Chapter 20

"Done!"

Holding the Heavenly Fragrance Herb in his hand, Ling Xiao was exceptionally excited, as this herb was not cheap on the market. Just one of these would cost ten taels of silver.

And to refine a single Pulse Protection Pill, it would require twenty Heavenly Fragrance Herbs!

There were quite a few Heavenly Fragrance Herbs nearby, so Ling Xiao decided to pull up all the mature ones and then let them fall to the ground.

He entered the Mountain River Map.

He didn't forget the purpose of his visit this time.

The Heavenly Fragrance Herb, this kind of herb, could only be used to its maximum effect within one hour after being collected.

Although it could still be used after a longer time, the effect would be much worse.

If the Mountain River Map could really be used for cultivation, that would be wonderful.

"Welcome, Lord of the Mountain River, to re-enter the Mountain River Map. This is the world of the Mountain River Spirit, where the Mountain River residents live. These residents are skilled in various techniques; some are good at cultivation, some at animal husbandry, and some at refining pills..."

Ling Xiao, who had just entered the small village in the Mountain River Map, suddenly heard a voice in his mind.

But when he looked around, he didn't see anyone speaking to him.

"In short, there's nothing they can't do! As the Mountain River Map continues to upgrade, you will receive more assistance. Currently, the Mountain River Map is at level two, and you can only recruit level two farmers and level two herders!"

"Additionally, after the Mountain River Map reaches level two, a store will appear. Lord of the Mountain River can purchase the items needed through these stores, including weapons, pills, treasures, tools, etc."

"All items are divided into five grades: Common, Fine, Rare, Immortal, and Divine, with different effects based on the grade!"

"Currently, the Mountain River Map is at level two, and the store is open. The first time the store is opened, you will receive one free draw!"

"As the martial artist's level increases, the Mountain River Spirit will become stronger, and the level of the Mountain River Map will also increase! Generally, they correspond! For example, if the Lord of the Mountain River is at the second level of martial veins, the Mountain River Map will be at level two!"

"The higher the level of the Mountain River Map, the more types of items can be purchased, the higher the grade, and the more powerful the Mountain River residents that can be recruited! Eventually, you might even recruit top-notch figures in various fields—Martial Gods, Medicine Gods, Master Craftsmen, etc.!"

Ling Xiao, stunned by the series of prompts, took a while to recover and hurriedly opened the Mountain River Map store to take a look.

There were only twelve items in the store, which refreshed every two hours.

Currently, the main items available were farming tools.

For example, a Common Hoe—improves weeding efficiency by 10%, and extends usage life by 10%!

And a Fine Sickle—doubles harvesting efficiency, extends usage life by 100%, and reduces effort by 50%!

These should be used within the Mountain River Map, and if given to the farmers here, they would definitely be more efficient.

However, things didn't end there.

"Lord of the Mountain River, for the first use of the recruitment function, you can recruit level two farmers and level two herders, and purchase common items!"

"The first recruitment will not consume anything, but you can only recruit two people, please choose!"

As the voice sounded, Ling Xiao saw two cards appear in the Mountain River Map, depicting farmers and herders in a beautiful landscape style.

The cards also displayed the special effects of level two farmers and level two herders.

Level Two Farmer—improves agricultural production efficiency by 10%, and agricultural production quality by 10%.

Level Two Herder—improves livestock production efficiency by 10%, and livestock production quality by 10%.

This meant that planting herbs in the Mountain River Map would not only increase production efficiency but also improve the quality of the herbs produced.

Similarly, raising animals would also be the same.

Ling Xiao excitedly selected one level two farmer card and one level two herder card.

He planned to plant some herbs and raise a few animals, slowly getting familiar with this function. If it proved to be very useful, he would increase his investment in the future.

"Greetings, Lord of the Mountain River, please assign tasks!"

After making the selection, a white mist appeared, and soon two people appeared, one dressed as a farmer, about thirty years old, and the other dressed as a herder, also about thirty years old.

The farmer was human, while the herder looked like a bull-headed creature that Ling Xiao had already seen in the Mountain River Map.

Of course, whether human or bull-headed, Ling Xiao could understand their language, though he wasn't sure if others could.

Ling Xiao let the bull-headed herder rest for now, as he hadn't caught any young beasts yet.

Then he handed the Heavenly Fragrance Herbs he had collected to the human farmer and instructed, "Plant these Heavenly Fragrance Herbs. Remember, don't damage them; these herbs are very precious."

"Understood, Lord of the Mountain River!"

The farmer accepted the order and got to work.

Ling Xiao was initially a bit worried, so he followed to observe.

After a moment, he was completely reassured.

Professionals were professionals; if he had planted the Heavenly Fragrance Herbs himself, he doubted more than half would survive.

But the level two farmer managed to plant all of them successfully and very quickly.

Ling Xiao was now even more excited about the future. If he could recruit alchemists directly in the Mountain River Map, he wouldn't have to rely on others for refining pills and medicines.

Even crafting weapons and tools could be done in the Mountain River Map.

He didn't rush to leave the Mountain River Map because there were still some things he needed to understand.

Recruiting people or purchasing items in the Mountain River Map required Mountain River Coins.

These coins could be exchanged for real-world currency.

For example, if Ling Xiao obtained one hundred taels of silver in the real world, he could choose to use it himself or exchange it for Mountain River Coins.

At the current exchange rate, ten taels of silver could be exchanged for one Mountain River Coin, and recruiting a level two farmer or herder required ten Mountain River Coins, equivalent to one hundred taels of silver, which was indeed expensive.

However, the effects were also astonishing, and Ling Xiao didn't feel it was a loss.

Moreover, because the Mountain River Map was at a low level, the types of residents that could be recruited were limited to two, and their level was only two.

If his cultivation continued to improve and the Mountain River Map level also increased, the types and levels of residents that could be recruited would also increase.

At that time, the efficiency of work would naturally be higher.

Thinking about this, Ling Xiao felt a surge of motivation. He had another reason to improve his strength.

"Right, I almost forgot. It seems the first time the store was opened, a free draw was given. Let's see what good things I can draw. If I can draw some pills, that would be great, as it's what I need the most right now!"

The drawing method was a common large wheel, with various items on the wheel, including farming tools, tools, weapons, cultivation techniques, pills, etc.

There were even consumable mystery rewards.