Sixth day after the storm
The midsummer remains.
The noisy cicadas forced Chen Yuan out of his slumber, and he lay on the bed for a while before finally getting up with sheer willpower.
"Whew～"
Cola was still snoozing on the carpet. Chen Yuan gave it a gentle kick and softly called, "Lazy dog, time to get up."
"Oooh..."
Cola groggily opened its eyes and, upon seeing Chen Yuan nearby, immediately jumped up and dashed towards him.
"Swoosh swoosh～"
Chen Yuan expressionlessly wiped the drool off his face and opened the window.
The faint sunlight streaming in illuminated even the dust particles in the air.
He stretched lazily before leaving the bedroom after a quick wash. Cola wagged its tail and followed closely behind him.
The old man had finished breakfast early and went for a stroll in the village, while Spark was practicing its moves alone in the courtyard.
Seeing Chen Yuan approach, it paused momentarily and waved its wings at its Beastmaster: "Chirp chirp～"
Good morning Beastmaster～
Chen Yuan waved back and gave Cola a stern look: "See how hard others are working."
"Oooh..."
Cola lowered its head pitifully, and as a butterfly swiftly fluttered past, it immediately grinned and chased after it, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Chen Yuan helplessly rubbed his forehead.
Before long,
Cola hurriedly ran back to Chen Yuan, biting onto his pant leg as if trying to drag him somewhere.
"What are you up to now?" Chen Yuan asked suspiciously.
"Woof woof woof!"
Cola panicked, trying to justify itself with urgent barking.
"Alright." Chen Yuan suddenly smiled, "Show me what's going on."
"Woof～"
Cola finally breathed a sigh of relief and led Chen Yuan to the chicken coop, with a curious Spark following behind.
"Huh? Bean Chicken?"
Seeing the noticeably larger Bean Chicken inside the coop, its round body covered with pale yellow feathers, Chen Yuan finally understood Cola's earlier reaction.
Turns out the family hen had evolved into a Bean Chicken.
In fact, Chen Yuan had spotted Bean Chickens in the village in the process of evolving days earlier, but he had been too busy to remember it.
Unexpectedly, the family hen had also successfully evolved.
Chen Yuan stepped closer, meeting a pair of round black eyes, and cautiously reached out his hand.
As a child, he had often been pecked by the mother hen.
Especially the mother hen with chicks, its attack power soared dramatically.
Fortunately, the Bean Chicken only glanced at him lightly and didn't react aggressively. It just stayed curled up in the coop, guarding several eggs beneath it.
[First collection of Bean Chicken, Source Point +1]
[Race: Bean Chicken
Attribute: Wind
Level: 1 (Tier One)
Favorability: 56
Skills: Bean Shock (Basic 0.1/3)+
Quality: Ordinary
Promotion to Elite Quality Conditions: Unlockable]
"Bean Shock, what a strange name."
Chen Yuan muttered softly and then extended his arm, calling out, "Bean Chicken, use Bean Shock."
"Cluck?"
Hearing Chen Yuan's voice, the Bean Chicken merely gave him a mild glance before bowing its head and ignoring him.
Chen Yuan: "?"
You're well-fed and comfortable here, and you refuse to give me face!
"Woof woof woof!" Cola bared its teeth, waving its sharp claws at the unappreciative Bean Chicken.
"Caw!"
The Bean Chicken was unfazed, its pitch-black eyes fixed intently on Cola, its aura rising dramatically.
"Oooh..."
Seeing the Bean Chicken's imposing demeanor, Cola shrank back, retracting its claws and quickly retreating behind Chen Yuan.
"Chirp～"
Spark glanced at Cola from above, implying more than it expressed in words.
"Alright, let the Bean Chicken lay its eggs in peace, don't disturb it." Chen Yuan waved his hand, leading the two little ones away from the chicken coop.
As they left, Cola gave a fierce glare at the ungrateful Bean Chicken before gleefully trailing behind Chen Yuan.
"Spark, Cola, and that hardworking Iron Head, plus the Bean Chicken, make four Extraordinary Creatures on the farm now."
"It's getting more lively." Chen Yuan smiled.
Among the Extraordinary Creatures he has encountered so far, except for the slightly temperamental Gray Feathered Hunting Eagle and the slightly uncooperative Bean Chicken, the rest have great personalities.
They are all well-behaved kids.
Back in the kitchen, Chen Yuan fed the two little ones first, then cooked a bowl of plain noodle soup, squatting by the doorstep to enjoy it.
Before he finished his meal, a blurry gray figure appeared high in the sky, followed by a familiar screech: "Screech!"
The two pets and Chen Yuan looked up simultaneously. Spark, in particular, flapped its wings with an indignant expression, ready to take flight at any moment.
This sneaky rascal almost got me reprimanded by the Beastmaster!
You dare come back!
"It's that guy." Chen Yuan stood up, looking puzzled at the approaching Gray Feathered Hunting Eagle.
Didn't this guy sneak away last night?
Why come back now?
Before he could react, the Gray Feathered Hunting Eagle dropped something from mid-air and screeched again: "Screech!"
In the next moment, the eagle turned around, leaving behind a solitary silhouette that gradually vanished into the heavens.
"Woof woof woof!"
Cola's excited barking snapped Chen Yuan back to reality, and as he looked down, he saw Cola jumping around the fallen object.
It was actually a dead fish.
And the fish appeared remarkably peculiar, with a short antenna on its head and covered in gray-black scales.
"Spirit Fish?" Chen Yuan voiced his surprise.
Clearly, it was a dead Spirit Fish.
Chen Yuan quickly approached and reached out to touch it.
No data panel appeared.
He frowned, "Not a Spirit Fish?"
"No way, it must be a Spirit Fish; ordinary fish don't grow antennas."
"Could it be..." His pupils narrowed, a suspicion slowly forming in his mind, "Only the living can be collected by the system?"
Suppressing his swirling thoughts, Chen Yuan looked up into the vast sky: "Is this your way of repaying?"
Gently pushing the drooling Cola aside, he stored the Spirit Fish in the fridge, planning to eat it with his grandpa that night.
If it's truly a Spirit Fish, a single taste would confirm it.
...
"Haozi, want to go fishing today?" Finishing breakfast, Chen Yuan dialed Zhang Hao's number.
Zhang Hao exclaimed, "Oh no, Yuan, have you become obsessed with fishing?"
Chen Yuan replied, "Your suggestion yesterday was great, and I want to try it."
Zhang Hao thought for a moment and nodded in realization, "Oh, oh, is it about the fish farm?"
"That's right."
"Sorry Yuan, I have chores at home today, so I can't accompany you."
"No worries, I'll go by myself."
After hanging up, Chen Yuan walked to the tricycle, ready to set off, only to see Cola staring intently at the steering wheel, amused: "Cola, do you want to drive?"
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Cola turned its head with a never-before-seen earnest expression: "Woof woof woof!"
Coach, I want to learn how to drive!