Chapter 133 - Don't worry the chickens will be real tweet-hearts

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Kharli bent down to look at the items more closely. “What’s strange about these eggs?”

With a perfectly straight face, I said, “Nothing. These are perfectly ordinary eggs.”

“They are definitely going to hatch some extremely unusual chickens,” said Lari.

I laughed. “You’ll find out in a few days.”

“Teacher, you said the [Lizardwings] are the best animals for the desert, so why are you hatching these incredibly abnormal eggs?” asked Kharli.

“These are very normal eggs.” I pointed to the southeast and started walking to the spot I had chosen which was upwind of the [Lizardwings] habitat. “Well, you see, I’ve also been thinking that maybe the [Lizardwings’] smell is too much. The System info says they are the best, but we might as well test it out. The prairie chickens are the second-best animals for [Greening the Desert].”

“Yes! No more stinky animals!” Kharli pumped a fist in the air triumphantly.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. We’ll only use the prairie chickens if they do well enough,” I said.

“Teacher, what do you mean by ‘well enough’?” asked Lari.

“Sometimes the difference between the best and second-best isn’t a lot. I’ll place these eggs in another pen, and we’ll check the condition of the land after two weeks. If they’re similar, then we can replace the [Lizardwings] with the chickens,” I said.

“If the new, super strange chickens don’t do well, what will you do with them?” asked Lari.

“Just sell them as usual. Why do you ask?”

Lari smirked. “I don’t think people will like unbelievably unusual chickens…”

I smirked back at him. They knew me well. “I told you, they’re perfectly ordinary!”

When we reached the right spot, I built the walled enclosure and put the eggs in a pen with plenty of stored animal feed and water.

“Okay, you guys still have almost all your energy, right?” I waited until they both nodded before continuing. “Last year we planted fertilizer trees. They are the best for enriching the soil. However, now that I unlocked the [Mysterious Goo], we have another option: fast-growing desert trees.”

“Do they also enrich the soil?” asked Kharli.

I nodded. “Yes, all trees pretty much do, but they aren’t as good as the fertilizer trees.”

“But they’re fast,” said Lari.

“Yes. These will grow to maturity in only one year, compared to two years for the fertilizer trees, The thing is, these need the nutrients and energy from the [Mysterious Goo].” I showed them the tree seeds. “These trees grow fast, have many leaves, and even regrow fast.”

[Desert Ralga:

A tree known for its hardy resilience in arid environments. With distinctive blue-green foliage, the tree typically stands at a moderate height, featuring a spreading crown that provides ample shade in the harsh desert landscape.]

The others were mostly the same, except for the [Plains Grazia].

[Plains Grazia:

A tree with deep roots and lush green leaves that serve as a reliable source of fodder. Despite the arid conditions, the tree thrives, and its leaves emit a subtle, sweet fragrance carried by the winds.]

“We’ll also plant some plants for fodder.” I showed them the [Dryland Pigeon Pea], [Desert Comfrey], [Sweet Potato Vines], [Birdsfoot Trefoil], and [Nomad Sage]. Though they were all different, they all had three things in common: they were drought resistant, could be used for feeding animals, and grew fast.

Kharli took a seed and examined it closely. “This one seems similar to our fertilizer trees.”

[Dryland Pigeon Pea:

A hardy, perennial legume known for its resilience and fast growth. With slender green stems and pinnate leaves, this drought-tolerant plant produces clusters of pale yellow flowers that give way to elongated pods containing edible protein-rich seeds that can be eaten by both humans and animals. Its deep roots enrich the soil by capturing and converting essential nutrients from the air, boosting the overall fertility of the soil.]

“Exactly.” We arrived at our destination, and I took out my hoe from the System toolbelt. “Let’s get to planting then!”

I let the kids pick their own spots, and we worked mostly in silence. We plowed the ground, spread [Mysterious Goo] on it, watered it, and then used the [Dendrological Cultivation Chambers] to plant the seeds.

The [Dendrological Cultivation Chamber], despite its fancy name, was simply a cardboard box filled with water with a wick at the bottom. It was designed so that water would slowly transfer to the soil via the wick. Of course, the box had a hole in the middle where the seed was planted in the soil. It also had small holes on the concave lid which allowed rainwater to replenish the water inside the box.

I was tired and sweating a lot by the time we finished. “Ah, it’s so hot. I think I’m going to overheat. Let’s rest in the shade for a bit.”

Wiping the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief, I browsed the Cash Shop for a large lounge tent and took out the chairs that I had earmarked previously as something I wanted to try.

[Thermoclinique Recliner:

A reclining chair that is the epitome of sophisticated comfort. Its plush upholstery is made of temperature-regulating foam and the recliner functionality allows users to easily adjust the chair to their preferred position, whether it's a gentle recline for reading or a fully extended position for napping.]

We went inside and I added a small table and filled it with [Kola-Kola Soda] bottles, a pitcher of water, an ice bucket, glasses, and a plate of fried plantains Fengying had given me beforehand as a snack. Lastly, I placed a large cooling fan that sprayed a fine mist of water along with the air.

Kharli stood directly in front of the fan and moaned in pleasure while Lari and I sat down and started eating and drinking the stuff on the table.

“Resting in comfort after a hard day’s work is the best.” I leaned back on the chair and reclined, putting my feet up for added comfort.

After luxuriating in the cool mist for some time, Kharli joined us at the table. To my surprise, she pulled out a plate of roast pork buns. “I asked Madam Fengying to make a snack for us.”

“Nooooo, I don’t want to fill my stomach up too much. Lunch should be good. I saw the kitchen prepping roast duck yesterday. I love that crispy skin!” The dish was similar to Peking duck on Earth, which was roasted duck with a caramelized crunchy exterior. Slices of the skin and meat were served on thin pancakes with a heavenly sauce and sliced scallions.

“Am I the only one who likes the more meaty roast duck? Crispy skin is nice, but I want more of the meat,” said Lari.

He and Kharli got to discussing their favorite duck dishes while I listened in amused silence. I really had turned my apprentices into foodies!

“Oh, wait, I almost forgot Cutie,” I said, interrupting their spirited debate on the merits of braised vs roast duck. “I think I’ll take her out now, but we need to keep an eye on her because I’m not sure if she’ll be okay in this heat.”

My slime pet’s natural habitat was an underground cavern where the temperature was always the same. They did have hot water baths though, so she could probably tolerate the heat, but that was wet heat. How would she fare in the hot, dry air here?

The moment I took her out of the System storage, Cutie started bouncing around with a boing-boing sound like a demented rabbit high on caffeine. Perhaps the prolonged stay inside the System made her bored? Using the slime strand on top of her head, she lifted a side of the tent and then let out the loudest “Chu!” sound I had ever heard from her.

“Wait! Come back!” I yelled as she bounced outside.

“Chu! Chu! Chu!” came the sound of my pet. She was bouncing away really fast.

“Teacher, I’ll go after her.” Lari ran towards the “Chu” sounds.

“Be careful!” I hastily put away the tent and the items inside and then followed behind them with Kharli. It didn’t take long since my pet ran out of steam pretty quickly. “Oh, you little troublemaker!”

I picked Cutie up to hug her but immediately put her down again because she was really hot!

“Teacher, I think your demon is smaller,” said Lari.

“What?” I examined Cutie anxiously.

“She shrank!” said Kharli.

“Oh dear, oh dear…” She did look smaller. Was it dehydration? I got a bucket of water from my inventory and poured it over her. Then I put the tent back over us and placed a few more buckets of water for my pet along with some potted flowers.

Cutie immersed herself in a bucket, and when she emerged, she was her normal size and temperature.

Wait… was she larger?

“Now she grew.” Lari looked amused at my fussing.

“She must be adapting herself to the environment,” I said. “Her body is mostly water, I think.”

We waited a few minutes to see if Cutie needed more water, and when she just bounced around the tent, I decided it was fine.

“The ox carts must be close. Let’s go back to the house.” I put the things back once again and we set off for the house in good spirits with Cutie bouncing along beside us.

Suddenly, my pet sprouted a new appendage.

“What is that?” Kharli stopped dead in her tracks and pointed at Cutie.

“The demon is evolving!” Lari took several steps back, away from my pet.