Duckie Changes Her Mind

"Quack."

Duckie swaggered into the farm, while the jubilant Cola led the way ahead.

Chen Yuan, who was busy working in the fields, turned around and froze the instant he saw Duckie.

Duckie had a sharpened wooden stick slung over her shoulder, several oddly shaped spirit fish skewered on it.

But more than that, Chen Yuan was curious why Duckie had shown up at the farm.

Hadn't she rejected his invitation?

Had she changed her mind?

Thoughts surged through his mind as Chen Yuan stepped forward with a sincere smile. "Duckie, welcome to the farm."

"Quack quack."

Duckie stopped, nodded at Chen Yuan, then handed him the wooden stick.

Duckie still wants to eat fried spirit fish!

Chen Yuan called Spark over, and the Extraordinary Creature translator went back online.

"Chirp?"

"Quack quack quack~"

"Awoo—!"

"Chirp chirp chirp?"

"Quack quack quack!"

After chatting for a while, Chen Yuan finally understood what Duckie really meant.

As it turned out, Duckie had not rejected the invitation that morning. She had wanted to catch a few spirit fish before bringing them to the farm.

But by the time she caught the fish and emerged from the lake...

Well then, everyone had vanished.

Chen Yuan rubbed his forehead helplessly. "You could misunderstand something that badly?"

Then he paused and asked, "So how did you get here?"

Mingyu Lake was quite a distance from the farm. How had Duckie made it here on those stubby little legs?

"Quack quack quack~"

Duckie combed her hand through her fluffy hairstyle, putting on a flashy expression as she pointed at the little river outside the farm.

Duckie swam here through that river!

Realization dawned on Chen Yuan. "So that's how it was."

There really was a small river outside the farm that led all the way to Mingyu Lake.

Having figured out the reason, Chen Yuan took the wooden stick and beamed. "All right, welcome to the team."

After a pause, he added, "From now on, you'll have fried little fish to eat every day."

"Quack quack quack!"

At last hearing the words she had long awaited, Duckie nodded in satisfaction, her face blooming with a brilliant smile.

Duckie came here for exactly this!

"The burden's getting heavier and heavier," Chen Yuan muttered to himself.

At present, there were already five Extraordinary Creatures on the farm: Spark, Cola, Ironhead Kid, Bean Chicken, and Duckie. There would certainly be more in the future.

Their appetites were manageable for now, but as their numbers kept growing, the expenses would soar as well.

And this Duckie probably wouldn't even look twice at ordinary fish.

After putting all the spirit fish into the refrigerator, Chen Yuan went to the yard and looked at Duckie, who was playing with Cola. "Duckie, it's time to fulfill your duties."

"Quack."

Duckie tilted her head at Chen Yuan, looking puzzled.

Chen Yuan cleared his throat and pointed at the four fruit pits he had planted. "Your duty is to water them. How about giving it a try first?"

"Quack~"

Duckie did not refuse. Waddling over to the fruit pits, she first lowered her head to inspect them for a long while, then looked blankly at Chen Yuan. "Quack?"

How much water should Duckie pour?

Chen Yuan rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Just start watering. Stop when I tell you to."

"Quack quack." Duckie nodded.

The next moment,

Duckie cast aside her usual playful grin and stared at the ground with utmost seriousness. Suddenly opening her beak, she sprayed out a slender stream of water, watering the soil and fruit pits.

"You can use a little less force," Chen Yuan promptly reminded her.

Duckie did not respond. She merely controlled the stream, making it even thinner as it hissed over the fruit pits.

Once she had evenly watered all four fruit pits, Chen Yuan immediately called out, "All right, that's enough."

"Quack."

Duckie stopped, then put her hands on her hips and looked at Chen Yuan. "Quack quack quack?"

How did Duckie do?

Chen Yuan nodded slightly and gave her a thumbs-up. "Very well."

After a pause, he said gently, "Duckie, you don't need to do anything else on the farm. Just water things at set times every day."

"Quack quack quack!"

Duckie patted her chest and nodded repeatedly.

Leave this little matter to Duckie.

Chen Yuan continued, "Oh, and those two vegetable plots need you to help water them too."

He pointed toward the other two, larger vegetable plots.

Duckie's eyes widened. "Quack?"

To celebrate Duckie's arrival at the farm, Chen Yuan carefully prepared a full fish feast, including fried spirit fish and spicy fish slices.

Duckie and Cola ate with the greatest delight, their mouths constantly chewing; Spark still ate daintily, savoring every bite.

Having eaten fish every day, Chen Yuan was growing a little tired of it and had already started considering other dishes for tomorrow.

"Duckie, besides fish, is there anything else you like to eat?" Chen Yuan suddenly asked.

"Quack." Duckie shook her head.

Duckie doesn't know.

Chen Yuan smiled helplessly. "All right, then."

To meet Duckie's basic needs, he would still have to provide spirit fish regularly while also discovering what other foods she liked.

Chen Yuan suddenly felt that raising so many pet beasts was quite a challenge. Every little one had a different personality, different preferences, and different diet. It was hard to take care of them all properly.

"But it's pretty interesting too." Chen Yuan looked at the three little ones at the table and smiled faintly.

Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated incessantly, followed by a ringing tone.

Chen Yuan took out his phone and looked at the caller—Chen Wenhao.

Answering the call, he chuckled. "You finally called me, you brat."

Since that call on the first day after the torrential rain ended, Chen Wenhao had contacted him only once and had not sent any further news.

Chen Wenhao's tone could not conceal his exhaustion. "Brother, I've been way too busy lately. Every day when I get back to my room, I crash straight into bed. I simply haven't had time to contact you all."

Chen Yuan pursed his lips and said with concern, "You still need to make time to rest properly. Don't wear yourself out."

Chen Wenhao smiled. "It's fine, Brother. I'm in good health. How are you and Grandpa doing now?"

"We're both doing well. He's still in the village, taking a stroll with some old lady," Chen Yuan replied.

"That's good, that's good." A smile appeared on Chen Wenhao's tired face, and he asked, "Brother, have you become a Beast Tamer yet? Have you contracted a pet beast? Do you have any questions?"

Chen Yuan laughed. "I became a Beast Tamer days ago. My initial pet beast is a Flame Cloud Falcon, and Cola from our family has evolved into a Condensing Wind Hound."

The smile on Chen Wenhao's face deepened. "A Flame Cloud Falcon? That's a good choice for a novice Beast Tamer."

After a brief pause, he continued, "But its rank is only Ordinary, so its future potential is rather low. Oh, someone has already uploaded the advancement requirements for Flame Cloud Falcons from Ordinary to Elite rank. I'll buy them for you."

Chen Yuan shook his head and laughed heartily. "No need."

Chen Wenhao froze, then persuaded him, "Brother, rank is crucial for pet beasts. The higher, the better. I have enough Contribution Points for this."

Chen Yuan said, "Is it possible that I'm the one who uploaded the Flame Cloud Falcon's advancement requirements?"

Chen Wenhao said, "Huh?"