Ch. 141Farm's Back Hill
Chapter Summary: “Back Hill of the Farm”
Key Plot Points and Events
- Xiao Yang uses a Level 4 Foraging Permit, which grants him one hour of access to the farm’s Back Hill.
- He is teleported to the mountain’s foot and discovers that:
- A barrier prevents him from returning to the farm prematurely.
- A countdown shows he has approximately sixty minutes to forage.
- The Back Hill is unnaturally vast. Despite flying, running, and using teleportation, he cannot appear to get closer to the summit.
- Unable to travel efficiently upward, Xiao Yang begins searching the nearby area with a high-precision detector and mechanical puppets controlled by Number One.
- The detector fails to identify valuable crops because many mountain goods look like ordinary plants. Xiao Yang therefore relies on visual inspection and the information displayed when he examines them.
- He discovers several valuable resources:
- Level 4 Goji Berries, which can grant a Cosmic Bloodline and increase genetic strength to three times for suitable beings below the Immortal level.
- Level 3 Enlightenment Tea Leaves, growing naturally in larger quantities than the farm-grown version.
- Various wild vegetables, fruits, and medicinal herbs, many of which duplicate resources already available on the farm.
- A rare Level 6 Wild Ginseng, capable of increasing a qualified lifeform’s genetic level tenfold.
- Xiao Yang personally digs up and preserves the Level 6 Wild Ginseng, recognizing it as significantly more powerful than the Level 5 variety he previously consumed.
- Most of the resources he finds are Level 4 or lower, with only a few reaching Level 5. He suspects the quality of the mountain goods is restricted by the level of his Foraging Permit.
- As the hour nears its end, Xiao Yang orders Number One to gather all the robots near him, uncertain whether robots left elsewhere will be transported out with him.
Character Developments
- Xiao Yang demonstrates practical adaptability. When flight and teleportation prove ineffective, he quickly changes tactics and focuses on local searching.
- His knowledge of ordinary Earth plants allows him to recognize valuable resources that mechanical instruments cannot identify.
- He becomes increasingly systematic, delegating routine harvesting to the robots while personally investigating potentially rare or powerful crops.
- His discovery of the Level 6 Wild Ginseng reinforces his growing awareness that the Back Hill may contain resources stronger than anything currently cultivated on his farm.
- Xiao Yang also displays caution by recalling the robots before the permit expires, showing concern for preserving his tools and avoiding unexpected losses.
Significant Themes
- Hidden value beneath ordinary appearances: The mountain goods look like common plants, but many possess extraordinary genetic and bloodline-enhancing effects.
- Limits and progression: The Back Hill’s enormous scale and the permit’s level restrictions suggest that Xiao Yang’s access and rewards are governed by a larger progression system.
- Technology and personal judgment: Detectors and robots improve Xiao Yang’s efficiency, but they cannot replace his own ability to recognize and inspect valuable resources.
- Resource gathering and optimization: Xiao Yang balances exploration, delegation, and time management to maximize the benefits of a limited one-hour opportunity.
- Discovery of greater potential: The rare Level 6 Wild Ginseng hints that the Back Hill may hold even more powerful treasures as Xiao Yang gains higher-level permits.
Character Interactions
- Xiao Yang works closely with Number One, instructing it to coordinate the mechanical puppets.
- Number One’s robots scout the surrounding area, photograph plants, mark their locations, and harvest resources.
- Although there is little direct interpersonal interaction, the cooperation between Xiao Yang and Number One highlights a practical partnership: Xiao Yang identifies and evaluates resources, while the robots handle large-scale collection.