Farming Games are All About Grinding

Han Qiwu curiously asked, "Master, is lapis lazuli very rare? What kind of effect will it have if we put it inside a kettle?"

Master Shuzi continued working with his hands and quickly replied, "Back in my day, lapis lazuli was called golden essence or indigo. There's no domestic production; it was all imported via the Silk Road. Monks referred to it as 'wall glass.' Look at its color—doesn't it remind you of the sky? The Temple of Heaven used a large amount of lapis lazuli. Common lapis lazuli isn't hard to find, but high-quality lapis lazuli is rare. The two pieces you have are pure blue without a trace of impurities, not even a hint of golden specks, making them of extraordinarily high quality. My forging earlier was merely the icing on the cake, further purifying it. Its likely effect is to preserve and protect. You'll see in a moment."

Preserve and protect?

Like a natural pesticide?

That's not bad at all.

A few days ago, he noticed that the spider-shaped automaton was busy scuttling around the potato field again. It was probably addressing some new problem.

If pests and diseases are eliminated, the farm's crop yield could absolutely improve by another level.

After layering a thin sheet of lapis lazuli inside, Master Shuzi took out the kettle prototype and started tapping it with a small hammer. His movements were deft and brimming with artistry.

After around ten minutes of hammering, Master Shuzi placed it into the forging furnace and grinned. "Alright, just wait another half an hour, and you'll see how beautiful this kettle turns out."

Han Qiwu glanced at the kettle prototype, glowing faintly blue, and his heart filled with anticipation.

Not wanting to waste the half hour, he decided to stay in the forging room and make a canister to try curing some salted duck eggs.

As he hammered away, inspiration began to well up in Han Qiwu's mind. His body instinctively moved to match the motions from *The Call of the Times* and started flowing into a subtle rhythm.

The strikes with his hammer grew stronger with each swing.

When he noticed the stone couldn't withstand his strength, he hurriedly swapped it out for two chunks of cold iron ore and continued hammering them.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The constant sound of forging reached Master Shuzi's ears.

"What's that rascal hammering away at? Making quite a ruckus, isn't he?"

He pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside, only to see Han Qiwu completely absorbed in his work. A smile gradually appeared on his face.

That boy does have some talent for forging.

Han Qiwu, still immersed in his own forging state, didn't notice Master Shuzi's arrival. After finishing with the cold iron pieces, he grabbed two more iron ores and kept at it.

Little by little, his movements became faster and faster.

A few minutes later, Han Qiwu was moving like a whirlwind as he delivered one final swing of his hammer, using the rebound to leap to the side and execute a full set of *The Call of the Times* moves, finally breaking through his bottleneck!

[Breakthrough!]

[Strengthening Technique has advanced to Level 4]

[Effect: All stamina consumption reduced by 0.1. Both system-driven and manual forging speeds are moderately increased.]

[Forging Epiphany Reward: Stamina cap +20. Forging will now have a chance to produce new items.]

At the moment of his breakthrough, Han Qiwu felt as if he could soar into the heavens.

What a rush!

Wiping the sweat from his face, Han Qiwu eagerly checked the system notification.

The stamina reduction of 0.1 was a standard reward, but an increase in system forging speed was incredibly useful.

The waiting time for crafting was finally reduced.

Also, having an epiphany while forging came with an additional special reward.

A chance to create new items!

Wait.

Didn't I just forge a canister with added cold iron?

Han Qiwu hurriedly turned around and picked up the canister to inspect it.

Whoa.

This canister feels ridiculously cold.

Could it be used to make chilled preserves?

The canister was a deep blue-black, narrowing at the top and widening at the base. Thanks to the large amount of cold iron used, its capacity was massive, and it felt weighty in his hands.

[Salted Egg Canister]

[Forged by: Han Qiwu]

[Effect: Cures duck eggs into salted duck eggs when placed inside.]

[Special Effect - Constant Temperature: The cold iron-infused canister emits a chill to regulate its internal temperature.]

[Processing Time: 48 hours]

[Note: Outstanding creativity!]

It actually worked!

Han Qiwu couldn't help but feel proud of himself.

Now I can independently create system items!

A salted egg canister!

Time to try it out when I get back!

If it's something I made myself, those salted duck eggs are bound to be dripping with savory richness!

With the Dragon Boat Festival around the corner, I could even use the salted egg yolks to make zongzi for an incredible flavor.

Perfect!

"Not bad—your improvement rate is quite impressive," Master Shuzi finally complimented with a hearty laugh after Han Qiwu calmed down from his excitement.

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master," Han Qiwu humbly replied.

Master Shuzi walked over, picked up the salted egg canister, studied it for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "This is something even I couldn't have forged. Anyway, the kettle is ready too. Let me know if you're satisfied with it."

A double dose of good news.

Han Qiwu responded with enthusiasm and quickly walked over to the forging station.

When he saw the new kettle, he was stunned.

This is absolutely gorgeous!

The new kettle was entirely sky-blue. Likely due to the addition of lunar meteorite iron, the outer layer had a slight translucence, giving it a dreamlike lunar glow. Its shape had also changed, with the handle at the top becoming wider and smoother to touch, and the spout now formed into three branches. Despite the changes, it appeared perfectly harmonious.

Honestly, if this were auctioned as an art piece, it would fetch a fortune!

[Tool: Azure Moon Kettle]

[Usage Instructions: Charge to simultaneously water a 3×3 plot of farmland. Charged stamina consumption is doubled. Under moonlight, charging allows watering of a 3×4 plot of farmland, with stamina consumption doubled.]

[Special Effect - Spirit of Brewed Copper: Watering beer hops, rice, sorghum, and other brewing crops increases yield by 40% and boosts the quality of brewed products.]

[Special Effect - Purge: Significantly reduces the chance of pest and disease during watering, increases crop yield by at least 20%, and offers a small chance to grow blue mutant varieties.]

[Special Effect - Moon Dew: Watering under moonlight collects moon dew, which can eventually be used to pour out moonlit nectar from the kettle.]

[Note: Only a Forging Master can successfully blend such diverse materials and bring out their full potential.]

Unbelievable!

After reading the attributes, only one thought filled Han Qiwu's mind:

Gotta cling tightly to Master Shuzi's coattails!

Just like the note said, handling so many materials on his own would've turned into a complete mess.

Let alone the fact that the three special effects on the Azure Moon Kettle were each more practical than the last!

Even its basic function—charging to water 9 plots at once—was more than double the previous 4-plot capacity. Adding lunar meteorite iron allowed it to water 12 plots under moonlight, a threefold increase!

Though stamina consumption increased, it greatly saved time!

Han Qiwu wasn't worried about the slight extra stamina cost.

He was riding high on confidence!

As for the attributes, the Brewed Copper Spirit effect was similar to the previous one, with a 10% boost in yield.

Come to think of it, this brewed copper effect proved pretty enduring.

The Purge effect derived from lapis lazuli was also incredibly practical.

Not only could it increase yields, but it also had a chance of producing blue mutant varieties.

The roses were about to bloom soon.

If they turned out to be blue, would they become Blue Enchantresses?

Those certainly wouldn't be like the cheap, dyed fakes found elsewhere!