A few hours had gone by since Tom had planted the given seeds. In that span of time, he did some tests. Much to his surprise, his house still had power and water. As a result, he decided to take a hot bath to collect his thoughts.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAzgs2rL0TvV
He also checked his inventory, and he found two manuals, which he read while he was bathing. Just as he had anticipated, these manuals were related to the other quests, though they were quite vague and nothing out of the ordinary.
387Please respect copyright.PENANANWfPJiMrBS
One of them was about cultivation, which described the first steps. From it, he learned that he needed to learn some sort of breathing technique to aid him, along with a few exercises. Also, in order to properly start his path, the manual stated that he needed to take a cleansing pill to rid his body of impurities.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAIjTFw8OnTO
The other manual gave fundamental information regarding alchemy, which, to some extent, he already knew from reading a few Eastern novels. Still, it contained a passage that was most likely connected to the other manual.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAk3CIVQ3pUi
The very last passage contained a recipe for a cleansing soup. As if it was put in there just because of him, as creating a pil was something he couldn't do at all, that he was certain of; alchemy required a level of Qi control, but that was impossible for him in his current state.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAafGesEdjcL
After reading both of the manuals, he just tossed them aside and placed them on the floor of his bathroom. After all, he couldn't progress at all since the only quest he could complete could not be influenced.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAoch51nxarT
Since he had nothing really to do once he was done bathing, he finally decided to organise the crates in his garage. After all, that was the only source of food he had. The products which needed to be kept cold were quickly put into the freezer, but Tom left everything else in the garage.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAlGRcvJFNaT
While he was walking in and out of the kitchen, he finally realised something. He didn't water the planted seeds; although he was not an expert when it came to plants, he at least knew that watering them was essential. Thus, he grabbed a decently sized pot, filled it with water and brought it outside.
387Please respect copyright.PENANATdEHuI4bFJ
He made his way over to where he had planted the seeds, and much to his shock, he noticed significant changes. The area where he had removed the grass from and had plated the seeds seemed to be covered by thin but numerous white vines. It almost seemed as if the ground was covered by cobwebs, which were being covered by snow.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAMkzI6rLK0s
Tom carefully observed the strange vines, which seemed to be gradually growing, slowly entangling more and more of the free, grassless area.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAq9S5IluA6y
In such a short amount of time, the recently planted seeds had already begun growing. Seeing their progress made Tom grin; after all, he thought he would need to wait many long days before anything would truly happen, but now he believed that he might only need to wait a couple of days for them to fully grow.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAuMhMBZan7h
Once he was done with his observation, he put the pot down, a bit hastily, as he slapped a bit of water onto the grass and then proceeded to remove more grass from around the planted seeds, just in case they needed more space.
387Please respect copyright.PENANA3IAnhOu4np
He cleared a circle with a diameter of around a meter. By the time he was done, he thought that it might be a bit overkill, but it was strangely relaxing to do something physical.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAxFbYy307MR
He carefully poured the water onto the vines, at which he noticed that their growth had slightly increased, and the central vines grew thicker and thinner vines started growing from them. It seemed that a pot of water exponentially increased the growth rate of the strange seeds.
387Please respect copyright.PENANASKPshesZNB
"Congratulation! Host's farming has advanced to the next level! The Host's power had been slightly increased. In addition, please choose two of the following rewards."
387Please respect copyright.PENANAmgVBEkT0Xe
Suddenly, a new panel popped up. This one was almost like his inventory, but this one was full. He could see pictures of dozens of fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAfmVeNY98W1
The variety was quite diverse. As a result, he just kept staring at it for many long minutes. Tom could recognise some of them, but there were many that he was certain were not of his world.
387Please respect copyright.PENANADS6aqxFJCI
If these plants could grow as fast as the seeds, then he wouldn't need to worry about food in the future. At first, he was leaning towards some vegetables, but then something occurred to him.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAjYK66Ta7cK
He needed to choose something that could bear a number of products and would be easier to reproduce or plant more. That is why he finally decided to go with an apple and a pear.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAv0YOTtYDWy
Although it would most likely be longer for them to bear fruits, eventually, the number of fruits would greatly increase, and he wouldn't need to constantly replant them.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAyRbu3mX2CS
With determination, he tapped on the icon of the apple, at which it turned into a green tick, and then at the pear. The moment his finger touched the pear's picture, the panel vanished, and a strange, warm gust of wind occurred.
387Please respect copyright.PENANA4ASu7iN8CR
The items had been instantly placed into his inventory, and with a grin, he rushed into the house to get another pot of water. He was determined to instantly plant them. However, the two fruits were not the only rewards.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAxRTvOHnR28
He was so focused on the apple and the pear that he failed to notice that the gust of wind was caused by the expansion of his barrier. It expanded considerably, giving Tom even larger green land to use.
387Please respect copyright.PENANAoJ3aUrc7pD
It seemed that his cultivation life would truly be kicked off by cultivating.
387Please respect copyright.PENANA7Oc4NLQ07Z