Chapter 172 - 156: Traveler’s Tea House
Today, Wei Zhaohua had discovered that some of the White Thorn Fruits near the Single Claw Dragon nest had been gnawed on. This was proof that the Single Claw Dragons could eat plants.
They could eat plants, but they also ate meat.
This gave them something in common with chickens and ducks.
"Alright. We’ll go catch some tomorrow and bring them back to raise."
After lunch, Qin Ziwen went to the Beast Cage to check on the rabbits and voles.
The newly caught male vole had been hard at work; all three female voles were pregnant.
Then there were the rabbits.
Two of the rabbits, perhaps close to giving birth, were huddled in a corner, exceptionally vigilant.
When they saw Qin Ziwen approach, they stomped their feet repeatedly and made huffing sounds, clearly agitated.
"Alright, alright, I won’t get any closer." Qin Ziwen took half a step back, then went over to the separate hedgehog cage.
The hedgehog in the cage had been a "bachelor" ever since it was caught. With no pressure from predators, it spent its days eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, until it had grown several sizes fatter with a round, full belly.
The Level 1 Beast Cage had limited space. After partitioning areas for these three species, the remaining compartment was a bit cramped. It would probably be too crowded for a Single Claw Dragon.
So, he had to clear some space.
Lying in its cage, belly up and spines down, the soundly sleeping hedgehog suddenly shuddered. Its pointy little nose twitched, sniffing the air.
Afterward, Qin Ziwen went to the farmland.
The farmland before him had changed dramatically compared to when it was first planted.
The fruits on the mature cherry tomato plants he had first transplanted were now plump and bright red, looking especially tempting.
The cherry tomato seeds had also grown into mature plants and were flowering, but they hadn’t borne fruit yet.
The other crops had also grown lush and leafy. Vegetables like purslane, lettuce, and spinach were growing exceptionally large.
For the past two days, Xiaowu would sometimes come directly to the fields to pick some leaves for cooking.
’These vegetables grow fast,’ Qin Ziwen mused. ’The lettuce matures the quickest; we can basically harvest a batch of the outer leaves every two days. Then there’s the round-leaf spinach, which has also mostly matured recently.’
Then there were the pumpkin seeds planted to the north. The vines were developing rapidly, covering the ground, and had even started to flower, but there was still no sign of fruit for some reason.
Finally, he came to the transplanted Mysterious Fruit Tree.
It had already grown flower buds before, and now it had blossomed with thirteen vibrant, palm-sized yellow flowers. It looked like it would bear fruit soon.
After inspecting the farmland, Qin Ziwen thought for a moment and decided to create the Leather Armor Workshop and the Stable first.
Neither building required much space, which the remaining area in their Home could easily accommodate. He had previously hesitated because he worried there would be no fresh fodder for a Mongolian Horse after summoning it. But now that he had a grassland Card, raising a horse wasn’t a big issue. At worst, he could just plant some fresh green grass in the farmland.
As he used the two Cards,
the Leather Armor Workshop and the Stable appeared one after the other.
The Leather Armor Workshop was quite similar to the Bow and Arrow Workshop in terms of its footprint, appearance, and interior layout.
The only difference was the type of crafting tools inside.
Next was the Stable.
The Stable had a footprint of 3x6. It had a wooden frame structure, a tiled roof that sloped in one direction, walls on three sides, and one open side.
The interior was divided by wooden walls into three "stalls," each with a 3x2 footprint. Based on the layout, it could house three horses at once.
Against the back wall was a stone trough that ran through all three stalls, and above it, three iron rings for tying reins were fixed into the wall.
[Level 1 Leather Armor Workshop: Level 1 Leather Armor Defense Increase, Level 1 Leather Armor Toughness Increase]
[Level 1 Stable: Level 1 Mount Healing Acceleration, Level 1 Mount Fatigue Removal]
The properties of the Leather Armor Workshop were about what he expected; both enhanced the defensive capabilities of Leather Armor.
But the Stable’s properties were interesting. They didn’t specify horses, but rather applied to "mounts" in general.
’So if a person put on a collar and a leash and considered themself a mount, could they also enjoy the buffs?’
Qin Ziwen quickly shook his head. ’That’s too twisted.’
He then took out the Recruitment Card.
[Recruitment Card] Common · Tamed Mongolian Horse.
The light faded.
In its place stood a reddish-brown Mongolian Horse.
The horse stood about 1.4 meters tall at the shoulder and was around 1.6 meters long.
But it was by no means light, weighing over six hundred pounds.
After getting a clear look at Qin Ziwen, the Mongolian Horse snorted and slowly trotted closer, gently rubbing its neck against Qin Ziwen’s arm and nudging its head toward his hand.
Qin Ziwen took the opportunity to give it a scratch.
The Mongolian Horse snorted in comfort and then lowered its forequarters. From its movements, it seemed to be inviting Qin Ziwen to ride it.
Qin Ziwen naturally wouldn’t refuse. He had never ridden a horse before.
He swung himself onto the horse’s back. The Mongolian Horse started to move its hooves, taking a slow stroll around the Home.
The dozing Beaked Eagle jerked its head around and stared at its master in disbelief, its eyes wide and round.
"SCREECH!~"
The Beaked Eagle swooped over. Sensing the movement, the Mongolian Horse quickly halted and neighed uneasily.
Qin Ziwen said, "Beaked Eagle, don’t come any closer! You’re scaring the horse."
The Beaked Eagle circled once before landing on the sand. It then tilted its head at Qin Ziwen, its eyes full of confusion and shock.
"Ahem." Clearing his throat, Qin Ziwen dismounted. "Red Hare is a bit timid. He’s our new partner from now on."
The Beaked Eagle tilted its head again, this time to the other side, and stared at the Mongolian Horse.
The Mongolian Horse curled its upper lip, revealing a smug grin.
After dismounting, Qin Ziwen headed to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery to practice his Arrow Skill. His understanding of the Continuous Arrow technique had deepened lately, especially since the gallery became a Shared Building, which enhanced its effects to a whole new level. He could now load a Level 3 Archery Experience Card in advance, allowing his future self to be his best teacher.
Inside the Arrow Gallery, Li Yue, Yuan Ming, and Yuan Dajun were practicing their archery.
The increase in survival difficulty had given them a greater sense of urgency, and they were all seizing every moment to get stronger.
Seeing Qin Ziwen enter, they quickly called out, "Captain!"
"Mm, keep up the good work."
Outside, as soon as Qin Ziwen had entered the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery, the smug grin on the Mongolian Horse’s face vanished. It lowered its head meekly and pretended to wander nonchalantly toward the Stable.
The Beaked Eagle stood a short distance away, sizing up the Mongolian Horse’s retreating back. In the end, it couldn’t be bothered with the horse and turned to go back to its patch of sand.
Qin Ziwen practiced until four-thirty in the afternoon, then packed up and headed toward the school building.
On the first floor, several students were repairing a wooden door that had been damaged the previous night, with a bearded old man guiding them.
Up on the fourth floor, one of the rooms had been converted into a reception room.
Judging by the layout, it looked like it had been set up just today.
When Qin Ziwen arrived, Zou Jianghe was already sitting inside, chatting with Luo Gang.
"You’re here." Luo Gang poured them both a cup of tea and got straight to the point of his invitation.
"The last time we cleared the map, we received a building called the Traveler’s Tea House, which allows us to trade with passing merchants. We tried it out over the past two days and found that merchants do occasionally pass by. Trading with them requires currency. Although I don’t have the currency they use, some merchants also accept barter. We can exchange some of our materials with them. Even though they drive a hard bargain, we can still trade for some things that are hard for us to come by."
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