Chapter 132 - Beak-utiful desert animals

🙞❤︎🙜

I put a hand on my stomach, feeling queasy at the thought.

“I’m glad we don’t have to water our plants with blood,” said Lari.

Kharli snorted dismissively. “Clan members are way stronger than humans. Donating blood doesn’t hurt them at all, I’m sure.”

Actually, according to modern science back on Earth, donating blood has health benefits for humans, such as reducing the risk of heart attacks. I knew that because my dad regularly donated blood to the Red Cross. This thought steadied my stomach and I sat back on my seat with a sigh.

“They must be really desperate or something,” I said, knowing that blood and qi were closely linked to each other in this world. “Is something going on?”

“We should ask the clan members when we land. I know all their names,” said Lari.

My apprentices were quite familiar with the people looking after the farm since they took turns traveling to the desert every seven days to plant trees and replenish the animals’ water and feed.

As we continued flying south, the sea of green gradually faded in color until it became the sparse, unhealthy-looking grass that we were familiar with from last year.

“They have been trying to reclaim the desert starting from the parts nearest the forest,” said Lari.

I nodded. “Yes, that makes perfect sense.”

“Shouldn’t we be doing the same, Teacher?” asked Lari.

“No, we already started our desert farm, so I’ll see it to the end,” I said.

Lari was right. If the desert farm was nearer, we could visit it more often. However, I liked having a more isolated place to farm where I wouldn’t have to worry about neighbors or borders.

“I like our farm,” said Kharli.

“Me, too. Wake me when we’re near.” I detached Mr. Bear from my headband and made him big enough to sleep on. Placing him beside me on the carriage bench, I straightened the pink bow around his neck and said, “Let’s sleep, Mr. Bear.”

I put my feet up on the other side of the bench. Laying my head on Mr. Bear’s lap, I closed my eyes and rested, trying to ignore the way the carriage rattled whenever its magical stabilizer was overwhelmed by an unexpectedly strong gust of wind. Sleep was impossible, but I was able to relax a bit.

Some time later, Kharli said, “Teacher, look! We’re almost at the farm.”

Yawning, I got up and looked down at the scenery. In the middle of the sea of brown was a tiny green oasis where a hill covered in green grass and trees rose above the surrounding land that had a few small but vibrantly alive patches of verdant flora.

Soon the carriage began its descent, and I felt my stomach lurch. I leaned back and hugged Mr. Bear for comfort until we touched ground. One would expect something as non-aerodynamic as a flying carriage to land with a thump and maybe bounce a bit, but no such thing happened. The vehicle’s various enchantments made it land as gently as a butterfly on a flower.

The carriage was faster than the ox carts, so we arrived first at Blossom Valley which was at the foot of Skyfang Hill. I opened the carriage door and we alighted. It felt like entering an oven because of the heat. I put a hand on my forehead to shade my eyes and looked up at the cloudless blue sky.

Lari unbuttoned his collar. “It’s so hot!”

Kharli and I couldn’t say anything in reply because we both started coughing. The air was epically dry and dusty, which was a shock after the cool, wet air of the Ancient Hill Forest area. It took us a while to adjust.

When I finally stopped coughing, I leaned against Kharli’s shoulder and said, “Look at that.”

I pointed at the horizon. The land in front of us seemed to go on forever until the earth met the sky.

“What is it?” asked Kharli.

“This is why I don’t want to farm near the forest. I like this view! No, I love it! It’s like I can feel my soul expanding when I’m here,” I said.

Kharli nodded solemnly. “I feel it, too.”

I turned to look at Lari. “What do you think?”

“Teacher, I think we should prepare the house for the others,” he said.

“There’s no romance in your soul!” said Kharli.

“Okay, I’ll build the house.” I navigated to the System’s [Build] tab and chose the [Three Courtyard House] option. An enormous magic circle appeared on the ground in front of us and flashed with a bright white light three times before it was replaced by the house.

The driver, a white-bearded man who was a member of the White Tiger clan, looked stunned, his eyes widening and jaw slightly dropping in surprise.

“It’s so big!” said Kharli.

“Wait, I’m not finished yet,” I said as they moved to enter the house. “Watch closely as I show you a spectacular sight!”

This time, I selected the [Custom Garden] that I had designed using Cash Shop items. The base item I used was the [Elegant Chinese Garden], but I had extensively modified it with lots of water-and-flower-themed items.

A magic circle three times the size of the first one appeared around the [Three Courtyard House]. The building and magic circle both flashed white then disappeared and were replaced by a new, much bigger structure.

The original house was now divided into three separate courtyard houses within a walled compound that was my customized garden.

[Elegant Chinese Garden

The character for garden contains four symbols that must all be present to capture the essence of a classic Chinese garden: the majesty of mountains or the ruggedness of rocks, the tranquility of water, the beauty of buildings, and the life of plants.]

The outer courtyard house was placed at the southeast corner of the garden. It was the largest of the three houses since it was meant to house the staff. The reception room, elegantly furnished with carved lacquer tables and chairs made of fragrant rosewood, was elegant and grand enough to please Fengying. Since this part of the compound was where visitors and messengers would enter, I used the [Stardust Silverwood Door] as the main gate.

[Stardust Silverwood Door

A door made of white wood that shines softly as though it's covered in stardust.]

In the middle of the garden was the second courtyard house where my apprentices would stay. Apart from the main hall, which eclipses the reception room in both scale and opulence, the middle house was much less decorative and more functional in design since this was where we had our workrooms. No frilly curtains, plush carpets, or cute bric-a-brac could be found there. Instead, it had plenty of sturdy hardwood worktables, benches, chests, and shelves for our equipment and crafted items.

The third courtyard house was in the northwest corner, and that was where I would live. I’d designed it to be charming and inviting, with smaller, cozier rooms and furniture that was chosen for comfort, such as stuffed armchairs and cushy sofas.

Smiling, I turned to my apprentices and said, “What do you think?”

Lari and Kharli both screamed wordlessly in approval and ran to the main gate, only to be stopped short by my words.

“Wait. We need to check on the [Lizardwings] first,” I said.

“I forgot about them,” said Kharli.

“May I place the eggs, Teacher?” asked Lari.

“Sure, you can both place half,” I said. “Let's go.”

The [Lizardwings] were a type of desert animal that we were raising here because their manure was incredibly helpful in increasing soil fertility. Alas, their manure was also incredibly stinky.

I looked up at the sky to check if the ox carts were close, but there was no sign of them yet. We made our way to the southern part of the valley to a walled enclosure. We were still a mile away when the stench hit us hard, and I gagged even though we had all covered our noses and mouths with wet cloths and even pinched our nostrils shut with wooden clothespins.

“Remember, when we get there, we put the [Lizardwings] in the cages, and walk out of there as fast as we can. And no talking!” I said. “I don’t wanna inhale any more of this stinky air than is strictly necessary.”

“Teacher, why don't you and Kharli stay here while I get the animals?” said Lari.

“How gallant! Thank you, but no. It wouldn’t be fair to make you do all the undesirable jobs,” I said.

We entered the [Lizardwing] habitat, and I was pleased to note that the spirit animals had done their work. Or, rather, their manure had. The ground in this place was wetter and the grass was green.

The [Lizardwings] looked like small dinosaurs with bright orange scales and feathered but useless wings. Their vaguely chicken-like heads were small and rounded, with brown beaks and beady little black eyes.

Thankfully, we didn’t need to touch the animals. We only had to walk near them in order to store them in our inventories. Once they were safely stored in the System, we only had to click [Use] on some bamboo cages and the animals to place them inside the cages, ready for selling to the clans.

I removed the walls of the enclosure and the [Lizardwing’s] pen. Then we half-ran and half-walked away to the south until we could no longer smell the manure. I removed the veil and clothespin from my face. “Aw heck! That was worse than I remember.”

“I think I’m getting used to it,” said Lari.

“Teacher, is it really worth it?” asked Kharli.

“Look at that.” I pointed at the patch of green grass where the enclosure used to be. “Look how green it is compared to the rest of the land around it. And the [Lizardwings] were only there for two weeks. The stench will fade away soon enough, but the effects on the soil will remain.”

“If they’re so good, why don’t we use them on the other farm?” asked Lari.

Kharli gave him a look of sheer horror. “Is your nose okay? You must be crazy!”

“We can use them here since the land I was given is huge. The farm is much smaller, so the stink would be inescapable,” I said.

Lari looked unconvinced.

“Fengying and Deming would probably quit,” I said.

“We can’t do that then!” said Lari. He loved Deming’s cooking as much as I did, or maybe even more.

Our conversation was interrupted by the appearance of two clan members who came running up to us from the house.

“Lady Violet, welcome back!” said the taller of the two. He was a handsome man with long gray hair and hazel eyes. I could tell from the way he spoke first that he was the senior clan member.

He and the other clan member, who was a young man with brown hair and eyes, bowed to us. We all exchanged polite greetings and bows, which took quite some time since there were six of us and everyone had to have their say.

When we were done with the courtesies, I said, “We have the [Lizardwings]. Should we give them to you now?”

“Yes, my lady. The clans are all excited about reclaiming these lands, and they will pay good money for the animals,” said the senior clan member.

“So what’s been happening while I was away?” I asked.

“The Lady of the Westerlands has been busy giving permits to all the newcomers who want to settle new lands in the desert. The families who have been taking care of this region have first claim, of course,” he said.

“Of course,” I echoed his words and smiled. Most clans had left this place when it was cursed, but a few, such as Prince Baiyu’s paternal family, continuously tried to revitalize the land since it was where their ancestors had lived. Now that the curse was no more, they were due for a reward.

“This is a great opportunity for everyone who has the manpower and money to expand,” he said.

“Wonderful,” I said.

We handed over the bamboo cages with the [Lizardwings] inside, and the clan members left to make arrangements for the sale of the animals. Then we walked a bit farther until we reached a good spot for the new animal pen.

“This is far enough from the house, and the wind is blowing in the opposite direction,” I said.

Using the System’s [Build] function, I raised ten-foot high stone walls to enclose an area that was 100 feet across. The [Small Pen] from the [Animal Husbandry] tab went in the middle, and we filled the pen’s automatic feeder with animal feed, and the automatic bell drinker with water.

“May I choose the eggs, please?” asked Lari.

“Sure, you guys can pick the ones you want. Three each.” I took out a basket of [Lizardwing Eggs].

“I want the pretty ones!” Kharli put three pastel-colored and speckled eggs inside the pen.

“These look strong.” Lari did the same to three brown and black eggs.

“As for me, I want to try these out!” I showed my apprentices the four eggs I had picked beforehand. “Go on, examine them.”

[Perfectly Ordinary Prairie Chickens Eggs:

The Prairie Chickens that will hatch from these eggs will be perfectly ordinary and unremarkable.]