Magic Farm 142
by CristaeChapter 142: I Want Them All!
Having never encountered a riddle-speaker before, the apocalypse bumpkin was caught completely off guard.
When he looked again at the Tree of Wisdom, a prompt quickly appeared: his question quota for the month was now zero.
Still, although the Tree of Wisdom’s answer was shrouded in mystery, he wasn’t particularly disappointed. For this answer had confirmed the thing he most wanted to know: the scenes he’d glimpsed in the adventure fragment draw really were from the Forest of Stars.
Qi Yu recalled those ever-present flowers, the many races he’d never seen before, the lively celebrations… So the Forest of Stars could truly be like that?
If it wasn’t real, then which part of it wasn’t real?
If it was real, then why—why had the Forest of Stars become what it was now?
His mind was full of questions, and any trace of sleepiness had vanished. So he simply sat down beneath the Tree of Wisdom and began to cultivate.
Meanwhile, in District 88—
After returning through the portal, Dan Xingyu opened the regional channel:
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: .]
[No Phone, So Hard: Second God, are you still in the Forest of Stars, or did you come back?]
[Eternal Night: You said there’d be a surprise tonight—what is it? @Shen Ben Wuxiang.]
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Mm, I’m back.]
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: @Eternal Night, call me “brother” and I’ll tell you.]
[Eternal Night: Get lost!]
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Come on, come on, I’m telling you, it’s a real surprise. The kind the whole district should thank me for. I’m not even asking you to call me daddy, just “Second God bro”—that’s not too much, is it?]
[Send Me 50: Night God, maybe you should just give in to Second God. You’ve never won a war of words with him anyway.]
[Low Battery: Damn, even you’re not letting Night God off the hook.]
[No Phone, So Hard: Ever since I found out Second God’s just a kid, I’ve been a lot more tolerant of whatever he does. (lights a cigarette)]
Eternal Night fell silent—maybe he was so mad he’d left the regional channel.
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Check my trading page.]
At first, District 88’s players thought he’d just put up another item like the snow or the swiftlet meat. Excited, they clicked in, only to find a single item listed on Shen Ben Wuxiang’s trading page.
[Basic Combat Technique: After payment, you may view and study. Price: 1 beast crystal stone.]
???
[I’m Outta Here: What the hell?]
[Send Me 50: Whoa! Combat technique?]
Shen Ben Wuxiang reappeared with his usual flashy special effects.
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: This is a great thing summarized by your “I Love Survival Game” big shot. I heard everyone in District 88 is my good kid, so for my sake, he let me bring you all a copy.]
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Well? Isn’t this surprise worth a “brother”?]
[Send Me 50: Second God bro, let me just call you bro a dozen times right now!]
[I’m Li Er Gou: Praise the game big shot, praise Second God the foster father—I’m buying it right now.]
[No Phone, So Hard: That “I Love Survival Game” big shot is insane. I thought he was a mage—how did he even come up with a combat technique? Is he one of those legendary magic-and-martial dual cultivators?]
[No Phone, So Hard: 1 beast crystal stone, that’s basically charity pricing. @Shen Ben Wuxiang, Second God, please let me cling to your thigh for life, okay?]
In the small group chat, everyone was bombarding Shen Ben Wuxiang:
[I’m Outta Here: Second God, your in-laws are the real deal. @Shen Ben Wuxiang, be honest, you’re not going to ditch your brothers and run off to District 01, are you?]
After all, Shen Ben Wuxiang already had a way to get to District 01. Who knew when he might get an item to transfer to another region?
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Don’t worry, don’t worry, I can’t bear to leave all my kids behind.]
[I’m Li Er Gou: Help us thank the game big shot—this is a huge favor.]
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Got it, I’ll pass it on. He really is that good. This combat technique sells for about the same price in District 01.]
[Sun Rises in the West: You mentioned before that it’s all ice and snow over there, right? If the big shot needs anything to keep warm, just say the word. We’ll help however we can, no questions asked.]
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: Your game big shot is loaded, he wouldn’t look twice at your scraps. But in the future, maybe there’ll be some business between players in different regions.]
None of them were fools.
They quickly realized that since Second God could sell snow and swiftlet meat to District 88 players, he could just as easily buy useful things to sell in District 01.
That fire dragon hide he’d bought earlier was probably the same kind of deal.
Shen Ben Wuxiang chatted with his friends in the group for a bit, then returned to the chat channel, only to find that Eternal Night had popped up again.
Still as stubborn as ever.
[Eternal Night: Fine, I called you “brother”—but I was talking to “I Love Survival Game.” It really is a big surprise, I admit your game bro is awesome and generous. But you’re just the reseller, so what are you showing off for?]
Eternal Night said this on purpose—he’d never admit defeat to Shen Ben Wuxiang.
He thought this would get under Shen Ben Wuxiang’s skin.
But unexpectedly, it only delighted the kid.
[Shen Ben Wuxiang: All right, all right, I’ll pass that on to your game bro. If he finds out he’s got a new fanboy all the way in District 88, he’ll be thrilled.]
[Eternal Night: ???]
[Send Me 50: Haha, Night God, you’ve probably never seen Second God and the game big shot together. I think complimenting the big shot makes Second God even happier than complimenting himself.]
.
The whole night passed quickly in cultivation.
Qi Yu opened his eyes right on time. After a night cultivating beneath the Tree of Wisdom, his mind was clearer than ever.
He got up and went to check the neighboring sea of Mist Star Flowers.
Duoju was sprawled out in the flowers, fast asleep. Qi Yu wisely chose not to disturb her—with how particular this little cat was, she’d never want anyone to see her in such an ungraceful state.
Qi Yu walked to the treehouse, where the tall butler was already waiting.
“Did you and your guest rest well last night?” he asked.
Qi Yu smiled cheerfully. “We both slept very well, Butler.”
Butler: “That’s good. I have already prepared breakfast; you may enjoy it whenever you wish.”
Qi Yu truly found it remarkable.
He had never provided any ingredients to the butler—how did the butler manage to produce food?
Curious, he asked outright.
Could it be that the butler, like the “mature trash can,” could generate food on his own?
Butler: “My factory settings include a backpack, which is stocked with about a week’s worth of food. This week is used to test whether the master is satisfied with my cooking program. If you are, you can then provide ingredients, and I will take over your meals long-term.”
Once again, the bumpkin was stunned.
A blue-quality alchemy automaton could really be this useful?
The butler was so capable that Qi Yu couldn’t help but ask, “How much do you know about the Forest of Stars, Butler?”
The butler did not answer.
Qi Yu looked at him curiously, and saw the butler’s expression go oddly blank.
He stood there, seemingly searching his database, and after a moment, replied, “I am very sorry, Lord. My database contains no information about the Forest of Stars.”
Qi Yu thought, well, it made sense that an alchemy automaton wouldn’t know.
After all, when he’d gone to Gold Cavern City, even Leslie and the others had struggled to recall what or where the Forest of Stars was.
“It’s not your fault,” Qi Yu shook his head. “It’s just that our Forest of Stars is too far from the outside world.”
He felt Duoju was right: “I’ll do my best to explore more areas and let more people know about the Forest of Stars.”
He went back inside, took a shower, and when he came out, he noticed Duoju was already awake.
Seeing the cat again, he wondered how she managed it—she’d already groomed herself to perfection, every single hair smooth and neat.
“Did you sleep well last night, Duoju?”
Duoju: “Very happily! Mr. Game.”
Qi Yu said, “The butler has already prepared breakfast. Would you like to eat together?”
Duoju’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please!”
The butler’s database must have included information on golden fortune cats, for he had prepared a bowl of very mild meat porridge for Duoju, along with some unseasoned, lightly crisped ham slices.
Just seeing how Duoju ate without even lifting her head, Qi Yu knew the little cat was thoroughly enjoying herself.
After breakfast, Duoju looked a bit reluctant. “All right, Mr. Game, it’s time for us to do business.”
Last night, neither of them had mentioned the wandering merchant’s trade—for last night had belonged to friends, just friends.
Qi Yu felt a little reluctant, but Duoju’s words from yesterday had already given him a clear sense of direction.
He said, “I’ll work hard to let more people know about the Forest of Stars.”
Duoju’s response was to pull a familiar, oversized gift box from her little satchel.
With a pop, the box burst open.
A familiar product page appeared before Qi Yu.
This time, the wandering merchant’s goods list was as follows:
- Teleportation Scroll, price: 2,000 level-1 beast crystal stones.
- Resource Zone Card of Any Color, price: 1,000 level-1 beast crystal stones.
- Energy Crystal Card, price: 50 level-1 crystal stones. Up to 5 may be purchased.
- One-Time Team Scroll, price: 500 level-1 beast crystal stones.
- One-Time Location Teleportation Scroll, price: 500 level-1 beast crystal stones.
- Random Regional Exploration Blueprint, price: 10,000 level-1 beast crystal stones.
Qi Yu carefully read through every item on the list. He looked silently at Duoju, and saw the little cat wink at him.
He grew a bit concerned. “Duoju, you didn’t do anything that would get you in trouble, did you?”
After all, Duoju’s “wandering merchant” identity seemed to be closely tied to the survival game from the start.
This time, every item was extremely useful, and their purposes were obvious.
He was worried the cat had bent the rules for his sake.
Duoju puffed out her cheeks in indignation, looking extremely pinchable. “What are you thinking, Mr. Game!”
“Even though you’re my good friend, you can’t question a wandering merchant’s professional integrity.”
All right, all right—he did have the right to swap out one-sixth of the merchandise as a wandering merchant.
She’d only slipped in a teleportation scroll that could save his life in a pinch, after all.
But that was perfectly within her proper authority, and in accordance with the rules!
The little cat raised her head proudly. “So, which ones will you buy, Mr. Game?”
Duoju looked perfectly justified, and Qi Yu was reassured.
“Every single one of these is useful,” he said, putting on a thoughtful look, while out of the corner of his eye he saw the cat staring at him, eyes wide.
“It’s hard to choose…” The little cat was so nervous, even her whiskers were trembling.
Qi Yu finally couldn’t hold back, and said with a laugh, “Of course, I want them all!”