novelraw Chapter 134: I Want It All!
Chapter 134: I Want It All!
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just three pieces? If I had five, I could smelt an Iridium Ingot. What’s the point of only three?” Leon complained, though he still dutifully slipped them into his System Backpack.
After all, this was Iridium Ore—genuine top-tier mineral resources.
“Leon, are you okay?”
Seeing that Leon had dealt with the giant purple Slime, Maru broke free from her father’s attempt to hold her back and ran to his side, worry written all over her face.
After all, this incident had a lot to do with her. If she hadn’t cracked open the meteor’s shell and released this dangerous monster, Leon wouldn’t have had to risk fighting it.
“It’s just a Slime. Nothing I can’t handle.”
Leon waved it off, returning the Galaxy Watermelon Knife in his hand to its usual dormant state and tucking it into his backpack.
Since Maru and Demetrius had already seen him take it out earlier, there was no point in trying to hide it.
“So cool! Where did you even hide that weapon?”
Maru’s curiosity flared again as she watched it vanish into thin air.“Spatial folding technology. Black tech,” Leon said vaguely.
“Sorry about this. Maru’s actions caused you trouble. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Demetrius came over as well, his expression complicated as he offered an apology.
“No harm done. There was no real danger. It’s just… about the damages caused by this little accident, Mr. Demetrius…”
Leon rubbed his hands together, making it quite clear he expected some compensation.
Demetrius understood at once and nodded. “I’ll make it up to you, but not with cash.”
“What else can you offer?” Leon asked.
“When this farm was abandoned, I came here once to survey the land. I noticed there’s a natural cave on the property—its space and environment are excellent. I can help you remodel it.”
He patiently explained, “I can offer two options. One is to convert it into a fruit bat cave. Fruit bats tend to hide fruit in their roosts, which would let you harvest fresh fruit over time. The other is to turn it into a mushroom cave. I’d install about six cultivation boxes, taking advantage of the cave’s environment to produce mushrooms automatically.”
“Fruit bat cave,” Leon decided instantly.
He was very familiar with this cave renovation. In the game, it was a fixed event triggered when the player’s assets reached 25,000G—Demetrius would come to the farm in the morning and offer to modify the cave for either fruit bats or mushrooms. Now, even though this was being offered as compensation, Leon wasn’t about to refuse. He hadn’t yet earned that much money, and who knew if Demetrius would still follow the script later? Better to secure this extra source of income now.
Choosing fruit bats was also deliberate. The fruit they brought could be sold for profit and would also grant foraging experience. Some of the fruits could even be high quality, and a few were otherwise only obtainable by planting fruit trees.
Leon hadn’t found a place to buy fruit trees yet, and the old Community Center’s bundles required fruit from them. An extra source for these fruits was not something he’d pass up.
Mushroom caves were nice too, but they required daily harvesting, didn’t provide foraging experience, and never yielded high-quality mushrooms. Not worth it in his eyes.
“Dad, why not install both upgrades? Fruit bats and mushrooms can share the same environment. One lives on the ground, the other on the ceiling, so their spaces don’t overlap,” Maru suggested from the side.
“Oh? You can do that?” Leon’s interest perked up immediately at the thought of enjoying both benefits.
“It’s possible,” Demetrius admitted, “but it’s troublesome. The fruit bats might damage the cultivation boxes.”
“Just make the cultivation boxes from birch wood,” Maru countered. “Bats hate the smell. That way they won’t disrupt the fungi’s growth. Plus, bat droppings can be used as fertilizer for the mushrooms. It’s a win-win.”
“Ahem, Mr. Demetrius, I think Maru’s idea is brilliant. And combining both upgrades could even be a new research topic—mutualism between plants and animals. Very promising, don’t you think?” Leon chimed in. After hearing it was possible to have both, asking him to choose just one was far too cruel.
Worried Demetrius might turn it down as too much trouble, Leon added, “Of course, if it’s too much hassle, you don’t have to modify the cave. It was an accident after all, and Maru ensuring safety is already a great outcome. But I am curious about meteors. I might invite Maru over a few more times to study it with me. Naturally, I’d accompany her to make sure nothing like today happens again.”
Demetrius immediately saw through the threat. Leon was clearly using Maru as leverage, but he couldn’t risk calling the bluff. It was a blatant tactic, yet he had no choice.
“Fine. I’ll help you make the cave suitable for both fruit bats and mushrooms. As for the meteorite, a small sample will be enough for analysis. Maru still has her studies and work at the clinic, so she won’t have much time to come here.”
“Understandable. Thank you in advance, Mr. Demetrius.”
Seeing Demetrius relent, Leon couldn’t hide the smile on his face.
Maru also let out a breath of relief. She’d caused a big problem earlier, but thanks to Leon’s strength, they’d avoided any real danger.
Demetrius sighed and urged her, “Maru, let’s take a sample from the meteorite and leave. Didn’t Mr. Leon say he still has mining to do? We shouldn’t delay his work.”
“Alright. Thanks again for your help, Leon. I’ll be sure to thank you properly next time.”
Maru nodded sweetly, then joined Demetrius in cutting away a small sample from the meteorite. With a less-than-pleased look, Demetrius bid Leon farewell.
“It’s nothing. Goodbye, Mr. Demetrius. I look forward to seeing your cave renovation plans.”
Leon waved cheerfully as he saw them off.