Farming Games are All About Grinding
Chapter 219 - 211: 2-Star Thunder Secret Realm!

Chapter 219: Chapter 211: 2-Star Thunder Secret Realm!

A flash of lightning, and Han Qiwu’s vision turned completely white.

Don’t overthink it, it’s not *that* kind of whiteness.

This was temporary blindness caused by the intense light.

When his vision returned, a line of electrifying text appeared before his eyes.

[You have discovered a 2-Star ☆ Secret Realm: Thunder Realm]

[Thunder Realm: This is a fractured space-time also known as a gathering ground for objects and beings struck by lightning. Any living thing struck by lightning may enter here. Accessible during thunderstorm weather. Entry Cost: 2000 Gold Coins]

[Daily Duration Limit: 5 Hours]

Han Qiwu: "....."

So being struck by lightning *does* let you cross over, huh?

Scared the hell out of me.

Didn’t expect to stumble into a 2-Star Secret Realm this time. Let’s see if there’s anything good in here.

Regaining his composure, Han Qiwu began surveying his surroundings. He found himself at the entrance of a pitch-black forest, where a lightning-bathed bright yellow arrow hovered in the air, pointing deeper into the woods.

The forest seemed to be made entirely of lightning-struck trees. Most of them were charred black, but a handful showed tender green shoots and slender branches, giving a hint of vitality to this desolate area.

Looking back, Han Qiwu saw a dense mist behind him. It was too thick to see through, and even reaching out to touch it didn’t allow him to pass.

"Could it be... an air wall?"

Han Qiwu chuckled and decided to follow the arrow into the forest to see what he could find.

"Boom!"

A sudden clap of thunder exploded directly above Han Qiwu, startling him nearly out of his skin.

"This place is way too freaky. If I get struck by lightning again, can I teleport somewhere else?" Han Qiwu glanced at the stormy sky filled with lightning, shuddered, and quickened his steps toward the forest’s interior.

Doesn’t look like there’ll be anything good in here.

This is no place to linger—better get to protecting those magpies.

Following the arrow’s guidance, Han Qiwu had barely walked five or six steps when something shiny caught his eye. He bent down to retrieve a glowing system item.

It was a simple piece of charcoal, the kind you’d often see at barbecue joints.

[Charcoal: High-quality fuel, usable in furnaces or other tools]

"Now, this is something useful. Roasting meat with this would be amazing." Han Qiwu cheerfully stashed it away.

A pleasant surprise, as unexpected finds always are.

After a few more steps, Han Qiwu discovered [Coal]×2.

Moving forward again: [Charcoal]×2.

Another few steps onward: [Coal]×3.

"This place is a goldmine!"

Han Qiwu burst into laughter.

Ten minutes later, by the time Han Qiwu reached his intended activity area, he had collected over forty pieces each of charcoal and coal.

Absolutely worth it!

Feeling utterly satisfied, Han Qiwu glanced up to where the last arrow pointed.

It pointed toward a bird’s nest high up in the branches of a tree.

Sitting in the nest was a pair of adult magpies along with a dozen or so magpie eggs.

What made the scene heart-wrenching were the numerous cuckoo birds circling above the nest. With sharp beaks and swift movements, they incessantly harassed the magpie couple, leaving them shivering in terror.

[The Third Phenomenon of Awakening Insects: Hawks Turn to Cuckoos. Due to behavioral patterns, hawks retreat during Awakening Insects season, making way for cuckoos. Deceitful by nature, cuckoos disguise themselves as hawks, bullying magpies and seizing their nests!]

[As magpies’ reinforcements, you will enter the Protect the Magpies mini-game and use previously harvested crops to fend off the cuckoo attacks! If three cuckoos infiltrate the magpie nest, the game is lost, and Thunder Realm access will be permanently revoked.]

[The Protect the Magpies game is about to begin! Get ready!]

After reviewing the game rules, Han Qiwu nodded with a hint of excitement.

This mini-game actually sounded pretty fun.

Saving the magpies was a must. Who knew, maybe they’d reward him with some kind of blessing.

Besides, for the sake of the coal and charcoal in this Thunder Realm, it was imperative to win.

"Whoosh"

[Protect the Magpies begins! The first wave of attacks will commence in 30 seconds.]

Looking at the game interface in front of him, Han Qiwu smiled.

This game felt a lot like one of those mini-games he’d played before—*Plant Defenders*. You used system Gold Coins to purchase plants to fend off enemies appearing along designated routes.

Clicking an empty slot, Han Qiwu began checking out the crops he could deploy.

[Level 1 Rice: Drags and encumbers! Rice can slow down enemies!]

[Placement Cost: 50 Gold]

[Level 1 Potato: Pew Pew Pew! Potatoes can shoot small potato chunks at enemies for moderate damage!]

[Placement Cost: 100 Gold]

[Level 1 Peanut: Rattle Rattle! Peanuts can fire low-damage peanut shells at enemies, slightly knocking them back.]

[Placement Cost: 120 Gold]

[Level 1 Cauliflower: Boom! Cauliflower can explode to eliminate a group of enemies! Requires recovery time after each explosion.]

[Placement Cost: 150 Gold]

"So many diverse effects—makes the game fun!" Han Qiwu was very pleased and decided to check his initial balance of system Gold Coins.

Gold Coins.

So many Gold Coins right off the bat?

Han Qiwu was even more satisfied. Smiling, he placed all four types of crops into the slots for the first wave.

Time to test their effects.

But suddenly, Han Qiwu felt a disturbing premonition.

Wait a second!

Something wasn’t right.

Why did that starting Gold Coins amount feel so familiar?

Quickly opening the system log, Han Qiwu checked again.

Damn it.

He glanced once more at the current balance displayed above his inventory:

Gold Coins.

Oh no!

This scammy game was spending *his own money*?!

What kind of game makes you pay out of pocket right from the start?!

Where are the free game coins???

Han Qiwu’s chest tightened at the thought of having just spent 420 Gold Coins on four game items. A sharp pang of regret hit him.

"Jingle!"

"Clatter!"

The four crops he deployed swayed lazily from side to side, looking obnoxiously carefree.

[First wave of cuckoos has appeared.]

Screw it—might as well play now that the money’s spent.

Might as well pray the rewards for the event are worth the investment.

One hour later.

Standing blankly in place, Han Qiwu snapped back to reality with a heartbroken expression on his face.

Gold Coins!

Playing this game had cost him 6000!!!

Who would’ve thought the cuckoos would come wave after wave like that? In total, there had been more than a dozen waves!

If he hadn’t had a stroke of genius and set up a fire-under-the-cauldron formation, even 6000 Gold Coins might not have been enough.

The game was fun, sure, but it was also a huge money sink.

Magpies, you better have some decency and cough up some good rewards.

"Tweet tweet!"

As Han Qiwu exited the game interface, the cuckoo birds above the magpie nest disappeared.

The magpie couple chirped joyfully, as if thanking Han Qiwu.

[Protect the Magpies event concluded.]

[Impressive! Not a single cuckoo managed to attack the magpie nest.]

[Based on your performance, you may choose two rewards from the following.]

[Reward 1: 12000 Gold Coins]

[Reward 2: Random Skill Level +1]

[Reward 3: 50% increase in crop yield for ten days]

[Reward 4: Lightning-Struck Tree Saplings ×5]

[Due to repelling all cuckoos, you have earned an additional reward.]

[Bonus Reward: Mutated Thunder Magpie Chick ×1]

[Please make your selection within ten seconds.]

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