Shen Xingyan watched as the two little skeletons entered the wheat field and followed them, eager to see how Wangcai would teach the new skeleton the work.
Wangcai would make a movement, and the new skeleton would immediately repeat it, with no additional gestures even necessary between them. Shen Xingyan was baffled as to how they were communicating.
After a few repetitions, Wangcai stopped weeding and returned with the rookie to Shen Xingyan's side.
"Is that all?" ─ Shen Xingyan asked in surprise, looking at Wangcai, who stood motionless beside him. It seemed Wangcai had completed his task and was now waiting for the next command.
Shen Xingyan crouched down and stroked Wangcai's skull with admiration. Although the skeleton looked spooky, it now seemed like a true treasure. Shen Xingyan even thought he would have kissed it if he weren't afraid of being taken for a pervert.
When Shen Xingyan had taught Wangcai how to farm, he had used his position as master, which gave him certain advantages through the skill. Plus, being a smart person, he knew how to train a clueless skeleton to follow commands. All of this helped Wangcai quickly learn the necessary actions.
However, the teaching method Wangcai used, although similar to his own, was incredibly effective even without the coercive factor of the skill. This suggested that by nature, Wangcai was much more efficient than Shen Xingyan himself, which seemed simply unbelievable.
"Is there some kind of special connection between skeletons? Maybe they communicate more effectively?" ─ Shen Xingyan couldn't help but wonder. Puzzled by this question, he decided to ask Wangcai directly, suggesting it nod if his guess was correct or shake its head if not. But the skeleton seemed to completely misunderstand what its master wanted and simply stood motionless.
"I'm probably asking for too much. It's already great that Wangcai perfectly carries out basic commands. Asking it to answer questions is just too much," ─ Shen Xingyan thought with some disappointment, realizing he had indeed gotten carried away, expecting answers to his questions from a mindless skeleton that only acted on orders. "I must be getting too lucky lately—a professional skill mutation, the potential of my innate talent… I'm starting to get a swelled head. I need to stay realistic and not fantasize too much!" Shen Xingyan mentally chastised himself.
Since no useful information could be gleaned from Wangcai and there were no other ways to resolve his doubts, Shen Xingyan decided to set the question aside for now.
"Let's go, we need to finish weeding," ─ he told the two skeletons, even though he had a hunch about the outcome but still wanted to see for himself.
Hearing Shen Xingyan's command, Wangcai and its little helper immediately went to the field and got to work. Seeing this, Shen Xingyan couldn't contain his excitement.
Now I can hand off training to Wangcai! All it has to do is show the newbie what to do, and it's done—so convenient and effective! he thought happily.
The three of them quickly finished weeding. As the task notification disappeared, Shen Xingyan remembered that he had been so stunned by the effect of his innate talent and the little skeleton's abilities that he had forgotten to use his professional skill after the cooldown was over, losing several precious minutes.
He hurried to activate the skill, spending 5 Primal Energy points to increase the growth progress of the one mu of wheat by 10%.
[Congratulations! You have successfully used your professional skill. Farmer profession experience +1.]
When the skill's effect spread across the field, Shen Xingyan felt the wheat around him reach its growth limit and begin to come into ear. Looking at the lush, growing wheat, he felt his last doubts about the Farmer profession gradually disappear.
He suddenly realized the true joy of a farmer—the satisfaction of creating new life. To watch the crops grow gradually, filling with hope, and turning into what you envisioned—this was a feeling only tillers of the soil could experience. Shen Xingyan was completely captivated by the process.
If not for the constant threat of Catastrophes, being an ordinary farmer would be a very happy fate, he thought.
Seeing a "watering" icon above the field, Shen Xingyan and the skeletons began a new task. As the new skeleton, under Wangcai's guidance, quickly mastered the various types of work in the field, its movements became more and more confident, which significantly increased their overall efficiency.
Thanks to their coordinated work, the three of them dealt with the field maintenance tasks almost as soon as they appeared. Compared to the first day, completing the tasks had become much easier.
However, the prompts from the Star Source, like the skeletons' inexhaustible energy, appeared nonstop. No sooner had they finished one task than the next one appeared, not giving Shen Xingyan a minute of rest.
After five or six hours of hard work, Shen Xingyan's stamina was almost at a critical point, and only then did the flow of tasks begin to slow down, with the intervals between new prompts gradually increasing.
Shen Xingyan bought two steamed buns for 2 copper coins from the Star Source store and, sitting on the edge of the field, noticed that the frequency of the tasks had indeed decreased, which allowed him to sigh with relief.
"The 10% increase in growth progress is a truly powerful skill, but it requires the right amount of labor. If I were working this field alone, there would surely be many incomplete tasks, which would lead to a reduced yield," ─ he mused, chewing on a steamed bun and regaining his strength.
Shen Xingyan marveled at how well his two skills complemented each other. Separately, they wouldn't have produced such an amazing effect!