Chapter 554: Chapter 554
After adjusting the shadow, Han Qiwu headed straight for Jilei Mountain.
Upon reaching the birthing pen, he immediately spotted the newly born Little Red Cow.
What left him feeling a bit helpless was the fact that this Little Red Cow’s eyes weren’t particularly large, giving it a uniquely striking look.
[Appetite: 1 portion of feed]
[Adult Selling Price: 10,000 gold]
[Inherited Trait - Red Blood: Produces an abundance of milk after maturity]
[Animal Product: Thunder Red Cow Milk]
[Remark: A mystical force has altered the size of her eyes]
After reading the remark, Han Qiwu couldn’t help but chuckle. Carefully, he fed the Dragon Beard Grass in his hand to the Little Red Cow.
Patiently waiting for her to finish eating, he then guided her to her new nest.
The Red Thunder Cow quickly adapted to her new home. Within moments, she had adjusted the hay into a comfortable shape, curled up her little legs, and lay down, nuzzling contentedly.
"Get plenty of rest and grow up quickly." Han Qiwu patted the calf’s head and walked out of Jilei Mountain.
On the way, after collecting all the animal products, he took his gear and rode his pony directly to the seed shop in town.
Time to check out the seeds!
Based on the crops at home, the next most likely candidate to unlock gene editing should be rice. After several waves of harvesting, its cumulative yield surpassed that of potatoes, although potatoes still had a slightly higher production rate. It was hard to say which would unlock first; only the next harvest would tell.
Once in town, Han Qiwu grabbed a quick breakfast before excitedly heading to the seed shop.
Unlike before, all four automatic vending machines in the seed shop were now lit up.
New additions for spring seeds included cucumbers and chili peppers, which only became available in May.
The machine for summer seeds displayed a variety of options: melons, cabbages, sunflowers, starfruit, wheat, coffee beans, hops, and corn, with the last three capable of regrowth after harvest.
For autumn seeds, the machine offered: amaranth, beets, bok choy, pumpkins, yams, cranberries, grapes, and eggplants.
The winter seeds included carrots, cilantro, and snow mustard greens.
The prices and production methods of each type of seed varied.
Truthfully, he was interested in every seed. Pairing them together could certainly yield plenty of delicious dishes.
But here came the problem.
While the seeds were available for purchase, their growth periods were still season-specific. Wheat could only grow in summer and autumn, hops only in summer, grapes only in autumn, and cilantro only in winter.
What’s the point of buying seeds now?
Since the seeds wouldn’t disappear sitting here, Han Qiwu made a note of the seed types and left the shop with a resigned sigh.
This capability was too frustrating.
He could look at the seeds but couldn’t plant them!
He had to figure out a solution somehow.
For now, he decided to head back home.
Ripping open a scroll, a flash of light brought him back home. He walked into the bedroom and turned on the TV.
Tomorrow will be sunny.
Sometimes, recalling the past can be useful.
Auspicious for mountain trips, inauspicious for mining.
[Shennong is currently resting]
The only useful information from the TV today was the almanac’s mountain trip suggestion.
Coincidentally, the Dianhong tea hadn’t been picked yet.
Since there wasn’t much else to do today, and it was overcast, too.
Time to visit the mountain for some tea-picking!
However, as he thought about it, Han Qiwu suddenly recalled the "Life Tip" earlier that mentioned the advantage of height.
Wanting to be prepared, he brought along the long rope he’d previously purchased from the traveling merchant.
Riding his pony, Han Qiwu dashed toward the snowy mountain marked on the map.
At this point, it wasn’t he who was dashing—it was his excited pony.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop."
The horse’s hooves kicked up specks of spring dust as they went.
Upon reaching the base of East Mountain, Han Qiwu stored the pony in his mount bracelet and casually made his way forward, aiming for the Dianhong tea tree marked on the map.
While resting, Han Qiwu suddenly saw a black dot sparkling with system-like radiance appear on the map.
"Could it be something I can dig up again?"
Curious, he followed the coordinates on the map and found the marked location at the roots of a large pine tree.
He took out his shovel and dug for a while before uncovering two irregularly shaped black objects exuding a strange aroma.
After thinking for a moment, he realized what they were.
Also known as "pig-sniff mushrooms" or "tuber fungi," truffles can’t be artificially cultivated, boast a complex and delicious flavor, are extremely rare, and command high prices.
Han Qiwu put on gloves and crouched down, meticulously digging them out.
"Who would’ve thought this smell would resemble the scent of a boar?" Han Qiwu thought wryly as he worked.
It was his first time touching truffles.
Traditionally, truffle hunters would search the mountains with a sow, as the scent of truffles was similar to that of a boar. The sow could easily locate them.
But one had to keep an eye on the sow, or it would eat the truffles on the spot after finding them.
After digging for a few minutes, Han Qiwu picked up the two truffles. They were hefty, weighing around 100 grams each, with a black surface emitting a rich, complex fragrance.
[Black Truffle (Silver Star Quality☆☆)]
[Selling Price: 685 gold]
[Remark: A delicious black truffle of exceptional value]
"Black truffles are worth this much?" Han Qiwu was surprised. "If I were to raise pigs, could I take them to the mountains to search for truffles and make money?"
He decided to test this idea in the future. With so many animal facilities at home, the only thing missing was a pigpen.
As for these two truffles, he’d take them home and try them out first. Rumor had it that truffle omelets were incredibly tasty.
Taking the black truffles, Han Qiwu continued toward the Dianhong tea tree’s location.
An hour and a half later, with his boots caked in mud, Han Qiwu finally reached the tea tree’s location.
"How am I supposed to pick this?" Han Qiwu looked helplessly at the flourishing Dianhong tea tree about 30 meters away in a straight line. The tree was roughly the circumference of four people holding hands and looked to be at least a few hundred years old.
The growth location of the Dianhong tea tree was highly unusual. It stood atop a lone peak soaring over a thousand meters high. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI(F)ire.net
The lone peak was surrounded by steep cliffs, with sparse vegetation. From where Han Qiwu stood, it was over 30 meters away—far too challenging to jump across.
"No wonder the Life Tip mentioned being above the rest." Han Qiwu looked up, scanning for an alternative way across.
After searching for about ten minutes, he finally came up with an idea: use a rocky ledge on the west side of the lone peak to attach the rope, then descend into the air and swing over to the peak to pick the tea leaves.
Though risky, the danger level wasn’t too high.
Even if he slipped, he’d be able to escape given his current abilities.
With red tea in hand, he could finally make milk tea!