However, when I tried clicking on the [Yes] button, I triggered yet another popup.

[Error. Not enough Dragon Scales. Spend 100 credits to buy a Loot Box?]

Wow, if this was still real life and this was the game, I would be majorly annoyed.

The [Mustard Tree Pocket Dimension] was an expansion that was beta-tested, but never officially released in Adventure Incarnate after it was negatively received by the players. The [Loot Boxes], in particular, were a sore point.

But wait… weren’t [Loot Boxes] bought with [Dragon Scales]? This made no sense!

I tapped my feet as I thought.

On the one hand, I had never used [Tappers] in this world because all they did was give cheap items which wasn’t very useful. These trees should give [White Birch Water] which I didn’t even have in my inventory since GodIAm didn’t deem them necessary for playing the game.

On the other hand, this was a special area full of unreleased content, and it was quite possible that [Tappers] gave something different here.

It was worth a try!

My mind made up, I bought 10 [Loot Boxes] and opened them. I got 67 [Dragon Scales] and a bunch of cosmetic skins, emotes, victory poses, name cards, and icons. This was enough for five [Tappers] which the System helpfully drilled into the trees for me. Using the [Examine] option on them only yielded the information that the [Tappers] were empty, with no indication of how long it would take for them to fill.

I was amusing myself by testing the cosmetic items from the [Loot Boxes] when Kharli came running up to me with an expression of wide-eyed wonder on her face.

“A fairy! Teacher, you’re being blessed by a fairy!” She tugged on my sleeve and pointed above my head where a little fairy with green-colored hair, butterfly wings, and a crystal wand was sprinkling silver fairy dust on my head.

The [Fairy Icon] in the game was just a little graphic beside the player’s name, but here it was an actual fairy who hovered over me. I lifted my hands, palms up as though receiving a blessing. “I think this is a good omen.”

Then I deactivated the icon since it was way too flashy.

“Oh, she left.” Kharli let go of my sleeve, but she was still looking above my head. “She was so pretty!”

“That wasn’t a real fairy. It was an illusory magic from the System. Like a decoration.” I suddenly had an amusing idea. “Do you want one, too? I have another one I can give you.”

The icons were low value and could be gifted to others, unlike most other Cash Shop items. I clicked on the [Gift] setting and typed in her name because I knew she would say yes.

“Th-th-that-” Kharli stuttered, her eyes bulging and almost falling out of her face.

I burst out laughing at her funny expression. “Hey, why are you so shocked? Just click on [Accept] then equip it.”

“But the System said it’s a Mythical grade item!” Kharli looked like she was about to faint.

I put a hand on her back just in case. “That’s just because it’s extremely rare, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s just an illusion that doesn’t do anything, so just accept it.”

After a moment of thought, I added, “And don’t expect too much. You’ll just get something funny floating over your head, that’s all.”

Both of us grinned when we saw the result when Kharli activated the icon. A huge slice of strawberry cake, spun above her head throwing off pink sparkles.

“It’s so cute!” Kharli reached up and tried to touch it, but, of course, her hand passed right through the cake slice. “I can’t wait to show the others!”

I smiled indulgently and let her marvel over the icon before inviting her to walk with me.

“Let’s go over there.” I gestured to the river.

We left the grove of trees and walked through an open field. The grass there went up to our shoulders, and it was a bit tough to see where we were going.

“You know, I think the ground here is sloping towards the river,” I said. “We should check how water flows through the land before we plant.”

“It doesn’t look like it will rain soon,” said Kharli.

Tilting my head up, I scanned the skies. “You’re right. No rush though!”

The riverside was dotted with smooth, large stones, with a Fishing spot we could use in the future. The river's gentle, clear stream meandered through, lined with tall reeds and cattails.

The other side was full of willow trees. Occasionally, a willow branch would sway low enough to brush against the river, creating ripples that spread outward before vanishing. The ground beneath the trees was carpeted with fallen leaves and twigs, and birds fluttered between the branches, chirping merrily.

Kharli sighed. “Everything here is so beautiful and unspoiled.”

“I think we could be the first humans who have ever set foot in this land. Have you seen anything man-made at all?” I asked.

“I haven’t.” Kharli absentmindedly took out her fishing rod then smiled and put it back in her inventory. “I almost started Fishing!”

“Check the time. We’re going to be late for lunch. Let’s walk back to the meeting place.”

As expected, the other two freaked out when they saw Kharli’s icon.

“Why do you have a magic item? What does it do? Where did you get it?” The rapid-fire questions came from Lari who kept on trying to touch the cake icon. “Why is it food? Do you have others?”

Mo was just making incoherent sounds of both appreciation and awe as she tried to catch the pink sparkles.

“This is nothing,” said Kharli. “Teacher has one, too, and it’s a fairy!”

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Mo made a noise like a scalded cat, and Lari’s head swiveled toward me so fast I was afraid he was going to do an Exorcist-style head spin. I activated the [Fairy Icon] and was almost deafened by their screams, but they quieted down when I gifted them their own icons. Lari’s was three gold coins that tumbled around each other making a ka-ching noise like a cash register and Mo’s was a Rubix cube that continuously solved and unsolved itself.

“A magic cube!” Mo was beside herself with joy.

“I’m gonna be rich!” Lari jumped up and down and imitated the ka-ching noises.

Did he know what the cash register sound meant? Probably not, but he seemed to love the “mysterious noise” anyway.

I was going to instruct them on how to activate and deactivate the icons, but they were all very good at using the System and figured it out themselves. Lari wanted to show it off to the household staff, but the rest of us convinced him to show the icons to either Shuye or Scholar Wu before revealing them to the others, which was great because when we went back to the house, Shuye was there waiting for us at the main hall with Fengying and the maids serving him tea and snacks.

My Farm Guide was as big and burly as ever, but he no longer looked much like a bear. He gave off the air of a noble warrior instead of looking like the shaggy-haired denizen of the woods dressed in leather and rough brown cotton I had met when I first came to the Ancient Hill Forest. His hair was short and neat and his silk robes elegant. In the past, he used to wear trousers and the usual knee-length top worn by commoners which overlapped in the front and was tied on the right side. Nowadays he had swapped that attire with a long robe that reached his ankles, with long, flowing wide sleeves, richly decorated with intricate embroidery.

“Happy New Year!” I said. “How have you been? How is your family?”

He got up from his chair and we bowed to each other. All of us, including my three apprentices, exchanged greetings and New Year gifts. We gave Shuye lucky coins, bolts of cloth, and packets of tea and he said that the kitchen staff were already dismantling the wild game and demon monsters he had hunted for us. In addition, he handed over Scholar Wu’s gifts of paintings, writing tools, and books.

“Oh, how lovely and thoughtful!” I suddenly felt a little bad. Weren’t my gifts too common and bland? Thinking quickly, I handed him a large box of [Ageless Beauty Essence]. “Here’s my new product. I think it will be a big hit.”

The kids waited impatiently as Shuye and I made small talk. Finally, I took pity on them and asked the staff to leave so that Lari, Kharli, and Mo could show Shuye their new icons.

Shuye laughed heartily when he saw the illusory items over my apprentices’ heads. “Cake, coins, and a cube? What will you think of next?”

“Do you think it’s okay to show them to other people?” I asked.

“It’s a little strange, and they may get a lot of unwanted attention if they go to Anwei wearing those illusions, but it shouldn’t cause any problems if you wear them on the farm.” Though Shuye knew they weren’t real, he still couldn’t resist trying to touch the icons. “They aren’t giving off much of a qi aura, so they should be safe.”

“Great!” I nodded to my apprentices, who took the hint and took their leave.

After they left, Fengying returned with fresh tea. She did a double take when she saw the kids, but swiftly recovered her composure.

“I’m glad to see you in good spirits,” said Shuye to me. “I was afraid you would be depressed because the prince had to leave for the training camps.”

“Well, it is tough, but I’m not the sort of woman to pine away because of something like that!” I took a sip of the tea. Coffee was my preferred beverage, but tea was what was traditionally served to guests. “How is the war effort going?”

“That’s what I came here to talk about. I’ll be leaving for the camps myself in a month, but we’ve arranged it so that you won’t be left here alone. Scholar Wu will stay with you here while I’m gone.”

“Gosh! Please take care of yourself, and don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will.” Shuye leaned back on his chair. “I should also tell you that a few of the sites you discovered that we couldn’t find without your help have now become accessible.”

“Which places?”

“The Lunar Forest where you hunted goats, the Heaven’s Eye Grotto where you caught the cave fish, and Golden Harvest Banana Grove with all the monkeys and banana plants.” Shuye paused and frowned. “But not the lake.”

My lips twitched. “You guys still can’t find an enormous lake in the middle of your territory?”

“Yes, it’s very strange.” Shuye seemed to contemplate this idea for a few minutes before saying, “But what’s stranger is that these hidden locations suddenly became exposed. Do you know why?”

I frowned and thought it over while nibbling on a sugar biscuit. “Maybe it’s because of the higher level of atmospheric qi?”

“Perhaps. Has anything changed with your bloodline inheritance or the farm?”

“Nothing.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, right! I almost forgot because the stuff with the icons distracted me too much. Yes, I need to show you something.”

“I can hear your stomach rumbling. Why don’t you show me what you’ve been doing to the farm after you eat?”

“Yes, come eat with us. The chef’s special today is spring vegetables.” I turned to Fengying and asked her. “Did they catch anything today?”

Deming’s assistants often went out to hunt or fish, which were both integral parts of their training to be master chefs.

“They caught plenty of trout this morning, and it will be served at lunch.”

Shuye and I exchanged looks of anticipation.

I rose and gestured for Shuye to follow me. “Yes, I think we can do the farm tour after lunch.”

This time, Fengying set up lunch for us in the dining room which was a small but elegant room with large windows, a round table with mother-of-pearl inlay, rosewood chairs, and silk wall hangings depicting serene mountains. In honor of our guest, the chef had prepared a greater variety of dishes than normal and Fengying had set the table with fine china, crystal glassware, and silver utensils.

Shuye was a large person, with a large appetite to match, and the maids quickly filled the space in front of him with a mountain of rice and huge platters and tureens of pan-seared trout, red-braised pork, spicy vinegar chicken, steamed eggs, hot and sour lemon duck, all cooked with fresh spring vegetables. Dessert was a sweet snow fungus soup with lotus seeds.

The meal was a great way for Lari to learn from Shuye’s example. My Farm Guide ate a massive amount of food but did so in a neat and efficient way while following the rules of proper table manners.

I loved all the dishes, but the vinegar chicken was a revelation. The vinegar and chili pepper were the first things I tasted, followed by ginger and spring onions. I think there was also a hint of sesame oil in there. The flavor was light yet complex, and I finished off a large portion of it myself before I even tried the other dishes out.

At the end of the meal, I declined a serving of dessert and had a few slices of apple instead.

“I envy you for being able to eat like this every day,” said Shuye. He leaned back on his chair, contentment written across his face.

“That was absolutely delightful,” I said.

“The pork was amazing,” said Lari.

“I liked the trout better,” said Mo.

“The steamed egg is so simple, but it’s so soft, silky, and delicious,” said Kharli.

“I think we need to rest for a bit before going out. My stomach needs time to digest the food.” I nodded to the maids who cleared the table and poured tea for us. “Shuye, can you tell us news about the clans?”

It was time for a good gossip session!

Shuye smiled and shook his head at me. “There have been tons of new developments since we last met. Have I told you about the Goat clan?”

“The one whose mountain got teleported?”

“Yes, them. They’ve gotten eighteen challenges for their territory, but everything is on hold until after we defeat the demon.”

“Are they likely to win or lose?”

“It depends on their performance in the war. They shouldn’t lose as long as they make a good showing.”

“Have some of this.” I pushed a plate of honey candy towards Mo who was eying it longingly but too shy to speak up and ask someone to pass it to her.

There was a short pause in our conversation as we nibbled on sweets and drank more tea.

“So the preparations are going well?” I asked Shuye.

“It’s been much better than I expected. Even the Venerable Immortal Sage and the master of the Dawn Skyblade Sect will be joining us with their elite disciples,” he said.

The rest of his news was similar. Everyone who was anyone was busy training, raising funds, manufacturing weapons or supplies, etc. After about an hour of Shuye bringing me up to speed, we finished our tea and went outside where I proudly showed him my newest accomplishment, the [Mustard Tree Pocket Dimension].

“It’s a paper drawing? I can’t feel any qi from it.” Shuye looked at me quizzically. “What is this?”

I covered my mouth with a hand to hide my smile. “Try to open the door.”

The kids and I had tested it, and I was the only one who could open it, so we were all shocked when it swung open for Shuye.

“What is that?!” I exclaimed when I saw what was beyond the door.