Chapter 24: Eat, Eat, and Eat!

"You could say that, and besides money, there are many supplies offered as tribute. But there is no other way; only by doing this can they hope that when demonic beasts, monsters, or those demonic cultivators come to harm them, a righteous cultivator might step in."

Lan Ling nodded. "If they are willing to protect the common people, then that is barely acceptable."

Su Qingyue gave a bitter smile. "Hardly. Most of them act entirely based on their mood—helping only once out of every ten pleas for aid."

"Taking money and not doing the work?" Lan Ling said, laughing in anger. "Fine, just wait. The whole continent is like this, isn't it?"

Her gaze swept across the surroundings with icy intensity. "I will show them sooner or later what it means to say: throughout the nine provinces and four seas, we do not support idle gods!"

If an "immortal" doesn't do the work, why offer them tribute? Just wait and see!

The other players were equally indignant, pondering how to teach these lazy, money-grubbing cultivators a lesson. How could it be like this? It was practically forcing the common people to their deaths!

Xiaomo grumbled, "If it were me, I wouldn't even want their money! If they're really struggling, giving me experience points would be fine too!" After all, killing monsters rewarded experience points!

However, no matter how righteous and indignant the players felt, they were powerless for now; they were simply too weak. But it didn't matter—there would come a day when they would change this world. The game was so realistic, just like truly transmigrating to another world, that the players couldn't help but sympathize with the common folk.

Su Qingyue spoke up, "Alright, I'm going to book rooms at the inn. Everyone, go ahead and look around!"

The players nodded and scattered throughout the city. Although it wasn't quite what they had imagined, it was the first city they had reached in this holographic game, and they were still quite curious.

After strolling through the city, the players didn't rush to sell their goods for money. It was still afternoon; the vendors and pedestrians would be much more numerous once evening fell. It would be twice the result for half the effort—certainly better than standing at a stall all afternoon and selling only two or three items.

They decided to just wander. Feilong Zaitian looked at the crop seeds sold at a roadside stall, his hands itching. "Let's buy some seeds. Once we get to the Su family ancestral grounds, each of us will be allotted a plot of land. We can start our farming mode!"

Farming! The image of endless fields instantly flashed through the other players' minds. They felt a surge of excitement and were even more motivated. Their own land! In the real world, they couldn't even afford a few dozen square meters, but here, they could have their own plots and grow whatever they wanted.

"Half for vegetables, half for fruit—how happy is that?"

Needless to say, farming is etched into the genes of the Chinese people. Su Qingyue herself had been addicted to farming games back in the modern era, grinding away happily. Not to mention that this was now a holographic game; the produce grown could not only be sold but also eaten. It was green, organic, and surely tasted fantastic!

"Oh boy, I’m going to eat, eat, and eat!" The players fantasized, wishing they could instantly teleport to that Su family ancestral grounds. Many recalled the taste of the wild berries they had picked earlier, and their mouths began to water uncontrollably. If the wild ones were that good, what they grew themselves would surely be even better! Most importantly, in the game, they could eat as much as they wanted, and it was delicious without being fattening!

Suspicious, clear liquid began to drip from the corners of their mouths. Passerby noticed and quickened their pace, muttering, "Lunatics!" Where else do you see people drooling on the street? The seed vendor was trembling—don't look at him with those eyes! He felt like he was about to be eaten; it was terrifying.

Xiaomo noticed the gazes of the passersby and realized that a whole group of them standing on the street drooling was a bit bizarre. She quickly wiped her mouth. "Ahem, I think we should skip this. The Sect Master said that about three days' journey north of the Su family ancestral grounds, there's a massive city with hundreds of thousands of people. There are many cultivators there, and they hold auctions for cultivators. Most importantly, they have spirit plant seeds. These plants, infused with spiritual energy, taste better, are beneficial for combat, boost cultivation speed, and are much more filling!"

Feilong Zaitian exclaimed, "Wow, so many advantages? Then we definitely have to grow spirit plants!" Not only were they delicious, but they also added combat stats and experience points. They were clearly superior to ordinary crops. Since the land allotted to each person was fixed, they naturally had to grow the best things. Quality was what mattered, not quantity! What was the point of being cheap?

Xiaomo continued, "We can use them as stat-boosting potions later. Besides, the Sect Master said she would teach us alchemy and artifact refining, and those require these spirit plants too."

Feilong Zaitian pondered, "Wait a minute, how come you know so much and I don't?" Were they not playing the same game? How could he have missed so many important bits of information?

Xiaomo scratched her head. "Oh, that? Probably because you and the other male players are always going on about 'wives' and 'hugging and cuddling,' so the Sect Master doesn't really dare to get close to you all."

"And so?"

"So, when I help her tidy her clothes, I ask a few questions, and she naturally doesn't refuse me!"

Feilong Zaitian felt a pang of heartbreak. Well, that was understandable. A young girl would certainly feel closer to other girls than to a bunch of lecherous, smelly men! But it was impossible for him to restrain himself. The white-clad little fairy was elegant, powerful, and radiated the charisma of a top-tier boss who commanded everyone to kneel and submit. She was both cool and beautiful—it hit his preferences perfectly! What boy didn't have a crush on a cold, white-clad fairy when reading novels in his youth? High-mountain flowers were the best, weren't they?

The small city wasn't large, and there weren't many streets. The group finished their tour quickly and headed toward the inn while discussing what items to sell and at what price. The inn Su Qingyue had chosen wasn't hard to find; primarily, it was the only one in the entire city large enough to accommodate a hundred people.

On the way back, accompanied by a chorus of rumbling stomachs, the players fell silent. "I'm so hungry!" Of course, this also had something to do with the food stalls along the way.

Xiaomo suggested, "Why don't we try the ancient food?"

Lan Ling replied, "That's fine, but don't eat too much!" They still had to return to the inn for dinner, and they wondered what the food at an inn in this world would taste like. In martial arts and period dramas, it always looked delicious.

The first novice quest had rewarded everyone with ten taels of silver. It didn't sound like much, but in ancient times, a household's annual income was only two or three taels. Compared to these impoverished commoners, the players were rolling in wealth. They could buy whatever they wanted from these stalls. Money meant freedom!

On the way to the inn, everyone held some food, looking incredibly satisfied. Although they didn't know how the main meals would taste, these snacks were quite good. The sesame seed cakes were chewy and fragrant, sprinkled with scallions and salt—salty and addictive. The candied hawthorns they bought were sweet and sour, the fruit large and seedless—a satisfying, giant skewer all at once. The snow-white meat buns had soft, silky skins, and were filled with savory, juicy meat—far more delicious than the modern buns filled with "technology and harsh ingredients"!

Not to mention anything else, just the food in the game made them wish they never had to log off! Shouldn't the game developers consider making a holographic cooking game?