[Peach Blossom Isle Silver Box:
A gift from Archelon.
This box will produce five gallons of Blessed Potting Mix once per day.]
[Blessed Potting Mix:
A high-grade, soilless medium crafted from a highly porous blend of volcanic rock, coconut coir, and compost. Rich in nutrients and offering superior drainage and aeration, this sterile material prevents root rot and serves as the essential foundation for robust, thriving container plants.
Note: This is a special item blessed by Archelon.]
The moment I touched it, the box filled with the promised substance.
“Awesome!” I said. “We can use this on the [Plant Pots] in the [Greenhouse]!”
The islanders crowded around the box and tried to touch the contents, but, as usual, items recognized by the System as “bound” to me specifically couldn’t be touched by outsiders. My apprentices could sometimes use them if they were meant for general farm or house use, but most items, especially valuable ones, could only be used by me.
“Sorry, it looks like I’m the only one who can use it.” I demonstrated this by kneeling on the floor and scooping up a handful of the [Blessed Potting Mix] and letting it run through my fingers back into the box.
There was a big commotion as word spread of this miraculous event, and the building became crowded as everyone had to have their turn in trying to take some of the potting mix.
The elders and their attendants quietly discussed it among themselves while the other islanders marveled loudly at the nature of the gift.
“The great turtle gave this to her!”
“It has to be ancient magic.”
“What if Lady Violet turned the box over someone’s head? Would the soil fall on him?”
“It’s Princess Violet now.”
“No, don’t ask her to do that. The person the soil falls on will have seven years of bad luck.”
“Oh, you mean because he disrespected the great turtle’s gift?”
“Let’s ask her to do that on Coral!”
I stifled a laugh when I heard that last line. The person who said that was a very pretty woman with red hair, and Dusk whispered in my ear that, as I had guessed, that person was Pearl.
Eventually, the furore died down, and I heard the sound of someone blowing on a conch shell, summoning us to the feast.
Prince Baiyu offered me his arm, and we walked there arm-in-arm.
The biggest beach was the site of the island-wide feast. Hundreds of people, wearing bright-colored sarongs and some with flowers in their hair, were already there.
It was well past sunset, and the sky was a deep, inky blue. The entire area was illuminated by the flickering, orange glow of torches mounted on wooden poles. In addition, people with instruments were clustered around firepits, merrily making music and dancing. Tents had been set up all over the beach to shelter the long trestle tables they were using for the feast.
The elders invited us and other notable people to dine with them in a large beach hut with a thatched roof, its sides open to the elements. We sat on the wooden floor on red and white floor mats while attendants brought in large platters of food.
The star of the night was, of course, the roasted pig, but there was plenty of other food like rice, sweet potatoes, grilled vegetables, fried plantains, chicken in coconut milk, fish stew, seafood bakes, taro pudding, sliced fresh fruit, and more. Everyone took a piece of the pork first.
I understood that this food would have been eaten with the hands traditionally, but these days the islanders have adopted the practice of using either chopsticks or spoons, forks, and table knives.
Prince Baiyu took a piece of banana leaf and used it as a plate to take food for both of us. We ate from the same leaf using chopsticks.
“Thank you, my dear,” I said before I took my first bite.
The meat was so tender that it fell apart between my teeth almost immediately, the fibers dissolving without any real chewing needed. The skin was crispy and warm, with a slight char on the edges. Fat coated my tongue and the roof of my mouth, rich and smooth. Salt and smoke layered through each bite, the flavors deep and complex. The meat was almost impossibly flavorful. Every bite brought the same combination of tender texture and that perfect balance of smoky, salty, sweet notes that made me want to keep eating.
I took a piece of banana leaf and used a serving spoon to put the steamed rice on it. Placing a piece of pork on top of the rice, I ate them together. The rice proved to be the perfect companion to the soft pork, its firmer texture providing a pleasing contrast. Each bite was an absolute delight, with the savory, tender meat and fluffy rice combining to create a harmonious and deeply satisfying bite.
“Incredible. I think this is actually on par with the Demon Chef’s food,” I whispered to my husband.
He nodded but didn’t reply because he was too busy eating. In fact, everyone inside the beach hut was quietly eating their fill. Lari, Kharli, and Mo had one whole pig in front of them, and they were rapidly making inroads into the huge pile of pork, along with the other nobles beside them who weren’t too fancy to gorge themselves silly with roasted meat. That’s how good the food was. When the pork was all gone, we finally started on the other dishes. I took a bite of everything until I was stuffed, but nothing could compare with that glorious pork.
Later during the night, the conch shell blower called us to the front of a wooden elevated stage where young priests and priestesses performed a sacred dance to bless all the onlookers. I watched in rapt fascination as the temple musicians set up a fast, rhythmic beat with their drums and the dancers stamped their feet, beat their arms and chests, and chanted ancient words of prayer. It was a very entertaining display.
The dance signaled the end of the festivities for most of the feastgoers. The children, elders, and most adults returned to their homes, leaving behind the teenagers who were allowed to party all night long.
We also took our leave of the elders and went back to the beach our ship had landed on.
“Time to go home,” I said to the others.
We were escorted by torch-bearing attendants who lit our way. I summoned the [Traditional Chinese Ship], and the clan members flew us on board. The trip back was uneventful, and it was late, so everyone was too tired to chat much, except for Scholar Wu, who told us her findings.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“The qi levels are more than double the recorded historical levels.” She smiled as she scribbled something on a scroll. “Did you know their elders are very, very old?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” I asked.
“Their eldest is almost two hundred years old.”
“Are you sure they weren’t just joking?”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s true it can’t be proven, but I believe it. Records do say more than one clan member has met the same elder more than a century later.”
“Really?”
“They rarely allow clan members on their island, but, yes, supposedly.”
She handed me a leather-bound book and opened it to a specific page. Pointing at a certain part of a page, she silently invited me to read it. “This is a historian’s firsthand account. He was an alchemist, and he claims that the islanders are always happy because Archelon is constantly secreting a euphoric drug.”
“Surely not!”
She just chuckled and took the book back. She continued writing, and I was left wondering if it was true.
Prince Baiyu, who had been listening in, put his arm across my shoulders and said, “Even if it's true, there is something called drug tolerance. The islanders are mostly born on Archelon and, if the drug theory is true, have been exposed to it from birth. It probably has little to no effect on them.”
I frowned. “But not on us!”
“I think it’s fine as long as it's not addictive.”
“Oh my goodness, I hadn’t even thought about addiction!”
A chill crept up my spine. No matter how lovely that island seemed, I decided to never stay there longer than a day or two.
***
Over the next week, we visited Prince Baiyu’s sister three times. I was still limited to just looking at her, but my in-laws, with the help of two nannies, demonstrated how to change her diaper, a smelly and messy procedure that they told me not to worry about too much since I would have nannies of my own.
With Fengying and my husband’s help, I rebuilt our courtyard into a lying-in or maternity home and nursery that was all-white, modeled after the place Lady Yuying was staying at. The nannies hired by Shuye from the Azure Dragon clan also arrived and settled into their quarters in the outer courtyard. They were tall, muscled women who were so self-effacing and quiet that they barely spoke two words to us.
“Nannies are chosen for their tranquil qi and restful personality,” Prince Baiyu explained. “They are very, very good. I could barely feel their qi.”
“They would make great assassins then!” I said.
He just laughed.
We were walking around the farm, inspecting the newly planted crops. They were all flourishing, especially the [Corn], [Wheat], [Rice], and [Tea]. It had to be the effect of the blessings from the [Lord of Rice], [Queen of Tea], [King Corn], and [Lady Wheat]. Lari’s [Ginseng] at the [Herb Garden] was also growing very fast, no doubt because of the [King of Ginseng’s] influence.
We met Lari, Kharli, and Mo at the [Greenhouse].
“Let me just get this.” I took out the box from Peach Blossom Isle, which immediately filled itself with [Blessed Potting Mix] when I opened it.
Then I filled a large [Plant Pot] with the soilless mix. Mo planted a [Peach] seed in it, which Kharli watered. Lari carried the pot to its designated spot, where two dozen tree seeds had already been planted in their own pots. These would be sold when they were large enough, and I expected they would be in great demand because they came in their own pot with blessed materials from the Peach Blossom Isle.
Kharli scooped a handful of the new mix and let it sift through her fingers. “I wonder if this is better than our [Black Soil].”
“Maybe. I mean, it is blessed by a goddess,” said Mo.
“But she’s a goddess of the sea,” said Lari, wrinkling his nose. “Not a land or fertility goddess.”
“I believe the potting mix is one small step below [Black Soil] in terms of quality,” I said. “But [Black Soil] is hard to create, while this is something we basically get for free every day. You could say this is more valuable because of that.”
“Can we please try to use it in the [Herb Garden]? I want to see if they will make better [Ginseng],” said Lari.
“Okay, but my gut tells me it’s a wasted effort since the [King of Ginseng’s] blessing makes all of ours high quality,” I said.
“But isn’t there a level above high quality?” Prince Baiyu’s eyes twinkled. “They could become mythical grade.”
“Oh…” Lari’s eyes lit up at the thought of mythical-grade [Ginseng].
“Don’t get your hopes up too much.” I shook my head and gestured for us to sit at the table we had put in a cozy corner of the [Greenhouse]. Now that it was fall, this was a great spot to stay warm and have a nice cup of coffee or tea.
It was Kharli’s turn to serve the [Tea]. Lari and Mo brought out a few light snacks while she brewed the [Tea] leaves using a camping stove from the Cash Shop. I sat back and relaxed. The morning light filtered through the glass panels above, casting a soft, diffused glow across the space. The leaves of the trees outside the [Greenhouse] were now beautifully colored shades of orange and red. Inside, the air was warm and humid and smelled of soil and growing things.
We spoke of many things while we drank [Tea] sweetened with [Fairy Honey] and ate an assortment of Deming’s tea snacks, tiny pastries filled with mung bean paste, lotus seed paste, and roasted pork.
“I think I can safely leave the main farm to you guys. I’ll only be a portal away,” I said to my apprentices. “Be good, and don’t fight with each other… too much.”
The three of them grinned and exchanged mischievous looks.
“You know what they say…when the cat’s away, the mice will play,” said my husband.
I giggled.
When tea was finished, we said our goodbyes, and Prince Baiyu and I left for the portal to the desert farm. The cool autumn air suddenly gave way to a blast of hot wind in my face, making me cough from the dust it brought. Though the farm was now covered in grass, dust still blew in from the surrounding areas.
I covered my face with a sleeve and said, “Ugh, I think you can fly us faster this time. I can endure it if it's for the sake of getting to shelter faster.”
My husband nodded to his royal guards and to the men watching over the portal and picked me up. Due to my slight fear of heights, he flew low, only around ten feet off the ground, but fast enough that we arrived at the desert farmhouse in minutes.
I sighed with relief when we crossed the threshold.
The desert farmhouse had complete climate control, and once inside the gate, it was always 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 percent humidity. The [Everbright Bastion of Glimmering Gildenthorn] I had built here before was quite fun, but I had eventually replaced it with the usual courtyard-style house since that was what people were used to. I could always place it again if I wanted, but for everyday living, I stuck to the traditional ways of this world.
Yinuo met me in the outer courtyard with her husbands, Muchen and Yichen. They were identical twins, both quite handsome with dark brown eyes and high cheekbones. Yichen was an artist whom I liked to commission, and he was currently making a wedding portrait for me and Prince Baiyu. Muchen was a hunter. He used to make more money than Yichen, but now that Yichen’s art was becoming very popular, he was helping out with the smaller projects since he was also talented, though perhaps less so than Yichen.
“Hey, hey, let’s go inside so you can sit down and put your feet up!” I exclaimed when I saw Yinuo.
She was estimated to be in her last month of pregnancy, and her belly was huge, but she was practically glowing with health. Due to the presence of qi in this world, human and clan members’ gestational times were a bit more complicated compared to pregnancy on Earth. Fetuses could somehow tap into qi and could grow faster than expected.
“Thank you, my lady,” she said.
We all walked into the reception room where Yinuo gave us her report. Everything was fine, as expected. A few elders, scholars, philanthropists, etc., had come on official business to see how our desert regeneration project was coming along, and they left satisfied with our progress.
I rested that day and woke up early the next morning to finally get started on finishing my epic quest.
[Epic Quest: Greening the Desert
Turn the cursed desert into fertile land.
1. Improve watershed by using water harvesting methods by digging contour swales. - done
2. Improve watershed by using water harvesting methods by digging a lake reservoir. - done
3. Plant the berms with one hundred fruit trees and one hundred berry bushes. - done
4. When the lake is full, plant a riparian buffer of one hundred trees. - done
5. Plant one hundred fertilizer trees. Use a cultivation box. - done
6. Graze spirit animals. Sow wild grass and flowers on the grazed land.
7. Plant one hundred fruit trees. Use a cultivation box. - done
8. Plant one hundred nut trees. Use a cultivation box. - done
9. Plant one hundred trees. Use a cultivation box. - done
10. Create windbreaks to protect the crops. - done
11. Plant one hundred perennial crops. - done
12. Create a food forest made of a diverse array of one hundred fruit trees, one hundred shrubs, one hundred vines, one hundred grasses or herbs, and one hundred root crops.
Progress: 10/12]
There were only two items left, numbers 6 and 12, and, based on my calculations, once I completed it, the exp I would receive should be enough to level up to 60 Farming, thus, allowing me to welcome my dragon child into this world.
I could hardly wait!
*****
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