Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 90: Which cup do you want?

"Should I expand the planting area? Coincidentally, I have money on hand right now." Han Qiwu calculated the days—it was exactly ten days until the harvest, which happened to land on February 2nd, the day of the Dragon Raising its Head. Judging by the activities during the Lantern Festival, Water Buffalo Town would likely host similar celebrations for Dragon Raising its Head.

Since there’s an event, there might be some unique festival goodies for sale.

Let’s gamble!

Even if I don’t get anything good, it’s still worth it—planting experience and money are concrete rewards.

After watering the 82 crops, Han Qiwu went to the seed shop to buy 30 potato seeds and 30 peanut seeds, spending a total of 3,450 gold.

The reason for not buying cabbage seeds was that Han Qiwu decided to wait until the 27th to check on the cabbage situation. There was still time anyway, so he opted to save some money for the festival first.

After a busy morning, Han Qiwu finally planted all the newly purchased seeds.

You have to admit, the copper watering can is incredibly convenient—watering four plots of land at once greatly improves efficiency.

Currently, there are 142 plots in the yard that need watering daily, amounting to 170.4 stamina points.

Han Qiwu declared it was manageable.

Life will keep getting better. There will be rice and there will be wheat.

Let’s grind!

Back in the house, Han Qiwu casually turned on the TV.

[Weather Report]

Tomorrow will still be a sunny day.

[Life Tips]

You can start planting wheat during the summer.

[Almanac]

Good for mining, bad for weddings.

[Shennong’s Recipe]

"Trust me, soon you’ll savor this delicious dish yourself."

After a short video

[You’ve learned how to cook fried eggs]

"Fried eggs? Is Shennong suggesting that my chickens are about to start laying eggs?" Han Qiwu’s heart lit up with joy—this was indeed good news.

The information shared through the life tips also left Han Qiwu quite satisfied. In two months, he’d be able to plant wheat. With flour, so many dishes could be planned.

As for the almanac’s note about mining, Han Qiwu decided to visit the mine after eating.

Bad for weddings?

How does that concern me, Han Qiwu?

Considering how much money he spent today, Han Qiwu decided to treat himself to something nice. He rode his bike to town and found a barbecue spot for some skewers.

Interestingly, Han Qiwu had long obtained the recipe for the Courage Dish but hadn’t managed to source the right kind of spoil to make his own barbecue meat.

"Fish caught while fishing don’t count as spoils, so what kind of meat qualifies?" Han Qiwu wondered as he ate skewers.

For now, the only meat he could expect was from his chickens once they grew.

"Grilled chicken skewers should count as spoils, right?"

After eating and drinking his fill, Han Qiwu rode his bike to the mine.

The goal today: descend five more levels!

As he walked into the mine’s hall, Han Qiwu suddenly felt like he had kicked something.

"Clatter."

Holding his torch over the ground, Han Qiwu spotted a blackish lump he’d accidentally kicked to the side.

"What’s this?" Han Qiwu found it familiar. He walked over and picked it up.

[Coal] ×1

"Coal in the mine’s hall?!" Han Qiwu was surprised. No wonder the almanac suggested mining.

It’s literally free loot.

Holding the torch, Han Qiwu carefully searched around the wall of the mine’s hall. After finding two more pieces of coal, he even discovered a minecart and track leading who-knows-where.

Approaching the minecart triggered a system prompt.

[Minecart is damaged; it seems to require some special power to restore it]

"Does this minecart still contain coal?" Han Qiwu ignored the system prompt and bent down to retrieve three pieces of coal from the cart.

As for the damaged minecart, Han Qiwu didn’t plan to deal with it anytime soon.

Where would he find special powers?

He focused on gathering more coal—it’s a hard currency, essential for smelting!

After another half hour of searching along the wall, Han Qiwu had collected thirteen pieces of coal, eight of which came from minecarts.

But not every minecart contained coal; several had bottoms so corroded that they couldn’t hold any.

"Looks like I should check here whenever I pass by—maybe I’ll find something." Satisfied with the harvest, Han Qiwu clapped the dust off his hands and pushed open the Explorer Guild’s wooden door.

"I can sense your progress, but you’re still very weak compared to the dangers of the mine," Egger said with a serious face as soon as he saw Han Qiwu.

"That’s right, Egger. Do you have any ice-cold yet intensely spicy liquor here?" Han Qiwu shrugged off the remark and asked.

Egger’s face lit up with a proud expression. "Of course! I’m the finest bartender among dwarves! Back in the Elf Empire, I even received a special medal!"

"Though we lack materials here, I can still prepare at least two types of liquor matching your request." Egger said as he scribbled on a note and handed it to Han Qiwu.

[Blood Demon Absinthe]

[Alcohol content: 83.6]

[Price: 2,600 gold]

[Effect: After consumption, +5 Perception, +10 Attack Power, -2 Speed, +50 HP for six hours]

[Note: Drink it, and you’ll see your Muse]

[Caliborg]

[Alcohol content: 36.3]

[Price: 900 gold]

[Effect: After consumption, -2 Perception, +8 Attack Power, -4 Speed, +30 Stamina for three hours]

[Note: Do not consume while exploring unfamiliar mine levels]

"83.6°? Can this even be called liquor? It’s practically pure alcohol!" Han Qiwu was stunned—drinking something so strong could actually increase perception?

But it’s way too expensive.

"So pricey?" Han Qiwu gave Egger a questioning look.

Egger shook his head. "This is already at cost. Since coming here, I’ve lost access to many of my usual tools, making the preparation process much more complicated."

Hearing this, Han Qiwu had a thought—if he gave Egger some tools, would it build goodwill?

Clearly, these liquors had impressive effects. By the mid-to-late game, you probably couldn’t head to the mine without downing a glass first.

Take the Blood Demon Absinthe, priced at 2,600 gold, for example—it boosted three combat-related stats for a solid six hours.

"Can you briefly explain the main traits of these two liquors?" Han Qiwu asked with curiosity.

Given the current economic situation, Han Qiwu could only afford to buy one glass to hand in his task to Wu Gang. He couldn’t even think of buying one to try for himself.

It’s too costly.

"Both liquors taste refreshing at first, but their kick is massive. Blood Demon Absinthe has a stronger flavor since it contains more ingredients, providing better enhancements and fewer side effects. Caliborg is lighter with fewer ingredients, which makes its negative effects more pronounced, especially in lowering perception." Egger explained briefly. "As you Easterners say: you get what you pay for."

"Which one do you want?"