Chapter 192
Chapter 192
Life at the Livestock Shed always ran on the same routine.
First, early in the morning, I fed the livestock and cleaned the shed.
Around noon, I made a round of the Pond Farm and the Sea Farm, and when evening came, I fed them again to wrap up the day.
Rumor had it that I spent all day buried in foul smells and hard labor……
‘But honestly, this is sweet as hell?’
While others clung to books and swords in order to grow stronger, I grew by tending fields and playing with animals. It didn’t get better than this.
Of course, at first it had been smelly and exhausting work. But humans were creatures of learning.
After repeating the same schedule every day, I became skilled enough to do the work with my eyes closed.
‘Besides, more and more people started helping me.’
These days, Rapin had been actively assisting with the Livestock Shed work.
Thanks to the division of labor, I had plenty of rest time.
Because of that, I was living a fairly satisfying and relaxed life at the Livestock Shed.
Within this routine, a few extra tasks would occasionally be added.
Something like cultivating a small field.
Since I always had time to spare, it wasn’t a problem. In fact, I preferred having more to do.
If I just lay around doing nothing, my whole body would ache.
Using my body to produce tangible results felt far more rewarding.
“Right, Rapin?”
“Yeah…….”
Rapin and I looked ahead together.
A small Log Cabin, and a neatly cultivated field.
Creak—.
Boogi was scattering good energy over the field.
Thanks to Boogi, even though it was late winter in February, this place would soon become land where crops grew vigorously.
“Rapin, is there anything you want to grow here?”
“Hmm……. Corn.”
“Corn, huh. Sure. Let’s grow that too.”
A field where corn and sugarcane grew together.
In reality, it would have been an impossible combination—but thanks to the Spiritual Beast, it would become possible.
‘Anyway, that wraps everything up.’
I opened the System.
Resolve the Monsters of the Central Area of the Island.
Deal with the traces of the fire.
Create the Second Forest Farm and establish a base.
Quest Complete!
Thanks to Shia finishing the cleanup quickly, I had been able to complete the quest easily.
As a quest reward, ‘Primordial Bond’ is granted!
As ‘Primordial Bond’ materialized, I grabbed it.
In my hand was a green, translucent seal.
‘Do I just stamp this onto the egg?’
The moment I took out the Golden Sun Parakeet’s egg from the System and brought ‘Primordial Bond’ close to it—
Green light swirled around the egg, and the ‘Hatching Progress,’ which had been at 97%, began rising rapidly.
And in one leap…….
Golden Sun Parakeet Egg
Hatching Progress: 100%
Clatter, clatter! The egg keeps moving! It looks like it’s getting ready to hatch! Let’s wait patiently just a little longer!
The hatching progress instantly reached 100%.
Golden Sun Parakeet Egg growth complete!
Blessed by the Goddess, the Golden Sun Parakeet is hatching!
‘……Is it finally being born?’
A dazzling light began shining from the golden egg.
Crack, crack. With that sound, fissures spread across the shell.
Rapin, who had been watching from beside me, widened her eyes.
“Billet, the egg is cracking.”
“Yeah. A new life is being born.”
“Oh…….”
Together with Rapin, I waited for the moment to meet our new Spiritual Beast.
Before I knew it, the light subsided, and resting in my palm was……
A baby parrot tilting its head at me.
It wore a small crown and even held a tiny staff in its wing.
True to its nickname, ‘Golden Sun,’ its entire body shone like a blazing golden sun.
But……
Bweeehk~?
Its gaze was just as arrogant as its flamboyant appearance.
‘What kind of bird looks like a vain noble full of pride?’
It didn’t look like the expression of a newborn chick at all.
Bwek~?
“……Huh?”
Bweeehk, ppyak ppyak.
The parakeet opened its eyes arrogantly and said something to me.
I couldn’t understand the exact language.
‘What did it just say to me? Somehow I don’t feel great about it.’
It felt different from my obedient Spiritual Beasts.
It gave off a slightly rebellious vibe…… somewhat similar to Hwayo.
“Rapin, what did it say?”
Rapin blinked, then translated the parakeet’s words.
“Yeah. It said, ‘Be honored that you have become the servant of the most beautiful being in the world.’”
“……Hmm.”
I glared at the parakeet.
“Was something wrong with the prenatal education? You’re awfully arrogant for something just born.”
Ppyak, ppyaaak~!
“It says, ‘Do not speak insolently to me, foolish servant.’”
“Tch…….”
I had thought I’d been blessed with good luck when it came to Spiritual Beasts, but for the first time, I wondered if I’d drawn a dud.
Think about it. How much effort had I poured into this parakeet?
For its sake, I had kept the Goddess’s Red Archive—barely obtained from the sales competition—beside it.
I had even infused it with the quest reward, ‘Primordial Bond.’
‘But…… is this right?’
The result was something that treated me like its servant. I felt scammed.
‘Did it grow up spoiled because I only gave it the best?’
That couldn’t be it.
It clearly needed education, but since it had just been born, I couldn’t exactly discipline it.
‘……Fine. Let’s set personality aside for now. Let’s check its abilities.’
I clenched my hand in the air.
‘So it’s not fire, but light.’
There was a clear difference from when I had drawn Hwayo’s card.
As if signifying the rare Light attribute, golden radiance gathered around me. It sparkled brilliantly before forming into the shape of a card.
On the card was a baby parrot wearing a crown and spreading its wings.
‘Please be a jackpot……!’
As I stared at it, information flowed into my mind.
???? – Usable when certain conditions are met.
My enthusiasm deflated a little.
“……You too?”
The skill was currently unusable.
It was the same with Pau.
Spiritual Beasts always had two skills, but for some reason, one skill of both the parakeet and Pau was concealed.
‘Of course, Pau’s single healing skill is ridiculously overpowered, so that alone is more than enough…….’
But I wondered whether the parakeet could prove its worth with just one skill.
‘Especially since it’s the rare Light attribute, it should at least have something decent.’
With that thought, I checked the remaining skill.
Consumes 2 Cost – Allows you to discern truth from falsehood.
I blinked at it.
‘……That sounds good?’
That was my first impression.
If the description was accurate, there were endless ways to use it.
‘Of course, I’ll have to think about how to use it in real situations.’
With that in mind, I turned to Rapin.
“Rapin, can you tell me any lie?”
“……Why?”
“No, I just want to check something.”
“Um, hmm…….”
Rapin furrowed her brows. She didn’t seem used to lying.
After crossing her arms and thinking for a long time, she reluctantly opened her mouth.
“I…… don’t like Billet.”
The moment she answered, I infused power into the card and activated the skill.
At that instant, the parakeet naturally flew onto my shoulder—
Ppyaaak~!
It spread its wings and let out a small shriek.
It felt like it was crying out, “That’s a lie!”
“Rapin, now tell the truth.”
“I like being by Billet’s side.”
She answered almost immediately.
Ppyak ppyak ppyak…….
When I looked at the parakeet, it was leisurely nodding, as if saying, ‘Mm-hmm, that’s right.’
“Rapin, now say what you truly want to say.”
“I like Billet the most in the world.”
Ppyak ppyak ppyak…….
The parakeet nodded with a satisfied expression.
Now I was certain.
This was how to distinguish truth and lies through the parakeet.
If someone lied, it spread its wings and shrieked.
If someone told the truth, it nodded in satisfaction.
“So it’s true.”
“Yeah. That wasn’t a lie this time.”
Rapin nodded readily, without embarrassment.
‘……Should I test it on someone else?’
There was one more person here to experiment on.
Coincidentally, it was time to deliver lunch to Shia.
Since Shia hated seeing me, I usually just left the food in front of the Treehouse door.
But now, wanting to confirm the parakeet’s ability, I deliberately went inside.
“…….”
Shia, sitting in a corner of the Treehouse, openly showed a look of disgust the moment she saw me.
“You don’t have to hate me that much, do you? I just came to hear your thoughts on the food I made.”
Shia avoided my gaze and snorted.
“……Hmph. Whatever. I only eat it because you bring it. It’s not like your cooking is anything special.”
Ppyaaak~!
“Still, don’t you at least look forward to me bringing you food? I carefully select good ingredients for you.”
“Not at all.”
“Really? Not even a little?”
“What answer do you want? I don’t look forward to it one bit.”
Ppyaaak~!
“Ugh, shut up. Just leave what you brought and go.”
Ppyak ppyak ppyak…….
Hmm.
The parakeet’s performance was undeniable.
“Fine, I’m leaving.”
After setting down the food I had taken out from Subspace, I left the Treehouse.
Only after Rapin and I entered the forest path did I speak to the parakeet perched on my shoulder.
“Hey, Parakeet. You’re more impressive than I thought?”
Broom, broom…….
The parakeet closed its eyes arrogantly and nodded.
“Rapin, what’s it saying?”
Rapin listened for a moment before calmly translating.
“It said, ‘You only realized that now, foolish servant.’”
“I figured it’d say something like that.”
Still, its ability was undeniably cheat-level.
With a grin, I extended my pinky finger toward it.
“Anyway, let’s get along from now on, Parakeet.”
Ppyak.
Though still wearing an arrogant expression, the parakeet eventually placed its wing against my finger. It felt like reluctant acceptance.
Just as Rapin and I returned to the base with the field—
A hologram appeared before my eyes.
Ta-da da-dam! Congratulations! You’ve gathered Spiritual Beast friends of six attributes!
The Goddess has sent a gift to the Farm Owner to celebrate!
‘……A gift?’
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a random reward appeared like this.
I opened the Animal Farm System and checked the gift box.
Inside was a signboard.
Yes, literally a signboard.
The kind you hang in front of a shop.
Hang the signboard on the house built on this island!
It will become a restaurant operated by the Farm Owner!
“A restaurant?”
Not understanding, I asked the System again.
“You want me to run a restaurant on this island?”
……Are there even customers who would come all the way here?
“We’ve arrived. Please get off in order.”
As the bus doors opened, a male student in a Yggdrasil Academy uniform stood up.
He was the only one wearing the academy uniform.
The rest appeared to be about the same age but wore casual clothes.
Some dressed like nobles, others in neat but modest outfits.
“Follow the instructions and head to your designated location.”
After saying that, the male student in uniform got off the bus first.
A freckled girl with brown hair—Hesti from rural Kirhen—took out a folded piece of paper from her chest pocket.
The edges were slightly crumpled, as if it had been folded and unfolded many times. It was the academy’s guide.
……834.
After confirming the number once more, she inhaled lightly.
She discreetly wiped the sweat from her palms onto her pants.
Stepping off the bus, she lifted her head.
There stood the statue of the academy’s founder, the Great Sage Gilley—whom she had only seen in photographs.
And the Main Building of Yggdrasil Academy.
The enormous gray stone structure filled her vision.
Its soaring spires and ancient patterns revealed the weight of time accumulated here.
“……I’m here.”
She muttered softly, her heart pounding.
‘To think I would come here.’
It had truly been by chance.
At the Kirhen Inn, she had met a young lord—no, a senior.
Thanks to his advice, she had applied to the academy. Miraculously passing the first stage, she had made it this far.
Hesti slowly walked toward the entrance of the Main Building.
And beneath the large plaque, she stopped.
「Yggdrasil Academy Entrance Practical Examination」
As she gazed at the words, Hesti quietly clenched her fist.