Farmer Card

In the late autumn season, yellow leaves fell. It was a time of continuous autumn rain, and with the cold wind blowing, it was utterly bleak.

Li Wei walked alone on a small park path, like an abandoned stray dog, soaked and cold from the inside out.

His bleak mood mirrored the bleak world around him, much like his destined bleak life.

Just as he was numb.

"Beep!" A sound rang out by his ear. It was an ordinary sound, yet for some reason, he felt as if time itself had paused.

Even the fine mist of rain seemed to freeze in place at that moment.

Then, a drab gray card appeared before him, precisely at his eye level.

He couldn't make out any details on it, only feeling a gray mist churning, until in the blink of an eye, it filled his entire vision.

Everything around him vanished, leaving only the gray mist.

Then he found himself back to normal, as if the previous scene was just an illusion. But just then, lines of information began to generate within the mist, slowly scrolling into his sight.

[One-star Farmer Card bound]

[Transferred to Novice Farmer]

[Obtained Professional Talent: Fertility of cultivated land increased by 30%]

[Entered corresponding world, World Difficulty: One-star]

[World Background: Unknown]

[Mission Requirements: Survive for at least 36 months and accumulate at least one unit of Standard World Resource]

[Mission Success Reward: Unknown]

[Mission Failure: Erase relevant memories, strip Farmer Card, repatriate to original world, lose chance of awakening forever]

[Friendly Reminder: Do not appear out of place. Violators will be held responsible.]

--

"What is all this?"

Looking at the scrolling information, Li Wei felt utterly bewildered, even thinking he was hallucinating due to the overwhelming grief from being laid off, dumped, and falling ill.

But the next second, the information dissipated, and the surrounding mist quickly vanished as well. What met his eyes was no longer the park with its drizzling rain and fallen yellow leaves, but a completely unfamiliar valley. The valley was surrounded by lush green forests, and in the distance, white snow-capped mountains could be vaguely seen.

The azure sky was dotted with white clouds, and the sun shone brightly, though it wasn't hot.

A few green-headed flies buzzed past, and unknown insects chirped in the verdant grass.

Small white flowers dotted the landscape, appearing to be early summer.

Not far away were a few crude and dirty shacks. Beside the shacks stood a clumsy and ancient Ox Cart, its wheels having fallen off. Nearby, a scrawny Old Ox was leisurely grazing on grass.

On the other side of the shacks, a small clearing had been made, where a Bonfire burned. A blackened clay pot was placed over the bonfire, and a disheveled woman was vigorously stirring its contents. The smoke from the firewood, mixed with the smell of some strange food, inexplicably made Li Wei think of snot...

This, this, this...

After a full three to five seconds of stunned silence, he finally looked down at himself, feeling that something was off.

Indeed, his clothes, shoes, phone, keys, and watch were all gone. In their place was a foul-smelling, coarse burlap garment, rough as tree bark, like a large sack with four holes. He even realized he wasn't wearing pants, just a piece of rag.

As for shoes, there was no question. He was standing barefoot in a patch of mud. The feeling of the slurry, mixed with cow dung, being squeezed between his toes was incredibly bizarre.

However, a gray card that had appeared in his hand at some point provided a sliver of sanity, as he could clearly sense that this gray card was tied to his fate, sharing his fortune and misfortune.

"George, what are you dawdling for? Go pick up firewood. Father needs a dry shelter."

The disheveled woman suddenly turned her head and shouted at Li Wei. Her speech was fast and her pronunciation strange, unlike anything he had ever heard, yet he miraculously understood her.

But, Father?

Stunned for a moment, Li Wei then noticed that in another shack lay a man, with an even older woman tending to him, weeping softly.

This looked like a refugee family.

As a multitude of thoughts flashed through his mind, the gray card in his hand suddenly vanished, as if it had entered his body. At the same time, he saw a status panel, which seemed to appear whenever he willed it.

[Name: Li Wei]

[First Profession: Novice Farmer]

[Destiny: One-star Farmer Card bound, automatically granted 5 Free Attribute Points]

[Life: 20 (Terminal Illness)]

[Stamina: 50 (Weak, -50)]

[Strength: 3 (Weak, -3)]

[Agility: 1 (Weak, -3)]

[Defense: 1 (Scrawny, -2)]

[Current Status: Terminal illness, and weakness due to moderate starvation. Stamina will rapidly decrease. Expected to die within 30 days.]

--

"Has the character dataized?"

A glimmer of hope, originally absent from Li Wei's despairing heart, began to sprout. He noticed that if he focused his attention on any of his stats for more than a second, a '+' sign would appear after it, meaning they could be leveled up.

Could he cure his illness this way?

At this moment, he was trembling with excitement. The words "late-stage cancer" had almost destroyed all his hope.

Without any hesitation, he focused his attention on the "Life" stat and chose to increase it.

It wasn't complicated. In an instant, a warm current flowed from his head, covering his entire body. His spirit was instantly revitalized. Although it quickly waned, he felt much better.

Looking at the Life stat again, it had become -- [30, (Severely Ill)]

His current status now indicated he was expected to die in six months.

"Holy crap! Hahaha!"

Li Wei laughed wildly in his heart, tears streaming down his face. Nothing was more exhilarating than seeing hope with his own eyes.

He continued to allocate points.

[40, (Seriously Ill)]

[50, (Chronic Illness)]

However, once he raised his Life Points to 50, his initial euphoria began to subside into calmness.

He had been gifted 5 Free Attribute Points at the start, and obtaining more later would likely be difficult. So, how should he allocate them?

He glanced at his current status. The expected lifespan for his chronic illness had become three years, exactly the time required by the quest.

"So, this means as long as I don't starve to death, freeze to death, or die from any other accidents, this part is settled. If I can find a doctor in this world, my life expectancy will even increase."

After some thought, Li Wei focused his attention on his other stats one by one.

Stamina, Strength, Agility, and Defense could all be upgraded using 1 Free Attribute Point each.

So, it all depended on his choice.

"I'll wait for now. I'll allocate points based on the situation."

Li Wei was no longer in a hurry. Recovering his Life Points to 50 felt like being half-healthy. This long-lost feeling of being merely sub-healthy made him happy, and his thoughts became clearer and more rational.

"It must have rained heavily last night."

"This spot is elevated, so it wasn't hit by a flash flood. However, since the camp didn't have a drainage ditch dug, the accumulated water still flowed into the shelter."

"If this was a family, then my cheap father must have fallen ill or gotten injured."

"Is this a family of four?"

"The Ox Cart is broken, but it's covered by a tarp, and there seem to be some supplies inside."

"I don't see any roads around, so are they really refugees? Is this land ownerless?"

"Without a doubt, although this quest doesn't require me to ensure the survival of others, if I were the only one left, I wouldn't be able to survive three years in this environment."

"Furthermore, I'm bound to the Farmer Card, so it's only useful if I cultivate farmland. But this doesn't mean I should focus solely on farming. Gathering, hunting, construction, cooking – I'll have to participate in almost everything. This quest is quite demanding! They gave me a Farmer Card but expect me to simultaneously be a hunter, carpenter, cook, and even a blacksmith and mason."

"Finally, what does that warning mean? I can't reveal information that doesn't belong to this world in front of the Native inhabitants, or face the consequences. Ha, they won't tie me up and burn me as a devil, will they?"

Li Wei pondered these thoughts while pacing around the camp.

One hundred and twenty paces east of the camp lay the center of the valley, where a small stream flowed merrily. It wasn't large, and he didn't know if there were any fish or shrimp, but it was undoubtedly a water source.

The stream contained many stones washed down from upstream, of various sizes. Some were black, perhaps containing Iron Mine? Stones could also be used for building houses or courtyard walls.

Across the stream was a dense forest, clearly untouched. Some withered trees lay haphazardly, while thick weeds and vines formed a wall. Deep within the shaded forest, thick mist drifted, giving it a sinister appearance.

But to establish a foothold here, this forest was essential to develop.

It would be an excellent source of Wood.

Li Wei didn't dare venture deep into the forest. He picked up a lot of completely soaked Firewood from the edges.

That part was easy.

In a short while, he had gathered a large pile. He pulled up some wild grass, wove it into a rope, and tied the firewood into a large bundle. He slung it over his shoulder and carried it back. Firewood was something he needed as much as possible.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

After he carried several bundles of firewood, the cheap father in the camp suddenly coughed violently. Li Wei hadn't even reacted when he heard a burst of crying.

Had this cheap father died so quickly?