(VIP) (continued)

Unfortunately, I just couldn't figure it out.

They paced around for a few moments, their big, round eyes looking pitifully at Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan dared not rashly help them.

If the Dragon Power is accidentally released, the seeds inside their bellies will sprout and take root.

The consequences would be serious.

Xie Juanhan looked at Telingewei.

Following Xie Juanhan's gaze, the Peryton looked at Telingewei.

The feeling of asking their arch-enemy for help was very awkward for them.

The men, Peryton, lowered their heads again and began to gulp down their drinks.

Telingewei glanced at them expressionlessly, then transformed into a giant dragon and grabbed one of the Peryton.

Peryton was grabbed by the wing and cried out loudly.

The dragon grabbed it and circled in the air.

After circling a few times, the dragon tossed it far into the sky.

The huge, fat, and strong Peryton was thrown directly into the air.

Because of the angle, it was still tumbling in the sky, sometimes belly up, sometimes back up.

It screamed even more pitifully, "Awooo--Awooo--"

Finally, it vomited it up.

Because it was thrown far enough, it didn't affect Xie Juanhan and his group.

Seeing that things were going badly, the remaining Peryton immediately began to shuffle away.

The Companion Beast's eyes lit up, and they excitedly called out to them, chasing after them. "Chirp chirp!"

It means it's for their own good, don't hide from them.

The Peryton ran faster, but they couldn't outrun the dragon.

The dragon had found its rhythm and grabbed the remaining Peryton, tossing them into the sky like sandbags.

Neither of them escaped Peryton's clutches.

Xie Juanhan had sharp eyesight and saw the Peryton tumbling in the sky, spitting out their pits and comforting them, "It's alright now."

The Peryton slumped back to the ground, looking anything but unharmed. "Aww."

They cast angry little glances at the dragon.

The fragile friendship that had just begun to blossom vanished in less than a day.

Xie Juanhan decided not to give the Peryton whole berries anymore, so he only peeled some of the pulp for them to prevent them from accidentally eating the pits.

Xie Juanhan also planned to remove the pits from the berries he brought back, encourage the sprouting of new shoots, and see if they could be planted.

There are hot springs near his home, so the heat is plentiful, and he should be able to grow crops even in late autumn.

To prevent the little ones from accidentally eating them, Xie Juanhan plans to peel the berries and make a berry salad.

I have some refrigerated yogurt at home, some seaweed that the Summer Water Spirit gave me that can be used to make jelly, as well as various nuts, cookies, and honey. That's enough to make a berry salad.

The next morning, Xie Juanhan and Telingewei took out the Star Berry that had been refrigerated and processed them.

The little ones knew they were about to make something delicious, so they all obediently lay down nearby and waited.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei each took a small knife, cut the berries open, and the pits fell into the small bucket in front of them.

The scent of berries in the air gradually intensified, and the little ones began to salivate again.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei originally only removed the fruit pit.

As he was picking them up, Xie Juanhan suddenly stopped. "Isn't the skin of these berries a bit thick?"

"To protect the pulp inside?" Telingewei looked at it as well. "Most berries don't have thin skin."

"If the peel is too thick, it might not taste good later." Xie Juanhan easily peeled off the peel completely. "Let's peel another one."

Telingewei's knife skills were excellent, and he had no objection to that.

He peeled the skin and was about to throw it aside.

Xie Juanhan suddenly called out to him, "Wait! Keep the fruit peels too!"

Telingewei: "Keep it?"

Xie Juanhan: "Didn't we say we were going to make wine? We can keep the fruit peels to make wine; their aroma is so rich, maybe they can give the fruit wine a special fragrance."

Xie Juanhan casually conjured an ice basin and threw the pale yellow fruit peels into it.

Telingewei also threw in the fruit peels.

He peeled the fruit, carefully keeping the pit and peel separately.

In no time at all, all the fruit was peeled.

After excluding the portion that the Peryton ate, the remaining pulp was not enough to fill ten bowls.

Xie Juanhan boiled aquatic plants to make a sweet, light green jelly, then added fruit pulp, nuts, biscuits, honey, yogurt, and other ingredients.

The fruit salad was ready quickly, and each family member got a bowl.

"Meow!" The little Griffin ran the fastest, rushed to the bowl, and looked at the fruit bowl on the ground, trying to find the one that was the fullest.

These fruit salads were portioned out by Telingewei.

Telingewei has been caring for his Companion Beast for a thousand years, and the portioned food he prepares is guaranteed to be perfectly equal, with not a bit more or less.

Previously, when encountering special foods, if they could not be divided equally, he would crush the food into powder or paste and sprinkle it evenly into each bowl.

The baby Griffin peered at the food bowl for a long time, while the other little creatures had already come over, but it still hadn't decided which bowl to choose.

The Companion Beast shoved it aside with their rear ends.

The little Griffin hesitated for a long time; all the other little ones had made their choices, so the remaining bowl was itss.

It stared at the food bowl for a long time before reluctantly accepting it. "Awoo."

The other little ones have already started eating.

The fruit salad is refreshingly sweet, with Star Berry providing the main aroma, while nuts and cookies add a unique texture.

The little ones licked it with their tongues, eating without even lifting their heads.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei each held a bowl of fruit salad, sitting in the corridor and slowly eating it.

Xie Juanhan: "After we finish the fruit salad, shall we go plant some Star Berry?"

Telingewei: "Where to plant it?"

"The soil might freeze in winter, so should we plant them near the hot springs? If they're more adapted to the cold, we can transplant them later."

Xie Juanhan scooped up some fruit salad. "This year's planting wasn't planned much. We'll plant them for the winter first, and then next spring I'll replan and transplant them to the appropriate fields."

Only Xie Juanhan here is interested in planting.

But that doesn't stop other guys from liking to stick close to him.

At Xie Juanhan's request, Telingewei cleared a small plot of land amidst the hot springs and farmland.

The little creatures used their claws and teeth to help dig the ground, uprooting the plants growing on the wasteland.

Lan and Telingewei little ones worked together and soon cleared out a square plot of farmland.

Xie Juanhan carried soil down from the mountain and scattered it onto the farmland, and then a light rain fell over the farmland.

The soil, nourished by the rain, gradually became moist and smooth.

Xie Juanhan scattered the seeds of the Star Berry on top, layering seeds and soil, and then applied Dragon Power.

Star Berry are magical plants, and they are extremely efficient at absorbing Dragon Power.

Xie Juanhan released his Dragon Power, a patch of seedlings immediately sprouted from the seedbed.

The seedlings are growing at a visible rate, changing from translucent to bluish-green, and sprouting tender green leaves.

In the blink of an eye, the seedbed turned lush and green.

Xie Juanhan examined it carefully. "The growth rate has slowed down."

Perhaps this is the growth strategy of Star Berry: they seize the opportunity to sprout at all costs, and only grow steadily after the seedlings have emerged.

Telingewei: "What else do you want to do?"

Xie Juanhan shook his head. "No need to do anything, the water and fertilizer are enough, just let time do the rest."

As he spoke, Xie Juanhan glanced at the sky.

The little ones helped clear the land today. He originally planned to spend most of the day planting Star Berry, but he finished in less than half a day.

It's still early before sunset, so we can get some more things done.

Xie Juanhan asked, "Aren't the berries ripe deep in the forest by now? Shall we go pick some?"

Telingewei: "Now?"

Xie Juanhan put his arm around his shoulder. "There's no time like the present."

The other Companion Beast immediately rushed up, trying to jump onto Telingewei's back.

Telingewei shook them off, letting Xie Juanhan hold him. "I'll transform back into dragon form first."

As soon as Telingewei transformed back into his dragon form, his Companion Beast swarmed onto his back, chirping excitedly.

The dragon turned its head and hissed at them.

The Companion Beast were instantly blown backward, rolling around on the dragon's back with a clattering sound, "Chirp!"

The dragon happily swayed its thick tail, ignoring them, and simply adjusted its position to make Xie Juanhan more comfortable.

The little Demon Wolf and the little Griffin also came up.

The little Demon Wolf appeared exceptionally well-behaved, carefully crouching on the back half of the dragon's back, even using its tail to cushion its bottom.

The little Griffin darted around, then buried its head in Xie Juanhan's arms, meowing.

The dragon turned and glanced at the creature.

The little Griffin froze. "Meow."

Xie Juanhan reached out and patted the little Griffin's head. "It's alright, it's alright. Eat more, grow up quickly, and you'll be fine later."

The dragon carried them deep into the Magic Forest.

The temperature here is relatively low, so the berries grow slowly; they are only half-ripe at this point.

Xie Juanhan took out stacked baskets from the Dragon Scale Space and gave them to the little guys to carry, letting them pick ripe berries on their own.

He and Telingewei held hands and picked fruit in another direction.

Compared to Star Berry, the berries picked in the Magic Forest clearly lack that sweet and rich aroma; they are only sweet and sour with a stronger fruity flavor.

Xie Juanhan washed the picked berries in spring water to remove impurities and roll off the surface moisture.

Together with Telingewei, he poured the berries into a large basin, added the Star Berry peels, and mashed them together with a stick.

The crushed berry juice has the sweet and sour aroma of wild berries, the fragrance of Star Berry, and a touch of Magic Power.