It took him a full three hours to walk through every corner of the farm.
"It's really huge. I've been walking forever."
Daeren wiped his forehead, yet he did not feel tired in the slightest.
He had already familiarized himself with the farm.
At the lower left corner of the Chicken Coop stood a patch of ruins resembling the foundation left behind by a reinforced-concrete building. It was probably a locked greenhouse.
Below that was an overgrown stretch of shrubs and weeds, rich in wood and stone resources, with broad patches of blue and green pasture grass growing throughout.
In front of the cabin was a patch of fertile soil suitable for cultivation, perfect for serving as the initial Farmland.
Past an uncultivatable patch of grassland, there was a pitch-black cave farther down. It had yet to house either Mushroom cultivators or fruit-eating bats.
All of that occupied less than a third of the farm.
Beyond the two paths to the north and west, crossing the vast pasture-covered majority of the farm revealed a small path leading to the eastern beach.
There was no path to the south.
A waterfall cascaded down from the mountaintop behind the Chicken Coop, forming a clear river that naturally marked the farm's southern boundary.
"The problem now is that the water source is a little far away."
Daeren considered a solution.
Apart from the waterfall and stream, there was one large lake in the center of the farm and two smaller lakes at the lower left and right corners, but none of them were close to the cabin.
Based on his survey, the entire farm covered as much as six square kilometers.
An ordinary person would need half a day just to walk around it once.
"I can fetch water from beneath the waterfall for now, and pet the chicks while I'm at it."
With his management experience, Daeren quickly made arrangements.
The farm animals were no ordinary livestock. They could produce high-quality animal products.
They ate neither feed nor bran, consuming only the pasture grass grown on the farm or hay dried from that grass.
There was a great deal to consider when raising them.
Except in winter, the small doors of the Chicken Coop and livestock sheds had to be opened so the animals could come outside for fresh air and grass.
Letting them out increased their affection.
Eating a clump of fresh green pasture grass every day also increased their affection.
On rainy days or during winter, the animals would stay in their nests. At such times, they needed to be fed prepared hay, one portion per animal per day.
The convenience of raising animals once again demonstrated another major advantage of Meadow Farm.
Blue Hay!
At other farms, this type of hay was a resource that could only be unlocked and planted much later. By then, animal husbandry was no longer essential and had mostly become a decorative luxury.
Its effect was that animals only needed to eat half a clump each day, while gaining additional affection.
The higher an animal's affection, the better the quality of the animal products it produced.
Naturally, the profits from selling them would rise as well.
"Starting with a Chicken Coop, two chicks, and a huge amount of pasture grass, I'm already ahead of many others."
Daeren planned to focus on animal husbandry, supplemented by crop cultivation.
A qualified farmer had to manage both livestock and farming.
Creak!
The cabin's worn wooden door opened with a piercing scrape, but contrary to expectation, no dust came rushing at him.
Directly opposite the entrance stood a brown table and a bench. Floral curtains hung beside the windows, and sunlight filtered through the clear glass onto an old-fashioned box television.
It was difficult to imagine seeing modern objects again.
"Mm, not bad."
Daeren nodded seriously.
After entering, he found a fully made single bed against the wall to his right. Above the headboard was an old-fashioned fireplace built from red bricks, while an old light-brown sofa sat before the unlit hearth.
One could imagine how pleasant it would be for a farmer to return home after a tiring day, sink into the soft sofa at night, and enjoy the warmth of the fireplace.
"There's a box." Daeren turned his gaze toward it.
A delicate blue gift sat atop the brown rug with white patterns in the middle of the room. When he untied its red silk ribbon, a large bundle of hay popped out.
It felt dry to the touch and carried a faint, fresh fragrance.
"Since this is Meadow Farm, I didn't receive fifteen Parsnip seeds at the start. They were replaced with fifteen portions of hay."
Daeren had expected this.
Ding!
A pleasant chime rang beside his ear. The System Panel appeared on its own, and a line of small text emerged.
[To become a farmer, you must first handle the most basic work. Remember to feed the chickens every day. You can let them out to eat grass, or place hay in the Feed Hopper. Once the chickens grow up, you can harvest eggs.] -- Harvest an egg laid by a chicken
It was a guidance quest provided by the System Panel.
"Looks like I'll have to stay here for four days first."
After checking it, Daeren planned out his schedule for the next few days.
"Time to get to work."
Having decided what to do, Daeren readily accepted the System Panel's wonders. With a touch of his right hand, the hay vanished.
One of the System Panel's abilities was the inventory.
The inventory was similar to a personal storage space. It started with twelve slots, and identical items could be stacked up to a maximum of 999.
The prerequisite was that the items had no owner. He could not pick up things from someone else's hands or pockets.
"I need to find a way to get some seeds."
The lack of gifted seeds did not stump Daeren.
The cabin came with two accompanying items: a Mailbox and a Shipping Bin.
The Mailbox was wrapped in sheet metal. When he opened it, he found a letter inside.
It told him to check the Shipping Bin, which had broader uses.
Daeren followed the letter's instructions.
He opened the amber-colored box, two and a half meters long and one meter wide and tall. A wooden divider inside split it into two sections.
The left side was for buying, and the right side was for selling.
It was strange. The box was clearly empty, yet Daeren could see purchasable items through the System Panel.
Spring seeds of all kinds:
Parsnip: 20 gold
Cauliflower: 80 gold
Green Bean: 60 gold
Potato: 50 gold...
There were also several other seeds suitable for spring planting, along with saplings for various Fruit Trees, green pasture grass seeds, furniture, flooring, and more.
"Let's get to work."
There was no rush to buy seeds. Daeren decided to clear out a patch of land first.
The inventory came with five tools: Axe, Hoe, Pickaxe, Watering Can, and Scythe.
They looked utterly ordinary and felt light in his hands, yet they possessed the trait of being indestructible.
Bang!
Daeren raised his Axe and chopped apart a fallen log lying across the ground.
The farm, including the cultivable land in front of the cabin, was crammed with fallen logs, loose stones, and weeds, with the occasional large tree blocking the way.
He had tried clearing them by hand. Not only was it exhausting, but he could not store the materials in his inventory.
Using tools was far more efficient.
With one swing of his Axe, the fallen log immediately shattered, leaving behind a whole piece of wood.
The wood could be stored in his inventory.
"So it isn't completely gamified?"
Daeren froze as faint streams of warmth flowed into the arm that had swung the Axe.
At that instant, he touched upon the threshold of Life Force.
When he drank that bottle of milk in the morning, he had vaguely sensed a subtle reaction in his body.
That swing of the Axe had made him notice the loss of stamina, and it was precisely through sensing his own Life Force that he had discovered it.
"White Bull" Ser Gerold had instructed him before, saying that a knight's mastery of Life Force was a gradual, long-term practice.
One first had to sense the existence of Life Force before attempting to observe it, touch it, and draw upon it...
"Looks like my talent isn't weak. I haven't disgraced my own name."
Daeren was even more motivated.
He also had a cheat for cultivating Life Force.
It was to use the high-quality crops harvested from the farm to continuously nourish his body and keep his Life Force vigorous.
Others did not have such extravagant conditions.
Before you continue