Suren

【Spell Structure Constructed Successfully】

【Spell: Hand of Extraction】

【Effect: Assists in controlling temperature and purity during pharmacy.】

“Success!” Wu Yao cheered, only then looking at Benita beside her.

Benita chuckled, thinking with a touch of melancholy that Wu Yao and Hilna belonged to two completely different worlds.

Hilna was sincere and natural with others, always carefully sensing the feelings of those around her. No matter how sad someone was, after her comforting, they would feel that life still held hope.

But Wu Yao... Benita swallowed down some disrespectful words.

“My Lady, what does the world look like in your eyes?”

This was a question she had wanted to ask Hilna many years ago, but in the end, never had the chance.

“Are you trying to talk to me about life and ideals?” Wu Yao gave her a strange look. Were the NPCs in this game a bit too intelligent? Did they have to double as philosophical chat partners after teaching skills?

“I am just curious about how you feel when you use this power.”

“It feels great.” Wu Yao replied without even a moment's thought. Why else would anyone play a game if not for that feeling of satisfaction?

It certainly wasn't for the joy of grinding.

Benita chuckled helplessly, her voice scattering in the night wind. “I see...”

Two more days passed like this. Wu Yao grinded day and night, finally clearing out all the corrupted creatures on the side near Fancao Village.

Her level was also only a few steps away from Level 15.

Before the early morning mist had even dispersed, Benita was dragged out of the house right on time by Wu Yao.

This time, she didn't let herself be pulled along. Instead, she smiled gently at her and said, “My Lady, I have nothing left to teach you.”

Wu Yao looked at her two newly unlocked skills with great regret. With the help of the tutor buff, she had managed to grind the skills to Lv.5 in just a few days.

But those good days had come to an end. She was about to return to her daily routine of burying her head in the grind.

She felt extremely reluctant to let it go and was already planning to find a more durable skill tutor.

“I am going to Qinghe Town today to sell this batch of herbs. I wonder where you plan to go next, My Lady?”

Wu Yao chose to follow her to see the new map without hesitation. She had already thoroughly explored the area around Fancao Village.

The villager NPCs always avoided her from a distance, and since she was busy grinding levels, she hadn't had time to ask them for new quests. In any case, there was nothing special about them.

Hearing this, Phelin immediately jumped up. “Mama, I want to go too!”

The path from Fancao Village to Qinghe Town was a packed-earth trail, about three chi wide, packed solid by countless footprints.

Large fields of wheat being harvested lined both sides of the path. Farmers were bent over, cutting the wheat, and only occasionally would someone look up to wipe away their sweat.

Wu Yao's black robe was exceptionally eye-catching in the dusty countryside, and everyone couldn't help but steal glances at her.

Wu Yao was even more curious than they were. Whenever she passed anyone who looked slightly unusual, she would cast Appraisal on them, determined not to miss any potential skill tutor.

Her gaze was far more brazen than theirs. If she encountered someone walking quickly, she would even block their path.

Benita walked away with her face covered. The behavioral logic of this sorceress was simply beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Phelin, however, found it extremely amusing. She hopped and skipped behind Wu Yao, following her whenever she stopped someone, and trailing behind her when she walked behind others.

Just as she was feeling disappointed that she hadn't met a single NPC with a skill level above Lv.5 along the way to be her tutor, two casual casts of Appraisal yielded unexpected feedback.

【Farming Lv.9】 and 【Weaving Lv.8】!

Although these weren't the skills she wanted to learn, having someone like this as a territory resident would definitely be a massive win. She had to abduct them back!

Wu Yao lunged forward, almost sticking her face right up to theirs.

Suren shivered in fright at the sudden dark figure, almost rolling down the dirt ridge.

She took half a step back and looked up, only to find a young woman in a luxurious robe staring intently at her. Those eyes were terrifyingly bright, like a hungry wolf that had spotted fresh meat.

The fabric of the robe was better than any cloth she had ever seen, and she couldn't help but look at it a few more times.

“My... My Lady, is there something I can do for you?” Suren was no longer young. She knew that being stopped by a noble rarely boded well.

In the past, she would have already knelt and kowtowed to plead for mercy, begging the noble to spare her, even if she had absolutely no idea what she had done wrong.

But now, she felt there was nothing left to fear.

Nobles.

Her right hand, hidden inside her sleeve, was still trembling.

Nobles could die too.

Wu Yao didn't notice anything unusual about the NPC. Her mind was entirely filled with denouncements against the game system!

She thought of the ten plots of Farmland in her territory, of the potatoes and sweet potatoes buried in the dirt, and of the Farming skill she had assumed didn't exist!

So it wasn't that it didn't exist!

Clutching her chest, she felt deep pain. She had trusted the game in vain, only for it to swallow her hard work like this!

I'm filing a complaint! I'll take this all the way to the headquarters!

Taking a deep breath, she warmly supported Suren. “Hello, Big Sister. Do you know how to plant sweet potatoes and potatoes?”

Ever since she realized the NPCs in this game had their own temperaments and memories, she had resolved to be a high-EQ player and make every NPC fall for her.

The first step of high EQ was the form of address!

It sounded like she was just calling her “Big Sister,” but there was deep wisdom behind this!

Suren gave her a strange look. Was she insane?

What noble would ever bother with a commoner? It was already considered merciful if they didn't kick you.

Seeing things stall, Benita had no choice but to step forward and help defuse the situation. She pulled Suren aside and whispered to her for a long while. When they returned, Suren's expression had relaxed considerably, and she was willing to answer the questions.

“Potatoes need to be sprouted first. Choose a day with good weather, spread the seed potatoes in a warm place, and wait until the eyes turn green before cutting them. Once cut, they can't be planted immediately; they must be dipped in plant ash and left to dry for half a day...”

Suren spoke about farming in an extremely methodical manner; she was clearly well-practiced in these matters.

Wu Yao grew more and more dizzy as she listened. Sprouting, cutting, raising seedlings, hilling... The only step she had actually done was cutting, and even that was done wrong.

The farming games she had played before didn't have such detailed operations. What was the difference between this and actual farming?

She interrupted Suren, flashing a sincere smile. “Can you come with me?”

Suren had just heard about Wu Yao's situation from Benita—“an orphan girl with no one to rely on, a bit straightforward in personality but with no bad intentions”—and looking at Wu Yao's young face, she suddenly sighed.

“Young lady, I don't have long to live.”

Suren's voice grew soft, carrying a weary gentleness.

“Come back with me. I will give you what little I have at home. You can take it and exchange it for some money to live a good life.”

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Wu Yao's loosely scattered black hair.