In the thin morning mist of the forest, the birds were the first to awaken, chirping incessantly.
Lin Chen's habit of sleeping in had been cured by the urgency of the Apocalypse Game, and he did not feel tired when woken by the birdsong; instead, he felt full of vitality.
After one night, Gun Gun's fur seemed to have thickened considerably, already largely able to cover his skin completely.
After filling his stomach, Lin Chen tucked Gun Gun into his arms, picked up a bucket, and headed out. He glanced at Treehouse No. 3 next door; there was no movement, so they were probably still asleep.
It was still very early, with the sky just beginning to brighten. Breathing the moist air in the forest was refreshing, giving one a sense of peaceful serenity, as if yesterday's zombies were just a dream.
Lin Chen went to the lake, drew a bucket of water, and added a few drops of the spring of recovery to it.
Carrying the water back to the camp, he began his daily practice.
He placed his hand on a tree, closed his eyes, and felt the Nature power within it. Finally, he cupped some water and poured it at the tree's roots.
Trees growing by the lake certainly did not lack water. The benefit came from the Nature spring water mixed in; because the amount was small, the effect was not significant, which was good as it would not attract attention.
"Luo Luo, look, what is he doing?"
As soon as Cheng Wei woke up, she saw Lin Chen standing motionless in front of a tree, with several Sparrows perched on his shoulders.
Liu Luoluo glanced at her and then looked away, "Who knows? If you want to know, go ask him yourself."
"I will ask myself then," Cheng Wei snorted, slamming the door shut in a huff. Liu Luoluo had been passive aggressive since she came back yesterday. It was not Lin Chen who refused to let her share the Treehouse, so why was she taking it out on her?
As Cheng Wei approached Lin Chen, the small Sparrows on Lin Chen's body all turned their heads, their beady black eyes fixed on her.
"What is wrong with these Sparrows? Are not they afraid of people?"
She walked closer and closer, and the largest Sparrow gently pecked Lin Chen's shoulder.
Lin Chen awoke from his Sense Nature. These Sparrows had been attracted by the water in his bucket and were particularly bold, not afraid of people at all.
A thought struck him, and he used Wild Empathy to persuade them to help him keep an eye on his surroundings while he was immersed in Sense Nature, offering the spring water as payment.
After the little Sparrows queued up to drink the water from Lin Chen's palm, they flew away led by their mother.
"Have these Sparrows turned into spirits?" Cheng Wei was stunned.
"Ah? No, it is just because I am a Druid, so I am closer to Nature, that is why they are like this," Lin Chen had put in a lot of effort to reach an understanding with them.
Cheng Wei once again envied Lin Chen's profession, "When I chose my profession, there was no Druid option at all. I just heard you say Druids can heal; is it a profession similar to a Priest? ... Eh? What is moving in your pocket?"
Lin Chen reached into his pocket and pulled out a restless ball of fluff, "It is my Animal Companion."
"A panda?" The envy in Cheng Wei's eyes was about to overflow. She quietly tucked her own familiar deeper into her pocket; it was a slippery toad, commonly known as a warty toad.
"Yes, he is too small, only knows how to eat and sleep, can not help much," Lin Chen stroked Gun Gun's fur.
"Creak—"
Lin Chen and Cheng Wei looked over at the sound, only to see the door of Treehouse No. 1 slowly open. An old man with white hair, wearing a tattered yellowish brown robe mixed with various plant roots, walked out with a hunched back.
He placed a seed by the wall, and with a gentle touch of his fingertip, lush green vines flowed out like water, intertwining to form a signboard: "Oak Grocery."
The old man stepped back two paces, looked at the signboard, nodded as if very satisfied, and then went inside.
"He is the owner of the grocery store? An NPC?" Cheng Wei murmured, "He looks like a wanderer."
"Probably," Lin Chen was amazed by the old man's skill.
At this time, the others from Treehouse No. 3 also came out. Li Wei seemed the most eager; he was a gaming expert and thought the grocery store owner might have quests.
"Are the Treehouses really this big inside?" This was the first impression of everyone who entered.
Their rented Treehouses were only as big as they looked from the outside. This Treehouse was several times larger.
Only Lin Chen knew that all Treehouses were the same size; this one had definitely been expanded. Just the counter and shelf area alone was about the same size as the original Treehouse, not to mention a small lounge area next to it and another room inside that could not be clearly seen.
The entire house was filled with the aura of Nature, with vibrant plants visible everywhere.
The old man from before was nowhere to be seen; the actual shopkeeper was a black bird. It wore a colorful little outfit and had a gem ring on its claw. Seeing someone enter, it hopped down from the soft cushion on the counter and used its wing to point at the small blackboard on the counter.
"Welcome to Oak Grocery! I am the shop assistant Wu Ya Ya. To purchase adventure items, please check the product catalog at the counter. For selling plant seeds or saplings, please go to the back room to find old man Xiao Mu."
"A crow can actually talk!" Xu Shan, who was at the front, exclaimed in surprise.
Wu Ya Ya gave this overly surprised person a sidelong glance and said in a passive aggressive tone, "How strange! Humans can talk too! And this guest with poor eyesight, I am a Raven, not a crow."
Xu Shan awkwardly scratched his head, realizing he had been rude.
"Hello, Mr. Wu. Is there anything we can help you with?" Li Wei asked confidently; this was his universal phrase for getting quests.
"Help?" Wu Ya Ya's eyes darted around, and he sniffled, "Old man Xiao Mu is not human! Poor me, an underage little Raven, always hungry and cold, and I still have to work to earn money. So, can you help by spending all the money in your pocket here?"
..." Xu Shan was silent for a moment, thinking that perhaps this Animal NPC needed money to increase his favorability. There is no gain without sacrifice. He gritted his teeth, pulled a Copper Coin from his pocket, "Here is some money for you to buy something to eat."
"You only have one Copper Coin in your pocket?" This person was too poor, even more miserable than him. Wu Ya Ya looked at Li Wei sympathetically.
Li Wei felt that this NPC might need more money to give a quest. He turned around, "Do you guys have any more money? Let us pool it together, maybe we can get a good quest."
"Forget it, we do not have many Copper Coins left, and I do not think this crow—ah, no, Raven—is like a rigid NPC. I would not be surprised if there is a person inside," Xu Shan said hesitantly.
..." Wu Ya Ya took a deep breath, telling himself that it was the first day of business and he needed to leave a good impression on customers. The Apocalypse Game had only been online for less than two days, so it was normal for these rural people to be poor and ignorant.
It patted its chest several times to suppress the urge to kick them out, then impatiently flipped open the product catalog. Penniless customers were not worth the service of the great Wu Ya Ya, "Look for yourselves."
A few Copper Coins could only buy a few small, not very useful items. Li Wei was not interested in this, still insistent on raising the NPC's favorability, "I only have this one Copper Coin left. I am giving it to you, can we be friends?"
"Thank you, but I, Wu Ya Ya, am a hardworking laborer. I am only friends with Gold Coins, not a beggar, okay?" Wu Ya Ya looked at Li Wei's head suspiciously.
This person's brain might have some issues. Although it had just put on a pitiful act, with the beautiful gem ring on its foot and the precious silk clothes on its body, was it someone who lacked a few Copper Coins? It would not even bother picking them up if they fell on the ground, finding them too heavy.
Li Wei's face alternated between green and white, gripping the Copper Coin in his hand. This damned Raven was too foul mouthed; he wanted to give it a bad review!
Cheng Wei tugged at Li Wei's sleeve, signaling him to endure, "Mr. Wu Ya Ya, your ring is so beautiful. Is that a ruby? I have a piece of jade here; does your shop buy it?"
She took out a jade Guanyin pendant from her pocket and placed it on the counter. The pendant was of excellent quality; she had found it on a classmate. She remembered its value was not lower than the large ruby on Wu Ya Ya's ring.
Wu Ya Ya poked it a few times with his claw and said disdainfully, "What jade? It is lifeless inside, with no energy at all, almost like a stone. The shop does not buy it! Look at mine, this is a magical gem rich in fire elements," Wu Ya Ya proudly lifted his foot.
Lin Chen leaned over and flipped through the product catalog, "Flour 1 Copper Coin/lb, Candles 1 Copper Coin/each, Torches 1 Copper Coin/each, Black Bread 2 Copper Coins/each, ... Oil Lamp 10 Copper Coins/each, Regular Meal 10 Copper Coins/serving..."
They all seemed to be common sundries, and substitutes could be found elsewhere, so spending money on them was not entirely worth it. However, he was very interested in the information about buying plant seeds.
But he did not have anything on hand right now, so he could only consider it later.