Chapter 1002 - 1000 Crystal Core Farm
Moved by their concern, he silently vowed to manage the territory’s farm even better from now on. What Kisha didn’t know was that her simple words would inspire Marcus to push the food production in her territory to heights she could never have imagined.
"Thank you, Young Madam," Marcus said, gently holding both his grandson’s heads as he guided them to bow before Kisha in a show of gratitude. To him, Kisha’s help when they were on the brink of starvation had already been a debt too great to repay. But now, seeing her go even further to secure their comfort, he felt a debt that far exceeded anything he had expected.
When she saved them, he had already been grateful and had pledged his loyalty to her. Yet now, his sense of indebtedness deepened, and he knew he had to do even more for her. Unbeknownst to Kisha, her actions had once again increased her devotion points.
Ding!
[You received Devotion from mortals +10]
[You received Devotion from mortals +10]
Seeing the familiar notification, Kisha smiled helplessly and nodded. "Alright, please don’t be too formal with me. Oh, and by the way, Mike, Rakan just awakened his ability yesterday. He might come to you to learn more about animals since his ability is connected to them. I’m letting you know so you won’t be caught off guard."
She added the note because she knew Rakan’s presence and aura could be intimidating to the young. Although Mike and Gant were mature for their age, they might still feel uneasy around him, which could make it difficult for Rakan to ask Mike for a favor. By introducing them ahead of time, Kisha hoped Mike would be prepared and wouldn’t be startled when Rakan eventually came seeking his guidance.
Hearing that Rakan’s awakened ability had something to do with animals, Mike’s curiosity immediately piqued. Naturally drawn to anything involving animals, he leaned forward eagerly. "Young Madam, may I ask what kind of ability Mr. Rakan has awakened? And how can I help so I’ll be ready when he comes to see me?" His eyes sparkled with excitement, like a reporter who had just caught wind of a juicy scoop.
"He awakened an Animal Kingdom Codex and became a shifter," Kisha explained. "He can now be called the King of the Jungle, as that is his talent. In order to shift into any animal he desires, he needs to fully understand that animal, inside and out. The more he understands, the stronger he becomes. Once he completely comprehends an animal, it is registered in his Animal Kingdom Codex, and he can shift into it at will. So far, he has only one animal registered."
Although it wasn’t really her place to explain someone else’s abilities, Kisha knew Mike needed this information to help Rakan properly. Knowing the details would allow him to prepare the materials and guidance Rakan might need. And since Mike already had a deep love for studying animals, he was more knowledgeable than anyone else, almost like a veterinarian rather than just a caretaker.
"That’s so cool! May I know what animal he can shift into right now?!" Mike asked, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement. Gant stayed silent but looked equally curious, his gaze fixed on Kisha as he waited for her reply.
"He can shift into a big tiger, bigger than any tiger you’d see in a zoo..." Kisha said, letting her voice carry a hint of suspense and mystery as she fulfilled the boys’ curiosity.
"Holy cow! That’s amazing!" Mike exclaimed. Before he could continue, Marcus smacked the back of his head, and Mike could only shoot him a resentful look. Still, he quickly turned back to Kisha, his enthusiasm undimmed.
"Right, and since we have a plan to tame animals and make them companions for the warriors, so that tamed, mutated animals could fight alongside them, we’re intending to send all the animals we capture to you for taming."
"I thought you might also help Rakan while you’re taking care of or taming the animals..." Kisha said with a smile, genuinely excited about her plan. In fact, she could hardly wait for the day their community would become livelier, with the help of these mutated animals in defending against zombies.
After all, mutated animals were far stronger than awakened ability users of the same level, rivaling even mutated zombies and plants, while humans had suddenly become near the bottom of the food chain.
"Oh! I remember, Young Madam did mention this before. Actually, I’ve been practicing my taming skills on the mutated farm animals that Captain Vulture and Captain Sparrow captured a while ago, and so far, the results are really promising," Mike reported happily.
He had successfully prevented the mutated animals from wreaking havoc on his farmland, stopping them from terrorizing the normal animals and even killing a few in their frenzied moments.
Thanks to his ability to tame land animals, the mutated ones had calmed down and become as docile as they were before. Although they looked different from regular farm animals and were twice as large, their original characteristics remained intact, meaning there was potential to raise them just like normal livestock. Excitedly, he shared this progress with Kisha.
"And oh, Young Madam, since I successfully tamed the mutated farm animals, they’ve now become completely docile and no longer cause trouble for the other animals. Aside from their unusual appearance, they can now stay quietly in their barns and coops without any hassle."
"On top of that, I even tried slaughtering one of the mutated chickens to see if its meat was edible. Not only had it grown larger in size, but the taste also improved; it became more tender and flavorful, so even a simple roasting makes it perfectly edible. What’s more, after processing the chicken, I managed to extract a crystal core from it. It’s different in shape from the zombie crystal cores, but it’s still a transparent crystal."
Mike then carefully took out the crystal core he had retrieved from the mutated chicken’s head and showed it to Kisha.
Kisha took the crystal core in her hands and examined it closely. Sure enough, it was the same familiar crystal she had seen in mutated animals in her previous life, confirming that Mike had told the truth. Suddenly, an electrifying idea struck her, and she felt her whole body tingle with excitement.
If they could now kill and use mutated animals as livestock, then they could increase their numbers, and at the same time, wouldn’t that give them an endless supply of crystal cores? They wouldn’t just have an animal farm; they’d have a crystal core farm as well. How incredible would that be?
The idea wasn’t guaranteed, but it was feasible. Mutated animals could reproduce, and while she was a little skeptical about what Mike said regarding the meat being more tender and flavorful, after all, in her previous life, very few mutated animals were actually edible, this new development still sparked a thrilling possibility in her mind.
Most mutated animals, due to their mutation, had developed toxins or poisons on their bodies. Beyond becoming stronger and larger, some had grown tougher as well. While mutated cows, chickens, and other farm animals could still be eaten, Kisha doubted that they could ever be as flavorful or tender as the livestock raised within her territory, nourished and enriched by spiritual energy.
After all, in her past life, they had eaten mutated animals simply to survive, as those creatures had been their only source of food at the time. She could still remember the taste clearly. While most of the meat had been edible, it was nowhere near comparable to the livestock raised within her territory.
In fact, making mutated meat truly flavorful usually requires a culinary-type awakened ability user. Only those with such abilities could enhance the taste of mutated animals and plants. With ordinary cooking methods, the result was often mediocre at best.
"Wait... could it be?" Kisha murmured to herself, a sudden realization flickering in her mind. ’Could it be that bringing the mutated animals into the territory, already rich with spiritual energy, enhanced them, improving the flavor of their meat and the muscle-to-fat ratio?’ After all, mutated animals had grown far stronger than their normal counterparts, their muscles tougher and more developed...
To confirm her theory, Kisha began walking toward the animal farm, Edison trailing close behind as always. Mike and Gant, noticing her sudden silence and abrupt movement, exchanged confused glances but silently followed, curiosity written all over their faces. Marcus, still busy with his tasks, gave a slight bow to Kisha’s back, silently signaling his grandsons to look after her before returning to his work.
Soon after, Kisha arrived at the animal pens and saw hundreds of animals roaming freely in what had become a true free-range environment. A few pigs munched on olives that had fallen from a nearby tree, while chickens scratched at the soil, pecking at the insects now thriving in the grass.
Mike had been scattering vegetable scraps across the ground, some for the animals to eat directly, others to attract insects for the birds.