CHAPTER 182 - IT'S A PUN-DEMOLITION NOW THAT I'VE EXHAUSTED MY PUN SUPPLY.
🙞❤︎🙜
...Wait a minute! Isn't it strange that some random ex-gang member was selling this thing to every player in Adventure Incarnate? Well, I guess in this world he only had this one copy, which makes a lot more sense.
Unwrapping the cloth-covered package, I grinned when I saw a mysterious leather-bound book with a combination lock on it. This was the book that was sold by the NPC in Anwei, and, fortunately, I remembered the secret code. I rubbed my hands together and chortled as I turned the dials on the lock to read 31415, which was the first five digits of pi. Once unlocked, the mysterious book turned into a [Thieving Book].
[Thieving Book:
A book from the Black Arm Gang’s hideout that contains the locations of their hidden treasure caches and vaults, with instructions on how to unlock them, and a collection of their recipes.]
“Yes!” I picked Cutie and Mr. Bear up and twirled them both around. “I hit the jackpot!”
The “treasures” were gold coins and gems which I didn’t want to bother finding, so I copied the maps on a few pages of paper and gave them to Fengying to send to Shuye, who would pass them on to the Anwei guards. The information about the treasure locations would be credited to an “anonymous informant” since I was keeping my involvement a secret.
The recipes in the book were much more interesting. In addition to the [Bone Melting Powder], which could be added to certain pills and potions to make them more dangerous, there were harmless cooking recipes for [Jellied Eel], [Black Pudding], and [Stargazy Pie].
But the real treasure was the book’s leather binding. Using a sharp crafting knife, I cut into its spine to reveal a small piece of folded paper that had been inserted into the space between the cloth and leather book cover. Written on it was the recipe for the [Five Elements Pill].
There was a loud pinging sound and I got a notification saying that I had learned the recipe which now appeared as an item on my Alchemy menu.
[Five Elements Pill:
Crafted from potent herbs, it harmonizes with the wielder's aura to strengthen its elemental defenses against earth, fire, water, wood, and metal magical attacks.
Duration: 15 minutes]
Acquiring the pill recipe unlocked the item in my inventory.
I picked my puppet up and hugged him in excitement. “Mr. Bear, isn’t this great? This will be very useful!”
Not wanting to waste more time to test it, I immediately sat down at my work table and piled up the ingredients and empty vials. This particular recipe didn’t need a cauldron.
When I mentally selected the System menu item, my hands were guided by the System to move in front of my shoulders, and the water from the vial rose just above them. One by one, the [Jadeheart Vine Leaf], [Earthstone Root], [Silvershield Fern], and [Moonshadow Algae] floated into the water and disintegrated. After the four herbs had mixed together into a thick liquid, the [Blazing Fireblossom] gracefully glided into the liquid. The flower merged with the herbal concoction and a flame appeared that dried it out until I was left with eight small pills. The pills, each one irregularly shaped and no bigger than a grain of rice, then neatly flew into the vial.
“Herblaw is the greatest!” I lifted the vial to my nose to sniff it, but the strong medicinal fragrance made me sneeze.
I made a few dozen more and then went to the main house to add a few pills to the letter I had asked Fengying to send.
***
The next few days passed in a whirlwind of plowing, fertilizing, sowing, and watering fields.
On the last day of the planting season, I looked over the vegetable, rice, and tea fields with satisfaction.
Dawn’s first light was shining on the farm, making the dew on the leaves of the trees and plants sparkle prettily. The air was cool and crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and the faint aroma of wildflowers from the forest and woodsmoke from the kitchen fires. The bees were busily buzzing around, and I could hear the distant melody of a songbird. The air was crisp and cool, invigorating yet comforting, as I met with my apprentices at the chosen location.
“Good morning, Teacher!” they chorused as I walked over to them with Cutie and Mr. Bear in tow. This time, the sun’s rays were gentle, so there was no need for an umbrella. Our working clothes were back to the regular long-sleeved ones since it was cooler now.
“Good morning! Did you remember to bring the garden plan?” I asked them.
“Yes, Teacher.” Kharli took out the plan from her inventory.
Using small wooden sticks and string, we delineated the boundaries of the garden beds and paths before plowing the appropriate spaces and adding the [Mysterious Goo] as fertilizer. The first thing we did was to plant the [Apple Tree] in the middle. Then we planted the seeds in the manner that we had worked out earlier, arranging the plants in such a way that each side of the paths would always have a few flowers in bloom every season.
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[Create an Insectary Garden: Quest Complete
Reward: Farming Exp]
[Congratulations, you just advanced a Farming level!]
[Your Farming level is now 27.]
The exp was just enough to push me over the edge to level 27, a welcome development indeed!
The others congratulated me, and, since we still had a bit of energy left, we planted a few more [Fairy Rose] plants near the [Vineheart Fairy House].
“That’s it for the planting season then,” I said. “How are your levels?”
We read our stats out loud and Kharli volunteered to write them down in our farm diary. I had leveled up my Farming once during the summer harvest and once today after getting the quest reward.
[Player Name: Violet
Farming Skills:
Farming Level 25→27, Fishing Level 12, Woodcutting Level 22→23, Cooking Level 6→7, Herblaw Level 23, Foraging Level 7, Hunting Level 7, Mining Level 4]
We’d spent most of the summer indoors doing crafting or studying books, so there wasn’t much change in our Foraging, Hunting, and Fishing, something we planned to rectify this autumn season as soon as the forest’s qi became more stable.
My apprentices had leveled up Farming and Woodcutting, too.
[Apprentice Name: Kharli
Farming Skills:
Farming Level 19→21, Fishing Level 6, Woodcutting Level 16→17, Cooking Level 2, Herblaw Level 1, Foraging Level 7, Hunting Level 5]
[Apprentice Name: Lari
Farming Skills:
Farming Level 19→21, Fishing Level 10, Woodcutting Level 16→17, Cooking Level 1, Herblaw Level 1, Foraging Level 4, Hunting Level 9]
[Apprentice Name: Mo
Farming Skills:
Farming Level 19→21, Fishing Level 4, Woodcutting Level 17→18, Cooking Level 2, Herblaw Level 1, Foraging Level 11, Hunting Level 4]
“Wonderful, we all got levels!” I gave the kids two thumbs up. “Let’s go to the house and you kids can get your allowance from Fengying.”
“Teacher, why don’t you go shopping with us tomorrow?” Mo turned around to face me and started walking backward.
“Nah, I need my rest.”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile when Lari snuck up behind Mo to try to trip her, but Mo knew he was trying to do something and nimbly hopped sideways and continued walking backward.
“But, Teacher, you always want to hear about the latest gossip. You should come with us and chat with all the ladies at the shops,” said Kharli.
“And Teacher could try the new chicken noodle bowl at the Golden Pagoda Restaurant,” said Lari, who had given up trying to trip Mo and was now competing with her to see which one of them could walk backward faster.
Kharli rolled her eyes at them and asked me if I wanted them to buy anything for me. I suggested that they buy some nice snacks and sweets for the whole staff, and gave her a small gold coin to spend.
“Guys, slow down! You don’t want to fall and hurt yourself today. I know the chef has something spectacular planned for tonight’s summer harvest feast,” I said to Lari and Mo.
Lari stopped walking backwards at once and Mo followed suit.
“Let’s relax now. I’ll go back to my house and I’ll see you guys at dinner,” I said.
We parted ways, and when we met at dinner, we were all eagerly anticipating the lavish banquet food that the kitchen staff had been preparing for us in the last three days.
First up were three appetizers. I started with the Caramelized Onion and Apple Bites. The crisp bread slice provided a satisfying crunch as I bit into the sweet and savory topping. The onions, deeply caramelized, offered a rich sweetness that went well with the tartness of the apple slices and the drizzle of balsamic glaze added the perfect tang to it. Then I ate the Stuffed Mushrooms, made from a species of button mushrooms that had white caps striped with blue. They had been stuffed full of a heavenly mixture of butter, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, and thyme. The Apple and Walnut Salad was refreshingly crunchy and bright-tasting though Lari and Kharli, two voracious meat-eaters, turned up their noses at it and only ate a few of the mushrooms.
The next dish served was a Pepper Spice Soup made of chicken, onions, pepper, curry, ginger, and over a dozen other vegetables and spices.
I lifted the spoon to my lips, inhaling the aromatic steam before tasting it. The tender chicken melted in my mouth, while the curry and ginger provided a warm, spicy undercurrent. Each spoonful unveiled new layers of taste: the sweetness of the onions, the tanginess of the tomato, the creaminess of the coconut milk, and the spiciness of the curry.
Next on the menu were the two main dishes. The first was Roast Beef with Vegetables. The second was Poached Carp Stuffed with Herbs and Smelt.
I cut through the tender carp with my fork, revealing a fragrant interior stuffed with lemon, thyme, oregano, and parsley along with dried smelt, a small silvery fish. The delicate fish melted on my tongue, its mild flavor complemented by the aromatic herbs and the salty smelt stuffing. The flavor combination was strange and novel. Perhaps it was an acquired taste?
I preferred the Roast Beef which was both familiar and more hearty. Slices of roast beef were artfully arranged on a platter with a medley of vegetables: roasted carrots, green beans, and potatoes. Brussels sprouts added a charred, nutty flavor, while mashed parsnips provided a creamy texture. Each bite of the tender beef, combined with the varied textures and flavors of the vegetables, created a satisfying meal.
By this time, I was almost full, but I did save some space in my stomach for the dessert, an amazing Eight-layer Trifle. It came in a large crystal bowl with whipped cream on top sprinkled with chocolate dust. The layers of sponge biscuits, sweet custard, fresh fruit slices, and sweet cheese looked very pretty.
A smiling Yinuo scooped up a good portion for me and I dove right into it with my dessert spoon. It was a simple sweet treat that hit all the right spots with its sweetness, freshness, and balance of different textures. The peach slices that had been soaked in wine were particularly good.
We all had second servings of the dessert.
***
Before I went to bed, I reread the quest text. I had put off thinking about it until after the planting season, which meant that I should deal with it now.
[Grove of the Harvest Goddess:
Acquire a Miracle Flower from the Dawn Skyblade Sect.
Find and restore the Sacred Grove of the Harvest Goddess.
Requirements: 2 Jades, 2 Pearls, and 2 Peridots.
Reward: Alchemy Cauldron, Farming Exp]