“Wait, where did He Yidao get those water jars?” And he managed to get three of them at once.

Nan Liujing wouldn’t comment on He Yidao’s character, but he was definitely intrigued by those water jars.

Based on experience, items like these couldn’t possibly be looted from treasure chests—could he have picked them up on a Resource Island? And all three at once? While not impossible, it was more likely that someone had obtained the corresponding crafting blueprints.

He searched the trading area and found exactly that.

【Rough-Pottery Water Jar, Capacity 120L. Trade for 50 basic materials or food of equal value—the kind that actually fills your stomach. Add 10 basic materials to purchase a matching lid.】 

“The price isn’t too bad…” Nan Liujing tapped a few buttons, agreed to trade two broken lotus roots, and received a water jar with a lid, which he placed under the eaves to replace the oak barrel.

He took the opportunity to take inventory of the various basic materials in the warehouse. Once he confirmed he had enough to build an animal pen, he headed straight to the back of the farmhouse and built it next to the slime pasture.

As the number of buildings gradually increased, the island became more and more crowded.

The newly built animal shed, in particular, took up quite a bit of space—it was an 8-meter-long by 4-meter-wide rectangle that occupied a large area behind the farmhouse, forming a “日” shape, with a small 4×4-meter square wooden cabin on top and a fenced-in square area below.

A small wooden sign hung on the gate. Nan Liujing walked closer to take a look and discovered several lines of small text.

【Animal Shed Guide】

【1. The fenced-off area is the “grazing zone,” where you can plant grass. If you herd animals into the grazing zone, they will forage on their own; no additional feed needed.】

【2. Do not graze animals on rainy days, as this will lower their mood and health, resulting in reduced production and, in severe cases, death.】

【3. Placing animals in the animal shed allows you to gradually tame them; the time required varies by animal species.】

【4. Successfully tamed animals will instinctively bond with their owners and will not run away.】

【5. Feed your animals on time, and they will reward you with produce.】

【6. Various activities—such as feeding, playing, petting, and grooming—can increase an animal’s affinity and mood toward its owner. Higher affinity yields higher-quality byproducts, while a better mood increases output.】

【7. Grazing can significantly increase mood.】

【8. You can keep up to 8 different types of animals in the animal shed, with a total of no more than 20.】

【9. Please let the animals live happily there!】

“Huh… there’s so much to it.” Nan Liujing rubbed his chin, silently read through the Animal Hut Guide once more, and raised an eyebrow. “Rather than just a building guide, it’s more like unlocking a whole new gameplay feature? That blueprint was definitely worth the money.”

He’d only paid with a blueprint he couldn’t use at this stage, three broken lotus roots stuffed with mud that were a pain to clean, and 300 liters of desalinated seawater—which was free but gave you diarrhea if you drank it—and yet he’d managed to trade for a whole new gameplay feature. It couldn’t have been a better deal.

What pleased Nan Liujing the most was that the animal shed actually came with a plot of arable land where he could plant crops. Although he could only grow forage grass there, the area was equivalent to poor-quality farm plots. As long as he planted that entire area with forage grass, he wouldn’t have to worry about feed anymore.

“Pasture seeds… I’ll search for them in the trading section.”

Muttering to himself, he pushed open the gate, walked through the currently barren grazing area, and entered the animal shed.

The interior was decorated just like a barn you’d see in a Western movie, with an overall color scheme resembling mature, harvested wheat stalks, glowing with a sunset-like golden hue.

The wooden structure was solidly built, still featuring the most common triangular roof. Looking up from inside, all the beams appeared sturdy and robust, perfectly capable of supporting stacks of hay bales, feed, tools, and the like.

The floor was made of compacted earth, easy to clean, and covered with a layer of hay. In the corner of the shed stood a row of long, rectangular stone troughs—two water troughs and two feed troughs.

A small blackboard hung on the wall next to the door; it was divided into 20 squares with white chalk, and the heading at the top read:

【Animal List】

“What does ‘one’ mean here?” Nan Liujing tentatively took a white-feathered chicken off the shelf in the trading area. The very next second, a plump white-feathered chicken flapped its wings and clucked as it appeared inside the animal shed.

Its memory was likely still stuck on the moment it was caught by Hei Tang, so as soon as it landed, it flapped its wings frantically and dashed to a corner as if fleeing for its life, hiding there and trembling.

Nan Liujing looked at the small blackboard and noticed that several lines of text had suddenly appeared in the first empty space in the upper-left corner.

【White-Feathered Chicken (Unnamed)】

【Personality: Timid】

【Domestication in progress… Countdown: 6h:00min:00s】

【Mood Level: ?】

【Well-being: ?】

【Health Level: ?】

The three lines at the very bottom, following the colons, look very similar to the “Affection” metric on the Companion page. Nan Liujing understood—it’s all the same.

Although 【Raising】 is also a type of gameplay, it’s tied to the 【Animal House】 building and won’t be linked to features like 【Companions】 or 【 Cooking 】 on the tablet you’re playing on.

“That means you can only unlock the breeding feature by obtaining the Animal House building…”

Come to think of it, the blueprint he bought was a total steal. What the hell?

“That idiot—I even had the patience to talk to him for so long. I deserve this.” Nan Liujing snorted defiantly, waved his hand, and a white sheep appeared in the Animal House, filling the air with a constant chorus of bleats and coos.

Nan Liujing looked at the two Black-Faced Sheep; he’d already checked out the White-Feathered Chicken, but he hadn’t had a chance to take a closer look at the two sheep since receiving them.

True to their name, the black-faced sheep had little black faces and black hooves, their bodies covered in white fur that looked like clouds. They resembled Shaun the Sheep a bit, but were much cuter than Shaun.

With their tiny faces, ears, and tails, and their large, jet-black eyes, their delicate little faces were both pretty and adorable, evoking a sense of tenderness.

【Black-Faced Sheep】

【Category: Animals】

【A relatively common breed of sheep in the Impermanent Sea. Wild ones are typically temperamental and are often raised for both their wool and meat. Adult sheep can produce wool every 4 days. Adult ewes can produce x1 unit of milk daily after giving birth. Careful rearing can improve the quality of their output.】

【Can be tamed and raised. (Requires relevant structures.)】

The two sheep had different personalities: one was lively and energetic from the moment it was born, hopping around everywhere, while the other was much quieter, merely bleating softly.

Nan Liujing glanced at the small blackboard. Indeed, one of the black-faced sheep was lively, while the other was docile; their taming countdown was much longer than that of the white-feathered chickens, taking 18 hours. 

Both white-feathered chickens were timid by nature; for a moment, they huddled in opposite corners, each trembling more violently than the other.

The lively little lamb was curious and wanted to get a closer look. Just as it lowered its head, the white-feathered chicken flapped its wings and squawked, startling the lamb instead.

The gentle little lamb, however, sauntered over to the feeding trough, nudging and rubbing against the empty stone trough while bleating.

“Right, feed.” Nan Liujing snapped his fingers and quickly tapped into the trading section.

He typed in the keyword “pasture,” and a list of search results quickly popped up. 

【Hay x2—just picked these up on Resource Island. Not sure what they are, but humans can’t eat them—I tried. Trade for 1 basic material.】 

【Hay Seeds x5, picked up on Resource Island—not sure what they’re for, probably nothing. Trade them for anything.】

【Early-Maturing Hay Seeds x5, picked up on the Resource Island. Not sure what they’re for—probably nothing. Trade them for anything.】

Scrolling through the search results, they’re all from the same person, and their tone is just so dismissive. If these were all they’d taken everything on the Resource Island, it would indeed be pretty hopeless.

Nan Liujing felt a moment of sympathy for the other person, then clicked to view the items and examined them closely.

【Hay☆】

【Category: Feed】

【Freshly harvested hay—a delicacy animals can’t resist. Not for human consumption.】

【Suggested Price: 11 Sol.】

【Condition: Fresh】

【Hay Seeds☆】

【Category: Seeds】

【Seeds for ordinary grass. Can be harvested 3 days after planting. Once grown, the grass spreads to the surrounding area. It does not spread in cold weather. Can only be planted in grazing areas or farmlands.】

【Suggested Price: 8 Sol.】

In addition to regular grass seeds, the shop shelves also feature 【Delicious Grass Seeds】, 【Early-Maturing Grass Seeds】, and 【Nutritious Grass Seeds】. Unlike regular grass seeds, Delicious Grass Seeds produce delicious grass that boosts animals’ mood; Early-Maturing Grass matures in 3 days, just like other grass seeds, but grow back faster once harvested; and Nutritious Grass improves health.

However, these special effects are tied to the hay itself, making them useless junk for the vast majority of players; the seller doesn’t even seem to have much hope of selling them. Nan Liujing thought for a second, then tapped into the private chat interface to type.

Unknown Island – Nan Liujing: Hello, how much hay and hay seeds do you have available to sell in total?

While waiting for a reply, Nan Liujing went to fetch some fresh water collected by the makeshift water collectors and filled both troughs.

Since the taming process wasn’t complete yet, the animals in the animal pen were still afraid of him. As Nan Liujing walked by, they scattered to avoid him, only gathering slowly around the troughs to drink once he’d left.

Ten minutes later, Nan Liujing’s tablet vibrated.

Lucky Island – Qian Hao: Hay x30, Hay Seeds x10, Delicious Hay Seeds, Early-Maturing Hay Seeds, and Nutritious Hay Seeds x5 each. Bro, are you interested? 

Unknown Island—Nan Liujing: A little. Could you tell me how you collected these? I’ve tried pulling grass on Resource Island, but I haven’t gotten any hay.

To be precise, pulling weeds on Resource Islands only yields 【Weeds】, and the only use for them is to put them in the compost bin. Given the same amount of stamina spent, pulling weeds seems like a total waste of time and a bad deal, so Nan Liujing gave up after just one try.

Lucky Island – Qian Hao: What can I say, bro? All I can say is that if you also want to test seeds and explore for three hours only to end up with a pile of hay and seeds and lose your entire investment, then you can choose it the next time you come across a Grassland Island.

The other person’s frustration was practically radiating through the screen. Nan Liujing couldn’t help but fall silent.

Unknown Island – Nan Liujing: I’ll give you 30 basic materials. Can that cover the cost for all that stuff?

Lucky Island – Qian Hao:? That’s awesome. But my sense of morality compels me to say—that’s too much, bro. It’s just junk; 20 basic materials are too much.

Unknown Island – Nan Liujing: It’s not too much. Besides the materials, I’d also like to ask you about the situation on Grassland Island. 

Lucky Island – Qian Hao: Got it—intelligence fee, right? No problem, go ahead.

According to Qian Hao, Grassland Island was originally a grazing island belonging to the Shepherds’ Association, but it was later abandoned due to grassland degradation and now belongs to no organization or individual.

After landing on the island, he saw an endless expanse of flat grassland, entirely covered with growing pasture grass. There were wild rabbits, mice, foxes, and birds in the grassland, but he couldn’t catch a single one.

In the distance, he also spotted animals—he wasn’t sure if they were sheep or deer—that were highly alert; they ran off before he could even get close.

After more than two hours of effort, he hadn’t caught a single thing. With his exploration time nearly up and not wanting to waste his energy, he could only pull up a bunch of grass to take with him.

What Nan Liujing was most curious about was whether collecting grass would drop seeds. Qian Hao answered in the negative.

Lucky Island—Qian Hao: All I can say is that in the game, seeds are different from those on Earth. When I pull grass, more than half of it has seeds attached, but none of them are seeds recognized by the system. I found some seeds rummaging through an abandoned hut belonging to the Shepherds’ Guild. Everything else in the hut had been cleared out, leaving only a stack of burlap sacks in the corner, with a few seeds scattered inside them.

Lucky Island – Qian Hao: Seeds recognized by the system look different from ordinary grass seeds—you’ll see what I mean. 

Soon after, Qian Hao sent over the hay and the grass seeds.

One unit of hay weighs one jin, and since hay is so light, 30 units really add up to quite a pile.

Qian Hao packed all the hay into woven bags as a gift.

The three bags of hay were bulging and gave off the distinctive scent of fresh grass.

Nan Liujing pulled out a handful. Qian Hao probably didn’t have a sickle—he must have pulled the grass by hand—so much of it still had roots attached. Indeed, more than half of the grass had produced seeds: tiny, black seeds that weren’t very noticeable at first glance.

When placed next to 【Pasture Seeds】, it was easy to tell them apart. The pasture seeds were slightly larger, each one plump and round, with a glossy sheen. In contrast, the grass seeds looked dry and shriveled—not very appealing.

At that moment, the gentle little lamb, drawn by the scent of fresh grass, plucked up the courage to approach. It was smaller than a medium-sized dog, with short, curly fur all over its body. It hopped along as it walked, its short tail wagging vigorously behind it, peering around curiously.

“Baa~”

The lamb tilted its little head back, its eyes fixed longingly on the grass in Nan Liujing’s hand.

“Want some? Here you go.” Nan Liujing casually tossed a handful of hay its way. The lamb picked it up in its mouth and chewed away, spilling quite a few seeds onto the ground. Two white-feathered chickens plucked up the courage to approach, timidly pecking at the scattered seeds.

Nan Liujing breathed a sigh of relief: “The lamb eats the grass, and the chickens eat the grass seeds as well as the grass—that’s great.”

So there’s no need to go out of his way to buy chicken feed.

Nan Liujing even wondered if he’d be able to find chicken feed in the trading area.

He picked up the burlap sack to refill the feed troughs; one whole sack of hay was just enough to fill two troughs. Nan Liujing didn’t take the remaining two sacks with him; instead, he stood on tiptoe and placed them on the crossbeam of the animal shed so they’d be easy to reach.

Based on each animal consuming x1 unit of hay per day, 30 units would be enough to feed them for seven days. And before that runs out, the grass in the grazing area would have already grown to full height.

Not wanting to disturb the little animals while they ate, Nan Liujing stepped out of the animal shed and began sowing grass seeds.

The difference between the grazing area and the farmland was that even without first tilling the soil with a hoe, he could sow the hay seeds directly. He didn’t even need to water them—when Nan Liujing accidentally dropped a seed there, a growth countdown appeared above its head the very next second.

“……” He stared silently at the seed for two seconds, then waved his hand decisively, scattering the rest of the seeds as well.

From then on, he didn’t have to do anything—he just had to wait for the growth countdown to end, and then he could arrange for the animals to graze every day. How awesome is that?

Come to think of it, the grazing area that came with the animal hut was really thoughtful. Although the range might be a bit small for the animals, Nan Liujing wasn’t worried at all that they’d run wild on the island and ruin his farmland, or accidentally fall into the sea.

Nan Liujing clasped his hands together: Well, no words are needed.

Once again, thanks to He Yidao—I hope he pulls his guts out soon and turns the island into a septic tank.

At nine in the morning, making the most of the last bit of time before high tide, Nan Liujing quickly scooped up the last palm leaf on the beach and sprinted back to shore.

This haul of supplies was neither good nor bad—there weren’t many basic materials, but there was plenty of trash. He picked up more than a dozen plastic bags alone, and he even came across a sea turtle that was stuck in a fishing net wrapped around its head, preventing it from opening its mouth.

Nan Liujing spent a little time using an oyster knife to cut through the fishing net, successfully earning a point of Ocean Friendliness.

The sea turtle paddled into the sea before high tide, but returned shortly afterward, its round head pushing an oak barrel. It didn’t leave again until Nan Liujing had taken it.

Nan Liujing opened the oak barrel to find a crate of nearly rotten lemons and tangerines. He picked out 11 “still-edible” lemons and found four “seemingly on the verge of spoiling” tangerines; the rest had to be tossed into the compost bin.

Having just gotten his hands wet with the rotten juice, Nan Liujing went back inside specifically to wash his hands with soap before coming back out, shaking his hands dry.

It was a sunny day—and such beautiful weather shouldn’t be wasted. He should make the most of every ray of sunshine and hurry to hang out everything that needs to be dried.

Nan Liujing gathered a pile of canvas scraps, spread them out evenly on the open space in front of the farmhouse, and then laid out various ingredients he’d saved up over the past few days that needed to be air-dried.

77 raspberries, 32 yellow mushrooms, 47 hazelnut mushrooms, 18 red mushrooms, and 12 wood ear mushrooms—all spread out evenly on the canvas.

He took out 19 lotus roots, washed off the mud, scraped away the skin, sliced them thinly, and laid them out on the canvas as well—he planned to dry them into lotus root chips.

Since these ingredients are small and vary in size, their drying times differ, but none will take longer than 72 hours; they’ll all be fully dried within three days.

Take the remaining 10 lotus roots. Process the first half using the same method; set aside the pile of dried, sliced pieces. Nan Liujing plans to use the rest to make lotus root kimchi.

He picked out 20 tomatoes and made tomato preserves using the method published in the newspaper.

There are also 43 blueberries, and Nan Liujing plans to turn them all into jam today.

For Nan Liujing, today is “warehouse cleanup day”—a day set aside specifically for handling miscellaneous tasks.

It’s no good just focusing on gathering new supplies and charging ahead single-mindedly; you have to stop every now and then to sort, exchange, and store them.

Otherwise, wouldn’t he be like a bear picking corn—plucking one ear and tossing it aside, ending up with just one ear left in his hand and another one dropped behind him?

He traded the remaining broken lotus roots for a pile of sugar and white vinegar. Nan Liujing counted them and felt it still wasn’t quite enough, so he took out a few pieces of dried grilled octopus—which, to him, no longer provided any stats—and traded them for seasonings and new sealed glass jars.

It must be said that food that grants attributes has quite high purchasing power—you can even trade one for many. With everything ready, Nan Liujing rubbed his hands together, ready to get started.

He’d start with the simplest task first.

Nan Liujing found a deep stew pot and prepared to sterilize the glass jars.

Whether making canned goods, kimchi, or sauces, you have to clean the containers first. He needed glass jars that were free of water, oil, and bacteria, and boiling them in hot water was the simplest way to sterilize them.

While the jars were boiling, Nan Liujing grabbed a cutting board and a kitchen knife. He scored a cross on each tomato, then dropped them into the kettle to boil for a minute or two before scooping them out—not to cook them, but to make peeling easier.

Following the instructions in the newspaper to the letter, he peeled and stemmed the tomatoes, cut them into small pieces, and set them aside.

Remove the boiled jars, wipe them dry, fill them to the brim with tomato chunks, then loosely cover them with lids and return them to the pot to boil.

Wait about ten to fifteen minutes, then remove the jars. While they’re still hot, screw on the airtight lids and turn the jars upside down to create a vacuum inside—this is the key to extending the shelf life from “months” to “years.”

His canned tomatoes are now ready.

Nan Liujing poured the remaining water from the pot into the small animals’ water bowls, then added fresh water, white vinegar, white sugar, salt, and whole black peppercorns. He stirred the mixture, heated it, and brought it to a boil.

He’d learned the pickling method from a German classmate. Since it was a technique for pickling cucumbers, Nan Liujing figured that since they were both vegetables, the principle for lotus root and cucumbers should be the same, so he simply copied the method.

There were some spices he didn’t have on hand, but he figured it didn’t matter—Nan Liujing’s life motto was “don’t force it.”

If it’ll do, it’ll do! 

Once the steaming hot pickling brine was ready, he poured it directly into a glass jar filled with lotus root slices, making sure the brine covered all the slices. He sealed the jar tightly and turned it upside down. Another one done!

It was already almost noon. He hadn’t done any real physical work all morning, so he wasn’t very hungry yet. Nan Liujing glanced at the time and decided to skip lunch today to finish making the sauce.

Two hours later, with a sigh of satisfaction, Nan Liujing flopped down onto the couch.

On the dining table, a stack of jars and containers was neatly arranged in rows—all the fruits of his labor that day.

40 units of blueberries had been turned into 20 jars of 220ml blueberry jam, with 3 units of fresh blueberries left over to enjoy with Nian Gao in a few days.

10 units of lotus root had been turned into 10 1-liter jars of lotus root kimchi, and he’d also made 10 cans of tomato preserves, each containing two tomatoes cut into small pieces.

【Blueberry Jam☆】

【Category: Processed Food】

【A delicious jam with a sweet-and-sour flavor! Eating one jar restores 12 Stamina points.】

【Suggested Retail Price: 225 Sol.】

【Condition: Fresh】

【Lotus Root Kimchi☆】

【Category: Processed Food】

【Lotus root pickled in a sweet-and-sour brine—it’s tangy and goes great with rice! Eating one jar restores 50 Stamina.】1

【Suggested Retail Price: 450 Sol.】

【Status: Fresh】

【Canned Tomatoes☆】

【Category: Processed Food】

【A whole can of tomatoes—bright red and beautiful. Eating one can restores 15 Stamina.】

【Suggested Price: 150 Sol.】

【Condition: Fresh】