The rain had stopped. The small, dilapidated hut hadn’t leaked, though dampness was inevitable.

Cen An lit a campfire and began tallying today’s haul: 【1 bundle of sparrow-tongue buds, 30 iron ingots, 20 clay, 30 lime, 20 copper ore, 5 turquoise, 1 obsidian】.

As for the reeds, they had already been transformed into the straw cloak and conical hat he wore.

Dusk was falling, but that didn’t stop him from preparing for a major undertaking.

First, he took 10 clay pieces and fashioned a large vat. Then he used 6 more clay pieces to make a small water jar.

The large vat was about a meter deep and as thick as a person’s girth. Its dark brown hue was identical to the jars used in northern rural villages of his past life for storing water and pickling vegetables. The small vat measured about sixty centimeters, holding only half the capacity of the large one.

Cen An placed the large vat in the outer room. In the corner, two wooden barrels held clear spring water. He lifted them and poured the water into the vat. This emptied the barrels. Once the large vat was filled tomorrow, it would last a long time.

The smaller jar was placed in the inner room. Opposite the broken bamboo bed, one corner held a wooden rack for storing medicine. He set the small jar in another corner.

He placed the wooden cylinder filled with wheat flour inside, covered the jar’s opening with the remaining rat skin, and secured it tightly with a straw rope. This way, it would be safe from pests. Yes, this jar was for storing grain.

With both grain and water properly secured, Cen An felt a weight lift from his mind.

Only then did he retrieve the lime.

His prolonged search for it had its reasons.

Along the outer wall, beside stacked firewood and hay, lay the stones he’d gathered these past days.

He packed 30 stones into his backpack, took 20 units of lime, and finally gathered 3 wood and 2 dry grass.

He opened the recipe menu, selected 【Fire Pit】, and began crafting.

The fire pit wasn’t a tool but a structure, requiring more time to complete.

A rumbling sound echoed for half an hour. When the dust settled, a square fire pit stood where the campfire had been.

The hearth was a square pit partially sunk into the ground. Stones were cut into neat square bricks, neatly stacked to form the walls, rising ten centimeters above the ground to carefully contain the internal flames and ashes.

The same flames produced by three pieces of wood were brighter and warmer than the previous campfire.

No more daily fire-starting was needed. The game’s hearth preserved the embers; tossing in any combustible material would reignite the flames instantly—more convenient than a gas stove.

More importantly, cooking became far less cumbersome. Two hooks above the hearth allowed both an iron pot and a steamer to hang simultaneously.

Cen An gazed at the brand-new hearth with delight. Could this be considered his first piece of real estate?

But now, the small hut felt a bit cramped. The sleeping quarters were manageable, but the cooking area—with both the water vat and the hearth taking up space—made turning around difficult.

Building a bigger house… Hah, thinking about that was premature.

With food and daily necessities taken care of, Cen An turned his attention to the copper ore, turquoise, and obsidian.

These were his greatest gains of the day.

First, the copper ore.

Cen An took 15 copper ore and crafted a 【Charcoal Burner】 using the recipe.

The charcoal burner served a singular purpose: transforming wood into charcoal.

Charcoal was precisely what he needed.

One piece of wood yielded three pieces of charcoal. Cen An fed two pieces into the burner. After a few seconds of crackling, six blackened pieces of charcoal emerged.

He then took out five pieces of turquoise.

The turquoise glowed with a jade-like, ghostly light, resembling fireflies. It was translucent and beautiful. In his previous life, it could have been crafted into a set of captivating jewelry.

Unfortunately, in this world, jewelry was of little use. What Cen An intended to make was something else entirely.

Five turquoise stones, five pieces of charcoal, and he retrieved five more pieces of lime. He opened the recipe book and flipped to the middle section.

【Proceed with crafting ‘Azure Blast Crystal Pill’?】

【Yes】

The recipe book rumbled to life. Soon, a string of green, bouncy-ball-like orbs rolled out with a gurgling sound.

Don’t let the tongue-twisting name fool you—this item was incredibly useful.

【Azure Blast Crystal Pill:

Effect: Upon impact, it explodes within a 5×5-meter radius, dealing damage and stunning all affected targets.】

Yes, the Azure Blast Crystal Pill not only functions as a ranged weapon capable of area-of-effect attacks, but more importantly, it locks the target’s health. Any living creature struck, regardless of injury severity, will be locked at its last drop of health and fall unconscious.

This feature might seem ordinary in the game, but in real life, it drastically reduces collateral damage, allowing him to use it without feeling restricted.

One turquoise stone yields five Azure Blast Crystals. Cen An carefully stowed twenty-five small green spheres into his backpack.

With these, he wouldn’t have to agonize over whether to use skills or flee when encountering someone like Yu Fei again… Frankly, he couldn’t afford to waste a skill costing fifty crystal cores.

Finally, he retrieved the sole piece of obsidian.

It resembled a black diamond, reflecting the flickering light of the campfire—somewhat dazzling, yet tinged with an unnerving aura.

Cen An studied it intently. As the rarest material he’d encountered since his transmigration, it demanded an extraordinary artifact.

He flipped through the recipe book until its final pages.

【Proceed with crafting the ‘Obsidian Divine Statue’?】

【Yes】

【Please infuse your blood.】

【Please add your hair.】

【Materials gathered. Please wait.】

A mysterious black glow appeared in the remote, dilapidated hut. Fortunately, the nearest neighbor was over a hundred meters away, and no one noticed.

The glow gradually faded, and silence returned to the shack.

Cen An examined the palm-sized statue in his hands. Its carving was incredibly crude—the features were indistinct, barely recognizable as human. It stood with arms crossed over its chest, head slightly bowed.

He placed the statue on the only table currently in his home.

The obsidian statue’s power could be significant or negligible—it largely depended on luck. One prayer could be offered to the statue daily. Note: An offering was required, typically plants, food, monster materials, and so forth. Afterward, a gift would be received from the statue.

When playing games before, Cen An would often craft the statue first thing. After all, praying once a day wasn’t much effort—might as well try your luck.

He pulled a piece of unused rodent meat from his backpack, placed it before the statue, and offered his first prayer.

Normally, the first prayer would yield something worthwhile. He’d once prayed with a small bok choy and received a rare material.

He considered what he currently lacked: crystal cores, seeds, weapons, equipment… basically, the more the better.

A dark flash rippled across the statue. The rat meat vanished, replaced by a crystal core.

Hmm… Why wasn’t that counted as a blessing?

Cen An expressionlessly pocketed the crystal core and flipped the statue face down onto the table.

Time to sleep!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The next day, a light drizzle began to fall once more.

Cen An donned a straw hat and a raincoat, then started harvesting the radishes.

Yes, after five days, the first batch of white radishes had matured.

【Congratulations! You have gained x8 EXP】

【Congratulations! You have gained x8 EXP】

Amid the system’s mechanical announcements, Cen An swiftly harvested an entire patch of white radishes.

【Experience Points: 3900/5000】

Just one more batch of white radishes and he’d level up!

Cen An perked up. Ignoring the rain, he loaded the radishes onto his small cart and headed straight for the little market.

An open-air market in the rain wouldn’t draw many people, but today was the day the white radishes were ripe—the day he’d promised Qu Yue and the others.

Sure enough, a group was waiting at the market entrance.

From a distance, Cen An heard Wang Lie bellow, “Cen, you finally made it!”

The young team members came running over, laughing and joking. The fastest runner was Ji Yong’an, the youngest among them, a Level 1 Water Elementalist.

Seeing him dash ahead, everyone teased him, “Xiao Ji, why are you running so fast?”

“You little brat, you haven’t even absorbed a few crystal cores yet. What the hell are you talking about, losing control of your abilities! “

”Exactly! Save the veggies for your brothers.“

Ji Yong’an didn’t get upset, just chuckled, ”I missed Brother Cen, okay?“

He ran up to Cen An, took the handlebars, and helped push his cart. ”Brother Cen, what veggies do we have today? Any more baby bok choy? My little sister and grandma love it.”

Cen An smiled. “Today it’s white radish. It’s delicious too.”

The crowd surrounded him as they entered the small market. Qu Yue and Zhao Wu were already waiting at the stall. Qu Huihui burrowed into her mother’s raincoat, watching the group curiously. “Hi, big brother!”

Cen An smiled back at her.

Qu Yue chuckled, “I don’t know why, but this little girl adores you.”

Qu Huihui, wise beyond her years, declared, “Because Brother is so handsome! Just looking at him makes me want to eat an extra bowl of rice!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Cen An shook his head helplessly, lifting the straw covering the cart to reveal the gleaming white radishes beneath.

The system-grown white radishes were exceptionally appealing. Each one was as long as a forearm and as thick as a water cup. Their white skin was flawless, like a piece of white marble. Even the radish leaves stood perky and vibrant.

Wang Lie squatted before the cart, unconcerned with the dirt. He picked up a radish, wiped it off, and popped it into his mouth. “Mmm~ Crisp! So crisp and sweet! Delicious!”

Watching him devour it so heartily, the others grew impatient. “Are you just sampling it?!”

Wang Lie savored it carefully. Despite his baby face, he possessed a mind as sharp as a razor.

Moments later, he opened his eyes and declared, “The energy content is higher than bok choy—roughly double the effect. Plus, a single white radish weighs far more than bok choy… Brother Cen, how about four crystal cores per radish?”

Cen An froze. “That… isn’t that a bit steep?”

His own mental price point was two crystal cores per root. No matter what these ability users said, in his mind, it was just a vegetable—and the lowest-grade one at that, straight from the farm.

More importantly, he could harvest a batch of white radishes every five days. Selling them this expensively now—what if he ended up with a surplus later? Would he have to lower the price then?

Wang Lie saw right through his thoughts and chuckled. “What kind of seller complains about their own goods being too expensive? Don’t worry, Brother Cen. Our group hunts mutant beasts in the mountains every day. We earn well over 20 crystal cores daily. Four crystal cores for a radish? We could eat these every day without issue.”

Cen An fell silent. So this whole group was loaded…

He nodded. “Alright then. There are 150 carrots here in total. I’ll keep 20 for myself. The remaining 130, you can divide among yourselves.”

Seeing the price settled, the group immediately scrambled to grab their share.

“Move aside! I want thirty!”

“I want fifty!”

“You bastards, save some for me! I want fifty too!”

Last time, only five had come, but now all seven were present. Add in Qu Yue and Zhao Wu wanting their share too… Suddenly, everyone felt their own supply wouldn’t be enough. Who was complaining about the price now?

Cen An watched helplessly as they divided up the entire cartload of white radishes. Qu Yue then thrust a small coin pouch into his hands, filled to the brim with 520 crystal cores.

Cen An quickly jiggled it—never had he been this flush before, and it felt a bit strange.

Just then, a voice piped up nearby: “Bro, it’s this guy! I overheard something about saving his life, buying groceries, medicine… definitely Qu Yue and the others pulling some shady deal behind your back!”

Cen An’s smile vanished. He looked up to see two figures across from him. The one whispering slander was greasy-haired, powdered-faced, and had a crooked mouth and squinty eyes—who else could it be but Shi Jie?

As for the other, that must be his older brother, Shi Long.