Farming Games are All About Grinding

After returning to the first level of the mining cave, Han Qiwu didn't waste any time and picked up a few chunks of coal scattered around the area.

The coal at home was running a bit short; he'd need to make a trip to the Thunder Secret Realm soon.

Passing by the Explorer Guild, Han Qiwu felt somewhat helpless.

Where could he even find this coconut juice?

A coconut tree? He didn't think he'd ever seen one.

Nor had he heard of anyone in the village owning one.

Never mind, learning mixology wasn't urgent. As long as he had the money, he could just buy it—priorities first, make some cash.

Leaving the cave, Han Qiwu took a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air.

The hour was late, the sky had turned completely dark, and the stars hung one by one above, keeping the moon company, waiting for the sun.

Beautiful.

On his way home, Han Qiwu noticed that the Dragon Hollyhock shrubs had ripened with some berries again. He stopped by and picked them off casually.

These berries were incredibly effective for detoxifying fire poison—a must-have for trips into molten lava caves.

And the plants produced a lot.

In mere moments, Han Qiwu had successfully gathered 36 of them.

Home, sweet home.

Arriving at the doorstep, Han Qiwu saw the Little Prince returning together with Little Shui.

As soon as Little Shui spotted its master, it happily leapt off the Little Prince and started bounding toward Han Qiwu. But just before reaching him, it made sure to rub its claws clean on the fur of the Little Prince's hind legs.

It couldn't dirty the master's clothes!

Little Prince: "......"

"Little Shui, you're just the sweetest. Next time your Little Prince brother sheds, I'll make you a genuine bear-hair towel," Han Qiwu chuckled, bending down to scoop Little Shui up as they headed indoors.

Glancing at the system notifications, Han Qiwu realized that Little Shui had brought back over twenty crawfish and a dozen swamp eels.

What an industrious little thing.

Heart aching for it, Han Qiwu gently smoothed Little Shui's silky fur, saying, "Just catch a few fish to play with every day, no need to bring this much home—have your Little Prince brother do the heavy lifting."

The Little Prince, who had just set down his backpack, let out a silent sigh.

I've sacrificed way too much for this household!

Hearing the sigh, Han Qiwu smiled faintly, walked over to the hive, and pulled out two bottles of honey to hand to the Little Prince.

Immediately, the Little Prince's expression transformed into one of valiant determination!

Sacrificing more, so what?

The Little Prince is always ready!

For honey!

No, it's not that I don't want to fight for bear rights!

It's just that honey tastes too good.

After playing with Little Shui for a while, Han Qiwu started feeling hungry. He put Little Shui down, retrieved the barbecue grill, and took out the desert lamb leg he'd gotten that day. Using a knife, he added some seasoning and left it to marinate.

While waiting for the marinade to do its magic, he went inside to take a quick shower.

Once out of the shower, the lamb leg was ready.

The next steps were straightforward.

Just toss it on the grill and let it cook.

Sizzling sounds filled the air as the lamb fat slowly seeped out, releasing an alluring aroma.

As Yang Yangyang had mentioned, this desert lamb leg had no gamey taste at all; it carried an unexpected hint of red willow fragrance.

Han Qiwu had already made up his mind before returning home.

A grown-up doesn't need to overthink!

The lamb leg was big anyway.

One part spicy, one part cumin, and one part salted.

All three flavors—why not?

After sprinkling on the seasonings, Han Qiwu noticed that the lamb leg still needed some more time to cook. He called over the Little Prince, who wouldn't sneak bites, to help turn the grill, while he himself walked over to Xiao Lai.

At this moment, Xiao Lai was obediently gnawing on the Flame Iron Ore, crunching away as if it were the most delicious treat imaginable.

"Xiao Lai, do you want to grow stronger like your little Electric brother?" Han Qiwu approached with a grin, speaking cheerfully.

Xiao Lai decisively shook its head.

"Don't be shy—I mean it, tell me the truth," Han Qiwu said seriously.

Xiao Lai: "......."

With no other choice, it nodded reluctantly.

Thinking of the roasted bird leg in its stash, clever Xiao Lai decided it was best to play along.

Chuckling, Han Qiwu reached out and rubbed Xiao Lai's head, pulling out a beam of radiant essence and placing it beside Xiao Lai's mouth, saying, "Eat this—you'll get stronger after."

Before he even finished speaking, Xiao Lai had already gulped the radiant essence down whole.

The essence was so large that Xiao Lai's mouth was stretched into its shape.

"Glug, glug, glug—"

Xiao Lai muttered something in Han Qiwu's direction as it gradually shut its eyes and began digesting.

Han Qiwu furrowed his brows and casually bent a tree branch to pull Little Electric closer, asking about what Xiao Lai had just said.

Little Electric puffed out its chest, gesturing wildly with its limbs. The general gist was: "You should've given me something like this sooner! What were you rambling on about earlier? Hurry up next time and stop procrastinating!"

Han Qiwu smiled faintly, "Mind your tone."

As he spoke, dozens of branches floated out from behind him, surrounding Little Electric in a protective yet ominous stance.

Little Electric trembled, immediately growing docile and rephrasing its gestures: "Thank you, master. The item is wonderful. I hope I can try it again in the future."

Han Qiwu nodded in satisfaction as the branches slowly retreated.

"Phew." Little Electric exhaled audibly and sneakily began to leave the area.

Before it could fly far, its master called out, "Haven't cleaned the pests at home in a while, have we? Just as well—no mining today. Clear out a hundred patches of land, would you?"

"Chirp chirp..." Dejectedly, Little Electric floated off to the strawberry field to start picking off bugs.

All I did was artistically rework Xiao Lai's words!

I swear, when I watch them playing games outside, they all talk like that!

Hmph!

Hiding all along in the Phoenix Tree's ventilation nook, Roasted Bird chuckled silently, then withdrew deeper into the tree to minimize its presence.

These youngsters sure lacked self-preservation instinct!

With the master, you've got to use your wits!

No more chatter—time to check on the stash of my roasted bird legs!

Out in the yard, Han Qiwu took a deep breath of the alluring aroma.

After grilling for so long, the scent of the lamb leg, enriched by the lamb's fat, had become thoroughly tantalizing, instantly awakening Han Qiwu's appetite.

Seeing the meat was nearly ready, Han Qiwu pulled out a small knife, sat by the grill, and carefully sliced the salted sections of lamb to savor bite by bite.

This portion of the desert lamb leg had a tender and soft texture, melting in the mouth. Thanks to the perfect degree of grilling, its outermost layer had a slight golden crispness that added a unique flavor.

The fresh taste of lamb, accentuated by the simplicity of salt, was remarkably vivid, leaving Han Qiwu unable to stop, bite after bite.

The spicy and cumin-seasoned sections offered even richer flavors. The deeper he bit in, the lamb developed a bit of chew, making it all the more satisfying.

At the height of indulgence, he paired it with a chilled birch sap drink to cut the richness.

Absolutely delightful!

After finishing most of the meat, Han Qiwu noticed Xiao Lai had started to wake up, so he decided to take a break and let the Little Prince continue grilling.

He walked over to check on Xiao Lai.

Having absorbed the radiant essence, Xiao Lai's appearance seemed deeper and richer in hue, though there were no other obvious changes.

[Your battle pet Xiao Lai has comprehended a new skill: Toxic Beam]

[Toxic Beam: Emit a beam of venomous light that lasts up to 2 minutes, causing 50% movement speed reduction and 0.5% of current health damage per second to any enemies that come into contact with it.]