[Cozy Fantasy] [Farming LitRPG] The Chronicles of Emberstone Farm

Chapter 123 - Flying ship: This season's musk-have item

🙞❤︎🙜

Lari and Mo didn't need to be told twice. They turned and ran to me. A second later, we found out why the Commander had ordered them to flee. A [Giant Crystal-Eyed Skunk] three times larger than the normal ones, appeared from the underbrush.

[Giant Crystal-Eyed Skunk:

The Matriarch of the tribe. Beware of her powerful Miasma Whirlwind attack.]

“Maybe we should flee!” I said, but it was too late. As I was shouting, the Commander sprang towards the skunk and cleaved it in two with her blade.

Unfortunately, the skunk’s specialized scent glands activated in death.

Even from a distance, my eyes watered as I was assaulted by the foul smell of its Miasma Whirlwind. I could only imagine how the Commander felt.

We all ran away as fast as we could and didn’t stop running until we reached the river where the [Chinese Traditional Ship] was.

The Commander immediately flung her outer robe off and started washing herself in the river.

“Hey, did anyone bring soap?” I asked the others.

Kharli obligingly handed it to the Commander who thanked her politely and used it to scrub herself free of the skunk’s scent.

“It’s not gonna work. She needs to immerse herself in an herbal bath. Or at least wash with vinegar and water,” said Lari.

“Gosh,” I said. “I think I have something that might help.”

Something that was called “Miasma Whirlwind” was probably poisonous, which meant that my [Antipoison Potion] should probably work on it. I took a small [Striped Circus Tent] from the Cash Shop and placed it near the river’s edge. The Commander was quite tall, so I took the time to look for the biggest claw-footed bathtub in the Cash Shop that had an autofill with hot water function. Once the steaming hot water filled the tub, I poured in five potions just in case one was not enough before inviting the Commander over to cleanse herself of the nasty skunk smell.

“I’ve set up an herbal bath inside, please make use of it,” I said to her.

“Thank you,” she said, her nose twitching in a cute way

“Why are there so many stinky animals?” Mo asked me.

“Did you ever think that maybe to the animals, we are the ones who smell wrong?” I smiled at her and tweaked her nose.

“Yeah, maybe you’re the stinky one,” said Lari.

“No, you are!” said Mo.

“Shut up, I hear people coming.” Kharli pointed at the spot in the forest surrounding the river.

The splashing sounds from inside the tent became louder for a few minutes until the Commander emerged. I winced when I saw that her hair was still wet. I forgot to provide towels!

“Sorry! Here you go,” I said as I handed her a large, fluffy pink piece of drying cloth.

“Thank you. Let’s go and greet them,” she said as she vigorously rubbed her hair dry.

We walked to the side of the ship nearest the spot in the forest where the noise was coming from. Three people emerged from the forest, one of them was the clan member who had set off earlier to inform the nearest village that we were hunting the [Lunar Goats]. The others turned out to be representatives of the nearest village who were of the Deer Clan.

We exchanged bows and courtesies. The Deer Clan people, who were dressed in simple cotton pants and robes, seemed very high-strung, their movements quick and jerky. Their eyes kept darting to the [Chinese Traditional Ship], but when I invited them to a tour of my ship, they recoiled, wide-eyed. Not only did they refuse, they even took a step back and kept on walking backward until they were out of sight while mumbling excuses about having chores to do back at the village.

“Er, what was that? I’m not that scary, am I?” I asked the others.

“It’s not you, Baroness, it’s the flying ship. They’ve never seen anything like it,” said the Commander.

“They’re just simple country folk,” said Lari.

I gave him a disapproving look. “We’re simple country folk, too.”

My apprentice seemed to realize that his words had sounded condescending. “That’s not what I meant, Teacher!”

“Okay, but please mind your words next time.” I turned to the Commander and said, “Ready? Shall we go back to the [Lunar Goats]? I assume the villagers didn't object.”

The Commander nodded and we set off for the [Lunar Forest].

When we caught sight of the [Steel Cages], I saw that they were all full except for Mo’s. Mo’s cage had one goat in it while the rest of ours had five goats crowded inside licking the [Lunar Lure Lanterns].

“Wow, we got so many of them!” I mentally clicked on the [Steel Cages] and received a large amount of exp.

[Congratulations, you just advanced a Hunting level!]

[Congratulations, you just advanced a Hunting level!]

[Congratulations, you just advanced a Hunting level!]

[Your Hunting level is now 6.]

Lari frowned. “Teacher, I think we got too many. The herd is too small for us to take ten goats.”

He was probably right. “You think so? How many should we take?”

“Just one,” he said.

“No, we need at least two since we have to share half of our kills with the clan,” I said, nodding in the direction of our White Tiger Clan escort.

“We can butcher a goat and take half of the meat,” said the Commander.

“Right, let’s do that then,” I said.

“But wouldn’t it make more sense to capture a breeding pair?” asked Lari.

“These spirit animals are wild. I’m not sure they can be tamed or relocated that easily,” I said.

“Yes, and I wouldn’t recommend that you try it yourselves. I’m sure the surrounding villages will be looking for someone with a taming skill,” said the Commander

“It’s okay for hunters to hunt for meat,” I said. “Unless you plan to become a vegetarian?”

Lari shook his head. “I was just thinking of how to make the most of this discovery.”

“We can raise domesticated goats on our farm though! We don’t need the [Lunar Goats],” I said.

“And I bet our goats will be nicer,” said Mo.

“Or maybe stinkier,” said Kharli.

“No way, they won't be stinky!” I said. “Go and get your exp.”

My apprentices went to their hunting spots, and Kharli advanced to level 6 Hunting, too. Lari said he was close to a level. We removed the lanterns and opened the gates of the cages, but the goats seemed dazed, and it took a while before they all walked out.

Now that the main task of the day was finished, we leisurely walked back to the river, with my apprentices chatting about this and that and asking the clan members about good fishing and hunting spots nearby.

“Let’s stay near the river and fish for the rest of the day,” I suggested.

“May I forage on the riverbanks? I’m not good at fishing,” said Mo.

“Sure,” I said.

“I’ll escort you,” said the Commander to Mo.

Since I had been granted a piece of land to farm in the Ancient Hill Forest, we had permission to hunt, fish, and forage there, but it was a different story when it came to other territories. Half of our kills or gathered items were given to our escorts as payment for their services, and also for them to use as payment for any fees we incurred by using other clan’s resources.

The ground here was rather soft, covered in moss and fallen leaves. I took off my sturdy boots and replaced them with soft slippers, the better to feel the springiness of the forest floor under my feet.

I whistled as I walked, enjoying the clean, crisp air and the sight of butterflies flitting from flower to flower, their wings displaying colorful patterns. I saw squirrels darting from branch to branch, bushy tails trailing behind them cutely. When we broke free of the forest, we were greeted by an azure sky dotted by fluffy white clouds and the soothing sound of water rushing over the pebbly riverbed.

We ate our lunch and then spent a perfect afternoon fishing and foraging.

Chapter 123.5

An excerpt from the journal of Shuye Skullcrusher, Guardian of the Ancient Hill Forest:

The whole of the Westerlands is gossiping about the appearance of a “cursed flying ship from the underworld,” and Prince Baiyu will have to visit dozens of villages himself to assure them that Baroness Violet’s new toy is harmless.

It’s going to be a busy few weeks, since my men will have to investigate dozens of reports of new monsters and strange plants springing up along the river where the ship traveled. They’ll have to do it without me since my child will be born soon.