Rules

Addendum to the rules established in the previous chapter

[Professional Craftsman*** discovered a small iron mine deep in the mountains, twelve li from the family. She had completed a preliminary survey and opened up a safe route between the mine and the family camp. She decided to donate the mine to the family. Since iron ore was a special three-star mineral resource in this world, she received 100 Family Contribution Points!]

[However, she had to provide the family with at least 50 units of Iron Ore over the next six months. Unless there were circumstances beyond her control, her contribution points would otherwise be reclaimed.]

[Friendly reminder: Iron Ore mined during this process would not affect experience or the contribution earned from Main Quests.]

[Friendly reminder: Resources of this kind could only be discovered by workers in the corresponding professions. For example, only blacksmiths, craftspeople, and miners could survey iron, copper, and stone deposits; only mountaineers, cooks, herbalists, and hunters could find high-quality wild vegetables and herbs; only lumberjacks, carpenters, and some craftspeople could find precious trees; only hunters and mountaineers could find precious beasts; only fishermen could catch high-quality fish; and only farmers could grow high-quality seeds in their fields.]

[By the same token, only cooks could prepare exquisite food, only tailors could make fine clothing, and butchers needed exceptional skill to butcher high-quality game, and so on.]

[Warning: Workers outside the corresponding profession could still handle those resources, but the quality would be severely reduced. If they forcibly used resources owned by the family and prefixed as precious, they would also face an equivalent penalty.]

Phila remained silent. Next month, she wouldn't be alone; her younger son Lyon would be joining her. She could ask Lyon to gather supplies with her, or have him go mining with Penny.

It was a delicate matter. One was his birth mother, the other was his older sister and the head of the household. Either option made sense in the story.

Unlike Li Wei's fiancée, Mixi, who could only work alongside Li Wei according to the story.

"Mom, autumn is the season of harvest. The mountains and woods are practically treasure troves. You're the best at gathering things. I remember there's a stand of Chestnut Trees to the east..." Penny began raising the stakes for Phila.

"It's too early to gather things now. Let's wait until next month."

Phila cut Penny off. When it came to gathering, she was the best. Her first profession was cook.

"This month, I can gather more Wild Fruit. If possible, I can also bring back some honey. I want to go fishing, too—that's the most important thing. I can't promise anything else, but I won't let you go hungry this winter. I can even guarantee you a bowl of Mushroom Meat Soup every day."

Under Penny's relentless pressure, Phila finally made her promise, and played her trump card.

The recipe she'd donated earlier wasn't something she could simply hand over and forget about. It meant the family had fully mastered the dish, from ingredients to preparation. In the story, it was a dish the mother knew how to make.

If a mother knew about a delicious dish, why wouldn't she make it for her children? That wouldn't make sense.

So, as a cook responsible for the family's three meals a day, Phila would naturally be required by the rules to serve it at least twenty times a month. That was the minimum needed to earn one Free Attribute Point every six months.

This month, Phila had stuck to the bare minimum: two servings every three days, making exactly twenty bowls of Mushroom Meat Soup in a month.

If she served even one bowl less, the rules wouldn't count the task as complete. Li Wei and Penny wouldn't even need to supervise her.

"Every day? Mom, won't that be too much work for you?" Penny asked with concern, though the satisfaction in her eyes gave her away.

Mushroom Meat Soup wasn't an ordinary recipe. It was a one-star Dish with attributes, one that only a two-star Professional Chef could make. Penny had tried to recreate it before, but even though she'd followed the ingredients, steps, and order of preparation, it hadn't worked at all.

Maybe she couldn't gather higher-quality one-star mushrooms—just as only she had the chance to discover that three-star Iron Ore deposit.

If Phila was willing to make Mushroom Meat Soup every day, that would almost mean earning one Free Attribute Point in less than five months. Of course, that depended on the head of the household being able to require Phila to do it every month. Besides, since the recipe had already been donated to the family, they wouldn't have to pay for the meals.

A great deal.

"It will be tiring, yes, but I can ask that child Lyon to help me." Phila spoke with a loving expression. She was bargaining, too.

But Penny wasn't easy to deal with. She immediately pressed her to confirm.

"But you said you'd make sure there was enough food for five people to get through the winter..."

"No problem. I promise there'll be enough food for the winter." Phila was willing to go all out to win over the new player, Lyon. Of course, she had her own reasons; it wasn't simply out of boundless maternal love.

At that, Penny nodded in satisfaction. She didn't need to set a specific amount. Since Phila had promised to provide enough food for five people through the winter, the Main Quest would set the corresponding quota as soon as it was issued.

Under the rules, no one could cheat.

"Then I'll handle expanding the house. The five of us need at least three—no, four rooms. I'll also take care of the heating fireplace for winter. The rest of the time, I'll mine Iron Ore and bring it back. I'll supply the tools and weapons the family needs."

"Let's do that."

Penny settled the matter, and the Main Quest was issued at the same time. This time, things had gone fairly smoothly. It also meant that the three of them had moved on from the low-level, chaotic competition of before.

Or rather, they had all gained enough influence in the family and had found the fields they were best at.

Even if someone else became head of the household, it would be hard to force them to change.

Who could replace Phila when it came to gathering and cooking? After all, everyone had to eat.

Who could replace Li Wei's farming and hunting?

And who could replace Penny's work as a craftsperson, along with everything she did at the Blacksmith Shop?

This was a new stage in the family's orderly development.

Still, their competition would continue over the family's new members.

In the future, factions might emerge within the family. If no one could change the balance, family members without irreplaceable skills would have no choice but to depend on veteran players.

Speaking of which, how could he win over his fiancée?

It wasn't something he could solve by sleeping with her.

Penny had practically thrown herself at him before, but her fiancé, Sam, hadn't become unconditionally loyal to her. Once he understood the rules of the game, he'd decisively chosen what he thought was best for himself.

So he'd leave it to fate. This fiancée was definitely impossible to win over. He also had no idea why Phila thought she could handle her cheap son, Lyon.

After dinner, Phila and Penny went back to rest. As usual, Li Wei stayed behind. He blocked the camp entrance with obstacles, lit a bonfire, and made a quick patrol with his Wooden Spear. Then he replaced the string on his Hunting Bow, took out ten Feathered Arrows and ten Fletchingless Wooden Arrows, and began his daily practice.

Over the past while, unless it rained, he'd practiced archery every night. He hadn't trained for long, but his steady effort had paid off.

He could now shoot equally well with either hand. Within thirty meters, he hit a stationary target every time. Against moving targets, like pheasants, he hit nine out of ten shots.

The Hunting Bow was a little weak, though. He didn't even dare draw it all the way, in case it broke.

Early the next morning, Li Wei woke up to the sound of Phila weeping with joy. Her younger son, Lyon, had arrived.

He hurried out of the house and saw a somewhat dazed young man standing outside the camp. He looked very young, like a university student who hadn't even reached his junior year.

Phila and Penny were working together to move the obstacles away from the camp entrance. As she did so, Phila quickly but casually asked him questions. This was important: she had to make the new player understand who he was, so he wouldn't blurt out something inappropriate like Sam had.

Fortunately, Lyon caught on quickly. Though he still looked stunned, he immediately stepped forward to help move the obstacles. Then, when Phila hugged him with tears in her eyes, he returned the embrace naturally.

"My poor boy, how much have you suffered? Thank goodness you found your way here and you're still alive. Your father died of illness three months ago. Now it's just your sister Penny and your brother George here. Life is hard, but at least this is home. Are you hungry? Mom made meat and vegetable porridge!"

Lyon nodded repeatedly but didn't dare speak, afraid he'd give himself away.

Penny stepped up and smacked Lyon on the shoulder. "You little rascal. We were so worried when you fell behind. Mom cried for days. I can't believe you managed to catch up. Good job."

Li Wei stepped forward, too, and hugged Lyon after Penny. "Mixi fell behind as well. Did you run into her on the way?"

Lyon shook his head vigorously, then stammered, "N-no."

He spoke Chinese, just like Li Wei, and for a brief moment, his eyes lit up with delight.

A fellow countryman. What a shame it didn't do him much good.

Once he figured out the rules of the game and realized everyone else was a player—ha!

Li Wei was still looking forward to seeing what Lyon was like. He wondered which of him or Sam was more capable.

After the greetings and breakfast, Li Wei took his axe and went to cut trees. Logging was a major part of his Main Quest for the month. He had to make every moment count, or he'd have to put everything else aside once the wheat ripened.

As for his fiancée, Mixi, who still hadn't arrived, he had no expectations. He didn't plan to get too involved with her, either. Penny's Family Contribution Points were far ahead of everyone else's, Phila was in second place, and he was only third. It would get harder and harder to compete for head of the household, so he had to hold on to his own strengths.

This time, he chose small trees to cut, about ten to fifteen centimeters thick. He planned to cut fifty trunks first, enough to meet the requirements for expanding the house.

They also needed to expand the fence, which would take even more logs.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, Li Wei swung his axe again and again. He was no longer the man he'd been before. He had enough strength and stamina, and his body had adjusted to the work. In less than two hours, he'd easily felled five trees. Wiping away his sweat, he was about to head back to camp for some cool boiled water when he looked up and spotted a woman standing at the edge of the forest.

She had brown hair, a face full of freckles, and a slightly plump build. Her figure was decent, but overall, she looked a little ugly...