Farming Games are All About Grinding
Chapter 212 - 204: 10000 Crystal Elephants and Fish Pond

Chapter 212: Chapter 204: 10000 Crystal Elephants and Fish Pond

Seeing the note, Han Qiwu immediately felt indignant.

So 50 health points doesn’t make a macho man, huh?!

Just you wait, I’ll level up my combat stats and then eat you alive!

Stashing away the giant mushroom, Han Qiwu took the opportunity to look around for system items that hadn’t lit up yet.

Lowered his head and checked the ground—nothing.

Moved the stones in the cracks—still nothing.

Looked up at the trees—nada.

Alright, fine.

Han Qiwu figured he either didn’t recognize enough ancient flora and fauna or didn’t have the right permissions yet. There were definitely some treasures here.

I’ll come back next time!

After leaving the small island, Han Qiwu watched with wide eyes as those seven-to-eight-meter-long sea snakes started gathering again.

Nope, not messing with that. Nope, nope.

Back on the beach, he quickly pulled up the crab trap. After collecting his haul and rebaiting it, he bolted towards the exit, managing to leave the secret realm with just a minute to spare.

"Huff, huff."

After catching his breath, Han Qiwu leisurely rode his bike to the seaside, plopped down on a barrel, and joyfully began fishing.

Fishing is just too fun.

Soon enough, Han Qiwu had caught three herrings, two eels, and five sardines.

"Man, it’s been a while since I caught a Black Seabream. Kinda miss ’em." Han Qiwu packed up his gear, stepped onto some rocks, and made his way toward the Black Seabream’s lair.

Black Seabream: "????? Who the hell asked for your affection?!"

Oh, right—Han Qiwu suddenly remembered there was still a Black Seabream King back at home. Time to build a fishpond already.

Revisiting the fishpond construction requirements, it seemed to call for 100 wood, 400 fish heads—wait, no, 400 stones—and 5,000 gold.

Hold up, my materials are actually pretty stocked right now.

After mining so much these past few days, Han Qiwu really had no lack of stones.

"Let’s fish for two more hours, then head home, grab the materials, and build that fishpond!" Han Qiwu gleefully decided. Finally—time for caviar!

"Whoosh!"

With a strong flick of his wrist, Han Qiwu sent the fishhook sailing right in front of a plump Black Seabream and easily reeled it in.

Talk about home delivery—scared yet?

After an hour of Black Seabream fishing, Han Qiwu headed to the tiger spot location and fished for another hour.

Everyone gets a turn, right?

With that bamboo raincoat special effect, Han Qiwu could distinctly feel the average quality of the fish had gone up a notch.

The only downside was that the treasure chest drop rate didn’t seem to improve. Still as frustratingly low under clear skies as ever.

In two hours, he managed to fish up three treasure chests. Opening them, he got: [Ice Crystal Orb]×1, [All-Encompassing Orb]×1, and [Crystal Orb]×1.

[All-Encompassing Orb: Contains endless possibilities—it may grant any item.]

"Tch, always with these overhyped gimmicks." Han Qiwu glanced at the All-Encompassing Orb’s description and promptly stuffed it into his inventory.

I’ll save it for a lucky day!

After finishing up, Han Qiwu kept a few fish for himself and tossed the rest into the selling booth. This boosted his trade earnings, increased product variety, and saved him time.

[Through trading, you’ve earned 4,351 gold.]

That’s already half the fishpond cost, isn’t it?

Feeling smug, Han Qiwu biked home, collected all the materials, and headed to the blacksmith’s shop.

When he reached the shop, he noticed a notice posted on the door from a distance. Although he couldn’t make out the words yet, he felt a pang of worry.

Crap, did I accidentally overwork Master Shuzi?

Breaking into a jog, Han Qiwu approached and finally read the notice:

[This old man’s body is weak and weary. Blacksmithing hours are now revised to 12:00–18:00, accepting only one commission per day. Recovery time indefinite.]

After reading it, Han Qiwu sighed in relief and muttered to himself, "Thank goodness, Master’s still alive."

Master Shuzi, standing behind the door: "..."

Maybe I should just smash that half-finished hoe to pieces.

That’s it—I quit!

"Master! I’ve got something great for you!" Han Qiwu called cheerily from outside as he pulled the All-Encompassing Orb and Ice Crystal Orb from his inventory and pushed open the door.

He decided not to wait on these orbs any longer—it was better to butter up Master Shuzi now.

Can’t risk overexerting the old man.

"Creak!"

Han Qiwu shoved the door open so fast he almost squished Master Shuzi behind it.

"Kid, have you been slacking lately?" Master Shuzi grumbled. "What’s this ’great stuff’ of yours?"

Han Qiwu obediently placed the two undeniably high-tier orbs on the counter without saying a word.

Soon, Master Shuzi’s attention was fixated on the All-Encompassing Orb.

The orb’s exterior looked like a miniature map, with intricate patterns and vibrant colors. Its visual appeal alone put it miles ahead of the other orbs.

"Let me study it for a while before using it. You in a hurry?" Master Shuzi muttered without lifting his head, clearly captivated by the orb.

"No rush, no rush." Han Qiwu waved his hand and lightly tapped the counter.

[Upgrade Tools]

[Open Orbs]

[Master Shuzi Exclusives]

[Farm Structures]

Han Qiwu navigated to [Farm Structures], quickly selected the fishpond, and purchased it.

"No rush on the orb, but I do need help with this fishpond, Master." Han Qiwu grinned mischievously.

Master Shuzi cast Han Qiwu a helpless look. "Can’t you let me rest for just one day?"

"Next time, I promise!" Han Qiwu replied dutifully.

"Give me half an hour." Master Shuzi weighed the All-Encompassing Orb in his hand and turned to enter the forge room.

In the meantime, Han Qiwu pulled out his copy of *Sacred Spoils* and used the downtime to finish reading the rest of it.

As he reached the last page, a system notification popped up.

[Congratulations! You’ve successfully read *Sacred Spoils*. You’ll now receive 1.5x loot after battles.]

"Wow, this book doesn’t pull punches!" Han Qiwu happily stored it away. "1.5x loot after battles—how’s that going to calculate? Will everything I pick up be multiplied by 1.5? Or will it store up and drop double the loot next time?"

Guess I’ll have to test it out after a fight.

"Now that I’ve finished the book, I’ll swing by Zack’s later to borrow something new after I pick up the fishpond core," Han Qiwu muttered comfortably as he leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to relax.

A few minutes later, he heard Master Shuzi’s footsteps and quickly sat up.

Seconds later, Master Shuzi tossed a round object, about the size of an apple, through the curtain with a parting remark: "Don’t come back tomorrow!"

"Got it, got it." Han Qiwu caught the object and obediently left the blacksmith shop.

As soon as he stepped outside, a thought struck him.

Wait, wasn’t I supposed to come back tomorrow to pick up the hoe?

Ah, whatever. One day late won’t hurt.

Gotta respect the elderly, after all.

Sitting on his bike, Han Qiwu looked down at the item in his hand:

[Fishpond Core]

[Crafted by: Master Shuzi]

[Usage: Place on an empty yard spot to form a 5×5 fishpond.]

[Capacity: 3 (Upgrade by adding required items into the pond).]

[Note: Time to start raising fish!]