Chapter 31: Settling Down

Han Ning swung his body a few times, effortlessly swimming to the bottom of the security booth before vaulting onto its roof in a few swift moves.

Old Xu, who was tightening his hold on the little girl in his arms, looked up. His breath hitched noticeably as he met Han Ning's eyes, which were covered by transparent membranes, and his cheeks, which had sprouted fish gills.

He asked cautiously, "Benefactor?"

"It's me," Han Ning nodded, his gaze falling on the little girl in Old Xu's arms.

The little girl looked to be about five or six years old, her hair tied into two small, round buns. Wrapped in an adult's raincoat that was clearly several sizes too large for her, she only revealed a pair of dark, round eyes. Her hair, slightly damp from the rain, clung to her forehead. Her face was spotless, showing that she was a child who had been meticulously cared for by her parents. Perhaps because she hadn't eaten in a long time, she looked incredibly weak, and her cheeks were a little swollen. Seeing Han Ning's bizarre appearance, she shrank back behind her father in fear.

"Yinyin, don't be afraid. He's Daddy's benefactor." Old Xu patted his daughter's back and brought her forward. "Hurry, say hello."

Despite her fear, Xu Yinyin obediently called out, "Hello, sir!"

"Hello. What's your name?" Han Ning smiled, his tone involuntarily softening.

"Xu Yinyin! Yinyin as in the lush green grass!" Xu Yinyin said crisply.

"Nice to meet you." Han Ning patted her head, then straightened up. Pointing at snow cake, who was lying next to the security booth, he told Old Xu, "Let's go. You lie on its back and let Yinyin hold onto you from behind. I'll carry your luggage for you."

"Alright." Old Xu looked at snow cake's ferocious appearance with trepidation, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Along the way, Old Xu was extremely tense. Looking as if his heart was in his throat, he clung to snow cake like an octopus. On the contrary, the little girl, Xu Yinyin, was quite brave. Her eyes widened as she constantly looked around. She had been a little afraid at first, but feeling the city ruins flashing past on both sides, her fear was gradually replaced by excitement.

At the eighth floor, outside Room 801.

Han Ning withdrew his Spiritual Power. The fish gills on his cheeks and the scales on his body quickly faded away, returning him to normal. He pushed the door open, and a faint musty smell wafted out.

"You two will live here from now on. I live next door."

Considering that he often had to do some research, he decided it was better to live alone. In any case, there were plenty of empty rooms in the apartment building; he wasn't short on a place for Old Xu and his daughter to stay.

Old Xu carried his daughter through the door and looked around the lifeless luxury suite. He set Yinyin down. The moment the little girl's feet touched the ground, she immediately surveyed the unfamiliar environment with careful curiosity, her small hands still clutching her father's pant leg.

"The environment here is much better than my place. Thank you, thank you so much, Benefactor." Old Xu tried to bow again, but Han Ning immediately stopped him.

"From now on, don't use honorifics to address me, and don't call me your benefactor. Just call me by my name—Han Ning. Han as in Korea, Ning as in Peace. What's your name?"

"Xu Ming," Old Xu provided his name. "How about I call you Mr. Han? It feels a little disrespectful to just call you by your first name."

"Up to you," Han Ning said, turning around and returning to his own Room 803.

A short while later, he came over carrying two bulging plastic bags. Inside were two bags of compressed biscuits, two large bottles of mineral water, several cartons of milk, a few cups of instant noodles, some chocolate bars, a small unopened packet of candy, as well as the cassette stove and gas canisters he usually used. He placed the bags on the only relatively clean low cabinet near the door.

"Helping me work... there probably won't be any wages, but room and board are covered, and you'll have enough to eat."

"These are already very precious, thank you!" Old Xu had lost count of how many times he had said thank you, his face filled with deep gratitude.

"Rest up first, and clean up the house while you're at it. I'll look for you when I need something."

"Got it, Mr. Han."

Back home, Han Ning walked briskly into his living room, approaching the wall near the balcony.

Arranged here were over a dozen pots and buckets of various sizes, making up the plantation he had meticulously tended to. Growing these plants had consumed a lot of his water resources. Any leftover water from his simple face washes, body wipes, or cooking—and even his urine—was carefully conserved and entirely used on these plants. Over a dozen flower pots pieced together, a few plastic buckets, and even several large soup bowls had been put to full use. Various plants grew lushly inside them.

There were two apple trees that had yet to bloom, standing at about a meter tall. It was worth mentioning that these two apple trees had been stuck at that height for a few days now. The cramped soil space was clearly limiting their growth. Han Ning didn't pay too much mind to the apple trees, though.

Next to them were a few clusters of thick-stalked potato seedlings, topped with inconspicuous light purple flowers. Pumpkin vines climbed up a makeshift trellis, their leaves as broad as palm fans. There were also a few densely leafed pepper plants, along with some tomato plants that were about to bear fruit.

The moment he obtained the Natural Blessing Skill, Han Ning had immediately thought of these crops he planted.

"Optimization... evolution..." Han Ning muttered, mulling over the words.

The description of the Natural Blessing Skill sounded like it held endless potential. If he could optimize the plants, making them grow faster, yield more, or even undergo some kind of beneficial mutation, that would be interesting. Taking it a step further, what if... what if he could use it on snow cake in the future, or on other ordinary people, Awakened, or even himself?

But he quickly calmed down. The Skill description was very clear. "The Level of the optimized target cannot be higher than the Druid itself." There was a high probability that it would have very little effect on himself.

"Then I'll start with the plants!" Han Ning made his decision.

Plant life structures were relatively simple, which met the condition for a high probability of optimization, and they had the lowest cost. His gaze swept over the different types of crops. The apple trees... were immediately discarded. Their growth cycle was too long, and the results would be too slow to show.

Pumpkins? They seemed to be the holy grail for weight loss, which didn't feel very ideal, though they could still be considered an option. Peppers were mainly condiments, making their cost-effectiveness not particularly prominent at this stage.

That left the potatoes and tomatoes. Potatoes were high-yield and rich in starch, capable of quickly replenishing Energy; they were his current staple food. Tomatoes, on the other hand, provided vitamins and had a high water content. They could be eaten raw or cooked, and their growth cycle was relatively short.

"They're the ones!" Han Ning finalized his choice. Of course, he wanted to try out every single type, but his Spiritual Power was limited. At this stage, it would be difficult to test all of them.

He stood up and walked over to a pot of potato seedlings and a pot of tomato seedlings. He had planted both of these relatively recently, and they had yet to reach their fruiting stage. The potato seedling was about thirty centimeters tall, while the tomato seedling was slightly shorter with greener, more tender leaves.

"Let's test it first."

Focusing his mind on the potato seedling, Han Ning extended his right hand, aiming his palm at the emerald leaves, and chanted silently in his heart, "Natural Blessing!"

A wave of Spiritual Power, far greater than when he released Rapid Growth, surged out of his body. An emerald green light instantly circulated from his palm. Instead of scattering, the light gathered into a soft beam that precisely enveloped the entire potato seedling.

[Spiritual Power: 15/25 → 12/25]