Chapter 16: Encounter
Cheng Lang had already tested this during his last mining trip.
It was useless.
Even with no light and plenty of distance, the cobblestone floor didn't spawn any monsters.
Back on deck, he looked at the two bulls and their calf—full of energy after being fed wheat.
Everyone knows you gain XP from killing adult cows, but calves don't give experience.
So Cheng Lang pulled out bone meal and ripened the wheat.
Ten grains later, the calf had grown into a full-sized cow.
But Cheng Lang didn't attack.
He turned to the two bulls.
They felt his death stare.
Moo (Translation: Don't come near us!)
He fed them wheat again.
Hearts floated.
The two brothers gave birth to their second calf.
The bulls were done.
They were tired.
They were ready to uninstall life.
---
No rush to kill the calves.
Instead, Cheng Lang fed them wheat to grow them quickly.
Then—more breeding.
"Looks like the 20-minute cooldown for breeding still follows MC logic."
Now there were five cows under the deck's awning.
The native animals were terrified of the MC creatures.
Especially the bulls.
They huddled in a corner, trembling.
Cheng Lang fed wheat to the calf—it grew instantly.
He felt guilty.
He dragged the new MC cow into a room alone.
It nuzzled him affectionately.
Cheng Lang patted its square head.
"Sorry about this."
He jumped and struck.
The cow panicked and ran.
On the second hit, it vanished in a puff of green smoke—
Leaving behind two XP orbs and a few beef slices.
"It works! As long as it's an MC creature… but how did I level up?"
"Is it okay to kill animals in the One Piece world?"
He looked at his last three wheat.
Leveling up through cows would be slow.
"Oh well. One step at a time."
He glanced at the cows in the shed.
The native ones were now obsolete.
---
Just then, the girls finished their bath.
"Cheng Lang, the water really works for bathing," Alvida said with a smile.
Her Slippery Fruit kept her skin clean—
But Kuya Mi didn't have that luxury.
She scrubbed hard, muddying the water.
But when poured out, it vanished.
The MC wooden floor self-cleaned in seconds.
"Huh? Another cow?"
"What's for lunch? Roasted whole cow?"
"Eat it now?"
"Eh? Already?" Kuya Mi hesitated.
Then Cheng Lang served up two roasted beef legs.
He processed the sheep and chickens too.
Now, only MC animals remained onboard.
Turns out, only MC creatures gave XP.
Kuya Mi got her soft little chicken—no poop, no feeding, no smell.
Cheng Lang placed the MC animals in empty rooms.
No grass blocks meant no wool growth—just mud.
But lambs could still be born and sheared later.
He crafted an original MC bed.
Laid down—nothing happened.
It felt like a normal bed.
"Maybe it only works at night?"
Night came.
Cheng Lang lay down again.
No skip-the-night effect.
But sleep hit instantly.
Three seconds on the pillow—out cold.
---
He woke up at dawn.
Stared at the wooden ceiling.
"So comfortable."
No dreams.
No fatigue.
He got up, refreshed.
On deck, Kuya Mi was collecting the anchor.
"Brother Cheng Lang, you're up early. We're approaching a new island—Xiluobu Village. Should we stop for supplies?"
They hadn't bought much in Orange Town.
But with Cheng Lang's powers, they wouldn't starve.
"West Robe? That's where Luffy met Usopp. They're two days ahead. Maybe it's already over."
"If nothing goes wrong… this might be our only chance to meet Luffy's crew before Rogue Town."
Cheng Lang thought.
There was also that rare animal island…
"Forget it. We'll see when we get there."
---
"Since we're here, let's stock up," Cheng Lang said with a smile.
By noon, they reached the shore.
The scenery felt familiar.
After so many days in the One Piece world—
He was finally going to meet Straw Hat Luffy.
He didn't know what would happen.
The trio disembarked.
Alvida was surprised.
"You're not going mining today?"
"Nope. Not for now. The ship's already full," Cheng Lang replied.
Alvida was a little disappointed.
Sure, they had gold—lots of it.
But who complains about too much money?
If she could strike gold at every island, she'd laugh herself awake every night.
---