Chapter 25: Age of Animal Husbandry!
Author’s note: I hope you’ll help me by sharing this novel with your friends who enjoy reading. The more readers there are, the harder I’ll work to write and publish more chapters. Thank you~
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After finishing his dinner, Kaiden looked around at his recently expanded room… Yes, he had upgraded the Lord's Hall to Level Seven since that afternoon, having seen that he possessed sufficient resources.
In this upgrade, alongside the many improvements that had swept through the entire hall, two new additions had been made.
The first: a bathroom fitted with a large metal tub, and a simple clothing rack with a soft white bath towel hanging from it.
The second: a wooden wardrobe containing three full sets of cotton undergarments, and three sets of outer clothing — one comfortable sleeping robe and two luxurious noble robes.
Kaiden felt so overjoyed he nearly shed tears. True, he had been washing his face daily — but he hadn't changed his clothes… hadn't bathed… for three full days. Ever since his arrival in this world.
His territory was semi-desert, thick with dust, and he had felt an itch covering his entire body throughout each day — but he had been worried about his expedition team and kept putting it off. And now, with that worry gone and himself finally free… the time had come at last.
During dinner, he had ordered the villagers, under Casper's supervision, to heat water and fill the large tub. And now, hearing the sound of footsteps climbing the staircase, he thought to himself: it sounds like the water is ready.
"Knock, knock. My lord, the water is ready." Casper's measured voice came from behind the door.
"Come in." The door swung open to reveal the Head Steward, and behind him a group of villagers carrying with both hands several wooden buckets filled with hot water, thick steam rising from them in dense clouds.
Casper politely apologized for intruding upon the Lord's private quarters. Kaiden waved his hand to indicate he didn't mind, then stood watching as they poured the hot water into the bathtub until it was full.
Once the temperature reached the right level, Casper bowed respectfully, bid the Lord farewell, and quietly withdrew with the villagers, pulling the door closed behind them.
Only the eager Kaiden remained in the room.
Seeing he was alone, he stripped off his dirty, sand-filled clothes in one motion and leapt into the bathtub. He submerged his entire body in the hot water — keeping only his head above the surface — and closed his eyes.
"Ahhhh~"
Kaiden could do nothing but release a long, blissful groan. He felt every pore in his body crying out with joy. The heat seeped into his tired muscles and washed away every trace of exhaustion.
He had purchased a bar of scented soap from the World Market at a high exchange price — but it was nothing to him. It had been produced by the territory he bought it from. One mustn't underestimate anyone, he thought. Even now, he himself had yet to build a blueprint for something like a soap-making workshop or anything similar.
The soap wasn't all he had traded for. He had also exchanged for a plate piled with fresh wild fruit, and he plucked a large peach and bit into it with his eyes closed, completely relaxed in the hot water.
Kaiden scrubbed his body thoroughly with the scented soap. When he finished and stepped out of the tub, the remaining water was slightly murky. He pulled the metal drain stopper and watched the soapy water flow and disappear down the drain. He then sat and rinsed his body until he was completely clean.
Kaiden had no idea where that water went — ever since a bathroom had appeared on the second floor, such matters hadn't occupied his mind. This world's system is genuinely convenient, he thought, wrapping the soft white towel around his body.
After drying himself and putting on the comfortable sleeping robe, Kaiden felt his body had become considerably lighter. It was a wonderful sensation.
He lay back on his bed, which had grown even more comfortable and grand with the latest upgrade. He reached toward the bookshelf and flipped through the two new books that had been added with the upgrade. The first was a light novel titled "The Adventures of Hero Alexander" — about the upbringing of a young adventurer named Alexander who uses a sword as his weapon, his encounters with various monsters from dragons to strange creatures, and his exploration of mysterious ruins. Naturally it also included his romantic adventures with beautiful women. Kaiden read a few pages then set it aside — he enjoyed it, but was more curious about the second book.
He picked it up and found it entirely different in nature. Its title read: "Common Apprentice Workshops and Their Corresponding Products." For Kaiden, this book was a thousand times more useful than the entertaining novel. True to its title, it contained illustrated diagrams of common workshops, the products that could come out of each, and the raw materials required for every one of them. Kaiden read it for a full hour, and with every page he turned, he felt his understanding deepen. He finally closed the book with a sense of enlightenment — now knowing far more about what each workshop was capable of producing and what materials it required.
Time to open the treasure chest, he thought, setting the book aside.
He took out the Black Iron Treasure Chest he had gained from completing the last quest and placed it on the bed before him. He rubbed his hands together eagerly, silently wished himself luck, then selected "Open."
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Opened — You have received:
- Wood × 280 units
- Stone × 280 units
- Iron × 120 units
- Fertilized Wild Chicken Egg × 10
- Apprentice Poultry Coop Bundle × 1
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Upon reading the gains, Kaiden felt pleasure wash over him. Fertilized eggs — and a poultry coop. He immediately opened the information interface for one of the eggs:
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Name: Fertilized Wild Chicken Egg
Type: Livestock
Description: Must be placed inside a poultry coop for 12 hours to hatch. After hatching, the chicks require two days to mature and begin laying eggs, provided the necessary feed is supplied.
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"Everything is coming together," Kaiden murmured with satisfaction. His territory had officially entered the age of farming — and very soon, with the chickens, it would enter the field of animal husbandry as well.
He checked the description of the Poultry Coop Bundle — it allowed the raising of all common types of poultry under the care of an apprentice livestock keeper.
Kaiden yawned as drowsiness crept into his eyelids. The hour had grown late. He reached out and pulled the magical lamp's cord, plunging the room into peaceful darkness.
This night was the most contented Kaiden had felt since his arrival. A luxurious, comfortable bed, the faint scent of soap rising from his clean body, smooth silken clothing brushing against his skin — he closed his eyes with a faint smile on his handsome face, and before long sank into a deep sleep.
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— End of Chapter Twenty-Five —