Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 42 Campfire and Wheat Field

Cha Nan called out to a little boy who was passing by and poured all the wild vegetable porridge in her bowl into his bowl.

Looking at the extra wild vegetable porridge in the bowl, the little boy swallowed twice, but couldn't resist and started drinking it down in one gulp.

"A person can't survive on just wild vegetables and no grains!"

"Tell me the truth, do you know how long the grain reserves in Xiangyang City can last at this rate?" Cha Nan pulled Guo Fu aside and asked in a low voice.

Guo Fu said, "I don't know how much grain we have left, but I do know that if we had more than a month's worth of grain left, Father wouldn't have let us eat such thin gruel."

Cha Nan remained silent; the situation in Xiangyang was far worse than he had previously imagined.

Compared to the problem of food shortages, the so-called gap in high-end combat capabilities compared to Mongolia is not a problem.

As for emulating the original scenario where Yang Guo killed the Mongol Khan in a single blow amidst the main army, temporarily relieving the crisis in Xiangyang, that would be very difficult to do now.

The internal strife and division within the Mongol Empire stemmed from the sudden death of Möngke Khan, who had not designated a successor.

With information now circulating among all worlds, Möngke, while strengthening his own security, would certainly have pre-selected a successor. Therefore, even if Möngke were killed at great risk, it remains to be seen whether the Mongol army would retreat.

"Big brother! Big brother! Here you go!" The little boy who had just given Cha Nan the wild vegetable porridge ran over and handed Cha Nan a grasshopper woven from grass.

Cha Nan took the grasshopper and examined it closely in his hand. He vaguely remembered playing with this kind of toy when he was a child, but he couldn't remember who made it for him. The memories flooded his mind, making him momentarily lost in thought and melancholy.

The little boy hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly pulled half a hard, dry steamed bun from his pocket and handed it to Cha Nan: "Big brother! Mother said you are all righteous people who protect our country. You need to eat your fill so you can drive away the hateful Mongol Tartars!"

"I shouldn't have been greedy and ate your porridge. Here, take this back! You must eat your fill so you can avenge my father and second uncle and drive the Mongol barbarians out of our area!"

After saying this, the little boy didn't wait for Cha Nan's reply. He handed Cha Nan half a hard, dry bun that looked like a rock, and then ran away in a flash.

He looked thin and small. Due to long-term malnutrition, his head appeared particularly large, which was disproportionate to his body. His eyes were also large. However, his legs seemed weak when he ran. As a physical education student, Cha Nan, who had studied a little nutrition, knew that this was caused by long-term iron and calcium deficiency.

Cha Nan held half a cold, hard steamed bun in her hand, staring at the little boy's retreating figure, and was stunned once again.

He suddenly felt a deeper sense of reality about this world, and most of the alienation he felt, as if he were in a game world, was instantly gone.

The people around him were truly alive, existing, and in a sense, connected to him by blood.

They are not symbols, not meaningless background figures; they all strive to live and want to protect their homeland... even though their tragic ending has already been spoiled.

"I think... I can do something!" Cha Nan thought.

"At least, let them have enough to eat!"

Cha Nan turned to Guo Fu and said, "Go ask your mother if she can find wheat seeds!"

Guo Fu didn't ask why, and left immediately.

"In the world of fantasy beasts, the wheat field takes less than three minutes from sowing to watering, growing, and harvesting. So as long as I cultivate enough wheat fields in my base, the daily wheat yield will be incredibly impressive. Of course, the above is all game data. The actual time taken after conversion to reality is unknown, but it should be much faster than farming in real life."

"If I plant wheat on a large scale in the fantasy world, it won't take more than a few days to satisfy the hunger of everyone in this city."

"But the key problem is that I lack tech points. Unlocking the wheat field requires two tech points, and I don't have a single one right now."

"Also, the nights in the Fantasy Beast World are too cold. If you want to develop in the Fantasy Beast World for a long time, you must unlock the campfire. Only by lighting the campfire on the technology page and lighting it through the technology page can the temperature of the flames withstand the cold of the night."

"This is another tech point expenditure, so I need to acquire at least three tech points in a short period of time."

"What are some quick and effective ways to acquire technology points?"

Cha Nan already had the answer in her heart.

Near the mountain where Cha Nan's current Beast World base is located, there is an underground cave. The cave is filled with many mythical beasts and is extremely dangerous, but as long as you can clear it, you will definitely get two treasure chests at the end.

There's a high probability that treasure chests will contain technology points, or technology books that can be converted into technology points.

Cha Nan hadn't expected anything. He had been inside that cave once before; it was dark, gloomy, and dangerous. Before he could even get a clear look at the situation, he was thrown back into the world of martial arts.

After that, I never put cave exploration on my short-term schedule until now.

After Fang Dongbai 'evolved', not only did his strength improve, but he also gained fire-based special attacks. Perhaps it's worth a try.

"Cha Lang! My mother wants to see you!" Guo Fu said to Cha Nan not long after.

Upon hearing this, Cha Nan followed Guo Fu to a tung oil workshop and found Huang Rong, who was inspecting the quality of the tung oil rattan armor made by the women.

Rattan armor is a type of armor made of specially treated rattan.

Compared to metal armor, it is lightweight, waterproof, and highly breathable. It primarily protects the head and upper body, and is often used in conjunction with a shield to protect other parts of the body.

Its drawbacks are also quite obvious: it's afraid of fire!

But there was no other way; Xiangyang City lacked more than just food.

Most of the iron ore that can be collected nowadays has been used to make weapons, so armor is in extremely short supply.

Although the tung oil rattan armor is afraid of fire, as long as the guards wearing the rattan armor do not appear in the same area in large numbers, it will be difficult to cause great harm to their comrades even if they are attacked by the enemy with fire.

Huang Rong skillfully wove the rattan armor, soaking it in tung oil as she wove, repeatedly pressing it down to reduce the gaps between the rattan strips.

"I heard you want wheat seeds?"

"Now is not the right time to sow seeds. It's good that you have the intention, but you should use it where you're good at it." Huang Rong didn't look up, but her tone was very gentle, and she didn't look down on Cha Nan at all.

At this time of year, those who are willing to dedicate themselves to resisting the Mongol invaders deserve praise; their abilities are secondary.

“Perhaps what I’m saying is a bit unbelievable, but Madam Guo! I guarantee… as long as you give me wheat seeds, I can get you a large quantity of grain in a short time,” Cha Nan said.

Upon hearing this, Huang Rong raised her head and looked at Cha Nan seriously.

Cha Nan met her gaze with unwavering confidence, showing no sign of apprehension.

In fact, Cha Nan wasn't even sure if the wheat seeds from the martial arts world would be recognized in the fantasy beast world.

If he doesn't accept it, he'll have to find a way to get wheat seeds from the fantasy world first.

Fortunately, it's probably not too difficult.

There is a chance to obtain it by defeating Grass-type Pokémon.

As for buying from merchants, given that it's difficult to travel far on the map, you can only wait for the merchants to travel over on their own... which is too random.

"I won't ask what tricks you have up your sleeve. They're just some seeds, worthless outside. You don't need to lie to me for something like that." Huang Rong said, handing the half-finished rattan armor to a woman beside her, and then walked forward, gesturing for Cha Nan to follow.

When they reached a deserted corner, she said, "If you can really do that, even if it's just providing a month's worth of provisions, I can decide to pass on the Nine Yin Manual to you."

"If you can provide enough provisions for the entire city of Xiangyang to last for three months, I can even introduce you to a master who is truly suitable for you!"

"You've been learning the internal energy of my Peach Blossom Island, haven't you? I heard from Fu'er that you've only been learning for a few days, but your breathing is already smooth and powerful, which means you've already made considerable progress and are ready to try to open your first meridian... You have a great talent for water-based internal energy. The master I'm introducing to you is a master in this field, even my father, Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic. In the art of water-based internal energy, even he is not as good as Huang Yaoshi."

(End of this chapter)