[Congratulations on unlocking the Fertilizer Application Task!
Reward: Fertilizer for the current plot (300 kg). Please complete the fertilizer application task as soon as possible. For future fertilization tasks, you can purchase the necessary materials from the Star Source store.]
When this message from the Star Source sounded in Shen Xingyan's ears, he immediately understood the meaning of the unfamiliar icon (prompt), but a sense of bewilderment arose in his mind:
"When I was studying the materials, I learned that fertilizer application tasks only appear after a farmer reaches Level 10. But I'm only Level 5, so why did it appear so early?"
Shen Xingyan pondered, not understanding the reason. But then, analyzing his situation and remembering the "cultivation privilege" he received for breaking a record, he suddenly realized: could it be related to growing potatoes?
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. The early appearance of the fertilizer task was definitely related to the Level 2 seeds of potatoes:
"The information in the materials must be inaccurate. New tasks don't appear after reaching Level 10, but after planting higher-level seeds. The authors of those materials didn't have a privilege like mine, so they made a mistake."
Understanding the reason, Shen Xingyan shook his head and sighed. The ancient wisdom held true: "It's better to have no books at all than to blindly believe everything written!"
After this reflection, Shen Xingyan opened his inventory to check the fertilizer gifted by the Star Source:
Item: Fertilizer Quantity: 300 kg Application Area: 3,000 sq. m Properties: Increases soil nutrients, improves soil quality, used for field care tasks in the farmer profession.
Looking at the fertilizer, which took up one inventory slot, Shen Xingyan fell into thought.
"According to the materials, after Level 10, two or three fertilizer application tasks appear during a crop's growth cycle. That seems to be correct. But the exact time of their appearance is unpredictable. What if a task like this appears when I'm not around? The fertilizer will remain in my inventory, and how will the little skeletons be able to use it then?"
"If a 'task stagnation' occurs due to the lack of fertilizer, leading to a reduction in yield and preventing me from breaking the record, that will be a serious problem!"
Thinking about how to solve this problem, Shen Xingyan suddenly noticed the well nearby and was struck with an idea. He slapped his forehead and muttered, "I've been so muddled! It's that simple—I'll just have the little skeletons apply the fertilizer the same way they water the crops!"
With that thought, Shen Xingyan immediately got to work. As the ancients said, practice is the sole criterion for truth. Since there was a fertilizer application task, he needed to teach all the skeletons to save a lot of trouble in the future.
He walked over to a free space next to the warehouse and, for 100 copper coins, bought a wooden plank from the Star Source store that was 16 square meters in size, placing it on the ground.
Then he took the 300 kg of fertilizer gifted by the Star Source out of his inventory and poured it onto the plank. In the inventory, the 300 kg took up only one small slot, but on the plank, it barely fit.
After that, he spent another 100 copper coins to buy 20 buckets, just like the ones for watering, and placed them next to the plank so the skeletons could use them to apply the fertilizer.
Seeing that everything was ready, Shen Xingyan clapped his hands and, as usual, called Wangcai over to personally teach him how to use the fertilizer.
As expected, the quick-witted Wangcai quickly mastered all the intricacies of the process under Shen Xingyan's guidance.
Shen Xingyan then instructed him to teach the other skeletons. He himself was not in a hurry to start applying the fertilizer, preferring to wait until all the skeletons had mastered the process—after all, as they say, good preparation is half the battle.
During this time, the cooldown for his innate summoning skill was complete, and he habitually used it to summon a twelfth little skeleton.
Looking at the new skeleton, which looked noticeably cleaner and sturdier than the very first Wangcai, Shen Xingyan was pleased. However, upon checking its stats, he found the same old numbers. Already used to this, he sent the newcomer to Wangcai for training, as usual.
Then he began to search for fertilizer in the Star Source store. The price turned out to be quite affordable—only 2 copper coins per kilogram. Shen Xingyan spent 1,200 copper coins, buying a stock for two future fertilizer application tasks.
When all the skeletons had finished their training, Shen Xingyan divided the 300 kg of fertilizer into five parts, 60 kg for each mu of land, and used his inventory to place them in the center of each plot, after which he officially announced that work could begin.
When it came to applying fertilizer, the little skeletons' efficiency was inferior to Shen Xingyan's because he had a spatial inventory. He only needed to place some of the fertilizer in his bag and then could scatter it freely. The skeletons, on the other hand, had to run back and forth many times.
Unfortunately, the Star Source did not allow him to put water from the well in his inventory, otherwise, the watering tasks would have been far less labor-intensive.
While applying the fertilizer, Shen Xingyan thought he saw a flash of envy in Wangcai's eyes as the skeleton watched him work. But since a skeleton didn't have eyes, Shen Xingyan decided it was just his imagination.
Thanks to Shen Xingyan's almost cheating method, the fertilizer application task was quickly completed, and a message from the Star Source appeared:
[Congratulations! You have completed the first fertilizer application task. Reward: All crop growth progress +10%. We wish you a pleasant time!]
With the appearance of this reward message, the previously calm plants began to "rebel" again, their stalks growing vigorously.
For another farmer, such a sight would have been an incredible surprise, causing a storm of excitement. But Shen Xingyan, already used to such moments, was only slightly pleased, quickly returning to a calm state.
"The reward for the fertilizer task has the same effect as my professional skill. Not bad! This makes up for the time I used the skill to break the wheat record," Shen Xingyan nodded in satisfaction, feeling that the Star Source was truly showing him care.
However, he was well aware of the side effects of such a reward. He had only recently used his professional skill, and the frequency of the field care prompts had only just begun to decrease. Now, with this additional reward, their combined effect would raise the intensity of the prompts to a new level!
And indeed, a barrage of prompts from the Star Source soon fell upon the field with unprecedented ferocity. By their intensity, it was clear that the upcoming "battle" would not be easy.