Magic Farm 156
by CristaeChapter 156: Something’s Not Right
While Qi Yu was preparing his gifts and getting ready to visit his good friend in the Golden Sand Desert, in Zone 01, there was another confident man opening his survival panel.
“My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” stuffed his backpack to the brim, already envisioning how, when he arrived at the natives’ settlement, he could casually take out an item and amaze those unsophisticated locals, selling it for an exorbitant price.
He instinctively ignored the time back in the resource zone when he’d been so frightened by the native martial artists that his defenses had crumbled.
The world outside was so vast—surely it couldn’t be filled with martial artists everywhere.
The resource zone was obviously an exception: it was called the resource zone, after all, so of course it was a gathering place for professionals.
He sincerely believed that “I Love Survival Games” was all about making money through exploration.
Sell the various items rewarded by the survival game for a high price, use the gold earned to buy up supplies in bulk, then turn around and resell them to players in the region.
Huge profits!
He still firmly believed that, since he had been reborn, there was no way he was just an ordinary player.
“I Love Survival Games” was all the rage now, but it was only temporary—speaking of which, his confidence was also thanks to that small group of players who had been blacklisted by Qi Yu.
After everyone had been equally blacklisted, the blacklisted players formed a group.
That’s right, “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” was pulled into it.
As the highest-ranked and strongest among the “targeted” players, “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” naturally became the benchmark for the others in the group.
Those people praised him day in and day out, saying he should be number one in Zone 01, hyping his strength to the heavens and beyond, as if this could somehow cover up the awkwardness of being blacklisted by the top player.
The trouble was, the one being flattered actually believed it.
With a determined expression, “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” tore up the random region exploration scroll.
A door shimmering with white light appeared before him.
At the same time, the survival panel popped up a reminder:
[Total exploration time for today: 24 hours. Please arrange your exploration time reasonably.]
A time limit? “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” looked displeased.
He stepped through the light gate and opened the survival panel.
[Current location: Hutuo Town.]
[Today’s weather: Clear, 23°C ~ 26°C.]
His heart leapt—he’d really made it out.
Hutuo Town. He felt a bit dissatisfied. He didn’t know what kind of place this was, but since it was called a “town,” it was clearly not the big city he wanted.
He had read everything “I Love Survival Games” said in the regional channel; the reputation ranking was based on promoting the Forest of Stars to the outside world.
What could a small town possibly promote?
Yet beneath his dissatisfaction, a faint sense of reassurance bubbled up.
Small towns had their advantages: as a monster hunter, wouldn’t he be able to run rampant in a place like this?
His gaze swept over the large stone bearing the words “Hutuo Town,” and “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” walked inside.
Hutuo Town was not what he had imagined.
It was large and empty.
The houses were all built separately, spaced far apart, and their styles were wildly varied.
There was no marketplace, and it didn’t look lively at all.
What kind of place was this?
How was he supposed to promote the Forest of Stars?
After walking for a while, he saw someone lying on the road, apparently sleeping.
“My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” walked over and saw the man was dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, with no weapons on him.
“Hey!”
The man rolled over—it was a scruffy, middle-aged fellow.
He squinted at “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s,” looking a bit surprised. “Outsider?”
“I’m a traveler from the Forest of Stars, who arrived here by accident. May I ask, what is this place? And, where are the most people?”
The man’s expression grew vacant. “Forest of Stars… a place with lots of people?”
He stared off into space, ignoring “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s.”
A drunk? “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” thought to himself, and called out a few more times.
Perhaps annoyed by the noise, the man lifted a filthy sleeve and pointed in a certain direction. “Keep going straight, that’s where things are lively.”
He grinned wide. “An outsider from the Forest of Stars… Forest of Stars?”
His cloudy eyes suddenly cleared, as if he finally remembered where this was.
“My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” brightened—this man actually knew about the Forest of Stars?
He immediately straightened his back. “That’s right, I’m from the Forest of Stars!”
The man sprang to his feet, looking “My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven’s” up and down, then chuckled, “Alright, it’s rare to meet an outsider. I’ll take you there.”
.
“A demi-artifact?”
Dan Xingyu stared at the beautiful bow.
A second ago, he’d thought it was just an ordinary, handsome bow.
Now, the bow was already glowing with a divine radiance.
He wanted to reach out, but held back, and asked Qi Yu, “Can I touch it?”
Qi Yu generously handed it over. “You can even try it out.”
He also took out a quiver from his backpack. “These are the matching Star Arrows.”
Dan Xingyu glanced at the quality of the Star Arrows. “……”
He confirmed again, “If I’m not mistaken, you told me just yesterday that you’d only just started learning archery, and you’d only read ‘Basic Archery’?”
“Mhm.” Qi Yu nodded. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about today.”
Survival game, you mean to say, you gave a demi-artifact, even thoughtfully provided matching arrows, to a beginner for practice?
A hundred thoughts flashed through Dan Xingyu’s mind, finally converging into a single heartfelt sentence: Damn it, if I’d known, I would have added ‘Survival Game’ to my ID no matter what.
He picked up the expensive bow.
A demi-artifact.
It looked awesome at a glance!
He’d never even heard of one.
The longbow felt surprisingly light in his hands. Dan Xingyu didn’t try to shoot; he just carefully felt it for a moment, then handed it back to Qi Yu.
Qi Yu was puzzled. “Aren’t you going to try it?”
Dan Xingyu shook his head. “I don’t know archery. If I tried, it’d just be a waste.”
Qi Yu said seriously, “What if you’re a natural-born archer too?”
“I’d never learned archery before either, but the moment I picked it up, I felt like I was born to do it.”
His movements were smooth as he drew the bow, nocked an arrow, and let his magic flow. A target appeared a hundred meters away.
Dan Xingyu watched as Qi Yu’s gaze turned sharp in an instant.
The arrow shot out like a meteor, driving straight into the bullseye.
Dan Xingyu: ?
That sharp look just now seemed like an illusion. The little local’s eyes were shining as he looked at him. “Dan Xingyu, look, aren’t I amazing?”
“Wait a second!” Dan Xingyu gathered his thoughts. “You’re saying you’d never learned archery before, but after just one day—no, not even a whole day, just a single night—you can do this?”
Qi Yu shook his head honestly. “For this level, it didn’t even take a night.”
“The first time I picked up a bow and arrow, I could hit the bullseye.”
“Dan Xingyu, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Dan Xingyu: “Don’t interrupt, I’m barbecuing.”
Qi Yu: ?
“Barbecuing? Where?” He sounded a bit expectant.
Dan Xingyu made a fist and pressed it to his lips, chuckling softly. “I mean, let’s have a barbecue tonight.”
After he finished, he put away his smile and very seriously held out his hand to Qi Yu. “Come on, I’ve changed my mind. I want to try your demi-artifact too.”
Just in case—he meant, just in case—the demi-artifact came with its own cheats, like “auto-aim” or “bullseye every time.”
Qi Yu handed him the bow and arrows.
Dan Xingyu imitated his earlier posture, aiming at the new target Qi Yu had just conjured.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew from his fingers.
He was strong, so the arrow shot out fast—except… it missed the target by about a hundred thousand miles.
He stared at the arrow as it flew, then turned and stared at Qi Yu, scrutinizing him intently.
“I’m thinking,” he said.
Qi Yu, drawn into seriousness by his expression, asked, “Thinking about what?”
Dan Xingyu: “Even a genius needs a bit of practice, but what you did can’t be explained by talent alone.”
If it were someone else, he might suspect they were bluffing.
But this little local—if he ever did lie, Dan Xingyu would probably feel a bit gratified inside.
Dan Xingyu moved a little closer, eyes fixed on Qi Yu’s. “Are you really human, Qi Yu-ge?”
Only after he asked did he realize this posture was a bit off.
He was a little too close—close enough to see his own oddly aggressive reflection in those black-and-white eyes.
And every detail on the little local’s face was crystal clear.
The little local had such good skin, not a single flaw.
Realizing what he was thinking, he felt a jolt of embarrassment.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, he took a step back.
The other party didn’t notice anything unusual at all.
When he’d first met Shen Benwuxiang, he’d felt uncomfortable whenever the other got too close.
But after spending so much time together, and hugging more than once, he was used to Dan Xingyu’s presence and proximity.
Instead, it was Dan Xingyu’s words that made his heart skip a beat.
Because he really wasn’t from Blue Star.
Had Dan Xingyu figured it out?
He said nothing.
Dan Xingyu, who had only asked in passing: ???
That question was just an exclamation of amazement! Why was the little local reacting like this?
But he quickly realized that his casual question might have actually touched on the little local’s secret.
He wasn’t from Blue Star.
And the kid was too honest—he couldn’t even lie.
Crap, he needed to find a way to change the subject.
“Actually, you really are an elf, aren’t you?”
So that was what Shen Benwuxiang meant.
Qi Yu felt a small wave of relief and shook his head. “I’m not an elf—look, I don’t even have pointy ears.”
This conversation felt so familiar. Duo Ju had said something similar.
“But it’s really bizarre,” Dan Xingyu said, deeply shaken. “Who’s born a master archer? This isn’t some simple skill that doesn’t require practice or technique.”
Qi Yu answered earnestly, “Maybe it’s because I’m a genius.”
He really believed it. “It’s the same with magic—any spell, I learn it in one go.”
Drawing magic scrolls, inscribing magic arrays, constructing mental barriers—they all succeeded on the first try.
So, he accepted picking up archery instantly with no trouble at all.
He’d been a genius since childhood, always the one showing off to others, but for the first time in his life, he experienced what it felt like to be on the receiving end of someone else’s humblebrag.
With his personality, he should have been beaming right now, saying, “As expected of my good friend—so amazing!”
But Dan Xingyu didn’t; he just mumbled something, lost in thought.
Qi Yu felt a bit puzzled, but Dan Xingyu’s oddness lasted only a moment before he switched to a new topic.
“What level is a demi-artifact? Did you get it from a treasure chest? What color quality is it? I’ve never seen one before.”