Chapter 19: Snatching Things

The rumor about purple briefs turned out to be true...

Jiang Ye was stunned, his mind filled with... I need to collect purple briefs?

That didn't sound like something a respectable person would do. Nope, not like a respectable mushroom.

"My book!"

"Oh my, what a mess!"

"My book..."

Someone rushed over shouting, most likely the unfortunate bookstore owner. He was a middle-aged man with thin-rimmed glasses, looking quite scholarly.

"Your book..." Jiang Ye came back to his senses and handed the torn page to the bookstore owner.

The bookstore owner took it with a grimace and said, "Thank you. What a rotten day, huh? But the TV said the Chief Deity is in a good mood today."

"Oh, right," the bookstore owner said, giving Jiang Ye a once-over. "You must be the young farmer who just moved in, right?"

The mushroom nodded.

"Welcome, welcome!" The bookstore owner pointed to a street corner in the distance. "My bookstore is over there. We have a pretty good selection of books. Feel free to come buy or rent. But..."

The bookstore owner shook his head. "As you can see, the bookstore can't stay open today. That Bad Bird trashed the place. I need to close up and clean up. That bird has a bad reputation around here for being a troublemaker. Every so often it swoops into town and wreaks havoc. No one knows who offended it. I hear crows hold grudges."

The bookstore owner kept venting to Jiang Ye, then smacked his forehead. "Almost forgot the most important thing—I have a gift for you!"

He pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to the little mushroom.

Jiang Ye looked. It was a book!

Not a pocket-sized one, but a regular-sized book. The bookstore owner had pulled such a large, thick book out of his pocket as if by magic.

Jiang Ye took it. "Thank you very much."

"No problem." The bookstore owner waved his hand. "I need to get back to cleaning up the store. Hope to see you again soon."

The mushroom nodded and watched the owner hurry off, then looked down at the book in his hand.

—*A Guide to Tea Leaf Divination*

This reminded Jiang Ye of the tea leaf divination channel on TV.

It was a thick guidebook. When he flipped through it, every page had abstract images representing the shapes tea leaves left at the bottom of a cup.

The mycelium flipped through the pages, getting to the last third, and finally found a pattern resembling a "wine glass."

—Wine glass: you'll meet a new friend.

The mushroom nodded. It seemed the tea leaf divination show was pretty accurate. The new friend must be Dorin.

The mycelium placed the guide into the item slot. Next up: buying a pickaxe.

Jiang Ye wasn't very familiar with the town yet, so he happened to stop a kind-looking elderly man and asked where he could buy a pickaxe.

The man enthusiastically pointed him toward the blacksmith's shop.

Of course, the general store also sold pickaxes, but they were overpriced and flimsy, so they weren't a good choice.

Jiang Ye easily found the blacksmith's shop. It was a bit out of the way, but the clanging sound could be heard from a distance.

When he stepped into the yard, a tall, burly young man was forging iron, his arm muscles bulging, looking exceptionally strong.

The blacksmith seemed to be a man of few words. He looked up at Jiang Ye and said, "Take a look around. Help yourself."

"Oh, alright." Jiang Ye nodded.

The yard was filled with all kinds of iron goods. The mushroom turned around and saw a whole row of pickaxes—exactly what he needed.

The mushroom hopped over to them. Each pickaxe had a price tag hanging from it, so the prices were clear without needing to ask.

The cheapest pickaxe was marked 1000 rupees, just like other players had mentioned.

Next to it were pickaxes priced at 2000, 4000, 8000, and so on, each fancier than the last.

Jiang Ye counted his money and said, "I'll take this pickaxe."

"Alright, one thousand rupees." The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow, stopped his work, and walked over.

Jiang Ye paid right away, and the blacksmith picked up the pickaxe and handed it to the mushroom. "Here you go."

"Okay, thanks." The mycelium took the pickaxe and weighed it in his hand. It had a decent heft, but was easier to handle than expected, looking sturdy and durable. With this pickaxe, he could go mining at the quarry and then build a bicycle.

"CAW!!!"

A hoarse cry interrupted the mushroom's daydream.

The loud call startled both Jiang Ye and the blacksmith.

It was the crow, of course.

The blacksmith looked up, and his face went pale. It was clear that the townsfolk were all troubled by this crow—just the sound of it made them turn white as a sheet.

The crow's massive wings blocked out the sunlight, casting the whole mushroom in shadow.

"CAW!"

"Watch out!" The blacksmith shouted a warning.

The mushroom felt a huge gust of air above his head, a dangerous, crushing pressure descending from above.

The giant crow swooped down, its sharp talons grabbing for the pickaxe in Jiang Ye's hand.

It's snatching things again!

The mycelium reacted quickly, extending eight strands in a flash, wrapping tightly around the pickaxe.

The crow couldn't yank the pickaxe away immediately, but it clearly wasn't giving up. It tightened its talons and flapped its wings, and for a moment, Jiang Ye felt like he was about to lift off!

The mushroom was tiny compared to the crow. The crow gripped the pickaxe, almost lifting the little mushroom into the air.

"Careful! Let go!"

The blacksmith grabbed the mushroom's stipe—one of Jiang Ye's legs—urgently. "Let go!"

Jiang Ye felt that this crow was incredibly strong. If he didn't let go, the crow would probably be able to lift both him and the blacksmith into the air.

Left with no choice, Jiang Ye retracted his mycelium and let go.

The pickaxe was snatched away, and the crow flew into the sky, circling overhead three times in a show of triumph.

The blacksmith breathed a sigh of relief, sweat beading on his brow.

"Caw!"

The crow cried out, as if mocking them, then turned and flew off, carrying Jiang Ye's newly purchased pickaxe into the distance.

Jiang Ye was furious. The white mushroom instantly flushed red, fuming until it was a red mushroom.

"Stop!"

Jiang Ye shouted, ready to chase after the crow. That pickaxe had cost him 1000 rupees!

The crow flew fast—and unless he was imagining it, it glanced back after flying off, almost as if it was afraid Jiang Ye wouldn't give chase.

"Don't chase it. It's dangerous." The blacksmith stopped Jiang Ye from pursuing, shaking his head at him.

"But..." Jiang Ye's head was buzzing with rage.

The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "The direction the crow flew toward is the temple. Both the crow and the temple are dangerous."

He turned, bent down, and picked up a new pickaxe, handing it to the mushroom: "Here, this one's for you."

Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment and didn't take it, saying, "This one's too expensive."

Jiang Ye didn't have nearly enough money left to buy it.

The blacksmith shook his head and thrust the new pickaxe into his hand, saying, "You already paid for this one."

Jiang Ye was surprised. This blacksmith was actually pretty decent.

The blacksmith spoke little. He handed Jiang Ye another item and said, simply, "A gift."

The mushroom took it and looked down—it was a map.

It was a map of Sun Town. The moment it touched him, it was logged into the system, and a "Map" button popped up on the system control panel.

The map could be zoomed in and was drawn in impressive detail. The blacksmith's shop, the general store, the bakery—everything was laid out clearly, and it even marked the little mushroom's location.

"Thank you so much!" Jiang Ye said happily.

The blacksmith shook his head and looked toward where the crow had flown.

The crow had already flown far. With one flap of its wings, it easily cleared Sun Town, and with another, it was already above the temple.

The crow circled above the temple—once, twice, three times. It deftly tossed the pickaxe up with its claws, then swooped its wings to catch it mid-air, like it was playing some dull little game.

"Caw!"

The crow finished its dull little game and perched on the temple's peak, blending in like a grim statue.

It stared toward town, its deep sapphire eyes darting around. There wasn't a single person on that road. No one had come after it.

"Caw!"

The crow was clearly losing its patience.

It grabbed the pickaxe again, spread its wings, and took off—this time in a different direction. It looked like it had no plans to visit the town again.

It headed in the exact opposite direction, flying toward the desolate farm.

Within minutes, it landed on the shoulder of the farm's only scarecrow.

Clearly, the crow wasn't scared of the scarecrow at all.

The farm was empty, completely silent, not a sound to be heard. The little wooden cabin stood alone, yet it felt oddly cozy. In front of the cabin, twenty tender sprouts sat in neat rows, all already watered.

This was Jiang Ye's farm, but its owner hadn't come back yet.

"Caw!"

The crow cawed in frustration, loosening its claws and dropping the pickaxe.

It stretched its wings, looking ready to leave this barren farm behind. But then the crow paused, catching a golden glint in the corner.

Right by the little wooden cabin, in the corner, something golden gleamed even brighter than the sun.

Crows loved shiny things—and this crow found it absolutely irresistible.

That was the golden birdcage Jiang Ye had pulled out of grandpa's cookie tin that morning. Its purpose was unknown, and it took up too much space, so he'd moved it to a corner out of the way.

"Caw!"

The birdcage sparkled, its door wide open.

The crow flew over, its sapphire eyes filled with gold, and with a loud cry, it dived inside.

Thud!

The cage door suddenly slammed shut.