Chu Fu didn't stick around for the rest of the auction—she had crops to harvest!
When Chu Fu arrived at the wild fields, she found her spirit rice growing beautifully.
Some players had even started guarding her farmland voluntarily, keeping a wary eye on the players from the big guilds.
The big guild players wouldn't dare steal Chu Fu's spirit rice.
Not after the Star Alliance lost people yesterday.
From what she saw on the forums today, they were terrified that Chu Fu might get bored and massacre every single one of them.
In fact, the Star Alliance was still afraid to buy a base at this point.
Now, whenever they ran into players from the Thorn Guild, they'd take a detour.
After Chu Fu harvested the spirit rice, she gave each player ten catties—enough to last four or five days in-game.
Between harvesting and replanting twice, the whole process took Chu Fu over two hours.
In the end, she harvested thirty-five million catties of spirit rice.
After packing all the spirit rice into sacks, Chu Fu headed to Shi Dacang's place to deliver the grain.
Each village continued to require five million catties of grain.
And Linjiang City demanded five times that amount—twenty-five million catties.
Luckily, Chu Fu's yield was more than enough.
[System Notice: You have completed Phase 1 of the Famine Year: Huaishui Town Food Crisis.]
[System Notice: You have completed Phase 1 of the Famine Year: Qingmu Food Crisis.]
[System Notice: You have completed the Linjiang City Food Crisis.]
Shi Dacang was overjoyed.
"With this batch of spirit rice, we can temporarily relieve the food crisis in all the surrounding cities. Whoever wants to be a vegetable farmer—thank you for your contribution to the cities around Linjiang! This Harvest Badge is my reward to you!"
Soon, a gleaming golden badge adorned with a wheat pattern landed in Chu Fu's hands.
[Harvest Badge (Gold Tier):
HP +200.
All Stats +10.
Trait 1: Crops you plant yield an additional 10%.
Trait 2: Crops you plant increase in size by 50%.]
Chu Fu's eyebrows rose, the corners of her mouth curling upward, her eyes sparkling.
This Harvest Badge was perfect for her!
Trait 1 was nice enough—an extra 10% yield, on par with the Golden Hoe.
But Trait 2? That was utterly ridiculous.
For smaller crops, it wouldn't change much—maybe a small cherry becoming a slightly bigger version of a small cherry, a bit plumper.
But what if she applied it to Explosion Watermelons?
A fifty percent size increase meant an extra thirty to fifty centimeters, and the explosion radius would naturally expand as well.
Takeoff.
Chu Fu happily equipped the badge.
Just then, Shi Dacang continued.
"These grains are gathered, but we need someone to escort them safely to each town and city.
The routes are extremely long, and there may be many dangers along the way.
We can provide you with a mount to increase your travel speed.
If you complete the task successfully, the mount is yours to keep.
Oh, and have you heard? A murderous maniac has recently appeared near Guguan Town, so be careful. If you think it's too dangerous, you can recruit some teammates to come along!"
[System Notice: Do you accept the epic quest: Famine Year (Phase 2)?
Quest Giver: Shi Dacang.
Quest Objective: All towns surrounding Linjiang City are under siege by goblins and undead legions. The fields yield nothing, and the citizens are starving. The grain you provided has greatly alleviated the crisis in the towns.
Due to special circumstances, towns too far away cannot use teleportation arrays. You must personally escort the grain to each town.
Upon accepting the quest, you will receive:
Quest Item: Bronzehide Rhino (Bronze Tier): Movement speed of 7 meters per second, possesses basic defensive abilities, can resist attacks from goblins and skeleton creatures.
Quest Completion Rewards: Large amounts of EXP, large amounts of gold coins, Bronzehide Rhino (Bronze Tier).
Quest Failure Penalty: -1000 reputation, deduction of 20 gold coins as compensation.
This quest can be completed up to 9 times.]
[Accept / Decline]
"Accept!"
Chu Fu clicked the quest button.
Just then, the sky darkened.
It was already 2 AM.
Her communicator buzzed—her brother was urging her to log off.
Chu Fu shared the quest with Jiaojiao Bu Jiao and told her to prepare—they could run the quest when they got back online.
Most importantly, this meant they could go cross-server again.
Not to mention, clearing a Hell-tier dungeon would bring extra rewards.
And on top of that, the mount was an indispensable mode of transport in no-fly zones.
After giving her instructions, Chu Fu opened the game pod.
Chu Feng was already waiting outside!
Chu Fu's tone was light, the corners of her mouth lifting, her eyes curving upward.
"Brother, did you see the forums? The three of us dismantled the Huan Yu Guild."
Chu Fu couldn't wait to share the good news.
Chu Feng hadn't actually checked the forums, but the person downstairs—apparently someone his sister had poached—had told him everything after he logged on.
"Fufu, you're amazing!"
Chu Fu's eyes crinkled with joy as she continued excitedly. "Brother, you have no idea—I just got a quest that lets me visit you in the city! Did you collect any seeds for me?"
Chu Fu knew a good opportunity when she saw one.
Who had a thicker leg to cling to than her brother's?
Chu Feng was surprised—he hadn't expected Chu Fu to get a quest that allowed her to come to the city at this level. Naturally, he'd be sure to prepare.
"Don't worry, I've got all the seeds ready for you. And equipment, too!"
Chu Fu quickly shook her head. "I don't need equipment—I just took down Wan Huanyu. He was a mage too, and he dropped a Gold-tier item for me!"
Chu Feng remained composed but spoke calmly. "His gear stinks. I'll prepare Dark Gold-tier for you instead."
"Wow~"
Now that was a thick leg worth clinging to.
But the way Chu Feng casually mentioned Dark Gold-tier gear... was a little show-offy.
Ah, it was the classic male-lead habit from early game novels.
What could Chu Fu do? Indulge him, of course!
"Brother, you're the best brother in the whole world. Love you~"
Chu Feng could barely suppress his smile.
"Alright, let's head downstairs first. Someone's here to see you again—she used to be part of the Huan Yu studio. She's been waiting for two hours.
I told her to leave, but she refused."
Chu Fu immediately thought of a name.
Professional manager Feng Huimin.
"Let's go, let's go, brother. I have a feeling she's a real talent!"
Chu Fu walked downstairs and saw Feng Huimin standing there in a ladies' suit with matching trousers, wide black-framed glasses, and her hair in a neat bun.
Her style was sharp and capable—she looked reliable at first glance.
"Manager Feng, hello!"
"Hello, Miss Chu!"
Feng Huimin leaned slightly forward to shake Chu Fu's hand, though her back remained straight.
"Thank you, Miss Chu, for telling me what you did in-game. Otherwise, I'd still be in the dark. I officially resigned this morning.
Not only that, but I've deleted my old character through a suicide reset. In twenty-four hours—by tomorrow noon—I'll be able to spawn in Wangxi Village.
I voluntarily wish to join the Thorn Guild. I hope Miss Chu will give me a chance."
I hope that, through my own strength and work ability, I can prove that I have value and earn the recognition of Miss Chu, as well as the entire guild.
I hope that, when the time comes, I can be given a position as a core member.
