Chapter 21: Chief Deity’s Treasure (2nd Update)

Chapter 21: The Chief Deity's Treasure (2nd Update)

"I didn't plant the tulips yesterday!" Jiang Ye suddenly remembered. Last night he was so busy messing with the crow that he even forgot something as important as planting flowers.

Tulips bloom in 6 days. Planting them today would delay them by a day, which was a bit of a bummer.

The mushroom's mycelium scratched its head. Is this bad luck or what?

The mushroom opened the door of the wooden cabin and stepped outside, starting with a lazy stretch. The sky was cloudy, the sunlight wasn't as bright, but the air was cool, with a faint scent of grass and flowers on the breeze.

Jiang Ye took a deep breath.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

He didn't even finish his deep breath before he started coughing, his eyes popping open in shock as he stared hard at the golden birdcage beside the cabin.

The golden birdcage, like a miniature castle, stood with its door wide open—the "princess" trapped inside was gone!

"Where's my crow?" The mushroom dashed over, the mycelium gripping the bars, shaking the open door in frustration.

The crow was gone!

It had flown away!

Dream and reality collided without warning, nearly knocking Jiang Ye's head for a loop.

The mushroom was stunned speechless. What the heck was going on? Could the crow really turn into a human, and was it actually Knight Snail Dorin?

"No, no..."

The mushroom shook his head back and forth. Jiang Ye thought to himself—those were all dreams. Maybe he was just overthinking things.

He didn't know many NPCs or players in this game, but the one that stood out most was definitely Knight Snail Dorin.

Dorin was tall, wore a helmet, and had an air of mystery. And he even helped Jiang Ye farm! Jiang Ye figured it must be a case of "you dream about what you think about during the day" and had a ridiculous dream.

The mushroom nodded seriously. That had to be it. Crows are the smartest birds; opening the cage door probably wasn't a big deal for it.

"Sigh." Jiang Ye sighed. "My pet flew off..."

The tea leaf reading was right—today was a bad luck day.

The mushroom hung its head dejectedly, its stem all limp, mood stuck at rock bottom. Then he turned around...

"Oh my gosh!"

The droopy mushroom instantly perked up, hopping twice in place, all squishy and bouncy, letting out a "Boing~ Boing~" sound.

His bad mood, which was at rock bottom a second ago, shot up instantly, like a rollercoaster flipping into the air.

The mushroom dashed from the birdcage to the fields, crying out in disbelief: "Ripe? All of them?!"

The mushroom's mycelium rubbed its eyes—they really were all ripe!

"Harvestable crops X20"

The field that was full of little green sprouts yesterday had produced fruit in the blink of an eye. Pink strawberries, lush green lettuce, bright red tomatoes, and yellow potatoes.

The mushroom zipped excitedly through the fields. How did everything ripen this fast? Come to think of it, these crops have different growing times; they shouldn't all be ripe on the same day.

"This ripened way too fast. I didn't even use any fertilizer."

As Jiang Ye muttered to himself, the mycelium reached out and pinched the mushroom cap.

"Ow!"

Jiang Ye yelped and covered his cheek. Ow, ow, ow—this isn't a dream.

The mycelium tentatively reached out and picked a big, pink strawberry, gave it a gentle tug. With a soft pop, the strawberry came right off.

"Strawberry"

"One of the most popular fruits—sweet and fragrant! Beauty and taste in one!

+50 Stamina

+50 HP

+50 SAN"

"Whoa..." Jiang Ye held up the strawberry, examining it with genuine admiration. "Like a work of art."

The strawberries in the game were huge—bigger than a normal adult's fist, and a whole size larger than the current little mushroom.

The strawberry was perfectly shaped, looking like the very essence of a strawberry. It gave off a rich, unique fruity aroma, smelling sweet and tangy, with a strange hint of cream.

The mushroom took a deep breath, almost drooling.

Jiang Ye hugged the giant strawberry, turned to the small pond to give it a bath first, then eagerly took a bite.

"Mmm!" So sweet!

Freshly picked strawberries were just so fresh—one bite burst with juice, the texture was incredibly smooth, and the sourness, sweetness, and creamy flavor tangled together in his mouth, creating a rich taste.

"Oh my, this is too delicious." He hugged the giant strawberry and couldn't wait to take a second bite. Such a delicious strawberry, and this big—one was enough to satisfy!

After eating one giant strawberry, Jiang Ye felt quite full, and his mood had soared to the skies.

The field had more than just strawberries ripe—there were also potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes. The mycelium waved around as the mushroom charged over and began harvesting like crazy.

Picking strawberries! Picking tomatoes!

Digging lettuce! Digging potatoes!

After a busy stretch, Jiang Ye took a moment to open the system and check—harvesting crops didn't cost stamina, which was great.

Strawberries, tomatoes, and lettuce were all crops that could regrow after harvest. He just needed to wait another 4 days for a second big harvest.

As for potatoes, they couldn't be harvested twice, but digging them up dropped new potato seeds. Jiang Ye picked up those new seeds and buried them back in the soil—no need to re-dig the ground, no need to waste stamina.

"Mission accomplished!"

The mycelium wiped the sweat off the mushroom head, planted the tulips beside the field, picked up the watering can, and carefully watered every crop and flower, unable to stop fantasizing about whether the crops would all be ripe again when he opened the cabin door tomorrow morning.

Just imagining it made the mushroom chuckle out loud.

"Social"

"Mushroom Soup": Folks! Folks! My crops are all ripe!

Jiang Ye wasn't satisfied with just being happy alone, so he decided to show off a bit on the social channel.

"Up at Two": What? Your crops are ready? What did you plant that grew so fast?

"Lu Ban the Five-Footer": Don't tell me yours turned out like mine—all weeds?

"Nothing Better to Do": You must have used fertilizer, that's way too fast.

"The Man Who Would Be Smoked Fish King": Mushroom, you're a legend! What did you plant?

"Mushroom Soup": I planted strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce!

"Mushroom Soup": I'm gonna head to town later to grab some ingredients, then cook in the bar's kitchen!

Jiang Ye had it all planned out while harvesting—first, a lettuce and mashed potato salad, then tomato scrambled eggs, plus a strawberry milkshake and tomato meat sauce pasta!

"The Man Who Would Be Smoked Fish King": Oh man, I'm drooling over here, my stomach's going crazy.

"Mushroom Soup": I didn't use any fertilizer, the crops just ripened out of nowhere. Scared the heck out of me this morning!

Even now, Jiang Ye still thinks it's weird.

"Le Yi Li": Did you bring a sprite back home?

"Mushroom Soup": A sprite? What's that?

No one had heard of it, and everyone was totally confused.

"Le Yi Li": You can sometimes run into sprites in the wild, and there's a chance in temples and mines too. They look like fireflies—they glow, have wings, and are these tiny little people.

The more he explained, the less Jiang Ye had any idea what he was talking about.

After beating a slime, Le Yi Li got a "Farming Manual" from it that mentioned ways to speed up crop growth.

Besides using fertilizer to speed things up, sprites and the Chief Deity can also make crops mature fast.

The book said that if you bring a sprite home, put it in a glass jar, and leave it on the farm overnight, every crop on the farm will ripen by morning.

"The Man Who Would Be Smoked Fish King": No way, that's insane?

"Lu Ban the Five-Footer": I'm gonna go catch a sprite right now!

"Le Yi Li": I've been roaming the mines for ages and haven't seen a single sprite.

"Up at Two": They're that rare?

"Le Yi Li": The book also says these sprites get depressed super easily.

"Mushroom Soup": (Shocked emoji)

"Le Yi Li": If they're trapped in a jar all night, they might be dead by morning.

"Mushroom Soup": (Shocked emoji)

Jiang Ye was taken aback. He'd just been thinking about keeping an eye out for sprites at the mines, maybe bringing one back, but who would've thought...

"The Man Who Would Be Smoked Fish King": Man, that's kinda messed up.

"Lu Ban the Five-Footer": Forget it then, I don't mess with the weak.

"Mushroom Soup": Could the crops suddenly ripening have something to do with that crow?

Jiang Ye had never seen a sprite—last night, he only saw a crow.

"The Man Who Would Be Smoked Fish King": Aren't crows just around to steal your crops?

"Lu Ban the Five-Footer": I'll just go buy some fertilizer then.

"Up at Two": But fertilizer's way too expensive—100 rupees a pack at the biggest general store in Sun Town!

The social channel suddenly went dead silent. Seems like not many people could just drop a hundred rupees on fertilizer, especially when one pack only speeds up one crop.

Mushroom saw this and suddenly got excited.

"Mushroom Soup": I've got some extra fertilizer, homemade.

"Mushroom Soup": Anyone want some? 50 rupees a pack.

"Lu Ban the Five-Footer": !!!

"Lu Ban the Five-Footer": I want it!

"Nothing Better to Do": Wait, you made your own fertilizer?

"Smoked Fish King": I'll take some.

"Up at Two": Whoa, how much does it speed things up? Also 10%?

"Up at Two": Wait, the person above—aren't you the rumored flame of that Angler guy?

"Mushroom Soup": 15% speed-up.

"Up at Two": I want some too!

50 rupees—not exactly cheap, but half the price of the general store.

Soon Jiang Ye was drowning in private messages, all from people wanting to buy fertilizer or trade for it. Of course, some bold players tried to get fertilizer for free.

"Blue Iceland": Send me 10 packs of fertilizer, thanks.

"Blue Iceland": ???

"Blue Iceland": Why aren't you answering me?

Jiang Ye remembered this ID—last time they tried to get free firewood, and now here they were again. Too busy trading with others, he just ignored Blue Iceland's messages.

"Blue Iceland": How rude can you be? I'm talking to you.

"Blue Iceland": Hey! So cheap.

"Blue Iceland": You don't believe me? I'll have my brother come beat you up!

"Blue Iceland": Just you wait—once the newbie protection ends, I'll have my brother kill you until you quit the game!

Jiang Ye was busy trading, selling 33 packs of fertilizer in one go and earning 1,650 rupees, bringing his total to 3,161 rupees—suddenly a little richer.

After counting his money, he noticed Blue Iceland was still spamming him. So Jiang Ye simply blocked them. In an instant, the world was quiet.

Dudu dudu—

Another message came through.

"Le Yi Li": Um, I'm out of rupees, can I swap you a bag of fertilizer?

"Mushroom Soup": Sure, bartering's fine too.

"Le Yi Li": Uh, so, um...

Jiang Ye was confused. Wasn't Le Yi Li usually pretty blunt? Why was he being so hesitant?

"Le Yi Li": You need any clothes or stuff?

"Mushroom Soup": Did you get gear from mob drops?

"Le Yi Li": Yeah.

"Mushroom Soup": Great, I'm actually planning to go mining soon and need equipment. What you got?

"Le Yi Li": Underpants...

Jiang Ye: "???"

"System: 'Le Yi Li' shows you his 'Purple Briefs'."

Jiang Ye: "!!!"

"Le Yi Li": They're brand new, never worn.

"Mushroom Soup": Done!!!

Jiang Ye traded one bag of fertilizer for the first purple briefs he'd ever owned as a mushroom. The trade went off without a hitch.

According to Le Yi Li, the purple briefs were looted from a Bokoblin he defeated in the mines. Because they looked so freaky, he never wore them.

Jiang Ye got the briefs soon after. He pulled them out of his inventory and checked them out...

"Uh..."

They were grape-purple men's briefs. What caught the mushroom off guard was...

"It's actually a thong..."

Jiang Ye stuffed the briefs back into his item slot, thought for a sec, then headed into the wooden cabin to stash them in his storage box.

Carrying that weird thing around would waste space and make him look like a total creep.

"Character Info:"

Name: Jiang Ye

ID: Mushroom Soup

Occupation: Mushroom

Satiety: 100/100

Stamina: 100/100

Health: 100/100

Sanity: 100/100

Charm: 1/100

The morning was busy but productive. Jiang Ye checked the time—9 a.m.

Times like this made him appreciate getting up early. Even after all that, he still had plenty of time.

"Time to head to town!" the mushroom nodded.

Jiang Ye wanted to hit the mines, mine some ore to craft a bike, and maybe snag some purple briefs to boost his charm.

But going to the mines needed more prep. Branches and a pickaxe weren't enough—he needed to pack a ton of food.

Fighting monsters didn't just eat away at health; it also drained hunger fast.

When hunger got too low, sanity would drop. Once sanity hit a certain low, players might run into weird stuff or tougher, scarier monsters.

Mining, though, drained stamina. If stamina ran too low, he could easily black out.

All these stats had to be topped off with food.

The mushroom packed the fresh strawberries, potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes, planning to cook at the bar in Sun Town. With everything prepped, he'd be set to mine tomorrow.

As he left the farm, the mushroom looked back at the scarecrow by the gate's fence.

The scarecrow didn't move.

The mushroom shook his head and muttered, "No time to waste, better head to town."

The trip was long for a little mushroom, but at least he could grab apples and chop grass on the way, so it wasn't too dull.

"+1 rupee"

"+5 rupees"

"+1 rupee"

The mushroom strolled along, picking stuff up and counting: "3168... 3169... 3170. Huh? Is that Dorin?"

"Dorin?" the little mushroom waved at him enthusiastically.

Passing the crossroads, he spotted a tall figure up ahead—broad shoulders, crazy long legs, and most importantly, a canned helmet. Even from the back, he was easy to spot.

Jiang Ye froze when he first saw Dorin.

Today Dorin was fully clothed, nothing like the bare-chested guy in just purple shorts from his dream.

Remembering that weird dream, Jiang Ye got embarrassed, and the little white mushroom turned pink.

Dorin kept walking, like he didn't hear Jiang Ye call out to him.

The mushroom scratched his cap, thinking, "Did he not hear me? Is my voice too quiet?"

Should he shout again?

But he was moving so fast—those long legs were no joke. A little mushroom could never keep up.

"Heads up: Purple briefs detected!"

Just as Jiang Ye was green with envy, the system notification appeared in large text before him.

Jiang Ye: "!!!"

The mushroom sprang half a meter into the air and took off running, catching up to Dorin ahead in under two seconds, panting as he stood before him.

"D-Dorin, g-good morning." Jiang Ye panted heavily.

"Notice: purple briefs detected!"

The system notification appeared again, and this time it thoughtfully popped up an arrow pointing at Dorin's crotch and butt.

Jiang Ye: "..."

Jiang Ye's eyes darted around frantically—how could he just stare at someone's butt? That would be so rude. Besides, Dorin was fully dressed; no matter how much he stared, he couldn't see the purple briefs underneath.

Dorin wasn't surprised to see Jiang Ye. He said nothing, just nodded.

The mushroom cap turned even redder than before—no longer just pink.

Jiang Ye coughed awkwardly, covering his embarrassment by saying, "Good morning, are you heading to town? I called out to you earlier, but you didn't hear me."

Dorin said flatly, "Didn't hear you."

Whether it was his imagination or not, Jiang Ye felt the other man was somehow... cold. Like he didn't want to talk to Jiang Ye at all.

Now Jiang Ye was even more embarrassed. Last time Dorin left the farm, they'd gotten along so well.

It had to be his imagination.

Jiang Ye coughed again, straightened his mushroom cap, and invited, "I'm heading to town too. Let's walk together. Oh, by the way."

He pulled a giant strawberry out of his item slot and held it up to Dorin, saying, "I grew some strawberries—big and sweet. This one's for you. It's already washed and clean, so you can eat it right now!"

The mushroom gushed about his strawberry enthusiastically, looking at Dorin with big, sincere eyes.

Dorin said nothing, and his face was unreadable. All Jiang Ye could see was his hand twitch slightly, as if he was about to raise it, then lower it again. Then he slowly lifted his hand and took the strawberry Jiang Ye was offering.

"Thanks."

Dorin thanked him, his voice low and raspy, with a hint of awkwardness.

Jiang Ye urged him to try it, asking expectantly, "Is it good? Is it good? Isn't it sweet, with a little bit of a creamy flavor?"

Dorin pushed his helmet aside, turned his face away, took a bite, then nodded and said, "Sweet."

He still didn't say much, but somehow the mood improved a little.

The two of them walked toward Sun Town, chatting as they went. Of course, Jiang Ye did most of the talking.

"Last night, a crow flew onto my farm." He covered his mouth and laughed, saying, "It was so dumb—it flew right into the birdcage on its own."

Dorin: "..."

He continued, "I was planning to keep it."

"Keep it?" Dorin asked, looking at him.

He nodded. "I heard you can have pets on a farm."

Dorin: "..."

He looked a little disappointed and said, "But it flew away, and by morning it was gone."

Dorin: "..."

Dorin seemed to want to say something but stayed silent. Instead, he raised his hand and patted the mushroom's full cap a few times, as if to comfort him.

Jiang Ye shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'll just buy a kitten as a pet someday. Kittens are way cuter than crows."

Dorin: "..."

"Ah, this place!"

The topic abruptly ended when Jiang Ye was drawn to a large tree, pointing to the right side of the path ahead.

Dorin asked, "What happened?"

There was no one under the tree, and no small animals either—just a fairly large rock. But Jiang Ye looked as if he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.

He pointed under the big tree and said uncertainly, "Treasure spot!"

This should be the spot marked on the treasure map from Grandpa's cookie tin.

Jiang Ye opened the map to check—yep, yep, it should be under this big tree.

He couldn't wait and pulled out a copper hoe. He ran over and raised it high.

"Wait!" Dorin caught up and stopped him, saying, "What are you doing?"

Jiang Ye explained, "I got a treasure map, and it points to this spot."

"This spot?" Dorin shook his head and said, "Maybe you've been scammed. I think this is just an ordinary place, nothing like a treasure spot."

Jiang Ye thought it looked ordinary too. The only unusual thing was that Dorin had suddenly become a lot more talkative.

Jiang Ye said, "I'll dig a bit; if it's nothing, no big loss." At worst, it would cost 5 stamina points.

"But I think..." Dorin tried to stop him, but before he could finish, Jiang Ye had already slammed the hoe down hard.

Clang!!!

"Social"

"System: Congratulations to [Mushroom Soup] for earning the achievement [Lord Chief Deity's Treasure Inheritor]!"

As the hoe struck, a system-wide announcement appeared, stirring up quite a few players.

"The Man Who Would Be Smoked Fish King": Mushroom! You're lucky again!

"You Have No Work to Do": Treasure! Treasure! What's in the Lord Chief Deity's treasure?

"Le Yi Li": Whoa, that looks impressive.

With one swing of the hoe, a gleaming golden treasure chest popped out from under the tree.

"Golden Treasure Chest"

"A very special chest containing the treasure of the Lord Chief Deity!"

+???"

The mushroom trembled with excitement, its hyphae shaking with glee. Jackpot, jackpot—just from looking at the chest, you could tell it was a treasure.

"Open the treasure chest?"

Yes!

"Mayor's net-lined wig x1"

"Bard's vampire fangs x1"

"Blacksmith's 3.0mm crochet hook x1"

"Shasha's silk velvet hair tie x1"