Chapter 156: Traveling Merchant Teahouse |
Today, Wei Zhaohua discovered that some of the White Thorn berries near the Mononykus nest had been nibbled on, proving that Mononykus can eat plants.
They can eat plants, and they can also eat meat.
This shares some common ground with chickens and ducks.
"Good. We'll go catch some tomorrow and bring them back to raise."
After lunch, Qin Ziwen went to the Beast Cage to check on the condition of the rabbits and the field mice.
The newly captured male field mouse was very diligent; all three female field mice were pregnant.
Then came the rabbits.
Two of the rabbits, perhaps close to giving birth, were huddled in a corner, unusually alert.
Seeing Qin Ziwen approach, they kept stomping their feet and making huffing snorting sounds through their mouths, quite spirited.
The hedgehog, imprisoned in the cage, had remained a single "hedge-bachelor" since being captured. Free from the pressure of evading predators, it ate, slept, slept, and ate every day, growing plump and round, gaining several layers of fat.
The area of the Level 1 Beast Cage was limited. After partitioning space for these three species, the remaining compartment was a bit cramped; it might be somewhat crowded if the Mononykus came.
So, he needed to free up some space for it.
Lying in the cage, belly up, spines down, the hedgehog, which had been snoring soundly in its sleep, suddenly shivered, its sharp, slender nose sniffing frantically in all directions.
Afterwards, Qin Ziwen went to the Field.
Compared to when they were first planted, the Field before him had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The fruits on the mature small tomato plants that were transplanted initially had already developed fully, turning a bright red that looked exceptionally tempting.
The small tomato seeds had also grown into mature plants, flowering, but not yet bearing fruit.
The rest of the crops had also grown lush and leafy. Vegetables like Purslane, Lettuce, and Spinach had grown incredibly large and thick.
These past couple of days, when Xiao Wu cooked, he sometimes just came to the field to pinch off a few vegetable leaves.
Qin Ziwen pondered; these vegetables grew very quickly. Among them, Lettuce matured the fastest, basically allowing a harvest of the outermost leaves every other day. Next was the round-leaf Spinach, which had also basically matured recently.
Then there were the pumpkin seeds planted in the North Side. The vines developed rapidly, covering the ground with pumpkin tendrils. They had even flowered already, but there were no signs of fruiting yet, and he didn't know why.
Finally, he came before that transplanted mysterious fruit tree.
It had already sprouted flower buds before, and now it had borne thirteen bright yellow flowers as large as a palm. Presumably, it would bear fruit after some time.
After touring the Field, Qin Ziwen thought for a moment and decided to first create the Leather Armor Workshop and the Stable.
The required footprint for both buildings wasn't large. The remaining space in the Home could easily accommodate them. Previously, he had considered that after summoning the Mongolian Horse, there would be no fresh fodder for it to eat. But now, since he had the grassland card, raising one horse shouldn't be a big problem. At worst, he could also plant some fresh green grass in the Field.
As the two cards were used,
the Leather Armor Workshop and the Stable materialized one after the other.
The Leather Armor Workshop, whether in terms of footprint, exterior appearance, or interior layout, bore some resemblance to the Archery Workshop.
The only difference was that the crafting tools inside the Leather Armor Workshop were different.
Then came the Stable.
The Stable's footprint was 3*6, constructed with a wooden frame structure. The roof was a single-slope tile roof. Three sides had walls, one side was open.
Inside, wooden walls partitioned off three "stalls," each with a 3*2 footprint. Judging by this layout, it could house three horses simultaneously.
Against the inner wall, there was a stone trough that ran through all three stalls. Above the trough, three iron rings were nailed into the wall for tethering ropes.
[Level 1 Leather Armor Workshop: Level 1 Leather Armor Defense Boost, Level 1 Leather Armor Toughness Boost]
[Level 1 Stable: Level 1 Mount Healing Acceleration, Level 1 Mount Fatigue Elimination]
The Leather Armor Workshop's traits were about as expected, both enhancing the defensive properties of leather armor.
But the Stable's traits were interesting; they weren't specifically for horses but were uniformly for mounts.
So, if a person put on a collar, was tied with a rope, and considered themselves a mount, could they also enjoy the buff?
Qin Ziwen quickly shook his head; that was too devilish.
He then took out the Recruitment Card.
[Recruitment Card] Common · Tamed Mongolian Horse.
The light faded.
A date-red Mongolian Horse appeared on the spot.
This horse stood about 1.4 meters tall at the shoulder, with a body length of around 1.6 meters.
But its weight was no less substantial, a full six hundred or so pounds.
Upon clearly seeing Qin Ziwen, the Mongolian Horse snorted, slowly paced closer, gently rubbed its neck against Qin Ziwen's arm, and actively stretched its head toward his hand.
Qin Ziwen casually scratched it for it.
The Mongolian Horse snorted comfortably and then actively lowered its front half. From its movements, it was actively inviting Qin Ziwen to ride.
Naturally, Qin Ziwen wouldn't refuse; he had never ridden a horse before.
He flipped over and mounted the horse. The Mongolian Horse, stepping with its hooves, began a leisurely stroll within the Home.
The Crowned Eagle, which had been dozing off, suddenly turned its head, looking at its master with disbelief, its two eyes wide and round.
"Aww!~"
The Crowned Eagle pounced over. Sensing the commotion, the Mongolian Horse hurriedly stood still, letting out a nervous whinny.
Qin Ziwen said, "Crowned Eagle, don't come over. You're scaring the horse."
The Crowned Eagle circled around, landed on the sandy ground, then tilted its head to look at Qin Ziwen, its eyes filled with confusion and shock.
"Ahem." Clearing his throat, Qin Ziwen dismounted. "Chitu is timid. It will be our new companion from now on."
The Crowned Eagle tilted its head again, to the other side this time, staring at the Mongolian Horse.
The Mongolian Horse flipped up its upper lip, revealing a mischievous, cheeky smile.
After dismounting, Qin Ziwen headed to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery to practice archery. Recently, his understanding of the Consecutive Shot had grown deeper, especially after adding the Shared Building. The Celestial Star Arrow Gallery's effects were elevated to another level, allowing him to pre-load a Level 3 Archery Experience Card. His future self was the best teacher.
Inside the Arrow Gallery, Li Yue, Yuan Ming, and Yuan Dajun were practicing archery.
The increase in survival intensity made them feel a growing sense of urgency, all seizing the time to grow stronger.
Seeing Qin Ziwen enter, they quickly called out, "Captain!"
"Mn, practice well."
Outside, after Qin Ziwen entered the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery, the smile on the Mongolian Horse's face instantly vanished. It lowered its head submissively, bending its neck, pretending to casually amble towards the Stable.
The Crowned Eagle stood not far away, sizing up the Mongolian Horse's retreating back. In the end, it couldn't be bothered with it either, turned around, and went back to the sandy area.
Qin Ziwen practiced until 4:30 in the afternoon, then packed up his things and headed to the Teaching Building.
On the first floor, several students were repairing the wooden door damaged last night, with a big-bearded old man instructing them nearby.
Going up to the fourth floor, one of the rooms here had been converted into a reception room.
Judging by the layout, it seemed to have been set up temporarily today.
When Qin Ziwen arrived, Zou Jianghe was already sitting inside, chatting with Luo Gang.
"You're here." Luo Gang poured tea for both of them and directly stated his intention for inviting them.
"When we cleared the last map, we obtained a building called the Traveling Merchant Teahouse. It allows trade with passing traveling merchants. We tried it these past couple of days and found that merchants occasionally pass by. Trading with them requires currency. Although I don't have the currency they use, some merchants also accept bartering. We can exchange some supplies with them. Even though they drive a hard bargain, we can still trade for some things that are usually hard for us to come by."