Jiang Yuan had a vague concept of "wealth," usually catching glimpses through short videos, whether real or fake, but he never had a direct comparison to feel it.
It was only when she mentioned it that he realized the extent to which there are many people selling luxury cars, houses, villas, and luxury goods, with ice cream costing tens or hundreds of Gold Coins and still in short supply. The thriving businesses indicate there are indeed many consumers.
"Reality really is..." He couldn't find the words to describe his complex feelings.
Yang Hongye efficiently finished her breakfast, cleaned the table, and said earnestly, "So you must seize the opportunity to hold tight to the big shots and maintain good relationships with friends willing to help you."
"Opportunities for us common folks to change our fate are rare. If we seize them, we can step up a level. If someone is willing to share some resources with you, I'll work harder to build a client base and aim to provide a steady supply in the future."
"Even if not fabulously wealthy, at least we'll have no worries about food and drink. I'll benefit by getting some commissions thanks to you, and maybe in a couple of years, I can consider putting a down payment on an old little place! Previously, when I asked you about your plans, you were always muddling through life. Now that there's such a good opportunity, you should seriously consider your future development direction."
"Okay, I'll think about it seriously." He nodded, starting to move cherries into the elevator.
Once the boxes were loaded onto Yang Hongye's second-hand car, and he watched her happily leave for work with gifts, Jiang Yuan suddenly had an idea—if the homestead in the game developed well, could he open a company supplying high-end products for cash?
Of course, the precondition is that he must first complete the tasks to upgrade to a Level One homestead, ensuring safety; and also unlock more crops to plant and harvest to see the specific quality.
Returning to the rental room and locking the door, he lay on the bed. In the next second, he was standing in the undeveloped yard.
He recharged and bought a hoe and a watering can from the mall, then buried himself in hard labor.
With each hoe strike, a 10*10*10 cm cube was neatly formed, exactly like a pixelated farming game, a compulsive's delight.
"Thunk!"
As the empty yard was being developed into a large field, his hoe suddenly touched something hard with a dull thud—a palm-sized box made of some unknown material, already damaged by the hoe.
Inside the box was a yellowed, incomplete, rolled-up piece of paper.
"Huh? A diary?!" Jiang Yuan opened it to find handwritten calligraphy on the parchment, with powerful strokes that were easy to read.
[October 5th, Clear skies]
The mysterious noises I've been investigating for days finally have an explanation!
It turns out it wasn't the moles causing trouble, nor was it haunted as the ignorant villagers claimed. The strange rumbling and howling weren't ghostly wails either. Following the sound, I discovered a Teleportation Array from some unknown era!
Haha, I knew there were treasures on this Deserted Island, and I found a clue. This might have once been an Immortal's abode before Ascension, leaving the Teleportation Array. I'm really curious where it leads to?
The location is well-hidden; who'd have thought there'd be a cave behind the cliff's vines behind the house!
Maybe it was deliberately hidden, or perhaps the vines grew down over many years of abandonment and just happened to cover it. Anyway, I've found it! Once I repair the Teleportation Array, I can try teleporting to see where it leads...
...
Oh, this triggered a side quest?
Jiang Yuan happily looked at the cliff with lush vines behind the thatched cottage serving as a background, then confirmed the box had no value. He stored the torn parchment diary page in the Storage Bag and continued developing the farmland.
Progress needs to be made step by step, just like eating a meal.
After experiencing the dangers of the Wilderness at night, where lethal threats could appear at any moment, he learned he must complete the foundational tasks before exploring further. After all, anything related to Teleportation Arrays seems linked to Immortal cultivation, and opportunities often come with high risks.
To be cautious, it's better to first build a Level One homestead, ensuring a safe retreat before venturing out.
From six in the morning to six in the evening, the twelve hours in total would pass quickly with some delay here and there for safety time. When the wilderness descends and there is no shelter, he wouldn't always be as lucky as last night to escape from powerful demons.
Suppressing his restless heart, Jiang Yuan opened the seed package.
The seeds of the Wilderness Big Strawberries were significantly larger than the pitifully small strawberry seeds in reality. As per system requirements, he separated them one by one into the soil. After watering them all, it was already eleven-thirty in the morning.
Wiping away the sweat from his forehead, he spent a Spirit Stone to buy a portion of Scale Powder to test its potency.
The Butterfly Demon Scale Powder was droplet-shaped, small, cool, and exuded intertwining blue and purple light, clearly no ordinary item. Holding it between his palms, Jiang Yuan randomly picked a lucky seedling, and with a gentle squeeze, the droplet transformed into a colorful powder that merged into the soil.
Instantly, a tender new shoot emerged from the freshly watered soil. The strawberry seedling broke through the surface, swaying and growing, sprouting more rich green serrated leaves.
It resembled the accelerated growth videos of plants he'd seen on short clips, the leaves expanding as they unfurled into a large cluster. Finally, from beneath the leaves, they bore fruit, rapidly forming small orbs that ballooned, turned red, and hung heavily with plump, red strawberries.
"Success! As expected of the 'Big' Wilderness Strawberry, this is really huge!" Jiang Yuan, after witnessing the miracle, counted ten fruits precisely on the fortunate Wilderness Big Strawberry, each two sizes bigger than the largest strawberries he'd seen before!
He felt proud of his caution and frugality.
Considering how difficult it is to earn Spirit Stones, it's clear there won't always be simple-minded, four-limbed Flame Rat spirits handing over heads for achievement rewards. Even the Flame Rat leader, in Foundation Establishment, scoured for Spirit Stone Ores by catching laborers everywhere.
For a newbie like himself, obtaining Spirit Stones was even harder, so it must be used wisely on the essentials without waste!
Spending just one Spirit Stone to complete a task gave him a sense of finding a bargain.
Looking back at the vast fields he had rigorously cultivated, knowing that with one watering a day, in four days they'd be full of fresh, abundant strawberries, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
Of course, Jiang Yuan knew this achievement's feeling stemmed from the game's prompt feedback, with sowing ensuring a harvest and yields often generating considerable financial returns with minimal cost. Farming in the game thus seemed more fulfilling and promising than the high-cost, high-risk, real-life equivalent.
"The appearance is quite good, but I wonder how it compares in taste to those twenty Gold Coins per strawberry in high-end supermarkets." He closely inspected the fruits, evenly sized and perfectly-shaped, large, red, and juicy, giving off a strong strawberry fragrance without needing to get close.
After picking the strawberries and placing them in the Storage Bag, he heard a soft "poof," and the entire Wilderness Big Strawberry plant withered, turning to ash and merging into the soil instantly.
"What the heck! It's a one-time deal!?" Jiang Yuan, having seen his mother grow strawberries in the small vegetable garden back home, which produced multiple harvests, instinctively thought that the Wilderness Big Strawberry could be picked several times. He hadn't thought each plant only bore fruit once.
[Task 3 completed, rewards issued]
[Task 4: Build a well. Reward: Gold Coins X3000]
Not bothering to check the new task details, he immediately opened the mall to glance briefly, noting that currently only Wilderness Big Strawberry seeds were unlocked, each costing 12 Gold Coins.
With the current homestead level too low to establish a Floating Market for sales, it was still best to have Yang Hongye evaluate the price and find sales channels to convert it into money.
With the task completed and the account balance increased, Jiang Yuan bought another seed, then walked around the yard to pick an appropriate spot to build a well.