Farming Games are All About Grinding

After digging for a while, Han Qiwu finally understood why the Little Prince and Little Shui were so stuffed.

Beside the clumps of mud was a slightly murky creek tributary, through which yellowish little fish occasionally swam, and pale green fruits bobbed downstream.

Though these didn't emit any system glow, the Little Prince was clearly enjoying himself immensely.

Digging for a bit and snacking on a fruit, he would put on an utterly blissful expression.

The Little Prince's happiness was just that simple.

"Are these fruits really that delicious?" With a spirit reminiscent of Shennong, Han Qiwu picked up one, washed it, and tentatively took a bite.

His face instantly changed color.

"Pah! Pah! Pah!"

Way too sour!

The sharp tang pierced straight into his soul, causing Han Qiwu to involuntarily shudder twice.

And yet the Little Prince was eating it so deliciously?

Could it be that bears can only taste sweetness?

After recovering, Han Qiwu swung his hoe again and resumed digging.

"Clang!"

Han Qiwu felt his hoe hit something.

Something hard, producing a metallic clinking sound upon impact.

Upon hearing this, Little Shui immediately became excited, squirming in anticipation and desperately trying to jump down from Han Qiwu's grasp.

"No moving." Han Qiwu dutifully grabbed the bandage wrapped around Little Shui and easily secured him to himself.

From a distance, it looked like he was carrying an otter backpack.

Quite the aesthetic touch!

"Mew mew mew!"

Little Shui suspected that his owner had planned this the moment he started wrapping the bandages!

So cruel!

Just as Han Qiwu was preparing to jump down and dig out the object properly, several yellowish-brown large rats suddenly darted out from the side.

Or perhaps, it was more fitting to call them large swamp rats.

Having adapted to years in the wetland environment, their limbs resembled the webbed feet of ducks, with membranes between their toes. Their bodies had grown more elongated and streamlined.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

The large swamp rats sprung out angrily at Han Qiwu's actions, their sharp claws catching the firelight and flashing brightly.

"Not a chance." Han Qiwu executed a skillful Iron Bridge maneuver, dodging their attack, then countered with an ice stick, striking the nearest swamp rat's head.

Bam.

It was like a watermelon exploding.

Thankfully, with the freezing effect of the ice stick, the scene wasn't too gory.

It wouldn't traumatize Little Shui's young mind.

Ice stick in hand, the world was his to conquer.

Han Qiwu now resembled a valiant defender from ancient times, fighting heroically against the large swamp rats with nothing but an ice stick.

However, as the commotion grew louder, more and more large swamp rats approached, even attacking the nearby Little Prince focused on digging for Little Shui's sister.

"Roar!"

The enraged Little Prince swatted away the swamp rat that had collided with him, sending it flying.

Yet, being creatures hardened by water pressure, the rat sustained minimal injuries and immediately flipped over, charging forward through the mud once again.

Due to their size, the swamp rats targeted the Little Prince's waist area...

Seeing this, Han Qiwu finally understood why the Little Prince had shown him his waist earlier.

Turns out it really was aching!

"Little Prince, press them into the mud!" Han Qiwu quickly advised after observing the scene for a bit.

"Roar!"

The Little Prince had plenty of strength, but had simply not found a suitable method up until now.

Taking Han Qiwu's advice, the Little Prince grabbed a swamp rat and planted it headfirst into the soil as if he were planting a radish.

Splurt.

The sound was crisp and satisfying.

"Well done." Han Qiwu gave the Little Prince a thumbs-up.

What a mighty warrior!

Too bad he couldn't bring him into the mines.

It took Han Qiwu and the Little Prince a full half hour to completely clear out the large swamp rats from this area.

"Phew phew." Han Qiwu grabbed his water bottle and downed it in one go.

The swamp rats weren't hard to deal with—it was the energy-draining mud terrain that made fighting challenging.

Every movement took an enormous amount of effort.

"Roar!"

The Little Prince growled hoarsely at Han Qiwu.

He was also parched.

"Here you go." Han Qiwu tossed a bottle of water over, then turned to the spot where the swamp rats had turned to white light, searching for drops.

Using the fire's illumination, he bent down and picked up a system-glowing purple-black grain.

[Wild Millet Seed: Sow in spring, matures in 20 days. Grows in paddy fields.]

Wild millet seeds looked rough and tiny.

"Seeds drop here?" Han Qiwu's eyes lit up, instantly hoping for even more swamp rats to appear.

Unlike other loot, seeds meant the crop quantity could multiply.

Seeds were a symbol of hope.

Millet, commonly referred to as small grains, came in a variety of colors like white, red, yellow, black, orange, and purple—hence the phrase "five-colored millet." Rich in nutrients, it contains many trace elements the human body cannot synthesize.

Fueled with excitement, Han Qiwu grabbed his torch and quickly collected all the nearby wild millet seeds, gathering a total of 26 seeds.

Feeling very accomplished.

After stowing the seeds, Han Qiwu rolled up his pant legs and jumped into the muddy pit, bending down to resume digging.

The more he dug, the more familiar the shape of the object seemed.

At first, he'd thought it might be a treasure chest buried underneath, but as he kept digging, its length grew and grew.

Once it was fully unearthed, Han Qiwu burst out laughing.

He finally understood why Little Shui had been so insistent about getting this item.

[Bone-Gold Giant Claw]

[Pet Equipment]

[Usage: Equip/Absorb]

[Special Effect - Assimilation: The receiver of the Bone-Gold Giant Claw will gradually acquire a real Bone-Gold Giant Claw.]

[Note: This is a claw buried underground for billions of years.]

This thing turned out to be a giant claw left behind by creatures similar to Little Shui.

Or more precisely, it could have been left behind by Little Shui's many, many generations of ancestors.

Through complex reactions, what was originally a bone claw had absorbed the metallic elements from the soil, transforming into a Bone-Gold Giant Claw.

Even though it was covered in mud, the exposed parts revealed faint metallic hues.

With considerable effort, Han Qiwu retrieved it, cleaned it in the creek, and stored it in his inventory.

"Little Shui, hold on for now. I'll clean it thoroughly when we get back and then let you have it."

"Mew mew mew!" Little Shui nodded eagerly, confident that the claw—now firmly in his grasp—wouldn't escape.

Seeing that time was running out and the secret realm's wetland duration was down to mere minutes, Han Qiwu hurriedly strode away.

Back home, Han Qiwu regretfully discarded his mud-stained pants and headed straight for a bath.

After washing up, he didn't forget to clean Little Shui's Bone-Gold Giant Claw thoroughly and placed it by his little nest.

The long-awaiting Little Shui quickly tore off his bandages, dragging the claw into his nest and playing with it to his heart's content.

"Play with it all you want, then get some rest." Han Qiwu patted Little Shui's head, turning to hand half a can of honey to the Little Prince.

The delighted Little Prince gleefully accepted it, like a three-hundred-pound child.

Or perhaps five hundred.