CHAPTER 185 - GROVE-Y TIMES WITH THE HARVEST GODDESS QUEST
🙞❤︎🙜
With the Commander and her men flying ahead of us, we traveled to the site, a densely wooded area of the Ancient Hill Forest, without incident. We alighted from the flying carriage, and I walked a little away from it to check the map’s [Guide Mode]. Glowing yellow dots appeared on the ground, visible only to me.
Raising an arm to indicate the direction that the System showed me, I said, “It’s that way.”
We started walking, with the Commander and the guards taking point. Along the way, I managed to Forage some [Acorns], [Wild Raspberries], and some lovely [Autumn Berries], the red silver-dotted fruit of the [Autumn Olive] tree.
“I see it!” one of the guards yelled back at us. He was standing in the middle of an oak grove, in front of a large mound of brown leaves which he had brushed aside to reveal white marble.
“That must be it!” Waving at the helpful guard, I strode forward knowing that it was the right place because the line of yellow dots ended at the mound.
[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]
I already had the flower, so all I needed to do was to clean up the Goddess’ open-air temple and make it ready to receive offerings.
We cleared the wet leaves, rotting twigs, and other forest debris from the altar, which turned out to be a small pedestal made of white marble shot through with pink and gold strands of color. I quickly took out the tools and cleaning materials that Fengying had asked me to bring, along with dozens of buckets of water from my inventory. Further work with a rake around the base of the plinth uncovered a patch of ground that had been covered by a low wooden platform, whose boards were now too rotten to repair.
Fengying and the others discussed how they should restore the place while the kids and I explored the area looking for the Sacred Grove’s six pillars. Though I had done this quest in Adventure Incarnate a long time ago, I still remembered some details since it was a very scenic spot close to the farm.
Mo’s talent for Foraging came in handy as she found tons of mushrooms and [Acorns], but the real find was a rare [Harvest Bloom]. Though it had no practical purpose, it was delightful to look at and was a collectible.
[Harvest Bloom:
An exquisite little flower that grows only in the shade of the oldest sacred groves, and only when the moon is full. Its petals shimmer in hues of gold, amber, and deep crimson, the colors of ripened grains and autumn harvests.]
“Well done!” I took the proffered flower and inhaled its scent before giving it back to her. “This is a sacred flower. Let’s plant it in our [Insectary Garden] at home.”
“Teacher, may I Forage later when we’re done?” Mo looked around at what the others were doing. “If we finish early.”
“Sure, why not?” Seeing that Fengying and Deming were supervising the other staff’s cleaning-up efforts, I picked up the pace and stopped looking around for mushrooms, concentrating on finding the pillars instead. My efforts were rewarded shortly when I stumbled across a fallen pillar made of the same marble as the pedestal. “Step back, please.”
Scholar Wu, who had been silently observing us since we found the grove, raised a hand and said, “One moment, my lady.”
She bent down to brush leaves and dirt from the marble and examined it closely before allowing us to approach. “It appears to be an ordinary standing stone.”
“Okay.” I thought it was a pillar based on its graphics in the game, but it must be a standing stone in this world since that was what Scholar Wu called it. Using the System’s [Build] tool, I raised the stone and placed it upright. The others, who were quite used to me moving things around, barely reacted. “What a large standing stone!”
The stone was carved like a Greek or maybe Roman pillar. I didn’t know the difference between them, but it was pretty much like what I would have expected a pillar in the Parthenon to look like. It was around ten feet tall and too wide for me to circle with both arms. At around waist height was a small groove in which I tried to place the gems I had in my inventory. It rejected the [Peridot] and [Jade] but the [Pearl] slid in and locked into place.
I dusted off my hands with a clean handkerchief. “Okay, that’s one. We need to find the other five.”
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Perhaps because we now knew what the standing stones looked like, finding the other ones was a piece of cake. In just under an hour, I was able to find all six, place them upright, and insert the gems without any problems.
Our job finished, we went back to the tree in the middle of the grove where the staff was cleaning the pedestal and sanctuary area where, according to Scholar Wu, worshippers would kneel down and offer gifts to the goddess.
“The wooden planks are too rotted to use,” Fengying reported. “We’re clearing the ground and placing a thick carpet on it. The altar and statue are being washed and polished. The work should be done in around one hour.”
I could see for myself that the staff were all busy. When I offered to help, Fengying waved me along and told me they had more than enough people working on it.
Shrugging, I turned to my apprentices and Scholar Wu. “Let’s go Foraging then.”
I waved to the Commander and her guards, who were standing watch over the grove, and told her what I wanted to do.
The Commander cut quite a gallant figure today in her black clothes and leather armor, with two swords slung on her left side. She had cut her long auburn hair short, and the new style suited her angular face very well, reminding me of a younger, more muscular Tilda Swinton.
“This part of the forest should be safe enough. I’ll go with you and leave the guards here,” she said.
We set off in the opposite direction from which we arrived. Leaves crunched underfoot, and the air was bracingly cool and fresh. Our voices were merry as we chatted while keeping a lookout for anything edible.
Autumn was a great season for Foraging and we managed to collect a few ripe [Blackberries] which we ate as we walked. A copse of [Persimmon Trees] provided us with plenty of Foraging exp. Like harvesting crops, Foraging could be done either manually or by using the System. Since we were rushed for time, we simply mentally clicked on the tree and Foraged that way, with the fruit automatically appearing in our inventories.
“There are so many [Persimmons]! Each tree must have at least a hundred!” Mo gazed up at a tree with adoring eyes. “I can’t wait until our orchards can be harvested.”
“We’ll level up fast.” Kharli nudged Mo’s shoulder with hers. “Come one, let’s continue or Lari will get all the exp.”
“No one is getting all the exp.” I smiled indulgently. “Two trees for each of us, no cheating!”
Lari gave the girls a reproachful look. “Hey, you don’t mean me, right? I never cheat! You’re just mad that I always win at Connect Four.”
The [Persimmon] harvest was the highlight of our walk. After that, we walked back to the grove and found that the staff had indeed finished their work. The marble pedestal was spotless and the statue of the goddess, which Scholar Wu told us was made of sardonyx, was glossy and looked brand new.
The statue of the Harvest Goddess was deceptively simple and plain, made of stone and without any additional accessories like gold or gems. The sardonyx’s natural banding of red, brown, and white lent it a sense of depth and texture to the figure, enhancing the details of her draped robes. The statue’s face was masterfully crafted in a minimalist way to suggest a slight smile and serene expression.
I knelt on the carpet set in front of the pedestal and dug a small hole in the ground in front of it. Then I watered the dirt and planted the [Miracle Flower] there.
[Grove of the Harvest Goddess: Quest Complete
Reward: Alchemy Cauldron, Farming Exp]
[Congratulations you just advanced a Farming level!]
[Your Farming level is now 28.]
A new [Dragon’s Pearl Cauldron of Unrivaled Mastery] appeared in an empty spot in my inventory. I was itching to examine it, but as I stood up, the six standing stones began to glow softly with a pink light which then slowly shot up, merging in the spot in the sky right above the Harvest Goddess’ statue.
The process was slow, and clearly not dangerous though the Commander and her men put their hands on their swords, adopting attitudes of alert readiness, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any unexpected threats.
In contrast, Scholar Wu made several exclamations of delight and wrote down a few notes on a clay tablet. The others, including my three apprentices, enjoyed the light show.
“We should offer something,” said Kharli.
Fengying, ever the thoughtful and efficient housekeeper, was way ahead of her. “My lady, we brought rice balls for everyone. Rice products are what people most often offer to agricultural deities.”
Leaning back on a tree for some rest, I nodded. “Thanks, I think that would be good to use.”
As the light from the pillars slowly intensified and then just as slowly died down, the others knelt in front of the pedestal and left rice balls on the ground in front of it. We waited a few minutes after the light disappeared, and then left when nothing else happened.
“Could you please tell Shuye what happened?” I said to the Commander as we walked back to the flying carriage.
“Certainly. I’ll send a report,” she said.
Turning my head to look behind me at Scholar Wu, I said, “You see? There’s no demon or anything bad here.”
Scholar Wu chuckled.
“And it was fun, wasn’t it?” I added.
“Yes, it was.”
Scholar Wu walked forward to my side, and the Commander made way for her.
“I think I’ll stay here. I’d like to monitor the qi levels at the grove,” said Scholar Wu.
I gave her an astonished look. “What? By yourself?”
She chuckled again. “I’d like the Commander to leave one of the guards here.”
We both looked at the Commander, who nodded her agreement.
Scholar Wu and the Commander went over the details, and when they were done, I asked them if there was anything strange about the qi levels in the grove.
“Not at all. The qi level is very normal. That’s why I want to monitor it,” said Scholar Wu.
“Huh? Well, suit yourself.” Shrugging, I browsed my inventory and pulled out some items that would help her camp out in the forest tonight. Most of my items had the [Bound] status and could only be used by me, but I did have a few things she could use, like spare clothes and a blanket. However, she refused since she said that her maid could bring her what she needed from her rooms at the farm. “Okay, take care of yourself.”
We parted ways, and when we got back to the farm, the ever-capable Fengying took charge of making sure that Scholar Wu’s maid had everything she needed. Thus, I was free to return to my [Ranch House] to check out my quest reward, the [Dragon’s Pearl Cauldron of Unrivaled Mastery].
“Oh my gosh!” I put a hand on my chest and sank down onto my couch after I checked the cauldron twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. “This is crazy!”