Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 112 Pumpkin Seeds
As night fell, the barking of wild dogs outside Kah rose and fell, seemingly concealing a hint of panic.

A fear of impending disaster.

Li Wei was resting at the abandoned farm, and also desensitizing the pack of stray dogs so that they wouldn't be constantly in a state of fear.

And so, around midnight, Li Wei finally finished packing up, leaving his backpack in the abandoned thatched hut, taking only an iron spear, a bow, and all his arrows with him.

Of course, valuable items, such as those two one-star eagle feather arrows, must be carried with you at all times.

And so, as if blending into the night, he quietly returned.

He walked slowly and almost silently, knowing that dogs have night vision and that they are more sensitive to objects moving at night.

However, his two-star leather armor also provides some concealment under the cover of night.

In addition, it was actually very dark outside the city of Kah, with no moon and only faint starlight, so the bonfires lit by the militia would attract wild dogs even more.

Indeed, this was the case. Outside the city of Kah at night, it was the domain of wild dogs. They ran in packs, barking wildly at the patrolling militiamen, testing them. If the patrolling militiamen were to be careless, they would rush into the shack area, followed by a chorus of panicked cries. When the militiamen arrived, they would immediately retreat. If they were lucky, only a dozen or so people would be bitten; if they were unlucky, a child would be dragged away.

This scene plays out every night; it's the stray dogs' moment of glory.

Their blood-red eyes stare intently ahead, completely oblivious to the darkness behind them.

Li Wei went around in circles, patiently lying in wait, searching. Whenever a pack of wild dogs gathered and provoked the patrolling militia, he would silently draw his arrows and fire three or five shots in quick succession.

It may not be 100% accurate, but it usually leaves two or three wild dogs dead or wounded each time.

Interestingly, the panicked stray dogs did not scatter and flee as frantically as they would during the day.

That night, they quickly gathered again and tried to storm the shack area, their thirst for fresh flesh making them ignore everything else.

Li Wei calmly harvested the prey, drawing his bow from a hundred meters away. The faint firelight was enough for him, and the swarming wild dogs were the perfect target.

If the pack of stray dogs becomes too stressed and scatters, he immediately moves away to a more distant place to wait quietly. Then, when the stray dogs gather again, he approaches them once more.

They went back and forth until dawn.

Li Wei has already shot out all the ordinary arrows.

I don’t know how many wild dogs were shot dead, but there were probably fifty. But he wouldn’t cut off their heads for the reward. The refugees under the city wall might need a pot of dog meat soup.

Who cares?

When he returned to the abandoned farm and retrieved his backpack, he set up his tent in the abandoned thatched hut and had a good long sleep.

There won't be a dog-chasing drama today.

When he woke up again, it was already noon.

After packing up, he shouldered his backpack and was about to return to Kah City when he was stunned by what he saw.

Five militiamen escorting more than twenty refugees had arrived at the entrance of the abandoned farm.
Wait, what's going on?
Li Wei was taken aback, and her first thought was that she was glad she hadn't buried the salt in the house.

But my second thought was, this doesn't make sense. Why aren't you going to Kah City to make a living? Why are you running back to this abandoned farm? This drafty farm, at night, over a hundred wild dogs could tear you to shreds—

No, there aren't that many stray dogs anymore.

Li Wei suddenly understood.

"Good day, my lord!"

Upon seeing Li Wei, the five militiamen immediately came forward and greeted him in a restrained and ingratiating tone, making him feel very uncomfortable.

Li Wei chuckled and didn't talk much. He just smiled at them and headed straight for Kahe City. They were from two different worlds and would never cross paths again.

He slaughtered the wild dogs, not for their sake.

However, just as Li Wei brushed past this group of refugees, several lines of information suddenly appeared.

[The righteous are often the dogs! You have shot and killed a total of 85 man-eating wild dogs outside Kah (including some that were wounded and then killed by the militia). Although some wild dogs escaped into the wilderness, they can no longer have any impact on the area around Kah. Although from beginning to end, only lone travelers and homeless refugees were harmed by them.]

[You've earned a new title: Dog Slayer!]

Wearing this title will grant you an additional 1 point of Agility.

Your reputation in Kah City is steadily rising. Each new person who learns of your deeds will grant you one point of reputation. It is projected to surpass 500 points in three days. Time is running out.

Your Hunter Fate has been raised to level 40.

-

Hey, not bad!
Li Wei immediately changed out of the Bear Hunter title and put on the Dog Slayer title, which changed his strength to 14 and his agility to 11.

Switching between these titles is quite convenient; it only takes a thought.

But it is very suitable for combat. When you need strength, you can wear the Bear Hunter; when you need agility, you can wear the Dog Slayer.

For example, when he needs to march quickly, whether he has 15 points of strength or 14 points of strength doesn't matter much.

However, an agility score of 11 will definitely improve his balance and make him more agile in his perception and response to the dynamics of his surroundings, thus reducing his physical exertion. This is the best choice for rapid marches or escapes in the wild.

Next, Li Wei dared not delay and returned to Kahe City in one go. He stayed in the caravan at the caravan for a few minutes before leaving the city again.

It wasn't until evening, just before the city gates were about to close, that he returned to Kah once more.

The task is three-fifths complete.

When he arrived at the Mare Inn and pushed open the dilapidated door, he was surprised to find a candle lit in the lobby. The dim light shone in a corner, and the woman behind the counter stared intently at him. Even though he couldn't see her eyes, and the scene was still very strange, Li Wei could still sense that she seemed very surprised.

All I can say is that living is not easy.

Li Wei stepped forward, placed a silver coin on the counter, and took a small half-burnt candle from the woman's hand.

He didn't say anything the whole time.

The woman seemed to want to say something, but dared not, and only nodded slightly, watching Li Wei quickly go upstairs.

Li Wei soon noticed that the stairs had been cleaned, but his room remained exactly as it was.

The night was just like any other.

Nothing unexpected happened, nothing thrilling; this seemed to be how things were supposed to be.

When he went downstairs in the early morning, he saw the woman squatting behind the counter with her back to the door, seemingly chewing some kind of food.

Hearing Li Wei come downstairs, it immediately stopped, motionless, as quiet as a mouse.

The windows on the first floor were still open, but the stench did not lessen.

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke cautiously, "I'll be staying at the hotel again tonight. Could you please help me buy some seeds?"

Li Wei really had no other choice. In the past two days, he had walked all over the market. To be honest, the goods were quite plentiful, but the only thing missing was various kinds of seeds.

So far, the only two things he has discovered that can be considered seeds are wheat and beans.

The former does not require purchase, while the latter only requires ten kilograms to grow and propagate on your own.

After all, how much could he possibly take with him?

Therefore, what he needs is variety, not quantity.

"Seeds? Sir, what kind of seeds would you like to buy?"

Behind the counter, the woman made some strange noises, as if she still had food in her mouth.

"Anything edible is fine."

Li Wei spoke very cautiously, but in reality, he didn't know how effective it would be.

Perhaps this hotel owner could offer him some unexpected good fortune? He was truly grasping at straws in his desperation.

“Edible seeds? You mean seeds that can be used for planting, right, sir? Forgive my bluntness, but that might be a bit difficult. The seeds used for planting each year are strictly controlled. Buying them privately would violate the laws of Kah City.”

"However, I believe you. How bad can a bounty hunter who's willing to hunt wild dogs be? I have some pumpkin seeds here that I can give you. You can give them to whoever you want. In previous years, I would plant them on the rooftop. The green vines would climb down and produce golden pumpkins, as if they had preserved the sunlight..."

The woman didn't say anything more, but instead fumbled around in the counter for a while before taking out a very small, moldy cloth bag.

Li Wei took out a silver coin and placed it on the counter. After thinking for a moment, he felt guilty and left another one behind. Then he took his cloth bag and left in a hurry. The woman didn't say anything more.

But he always felt that a pair of eyes were following him.

The innkeeper misunderstood; she thought he would give the seeds to the refugees who had returned to the abandoned farm, but how could that be possible!
Once he was a distance from the hotel, he carefully opened the moldy cloth bag, which was also stained with a foul stench, as if some unknown liquid had been spilled on it.

There were twelve pumpkin seeds in the bag, but seven of them were moldy and spoiled, leaving only five intact.

Li Wei carefully selected them as if they were priceless treasures, meticulously wiped them clean, and even cut a piece of waterproof cloak to wrap them up carefully and keep them close to his body.

Almost immediately after he finished dealing with these matters, a long-awaited message finally appeared.

[You have successfully purchased a small number of pumpkin seeds in Kahe City. They are of one-star quality. You can choose to donate them to your family and you will receive 20 contribution points. Alternatively, you can choose to plant them yourself. These seeds will be your personal property and can be taken out of this world.]

-

Sure enough, just five pumpkin seeds can generate 20 contribution points!
This is very valuable, but its value lies not only in the pumpkin seed itself, but also in the way it is obtained!

First, one must walk over a hundred miles to reach the city of Kah, then find a way to gain entry into the city, resolve one's identity issues, stay at an inn for two days, hunt wild dogs, and return the refugees to the abandoned farm. Only after all these conditions are met can one purchase these one-star quality pumpkin seeds.

Ten pounds of ordinary beans, which are also seeds, only earn 5 contribution points when donated.

At that moment, Li Wei made up his mind not to donate the seeds, but to plant them in his private field. He decided to donate pumpkins instead of seeds.

He even wanted to keep it and take it out of the current world.

(End of this chapter)