Chapter 187

The two dragons tasted the grass seeds.

The grass seeds are so small, even smaller than a grain of rice.

They tasted it for a long time, but could only detect a faint aroma of herbs and a sweet flavor.

Xie Juanhan picked up another handful of grass seeds, gave half to Telingewei, and poured the rest into his mouth, trying to savor it.

Unlike rice, the seeds of aquatic plants do not have a husk.

Or perhaps its shell is too thin, not rough or hard at all, so it's fine to eat it without removing the shell.

Xie Juanhan chewed on the grass seeds. "They're sweet and have a lot of energy. I wonder if they can be cooked into rice?"

Telingewei: "Like rice?"

Xie Juanhan carefully examined it. "We can give it a try. It seems like it can also be used to extract oil, but it feels more starchy than rapeseed, which is rich in oil."

Xie Juanhan felt that these grass seeds were somewhere between beans and rice.

Mainly, it's a level two magical plant, with abundant Magic Power and energy, and it tastes quite good.

Xie Juanhan thought for a moment and said, "Shall we pick some and take them back to try?"

"Now?"

"Yes, right now. I'm quite curious about how it will taste after it's cooked."

Xie Juanhan looked at the fields, which had quieted down again, and said, "Perfect timing, we can cook a pot of grass seed porridge for a midnight snack. Harper others can eat it after they catch the Demon Bird."

Telingewei also looked at the field. "I'll take you back first, then we'll catch baby birds together with Harper and the others later."

Xie Juanhan looked at Telingewei, who was very worried about the furry creatures, and raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I can't fly, I don't need to see them off."

Looking at Xie Juanhan's expression, Telingewei asked, "Shall I look for them now?"

Xie Juanhan pushed his chest. "Go on, go on."

Telingewei quickly joined the search for the baby birds.

Xie Juanhan took out a cloth bag from his spatial arm ring and filled it with a large handful of grass seeds.

When picking one or two seeds, Xie Juanhan didn't notice, but when he held a handful of grass seeds in his palm, he found that they were much heavier than ordinary grains.

They are not like ordinary plant seeds, but like grains of gold.

Xie Juanhan took a large bag, washed it clean with spring water, put it in a clay pot, added spring water, brought it to a boil over high heat, and then simmered it over low heat to make porridge.

"Little Tree," Xie Juanhan called to the Magic Wand Tree in the yard, peeking out from the kitchen, "You keep an eye on the fire, I'm going to find the baby birds."

The Magic Wand Tree, still grieving over the loss of its chick, immediately straightened its canopy upon hearing Xie Juanhan's command, "Chirp chirp."

Xie Juanhan: "Thank you for your trouble. We'll be back in a bit."

Nibote and his group were very efficient at finding the baby birds; Telingewei didn't help much when she arrived later, let alone Xie Juanhan.

Soon, the fluffy creatures returned with ninety-three baby birds, not one more and not one less.

Telingewei followed behind them, playing only a supporting role.

Xie Juanhan watched as the fluffy creatures herded the baby birds into the aviary, and then reached out and grabbed one of the baby birds.

He picked the baby bird up on its back, pecked at it with its beak, and kicked it with its claws. "Coo-coo!"

Xie Juanhan gently pulled open the baby bird's wings and saw the stiff flight feathers underneath.

Although the Tuonai'er Demon Bird cannot fly, they can glide briefly using their wings.

The baby bird managed to escape only after it grew flight feathers and was able to flap its wings and fly a short distance.

Xie Juanhan showed the bird feathers to Telingewei.

Harper and the others all gathered around.

Xie Juanhan held the baby bird and spun it around so that every family member could see it clearly. "The baby birds are growing so fast."

Telingewei: "Perhaps we've been feeding them too much Magic Power- rich food lately."

Xie Juanhan: "It's possible. They've gotten used to it and have all learned to find similar foods to eat."

Thinking about it this way, it's actually a good thing that the baby birds have learned to peck at the seeds of aquatic plants.

If we release them later, they might be able to find more food imbued with Magic Power.

The baby bird was still struggling.

Xie Juanhan put the baby bird back in the aviary and said, "Let's go, we're not going to look anymore, let's go back and have some grass seed porridge."

Harper and the others could smell the fragrance as soon as they entered the yard.

However, the aroma of the grass seed porridge wasn't as strong as other foods, so they didn't pay much attention to it.

Hearing Xie Juanhan's call, they asked curiously, "Chirp?"

Xie Juanhan: "Yes, it's porridge made from the seeds of aquatic plants. Everyone's tired from catching the Demon Bird, so it's a good late-night snack."

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei led the furry creatures carrying food bowls into the kitchen.

Telingewei ladled porridge for them.

Xie Juanhan took out the Star Berry honey brewed by the Flower Elf from the cabinet, and then took out some side dishes to show the furry creatures. "Would you like sweet porridge or savory porridge?"

Harper and the others almost unanimously declared they wanted sweet porridge, "Aww!"

The grass seed porridge was cooked until very thick, with a layer of tempting porridge oil on top, and it smelled wonderful.

Xie Juanhan cooled down the porridge for the little ones, and then scooped in honey for them one by one.

The nectar from the Level 3 Star Berry, when added to the porridge, instantly gave it a pale golden hue.

The porridge, a beautiful green tinged with pale gold, was served into a gleaming golden bowl.

Harper and the others took another sip; the grass seed porridge was fragrant, sweet, and thick, and its warm temperature was very soothing to the stomach.

"Chirp!" Happy Habi, indicating how delicious it was.

Xie Juanhan also took a sip of the sweet porridge and agreed with Habi's discerning eye, "It smells so good, and the aroma is very comforting."

Harper and the others all agreed, "Aww!"

Xie Juanhan said, "This porridge is really good. Let's go collect some more tomorrow morning when it's light, and then we can cook some porridge to drink."

Luckily, I had some pickled vegetables at home, which were sour, spicy, and fresh. If I was tired of sweet porridge, I could add some of these vegetables, steam some meat buns with soy sauce, and have them with the grass seed porridge for a great breakfast.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Xie Juanhan said this, Harper and the others, who were drinking sweet porridge, immediately became anxious and refused in unison.

"Chirp!" Harper indicated that he wanted to save the grass seeds for future use.

Xie Juanhan: "A pond that covers more than an acre, why would we need to leave it all behind?"

The furry creatures still protested. "Aww!"

We must save the best grass seeds for future use!

Xie Juanhan looked at Harper and the others, feeling deeply moved.

Habei, in particular, was so tempted that he lowered his head and licked several mouthfuls of the fragrant sweet porridge, but still insisted on saving it for seeds.

Xie Juanhan softened his voice. "You're right, the best grass seeds should be saved as propagation. Only after we've selected the seeds can we consider others."

Harper and the others nodded solemnly. "Awoo."

Xie Juanhan reached out and touched them. "I never imagined you'd grow into such professional and rational growers. You're amazing."

Harper and the others puffed out their furry chests even higher, their expressions still serious. "Awooo!"

==========Author's Note:=========

I've quietly made up for the word count I missed yesterday. Thank you everyone for your concern and reminders. Sending love, see you tomorrow!

Chapter 187 [VIP]

In the depths of winter, the Magic Forest is frozen solid, a vast expanse of white.

Even when something occasionally manages to emerge from the white ice and snow, it is mostly just gray-brown rocks, withered trees, and wild grass.

On such a cold day, Xie Juanhan's pond was unusually lively.

The Goblin, Flower Elf, Pixie, and even the Weaving Fairies all came to help them harvest the waterweed seeds.

Xie Juanhan originally planned to use the wind to cut off these waterweed spikes, and then beat or knock them down to thresh them.

If you work quickly, it might be finished in half a morning.

No need to ask for help.

The furry creatures, like little sieves, kept "squeaking" and leaking their own stories.

So, all the intelligent creatures in the forest knew that they needed to collect grass seeds and select them.

Upon hearing the news, the Goblin were the first to offer their help.

The Goblin puffed out their chests and proudly announced, "Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

They excel at selecting the best seeds.

The Goblin offered to help, and the Flower Elf living nearby were very interested. "Want to choose seeds together? We can help too. We're really good at choosing seeds!"

The Green-Winged Flower Elf: "Back in the Elf Forest, the place where we lived was filled with the finest flowers in the entire Elf Forest."

The Blue-winged Flower Elf immediately retorted, "The best flowers in the entire Elf Forest grow where we live! That's why there are more Blue-winged Flower Elf than you Green-winged ones."

The green-winged Flower Elf blushed and said, "Just one more? Aren't you all annoying?!"

The blue-winged Flower Elf said smugly, "One more doesn't matter; we are the real family!"

The green-winged Flower Elf said, "What kind of skill is it to rely on luck? Let's see which side has selected the better seeds this time!"

Blue-winged Flower Elf: "Let's compete! Who's afraid of who?"

The Flower Elf all turned to Xie Juanhan and Telingewei and said, "We need grass ears to compete with them in seed selection!"

Xie Juanhan: "... Wait a moment, we'll go cut it right away."

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei cut the grass into bundles.

The fluffy creatures carried the ears of grass themselves and placed them on the ridges of the field.

The Flower Elf from both tribes immediately sat on the grass spikes, basking in the sun, and carefully plucked the seeds off the spikes one by one to examine them.

The Flower Elf put the best seeds in one small basket and the rest in another.

The Goblin, Pixie, and Weaving Fairies also carefully selected the best seeds, one by one, to keep as seed.

Through collaboration, no excellent seed was overlooked, nor was any substandard seed included.

These seeds, carefully selected by intelligent beings, are plump, smooth, and fragrant; they look absolutely beautiful.

Xie Juanhan and his colleagues placed the seeds on the ridges of the field to dry in the warm winter sun.

After being dried in the sun, they appear more moist and plump, as if they have absorbed enough sunlight to be imbued with a subtle Magic Power.