrance to the territory as a little ice curtain. In this weather, it wouldn’t melt.

Apart from the ice beads, there were also a few scattered coins.

It was clear that “ice and snow” weren’t very popular food for the trash can—the conversion rate was much lower than with the dead branches and rotten leaves Qi Yu had collected before.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, the whole day had passed.

At five o’clock, the two returned to the territory.

The steward had already prepared dinner.

Hot milk, and for each of them, a bowl of hearty stew cooked with a variety of foods and nourishing herbs, leaving a faint sweetness on the tongue after drinking.

After dinner, the steward suggested Qi Yu take a bath: “You’ve been outside in the cold all day, sir. You should warm yourself up.”

He then turned his gaze to Dan Xingyu: “Mr. God Has No Form, you…”

Dan Xingyu immediately stood at attention: “Ah, I was just about to take my leave!”

He waved to Qi Yu. “I’ll head home first—see you next time!”

Qi Yu sensed he seemed a little afraid of the steward for some reason, and nodded in confusion. “Alright, see you next time.”

He was just about to follow the steward’s advice and go bathe when he suddenly sensed movement outside the territory.

His spiritual sense spread out, and he saw a group of… rather familiar little people.

No bigger than a thumb, with translucent wings on their backs. When they fluttered, tiny motes of light drifted from their bodies.

They were the little people he’d seen in Teacher Egnoel’s spiritual world.

Qi Yu stepped outside.

A group of little people, dressed in petal-like skirts, were shivering in the snow.

Seeing Qi Yu, the leader—a tiny figure wearing a flower crown—spoke in a soft, delicate voice: “Excuse me, are you the lord of this land?”

Qi Yu nodded.

“We are plant sprites from the Star Forest,” she said. “It suddenly snowed here, and our home was buried. We have nothing to eat.”

“We wandered all the way here and felt a peaceful, kind aura in this place.”

“Honorable lord, would you be willing to take us in?”

Qi Yu’s personal panel popped up a message:

[Detected a group of wandering plant sprites. Recruit?]

Qi Yu thought of the legendary recruitment scroll he’d obtained before.

But… where was the legend here?

He looked at this group of “children,” about the size of emerald bees, and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

He’d imagined that the legendary recruitment scroll would summon a super-powerful hero.

But if it was little people, then so be it. The survival game must have its reasons for this.

He chose “Confirm.”

And said, “Come in quickly.”

A group of glowing little people lined up and fluttered their wings, flying into his territory.

Immediately, Qi Yu heard a chorus of delighted cries:

“Oh my, this territory is so beautiful!”

“There are flowers everywhere—it’s even prettier than our old home!”

“That’s a Miststar Flower—there are Miststar Flowers here!”

“What is this? Why do I feel so happy just being near it?”

“…”

Though the sprites were chatty, their voices were so soft and gentle that they weren’t noisy at all.

As he listened to their exclamations, Qi Yu checked the latest territory module.

In the “residents” section, there were now 18 new members.

Exactly the 18 plant sprites who had just wandered here.

Qi Yu clicked in and could see their types—plant sprites were born from specific plants.

For example, the leader of this little group was a Bluebell Sprite.

Of the 18 sprites, the lowest loyalty to him was 75, marked on the survival panel as “very grateful” and “feels close to the lord.”

The highest was the Bluebell leader, at 85.

After checking their loyalty, he looked further down, to the sprites’ innate abilities.

[Plant Sprite: A special group born from plants. They are skilled at communicating with and caring for plants. Under their care, plants have a small chance to improve in quality.]

Qi Yu: Oh!

Improve in quality? Was it what he thought?

For example, from green quality to blue, blue to purple?

If so, their usefulness might even surpass that of an ordinary legendary hero.

As he pondered, the Bluebell Sprite caught sight of the statue of the Goddess of Nature and seemed to finally recognize the golden sapling, so beloved by all the sprites.

“It’s a Golden Apple Tree!”

Qi Yu heard a chorus of excited cries, and all the plant sprites took to the air, singing in perfect harmony.

Their song seemed to use a special rhythm, with no lyrics or words.

Qi Yu couldn’t understand, but after sensing with his spiritual power for a while, he thought it must be some kind of praise.

Given where they were, they were probably singing to praise the Goddess of Nature.

Then a string of notifications appeared before him.

[Your residents’ favorability has increased. Current favorability is at maximum.]

[Your residents’ favorability has increased. Current favorability is at maximum.]

…

Once favorability maxed out, Qi Yu saw the plant sprites’ hidden talent.

[Hidden Talent: Plants cared for by plant sprites have a greater chance of giving birth to “spirits.”]

Spirits—the origin of the plant sprites themselves.

Qi Yu could only watch, bewildered, as this group of sprites completed their own “loyalty event” and even unlocked a hidden skill.

Night was falling. He interrupted the sprites, who were still circling the goddess statue, and asked, “Do you need me to provide you with a place to stay? And what do you eat?”

He remembered they’d said their home and food were gone, and they’d wandered here.

“Thank you for your concern, Lord,” the Bluebell Sprite said, lifting her skirt and bowing gracefully. “We are sprites born of nature. Sleeping among flowers and grass is the happiest thing for us.”

“As for food, a few sips of morning dew keep us full all day.”

Qi Yu: Got it. No need to feed or house them—very easy to care for.

And seeing such a tiny sprite bow so elegantly—he had to admit, it was very cute.

He said, “Then go rest as you like, it’s almost night—”

He broke off mid-sentence.

The Bluebell Sprite saw her lord’s eyes suddenly light up with joy.

She heard the clear, tinkling sound of bells coming from outside the territory.

Qi Yu’s survival panel popped up a message:

[Wandering merchant detected, visiting.]

But his spiritual sense had already picked up the visitor before the message arrived.

Qi Yu hurried to the territory gate.

A graceful, nimble figure was making its way through the snow and arrived at the gate just then.

“Long time no see, Mr. Game,” the little cat waved a paw at him.

“You’re finally here, Duoju.” Qi Yu was much more direct, expressing his happiness openly. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

He reached out, took hold of a furry paw, gave it a shake, and didn’t let go, leading the wandering merchant into the territory. “Come in, come in.”

Duoju looked up in confusion: Huh? Last time I saw this human, he wasn’t nearly so lively.

But as the golden fortune cat stepped into the territory and took in the scene, it had no time for such doubts.

Its mouth dropped open at the sight of the enormous garden.

The wandering merchant was far more knowledgeable than the plant sprites! With one glance, it recognized the vast groves of ancient war trees still recovering, and its gaze landed precisely on the golden apple sapling and seven-colored flower at the foot of the goddess statue.

It also noticed the plant sprites, who hadn’t yet left.

Then, those big, round cat eyes fixed on the center of the territory—on the exquisite, unique treehouse.

Turning around, the cat loudly accused, “Mr. Game, and you still say you’re not an elf!”

Qi Yu: ???

He protested honestly, “But I really am not an elf, Duoju. See? I don’t even have pointy ears.”

Duoju circled him, puzzled, unable to figure it out.

“I’ve only ever seen elves so favored by the Goddess of Nature,” the wandering merchant muttered, scratching its head and knocking its furry hat askew.

Just then, the sky darkened in an instant.

The bright glow of the Sunflower of Light illuminated the territory.

Qi Yu grew a little nervous. “Duoju, it’s getting dark. Tonight, will you…”

Duoju tucked its paws in smugly. “I came at this time on purpose, meow!”

“In theory, wandering merchants can’t stay in a territory for too long. But even wandering cats need to rest at night, you know.”