Chapter 54 - Carrot on with hard work and dedication.

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That night I dreamed of a baby dragon that turned into a human child and woke refreshed. I opened my eyes and squinted at the morning sunlight streaming in through the window. Throwing off the blankets, I got up and stretched my arms while yawning. Then I walked over to my tiny but cute washroom to start the day right. Minutes later, after having finished my morning routine, I went to the main house to eat breakfast. Ignoring the bowl of congee, I helped myself to the plate full of steamed baozi, small fluffy buns filled with pork, mushrooms and cabbage. I washed it down with biluochun tea, a delicate and tender green tea with a strong fragrance.

My apprentices were the ones tasked with taking care of the fields today, so I headed back to my house after the meal and made potions until it was time for lunch. After the midday meal, I continued to train herblaw like a madwoman because it was close to a milestone level.

Finally, festive fireworks special effects bloomed all around me as a System message appeared.

[Congratulations, you just advanced a Herblaw level!]

[Your Herblaw level is now 15.]

Whohoo! At last! In Adventure Incarnate, players didn’t get new skills every single time they leveled up. One had to reach either a multiple of ten or five to unlock a new part of the game. At level 15 herblaw I could make a [Strength Potion] that gave a +5 bonus to a player's strength stat, which was pretty decent at my level.

The ingredients that I needed to make the potion were [Mountain Flamewort] and [Harpy’s Claw].

[Mountain Flamewort:

A type of plant that can be found growing on the slopes of mountains. The plant has long, slender leaves that are covered in small red flowers that resemble flames. When the fresh, tender leaves are picked, they can be used as a potion ingredient that temporarily boosts strength. It is also a key ingredient in many fire-based potions.]

I quickly got a hundred of them from my inventory and used the Clean Herb spell. What a pity that I could only clean them one at a time! Training magic would be much faster if I could clean them all at once.

When I was finished with the Mountain Flamewort, I took out a mortar and pestle from the System toolbelt, and started vigorously grinding the claws into powder.

[Harpy’s Claw:

A deep red and black claw taken from a harpy. It has an unmistakable earthy smell and a distinctive texture that is both smooth and slightly oily. Before it can be used, the claw must be ground into a fine powder. The spiritual energy contained in the claw enhances a potion's efficacy.]

When I was finished with my preparations, I got out one hundred spell stones and vials and combined the two herblaw ingredients using the Create Potion spell.

The exp I got from making Strength Potions was double that of the Dewy Glow Potion, but the experience I needed was also higher, which meant that it wouldn’t be easier to level up. Still, I thought that my stats were pretty decent.

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[Player Name: Violet

Farming Skills:

Farming Level 16, Fishing Level 9, Woodcutting Level 16, Cooking Level 1, Herblaw Level 15, Foraging Level 4, Hunting Level 3, Mining Level 1]

The [Strength Potions] that I made should probably prove useful, and in Adventure Incarnate, low level players used them by the hundreds when they were training melee combat. Of course, later on, this newbie item would be outclassed by mid and high level potions, but I could always give them as part of my contribution to the upcoming Demon Boss war if I wasn't going to use them.

When the sky outside started turning dark, I knew it was almost time for dinner, so I put the ingredients, spell stones, and potions away. When I stood up, my muscles protested and my butt ached from spending the entire day seated in front of my herblaw work table.

I should really get more exercise. Perhaps I should go fishing tomorrow? Our larders were full, but fishing was fun and relaxing, so I decided to do it anyway.

***

Was fishing the best outdoor activity ever? It’s not like I’ve done everything in the world, so I couldn’t say for sure, but it was definitely up there on the list of the top outdoor recreational activities along with the Japanese concept of “forest bathing.”

I settled back on the foldable fishing chair and took a breather while keeping one hand on my fishing rod. Whenever I captured three to five fish, there was a lull where I didn’t get any bites. If this was still the game, I would say that the fish were respawning, but now that this was real life, I didn’t know exactly what was happening. Regardless of the cause, I had plenty of time to sit back and simply enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the river and forest.

The river cut through the dense forest like a shimmering ribbon, the sun glinting off its surface. I was sitting on a chair that I had placed in a bend of the river underneath a tall maple tree. The river was full of life. Apart from the fish, there were also ducks, turtles, otters, frogs, snails, dragonflies, and other such creatures. I relished the calm and peaceful sound of the rushing water and the feeling that I was all alone in a peaceful wonderland.

As usual, I caught a lot of fish with fancy-sounding names and descriptions, but, as far as I knew, they were just exotic-looking species that weren’t particularly useful, like the Midnight Nightmare Sardine and Radiant Sunburst Paddlefish.

[Midnight Nightmare Sardine:

A rare and elusive creature rarely seen by human eyes that moves gracefully through the water like a ghost. Its dark scales glow with a mysterious and powerful energy, and its eyes are like two black diamonds.]

[Radiant Sunburst Paddlefish:

A magical creature whose body is a shimmering golden color, with rainbow hues reflecting off its scales. It has a long, paddle-shaped tail, which it uses to propel itself through the water. When it swims, its tail creates a brilliant splash of light and color.]

They looked nice, and I had asked Shuye if I should sell them since they seemed quite exotic. I thought collectors might be interested in them. Unfortunately, he cautioned me that if I sold my catch, rare item hunters might descend on our peaceful forest in droves to look for more of these valuable fish. Obviously, that would be less than ideal for my apprentices and I, not because I was wary of more fishermen coming. As far as I could tell, there were plenty of fish. Rather, I was worried about foraging because each spot was limited. The more people there were, the less we would be able to forage.

Oh well, it’s not like I needed the money. The most important thing about these so-called “rare” spirit fish was that they could be sold for a lot of money, but if that wasn’t in the cards, then so be it.

I stayed in the same spot until noon, when I took a break to eat my packed lunch. Then I moved to a spot that was nearer the farm when the time between my successful catches became too long. Though one could fish as long as they wanted at the same spot in the game, this didn’t seem to be true here. I found that after a few hours at the same place, I started getting fewer and fewer fish.

By midafternoon, I was a bit bored and planned to return home when I noticed that I was very close to leveling up, so I stayed for a little while longer. Sure enough, after half an hour, a System message popped up.

[Congratulations, you just advanced a Fishing level!]

[Your Fishing level is now 10.]

I smiled at the fireworks and put everything into my inventory. Today had been a good day, and it was time for me to go home and rest.