Chapter 121 - Ewe are o-fish-ally fin-tastic

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“Unbelievable! Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” I asked my apprentices as I held up the trophy they showed me.

[Jackalope Antlers:

Proof of your skill as a Hunter. Can be displayed in your house.

+1 Hunting]

“Yes.” Lari smiled. “We all got one.”

The three of them then took out one set of antlers each from their inventory.

“Oh my gosh. How did you get these?” I examined each of the antlers in turn. They were of different sizes and shades of brown and red, but they all had the +1 Hunting bonus.

“Teacher, we went to the [Horned Rabbits’ Valley] on the map, but they had all evolved to [Armored Jackalopes]. The rabbits weren’t small and cute like you said, and their horns became antlers. They had some weird bony armor over their vitals,” said Lari. “Our arrows couldn’t pierce their armor, so the Commander killed one for each of us.”

“Thank you very much,” I said to the clan member who had been introduced to us as the Commander of the Ancient Hill Forest’s Tiger Spirit Division. “Uh, I hope you kept some for yourself?”

That was the deal. We got an escort from the clan to protect us from any unforeseen dangers, and they got to hunt the spirit beasts with us. They kept half of whatever game they killed.

“Yes, I did. I’ll hand over your share of the meat and parts to the staff,” said the Commander.

“Oh, right, let’s go inside. Would you like to wash up and have some tea?” I wondered if jackalope meat would taste more like rabbit or venison since they had deer-like antlers.

We walked into the main house where I asked Fengying to take over the hostess duties since I was still feeling slightly unwell from my “moon time.” I made my excuses and hustled my apprentices to our quarters. We went to Kharli’s room first.

“We just need to display the trophies in our rooms. Kharli, put it back in your inventory then right-click [Use] on it. Pick a space on a wall and [Use] it there,” I said.

She quickly got the hang of it though she wasn’t satisfied with the placement until she tried out all four walls. In the end, she chose the space above her door.

“It looks very fierce,” said Kharli. “I don’t want people to see it when they enter.”

I looked up at the antlers and then at Kharli’s bedroom whose wooden walls were painted mint green and furnished with delicate wooden furniture. Her bed was covered with a colorful patchwork quilt. “It does look out of place, but the Hunting bonus is worth it!”

“Can I remove it when I’m not hunting?” asked Kharli.

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I’m just afraid you’ll forget to put it back when you need it.”

Lari, Mo, and I then went to our bedrooms and placed the [Jackalope Antlers] above our doors.

“Were you scared when you saw the [Armored Jackalopes]?” I asked them.

“Naw, they were down in the valley and couldn’t reach us since we stood in the high place the System showed us,” said Lari.

“Teacher, Kharli’s arrows hit every single time!” said Mo. “I hit a few, too.”

“No, no, I missed a few, and all my arrows glanced off the armor anyway,” said Kharli.

“Hey, I hit almost as many times as Kharli did,” said Lari.

Mo rolled her eyes while Kharli hid a smile behind her hand.

“Hmm, since you guys can’t handle those spirit animals, we should avoid that area of the forest for now,” I said. “I didn’t train you guys up only for you to become the jackalopes’ dinner.”

“The Commander said she’ll send some of her people there to thin the colony,” said Lari.

“Okay. I’ll have to ask her to map their territory. That place is north of the farm, right? Let’s avoid that place until the Commander says it's okay,” I said.

“She said that if they’re too dangerous, they’ll kill half of the jackalopes and relocate them to a more remote area where they won’t bother people,” said Kharli.

“I’ll be happy if they do! Teacher, they had really scary eyes that glowed red. And their feet thumped like this.” Mo lifted her right knee and stomped on the ground repeatedly, making a loud thumping sound.

“Huh? Why would they be thumping their feet?” I asked.

“Maybe to scare off rival animals? Like the way gorillas do.” Lari beat his chest and roared the way he imagined a gorilla would.

“Don’t yell, we have a guest,” I said. “So now they have antlers like a deer. Do they also look like deer?”

“No, they’re just big brown rabbits,” said Kharli.

“Big, mean, scary rabbits,” said Mo. “They really put up a fight against the Commander. She said their antlers are hard like steel.”

“They might not be mean, you know. We’re the ones who invaded their territory and started killing them,” said Lari.

“That’s true,” I said. “Animals can’t be blamed for defending themselves from hunters. Anyway, go and have dinner with the Commander. Be nice, okay? I’ll stay in my [Ranch House.]”

Mo and Kharli made shooing motions with their hands and Lari took the hint. They waited until he left before speaking.

“Teacher, we’ll bring you a hot water bottle after dinner,” said Kharli.

“Thanks, that’s a good idea,” I said.

“It helps with the cramps. I heard the tea isn’t working?” asked Mo.

I sighed. “It helps a little with the headache, but not with the cramps.”

“Don’t let your stomach get cold, Teacher. That makes it worse,” said Mo.

They spent a few more minutes commiserating with me before we parted ways.

***

On the fourth day, I woke up to the welcome feeling of the absence of cramps. I thanked my lucky stars that my period was over and felt glum about having to suffer it every month.

I had no idea why I hadn't had my period last year. Perhaps my body was still adjusting to this new setting? I knew that stress could make women skip a month or two, but surely one entire year was excessive? Then again, I had no idea what was going on with this body. On the one hand, it looked like my original body from Earth. On the other hand, I had modified my looks via the Cash Shop several times. I only changed my eye color, hair, skin, nails, and other such superficial things, but the mere fact that I could magically change my body meant that it was different from before. Filing that thought under the mental folder labeled "mysterious things that aren't urgent," I watered the plants with my apprentices.

Since I had been stuck on the farm for many days now, I was feeling a little antsy. It was time to go and check out the new [Boat] that had been unlocked when I leveled Farming up to 20.

“Let’s go!” I said to Lari, Kharli, and Mo as Fengying handed us our packed lunch.

Today we were dressed in colorful spring robes and pants. My robes were patterned with a green bamboo design, but my apprentices’ clothes were much more lively. Mo had chosen a butterfly design while Kharli’s robes featured birds perched on branches covered in peach blossoms. Lari’s robes were covered in cheerful golden yellow honeybees surrounded by honeycombs and flowers.

We made our way to the river while chatting about this and that. When I first arrived here, the river was south of my farm, but now that I had been granted more land, it now ran through the middle of Emberstone Farm.

Sunlight danced through the branches of the trees above us that had sprouted fresh green spring leaves. The whole forest was painted in a warm golden hue by the morning sun and the air was scented with the fragrance of wildflowers, wet earth, and decaying leaves.

“What a wonderful day for an outing,” I said to no one in particular.

When we arrived at the banks of the river whose crystal-clear waters glittered like diamonds, the Commander and two of her men joined us. The Commander looked quite dashing with her sword slung across her back. Like her men, she was in plain black pants and robes. The two of them were tall, muscular men though the younger had sharp, ferret-like features and the older one had a very square jaw and broad forehead. The younger clan member bore a staff while the older one had a sword like the Commander. All three of them looked ready for action.

We exchanged bows and courteous greetings.

“Okay, I’ll summon the boat,” I said to my waiting audience.

The [Boat] the player unlocked was a simple one-person wooden canoe that could bring the player to any place on the river and its tributaries. However, the Cash Shop had tons of riverboats. In the game, they functioned exactly the same way that the basic canoe did, except that they looked a lot more flashy. There were colorful dragon boats, silver swan paddle boats, fantastical monster ships, ornate Venetian gondolas, modern catamarans, stately Mississippi paddle-wheelers, and so forth. Though the [Boat] in the game was for only one person, I thought that the bigger Cash Shop items should allow more than one passenger.

In keeping with the setting, I chose the traditional [Chinese Junk Ship].

[Chinese Junk Ship:

A pleasure boat that has a single mast and crimson sails. Its shallow keel ensures smooth passage through shallow waters. Passengers can relax on opulently cushioned benches, and enjoy unobstructed views of the scenic surroundings.]

The Commander and her men gasped when a large magic circle covered in glowing runes appeared on top of the water. It flashed with a bright white light thrice then disappeared, replaced by the [Chinese Junk Ship].

The Commander’s men were shocked.

“A flying ship!” said the younger one who had sharp, ferret-like features.

“What a strong and sinister qi! Where did this ship come from?” asked the older one.

“Incredible. It’s like something from the Central Continent.”

“They have flying ships now?”

“Yeah, but they cost more than a palace.”

“What do you think?” I smiled proudly at them.

“Teacher, it’s too big for the river!” said Kharli.

“Um… it should be fine since it's floating above the water.” I walked closer to examine my new mode of transportation.

The river was rather narrow here, only around ten feet wide whereas the ship was around 36 feet wide and 100 feet long. Rather than settling down in the water, the [Chinese Junk Ship] floated six feet above it. Fortunately, there was a gangplank with rails that we could use to board the ship.

“Shall we?” I said as I gestured to the gangplank.

“Teacher, can we bring the others along?” asked Mo. “Or at least let them see the boat, I think they’ll want to see it.”

I thought about it. “They can come, but they have to be quick. If they can get ready in half an hour, they can join us. Otherwise, we’ll have to leave them behind. There will be other trips, anyway.”

“I’ll go tell them!” Lari whooped and then ran back to the house, Kharli and Mo trailing behind him.

I smiled indulgently at their high spirits then realized I hadn’t asked the Commander if that was okay with her. “Commander, do you think I can bring a few more people along?”

I knew her name was Chuzeche, but I had difficulty pronouncing it since it was very close to the Mandarin word for taxi and I kept accidentally mispronouncing it, so I called her “Commander” instead.

She shrugged. “It depends on how many of them want to come.”

That made sense.

I cleared my throat and gave her men a meaningful look. “We don’t have to tell other people about my boat, do we?”

“A blanket cannot hide the light of the moon. My men certainly won’t gossip, but we’ll pass through several families’ territories.”

“Oh.” I guess there was no helping it since I was planning to use the boat a few more times this month.

“This river is a public waterway that’s considered neutral territory. Just don’t fly your ship over land, and you should be fine,” she said.

Fengying, Deming, and the other household staff arrived and exclaimed over the sleek and elegant design of the [Chinese Junk Ship]. I didn’t have the heart to insist on my timetable and allowed them to tour it.

The deck benches were lined with plush embroidered cushions. The Commander and her men settled down on them while the rest of us examined the cabins. There were five of them. Rich golden wood paneling and paintings of seascapes adorned the walls. The beds and chairs were small but well-made. The others were shocked to see that the cabins all had modern flush toilets and showers with hot and cold water. After around an hour, my household staff had their fill of gawking at the ship and left.

As the owner and captain of the ship, I had prepared my lines ahead of time. I mentally clicked on the System’s map to choose our destination and said, “All hands, prepare to set sail! Cast off the lines and secure for departure. To new horizons, my crew! Let the adventure begin.”