Famine 61: Harmonic Armor

Hot springs, milk, ice cream…
Take some time to enjoy life.

When Si Zhiyan finished speaking, the place was immediately plunged into utter silence.

The mercenaries of the Spring Grass Mercenary Group stood like wooden statues at the mouth of the cave, their minds unable to process what was happening.

Just two hours ago, they had been utterly despondent, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. Each man had written his last words, knowing full well that no one would ever read them.
Two hours later, before their very eyes lay a mountain of delicacies, and a powerful figure stood calmly before them, saying lightly:

Take some time to enjoy life.

Gulp.
No one knew who swallowed first, but the sound echoed at the entrance of the cave, unnaturally clear.

That one small noise seemed to be a signal. Gao Zhai had not yet reacted when a brother behind him leapt forward, grabbing the oilskin tarp spread beneath the pile of supplies and yanking it away with three or four quick tugs!

He shouted, “Let me get it! I want fried chicken!”

“I’m eating too!”
“Bastard, save me a piece!”

All at once, the crowd surged forward.

In an instant, hundreds of starving mercenaries formed a desperate scrum, the scene dissolving into outright chaos.

Gao Zhai pounded on the wall in frustration, yelling, “Save some! Leave some food, you animals! Someone, go get a pot and cook some rice!”

But no one paid him any mind. The first mercenary to grab the supplies was already devouring fried chicken, stuffing two wings into his mouth at once. The wings had just been fried, their golden skin perfectly crisp, the chicken tender and juicy, the savory aroma blending with the deep hunger from their ordeal in the ritual. The flavor was so overwhelming he nearly lost consciousness, gnawing away while flipping a middle finger at Gao Zhai.

When he was done, the mercenary looked down at the oil paper in his hands, peering closer in curiosity. “Hey, there’s something written on this fried chicken wrapper?”

“I’ve got it on mine too!”
“Is this… a farm?”

“Unlimited, stable food supply… does such a place really exist?”

“Sister Liang can even get in touch with a paradise like that?”

Everyone discussed it longingly, full of yearning.

Unlimited food, unlimited supplies, and a leader powerful enough to rescue people from a blood-ritual array!

After so many years living on the edge, even at their most triumphant, they had never enjoyed such treatment!

One had to wonder… did this farm need more hands?

At that moment, many minds were set in motion.

Outside the cave, Liang Qingshuang was also stunned.

Why did all this feel so unreal?
Liang Qingshuang pinched her thigh sharply—a wave of pain, she wasn’t dreaming.

Just what kind of being had she turned to for help?
Liang Qingshuang turned back, looking at Si Zhiyan.

Si Zhiyan hovered behind the mist, their figure half-shrouded, watching the scene with calm detachment, making no comment.

Si Zhiyan, of course, knew that feeding four hundred people didn’t require such a mountain of supplies. To present such abundance at once was entirely overboard.

But this was intentional.
To find hope in utter despair, to have a mountain of resources materialize before their eyes—this moment of shock would stay imprinted on these mercenaries for life.

The farm needed people—especially fighting forces. These four hundred from Spring Grass Mercenary Group had just lost their leader, switched worlds, had no base, nowhere to go. Bringing them back to the farm to live was undoubtedly the best option.

However, Si Zhiyan was well aware of how suspicious she seemed.

A mysterious powerhouse appearing out of the blue, a complete stranger, and at her first appearance, handing out hundreds of boxes of food… If she then described a seemingly fairy-tale paradise and asked them to follow her…

How could that not sound just like a heretical god’s trap?
Anyone would have their doubts.

But if nothing more was said right now, and instead a superb first impression was made,
then after this group was rescued, there would be no need to persuade them—they would naturally request to live at the farm.

People always believe more in decisions they’ve made for themselves.

In any case, Si Zhiyan was not losing out. The value of Liang Qingshuang’s dress was enough to cover five days’ worth of supplies.

As for the possibility that they might go back on their word after being fed…
Wasn’t Nidhogg still standing at the edge?

Si Zhiyan turned her head and locked eyes with Liang Qingshuang.

Liang Qingshuang was shaken all over, immediately understanding. The other side had shown enough sincerity; now it was her time to act.
Clutching that glittering dress, Liang Qingshuang’s throat bobbed as she stroked the gorgeous gold-red threads.

“These are all unconditional augmentation stones I’ve accrued over many years. If you don’t like the dress, you may cut and reshape it as you wish, so long as the golden thread magic array is left untouched.”

“This golden thread magic array was crafted over a week by an enchanter player from Hephaestus Castle. It ensures there’s no conflict between the augmentation stones, and places no requirements on the wearer. Even the weakest player could wield its power with ease.”

“The 250,000 points I quoted you is the consignment price. If you take possession and have the patience to wait, someone will certainly pay even more for it.”

Nidhogg asked, “Hephaestus Castle, eh… what kind of place is that?”

Si Zhiyan glanced at him; Nidhogg volunteered an explanation: “It’s a settlement said in legends to rival the god of craftsmen, with a young girl as its lord. Slippery as an eel—no one knows its true location. Apparently, they have a unique understanding of cursed artifacts, and rumor has it they can even make S-grade cursed items.”

“If it’s really a product of Hephaestus Castle… heh, then it’s worth a good bit,” Nidhogg chuckled, stroking his chin. “Hey, kid, when that bastard was chasing you earlier, why didn’t you tell me? Looking down on a hired hand, is that it?”

Liang Qingshuang: “…”
Whatever.

She didn’t need to answer; Si Zhiyan understood well enough.

Liang Qingshuang took one last longing look at this dazzling dress, then another at her brothers, now eating in unrestrained joy. With not a hint of regret, but rather delight and comfort shining in her eyes, she lifted the dress high above her head.

“Here, sir, thank you—now it’s yours!”

[Ding! You have acquired [A-Rank Enchantment Matrix: Harmonic].]

The system prompt rang out.

Si Zhiyan smiled and nodded.

[A-Rank Cursed Item – Multigem Augmentation Armor (Harmonic-Class Enchantment Matrix)]
A piece of armor crafted by a Don’t Starve player.
It’s inlaid with a total of 782 D- to B-level augmentation stones, all harmonized by [Enchantment Matrix: Harmonic] to maximize coordination, ultimately granting the following enhancement effects:
5% boost to two attributes
10% boost to two attributes
20% boost to one attribute
25% boost to one attribute
The enhanced attributes are not fixed—they may be freely adjusted as needed.
Note: The degree of enhancement has an upper limit; for players ranked in the Top Ten Chosen Ones, full effect is not guaranteed.

Her taste in clothing was somewhat lacking, but her collecting habit made up for it.
Compared to a powerful cursed item, it looked more like the lifelong treasure of some gemstone enthusiast.

[Prompt: This armor can be placed in the farm’s [Armor Weaving System] for further modification and disassembly.]

What a beautiful set of stats! Si Zhiyan straightened up in her seat at the farm.

It was a fine item. Now, the challenge was how to actually sell it for points.
In the world of Don’t Starve, players capable of producing 250,000 points in one go were exceedingly rare.

Of all the players Si Zhiyan knew, only two could muster that amount: Nidhogg, and Nie Du.

Nidhogg was standing right there, entirely unconcerned about paying; while Nie Du, unfortunately, was a stingy and prudent monarch, actually intent on supporting a large settlement, and personally lived with marked thrift—he would never spend 250,000 points arming himself.

If she wanted to scrape together 200,000 points before nightfall, she’d have to think of another way.

The system said the farm could disassemble the item—no time like the present. She’d head back and try it.

Before leaving, Si Zhiyan glanced back one last time.

Nidhogg stood alone outside the cave in the wind and snow, head half-bowed, staring at the blood-red runes at the cave entrance. He crossed his arms, the corners of his mouth lifted in an amused, yet unmistakably cold smile.

All of a sudden, Si Zhiyan remembered something, a thought flickering in her mind.
She stared at Nidhogg for a few seconds, then said nothing as her spectral projection faded into the mist.

……

Back at the farm, Si Zhiyan tossed the gemstone dress into the Armor Weaving System.

The system had unlocked at the last upgrade, alongside the wall turret system.
Once unlocked, a high-tech metal furnace appeared in the farm, fed by some unknown golden fuel that glowed brilliantly.

Until now, Si Zhiyan had left it to gather dust in the backyard; this was her first time putting it to use.

[Analyzing armor…]
[Ding! Analysis complete!]

[Buzz…]

After the furnace ran for a while, a new prompt sounded:

[To improve the breakdown yield, you may add 8 units of C-grade magical material.]
[Are you able to provide them?]

Improve the yield? Si Zhiyan stroked her chin, glancing around the farm’s courtyard.

The baby fire phoenixes that once clustered playfully about her had, over the course of a month, grown—thanks to the ranch system—into magnificent adult birds that looked nearly like true phoenixes.

Adult Fire Phoenixes had shed their juvenile naivete, becoming proud, graceful, and extremely noble in bearing.

The legend of the Fire Phoenix came from a mysterious sea flame, making them semi-aquatic. They enjoyed living near water. Si Zhiyan had bought a gigantic golden tree to plant beside the lake for their comfort and amusement.

The lakeside shimmered with clear ripples and lush green grass, the colossal golden tree standing tall, its radiant leaves drifting down in scattered showers.
Nine fire phoenixes perched among the branches and on the surface of the water, their long tail feathers fanned out, each feather burning with a resplendent red flame, so that whenever they flew up, they set half the sky ablaze.

Unknowingly, these nine fire phoenixes had become a remarkable sight at the farm.

At sunset, by the foot of the golden tree, phoenixes spread their wings and turned the sky to fire.
In this fog-shrouded apocalypse, it was a dreamlike spectacle.

In the leisure hours after a meal, it was common to see players strolling by the lake, chatting, or sketching these elegant magical beasts.

Except, upon closer inspection…
The phoenixes might be… well, a bit on the round side.

Hmm… Si Zhiyan squinted and decided to ignore that particular point.

The Fire Phoenixes were not only a marvel but also a critical resource. Every mature phoenix grew nine blazing tail feathers—precious magical materials.

Due to their unusual nature, every ten days, a Phoenix would throw itself into the fire, burning its own body to ashes and then being reborn from the flames.
Upon rebirth, the phoenix would be just as new as when it had reached adulthood, all scars and imperfections purged.

Tomorrow was the day of their next rebirth—if she didn’t harvest now, it would go to waste.
Decisively, Si Zhiyan collected the phoenix feathers.

Thankfully, with the [Ranch Extension Pack], she didn’t have to chase the phoenixes herself. With just a click, she harvested the goods through the system.

[[C-Grade Magic Material – Fire Phoenix Feather] *81 has been stored in your warehouse!]

[C-Grade Magic Material – Fire Phoenix Feather]
Born of scattered flames at sea, lingering without end, gathering into flocks like divine fire fallen to earth, their origin unknown—thus the name “Unknowable Fire.”
A fire-aligned magical item infused with divinity.
If processed into high-level armor, can even grant additional random fire skills.

Now they were grown, the harvest was significant. Not a bad return for all this food. Si Zhiyan nodded in satisfaction.

With no combat units at the farm for now, after rescuing the Spring Grass Mercenary Group, she could focus on this Armor Weaving System and equip them all uniformly.

Si Zhiyan pulled out seven feathers and tossed them into the furnace.

She added some other materials too—surely something good would come of it?

[Magic materials loaded, initiating breakdown and reforging…]

[Ding!]
[Reforging successful!]