Farming Games are All About Grinding

"Little Electric!!!"

Han Qiwu ignored the giant squirrel and quickly ran to Little Electric, extending his hand to catch its unbalanced body.

He lowered his head to examine Little Electric's injuries. Its right wing was covered with bloodstains left behind by violently plucked feathers, which was heartbreaking to see.

Fortunately, aside from that, there weren't any other wounds.

Moreover, thanks to Little Electric using its electric grid once, these wounds had instantly scabbed over. Han Qiwu wiped away the bloodstains gently with his hand.

Han Qiwu reassured it with relief, "Little Electric! You won't die!"

Little Electric: "....I know, it's just some lost feathers!"

Looking at the half-bald Little Electric, Han Qiwu took out two large pine cones, peeled off the bracts, and pried out the pine nuts, placing them beside Little Electric's claws.

Just as the recovering Little Electric was preparing to spread its wings to show its continued bravery, it spotted the pile of pine nuts. Instantly, its wings drooped, and it let out a weak cry, mimicking a broiler chicken.

"Cheep-cheep~~~~~"

"You've worked hard. These pine nuts are all yours. Take your time and eat them here." Han Qiwu set Little Electric and the pine nuts down and stared coldly in the direction where the giant squirrel had fled.

Hit my bird and think you can just run?

Watch how I'll deal with you later!

Glancing at the large pine tree nearby, Han Qiwu decided to climb it himself and gather a few pine cones.

After all the effort used to drive the giant squirrel away, not enjoying the victory spoils would be a shame.

Moreover, importantly, Han Qiwu knew how to find the giant squirrel, so letting it run a bit first wasn't a big deal.

"Swish swish"

Han Qiwu rubbed some flour on his hands to increase friction. Switching to his layered soles and donning a straw hat, he took a deep breath, leapt seven to eight meters into the air, grabbed the tree trunk, and skillfully climbed upward.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"

The initial part of his tree-climbing journey went rather smoothly; Han Qiwu quickly reached the mist-covered section of the tree trunk.

Unlike the surrounding mist, this region's mist felt almost tangible, with a slightly viscous texture to the touch.

After a few tests, Han Qiwu was relieved.

This mist doesn't seem to cause damage.

Then it's no problem.

Climb on!

Just think of it as swimming.

Ten minutes later, Han Qiwu glanced below at the gray, sticky mist, nervously wiped his sweat.

Why is this thing so tall?

Does this tree go on forever, like the giant's beanstalk?

Taking a bite of a strawberry, Han Qiwu continued to climb upward.

After climbing a few steps, he suddenly noticed something weird about the feel of his hands.

A couple more steps up, he chuckled.

Finally found it!

The crown of the giant pine tree was densely packed with pine cones, some immature and others mature, scattered at varying distances from him.

Luckily, I didn't give up earlier.

Han Qiwu let out a sigh of relief and leisurely pulled out the "Red Sun," patiently using its fishing hook to reel in the mature pine cones farther away.

After retrieving the distant cones, he reached out to pluck the mature ones closer to him, one by one.

Harvesting these pine cones was truly troublesome; just climbing took twenty minutes, and getting back down would likely be even harder.

Better gather more while I'm up here.

Once he'd harvested all the mature pine cones within sight, Han Qiwu let out a deep breath and looked down to count them—thirty-six in total.

Thankfully, these pine cones could be stored in his inventory slot; otherwise, with over a hundred pounds of pine cones, he wouldn't be able to carry them all.

"If I chopped down this massive pine tree, I bet a lot more cones would fall, maybe even a sapling." Han Qiwu smiled at the thought.

But it's just an idea. Such a wonderful pine tree—why not leave it to slowly harvest the cones instead?

Can't drain the pond to get all the fish!

Going up a mountain is easy; coming down is hard. Turns out the same applies to trees.

After spending half an hour, Han Qiwu finally returned to solid ground and let out a deep breath.

Honestly, he felt his legs were about to give way.

"Little Electric, I'm going to get revenge for you now!" Han Qiwu shouted, just as he bent down to pick up Little Electric—before realizing that something seemed off.

Besides a mountain of discarded pine shells, there was nothing else on the ground.

Where's Little Electric?

"Cheep cheep!"

A few cheerful birdcalls suddenly came from overhead, brimming with joy and smugness.

Looking up, Han Qiwu was stunned.

What in the world?

In the air above, Little Electric's previously bare right wing was now covered in golden feathers, gleaming brightly, dazzling even in the dim light of the cloudy weather.

What's going on?

After circling Han Qiwu once, Little Electric landed proudly on his shoulder, lowering its head to point at the pine nuts on the ground.

"Was it the pine nuts that made your feathers grow back so quickly?" Han Qiwu asked in surprise, reaching out to stroke Little Electric's new feathers. These feathers were half again as long as the original ones and felt remarkably sturdy to the touch.

So it's "harm begets harmony"?

Would this lead to imbalance?

Han Qiwu gave a shrug and launched Little Electric off his shoulder, observing its flight mechanics.

Not only was there no negative impact—its speed was noticeably faster than before. On closer inspection, Little Electric adjusted the vibration frequency of its wings to accelerate further using its innate coordination abilities.

Awesome, my Little Electric!

Do these pine nuts really have such impressive effects?

Curiously, Han Qiwu took out a pine cone, pried off a pine nut, and inspected it closely.

Come to think of it, he never had the time to examine the pine nuts' attributes before.

[Mist Pine Nut]

[Stamina +10]

[Health +5]

[Special Effect - Nourishment: Mist Pine Nuts can heal wounds and enhance physique]

[Note: Don't underestimate the nuts' limited energy; as long as you eat enough, you can become stronger!]

Turns out it really was because of the Mist Pine Nuts!

Han Qiwu was thrilled—finally, he'd found a food that could enhance physical strength.

Although Little Electric had gained from the setback and improved its flight, the giant squirrel's attack couldn't just be overlooked!

A death sentence might be off the table, but punishment is inevitable!

Han Qiwu picked up Xiao Lai and started heading toward an area marked by a pile of mature pine cones as indicated by the faulty compass.

When he was climbing the tree earlier, he'd kept an eye on that area's condition. While the other mature pine cone patches remained static or increased slowly, this one kept adding several Mist Pine Nuts within a short time.

It must be the giant squirrel's doing!

Following the map, Han Qiwu soon arrived near the giant squirrel's nest.

It was nestled in a massive redwood tree, its trunk thick enough to need four people to encircle, towering into the mist like the pine tree. Scattered pine shells lay beneath it.

"Squeak squeak!"

Unaware of the impending danger, the giant squirrel returned from afar, clutching a large pine cone in its arms, using all four limbs to climb up the tree trunk.

Han Qiwu didn't act immediately, watching the squirrel carefully for some time and discovering its nest was located about ten meters above the ground on the tree trunk.

Not immersed in the mist.

It seems the giant squirrel might also understand the mist's hazards.

After waiting a while, the giant squirrel hastily set down the pine cone before scampering off toward the distance again.

Watching the squirrel's retreating figure, Han Qiwu smiled and stepped forward.