Magic Farm 141

Chapter 141: What Is Spring Like in the Forest of Stars?

Perhaps it was because the Forest of Stars had now become a land of ice and snow, but today, the wandering merchant’s attire was quite different from last time.

She wore a windproof, warm red cloak, the cloak itself boasting a large, fluffy hood. Around the collar and the brim of the hood ran a border of soft, snowy white fur.

Thus, the little cat looked even fluffier than before.

Qi Yu also noticed that at the tie of the cloak’s collar, there was a large golden bow.

And beneath the bow, a string of beautiful silver bells dangled, along with a very familiar white fluffy pom-pom.

It was the white-crowned bird pom-pom he had given to Duoju before!

“Duoju, you look wonderful today.” Qi Yu did not hold back his praise in the slightest. “You’re an elegant and splendid big kitty.”

Upon hearing this, Duoju spun happily in place. “I dressed up especially because I was coming to see a friend, meow.”

After showing off for a moment, she couldn’t wait to stretch out her paw and peel off the cloak. “So hot, so hot.”

After all, the golden fortune cat was a cat of great taste. Beneath her cloak, she wore a brand-new little blue vest.

Once she entered the temperature-controlled territory, it truly was quite warm.

Qi Yu watched as she stuffed the cloak—bigger than herself—into her small blue shoulder bag, and then, impatiently, he said, “Duoju, Duoju, come with me.”

Duoju tilted her head and looked at him, then obediently followed behind.

They circled around the beautiful grand garden, and suddenly, a scene that had been hidden before now opened up before the little cat’s eyes.

It was a vast sea of silvery Mist Star Flowers, sparkling in the night!

“Not long after you left, they started blooming,” Qi Yu said. “At first, I was afraid the blooming season would pass, but it seems that as long as you don’t pick the flowers in the territory, they can go on blooming for a very long time.”

The very first Sunflower of Light he had planted as a novice, which he’d never picked, was still faithfully serving as a streetlamp.

And that Mist Star Flower had dropped many seeds; little by little, they’d accumulated until now there was this great expanse.

“Wow!” The little cat’s emerald eyes shimmered with flecks of silver—the Mist Star Flowers had bloomed right into her gaze.

“I’ve never seen so many Mist Star Flowers before.” She meowed, treading softly into the sea of flowers.

With a soft plop, she lay down and rolled over blissfully.

“I’m going to sleep here tonight!” she announced at the top of her voice. “Right now, I am the happiest golden fortune cat in the world.”

Qi Yu thought that was wonderful. “Then I’ll sleep here tonight too.”

[Ding, the wandering merchant Duoju’s affection for you has increased, and is now at maximum value.]

Qi Yu snuck a little smile.

He asked Duoju, “Have you had dinner?”

He distinctly remembered that Duoju had arrived after dark.

Duoju, unwilling to move from the flower sea, replied contentedly, “I have, I have. Ever since I got lost and went hungry last time, I’ve learned to always carry lots of food in my bag.”

“So smart.” Qi Yu gave his full approval. “I also like to keep lots of food in my backpack. I’m most afraid of being hungry.”

He used his spiritual power to pick some cherry strawberries from the backyard fields, then sliced a Jade Crystal Peach, filling a plate to the brim.

“Come, let’s have something delicious. Shen Ben Wuxiang said the fruit here tastes especially good, better than anywhere else.”

The golden little cat’s nose twitched as she scooted over.

She didn’t eat right away, but, ever particular, washed her paws first, then took a checkered napkin from her bag and tied it around her neck.

Hearing Qi Yu’s words, she nodded in agreement. “Of course your fruit is delicious. The moment I entered your territory, I knew the Goddess of Nature must be especially fond of you.”

Qi Yu picked up a strawberry and took a blissful bite.

The strawberries he grew were nearly the size of a fist, each one bright red and beautiful, as tasty as they were lovely.

“Really?”

“Of course it’s true.” For Duoju, the strawberry was so big she had to cradle it with both paws to keep from dropping it.

The little cat first stuck out her tongue to give it a lick. The sweet flavor made her eyes narrow in delight. “I was gone just a month, and Mr. Game’s territory has changed completely.”

“And while I was wandering outside, I also heard rumors about the Forest of Stars.”

Qi Yu pricked up his ears. “What rumors?”

Duoju took a bite of strawberry before answering. “They say a genius mage has appeared in the legendary Forest of Stars. A merchant guild held an auction, and it caused quite a stir.”

Qi Yu said, “Ah, that must have been the Boge Guild in Gold Cavern City. I went there once and did some business with them.”

“I guessed it was you, Mr. Game.” Duoju praised him, “You really are a remarkable lord.”

She gnawed on her strawberry, muttering, “Anyway, before this, most people thought the Forest of Stars was just a place from stories.”

She told Qi Yu, “Now that the Forest of Stars is better known, I can come here an extra time each month.”

“As the Forest of Stars gets more and more famous, more people will come seeking it.”

Qi Yu’s heart stirred.

Duoju was not a careless or loose-tongued cat. He sensed she was hinting at something.

He asked quietly, “So, do you think this is a good thing, or not?”

Duoju blinked her big, adorable eyes, looking slyly at Qi Yu. “Mr. Game, what are you asking? Duoju doesn’t understand. Duoju is just a little cat who loves gold coins.”

Ah, she really was an adorable little cat.

Qi Yu almost wanted to empty all the gold coins from his backpack and give them to her to play with.

But it seemed he never had any extra coins anyway; whenever he needed some, he always had to exchange them at the Mage Association shop.

Still, he had other ideas.

He took out a big handful of beast crystal stones from his backpack—the kind that dropped from slaying mutated creatures, and which were just as shiny.

He offered them to her. “Do you like these? You can have them!”

Duoju reached out a paw and took just one, balancing it on her head as she played.

“As long as it can be exchanged for gold coins, I like it,” she said happily. “But Mr. Game, you should save your beast crystals for buying things from me later.”

She patted her little bag. “When a transaction is completed, a wandering merchant can earn lots of gold coins, you know.”

She spoke with delight. “Once the Forest of Stars gets even more famous, I’ll be able to visit all the time.”

Her emerald eyes sparkled as she cupped her round face with her paws. “I’m really looking forward to it, meow.”

Qi Yu understood what she meant.

He cleared his throat and told Duoju, “You didn’t wipe all the strawberry juice off your paw—it’s on your face.”

“What—€€€” came a panicked cat’s cry. “Where, where?”

A gentle mist drifted over, soothing the little cat who was about to pull out her pocket mirror.

Qi Yu laughed. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. You’re sitting next to a genius mage.”

He was a mature mage now; first he used a cleaning spell to wash the little cat, then a fire spell to fluff her up.

He would never again make the blunder of roasting her into a little curly ball.

Man and cat ate fruit until their bellies were full, too lazy to move, lying in the sea of Mist Star Flowers and chatting idly.

Qi Yu thought Duoju’s job was a lot of fun—she could go to so many places.

He told her he’d been to the Blackrock Mountains and the Winter Icefields, both fascinating places.

As he spoke, he brought up Shen Ben Wuxiang, saying he was his best friend, a wonderful cook—even better than the butler, he whispered, lowering his voice, since he wasn’t sure how good the alchemy puppet’s hearing was.

“He heard I knew a talking, upright-walking cat, and he was terribly envious.”

Qi Yu said it was too late to disturb him tonight.

“If he’s free tomorrow morning, I’ll call him over to meet you. He’ll be delighted.”

At this, Qi Yu cautiously asked, “Duoju, can you meet other people?”

The big cat replied lazily, “Of course I can, but I can only trade with the lord, meow.”

“I really wish you could taste his dried meat,” Qi Yu said, his own mouth watering. “For a long time, I thought it was the most delicious food in the world.”

He sounded a little regretful. “But you don’t like food that’s too strongly flavored.”

He remembered that the first time they met, Duoju had eaten unseasoned roast meat with great relish—she must have very mild tastes.

The little cat’s voice softened, tinged with sleepiness. “Is it really that good? You’re making me want to try it.”

She seemed to stifle a yawn. “I think I’m getting sleepy.”

Sleepiness is contagious. Hearing her say that, Qi Yu’s eyelids began to droop as well.

His thoughts slowed, and he murmured, “It’s a pity the Forest of Stars’ spring isn’t what I imagined. It’s so cold, and the snow falls so thick.”

The weather in the apocalypse was already all over the place, but from what he’d learned, spring was supposed to be a season full of hope—it shouldn’t be like this.

The Blue Star people in the regional channel also thought this kind of spring was absurd.

He could only assume that the seasons in the survival game were different from those in the apocalypse, and from Blue Star as well.

But then he heard Duoju’s drowsy voice: “That’s right, this isn’t spring yet. The Forest of Stars’ spring is the most beautiful, the most vibrant season.”

Qi Yu, half-asleep, heard these words echo in his mind, turning over and over before he realized what Duoju had said.

Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?

He snapped awake.

He sat up quietly. The little cat beside him was already fast asleep, perhaps worn out from finding her way during the day, now purring contentedly.

Qi Yu thought for a moment, then walked a little distance away and found the Bluebell Flower Sprite, who was searching in the goddess statue’s garden for her favorite blossom. In the darkness, the sprite glowed all over, looking utterly magical.

When she saw Qi Yu, she flew over and greeted him affectionately. “Lord.”

Qi Yu said, “Sorry to disturb your rest. I have a few questions for you.”

She replied shyly, “Not at all. If you hadn’t taken us in, we’d still be wandering in the snow.”

Qi Yu didn’t waste time, but got straight to the point. “Did you always live in the Forest of Stars before?”

The Bluebell Flower Sprite nodded. “Yes, Lord.”

“Then, was spring in the Forest of Stars always like this?”

The sprite froze.

Qi Yu watched as confusion clouded her face, as if he’d asked her something impossibly difficult.

“Before…” the sprite said blankly, “Was it always like this before? Little Bluebell can’t remember.”

Qi Yu saw her clutching her head, looking so troubled that he quickly said, “Don’t worry about it, I was just asking offhand.”

Images flashed rapidly through his mind—the very same ones he’d seen when he drew the adventure fragment.

He’d felt at the time that many of the places looked familiar, but could never remember where he’d seen them.

Just now, a sudden flash of insight struck him. He compared fragments of those scenes with what he’d seen when flying through the sky on his Azure Wings.

Why did they seem so similar? He thought he understood a little.

But the difference between the two was still too great for him to be sure.

After a moment’s thought, he walked to the Tree of Wisdom.

He remembered that the survival panel said he could ask the Tree of Wisdom one question each month.

He didn’t ask right away, but stood beneath the tree, letting the power of wisdom wash over him, clearing his mind.

“Tree of Wisdom, which is real—the Forest of Stars as it is now, or the one I saw in the adventure fragment draw?”

The leaves rustled.

After ten breaths, a gentle, peaceful voice sounded in his mind:

[Both are real, and neither is real.]

Qi Yu: ???