Chapter 31: The Swamp

To improve soil fertility in the short term, chemical fertilizers are undoubtedly the fastest-acting option.

Chujiu examined the items he had gathered one by one. There was indeed saltpeter in his backpack. He knew that by crushing the saltpeter, soaking it in water, and then filtering it, he could purify it. Mixing the purified saltpeter with concentrated sulfuric acid would then produce potassium nitrate, which could be used as fertilizer. However, he had not yet collected any raw materials that could be used to make sulfuric acid.

If he couldn’t make chemical fertilizer, were there any other ways?

Chujiu frowned, looking out from the window of his workshop into the courtyard. In the yard, a dodo bird was walking around, occasionally lowering its head to peck at something, as if eating a small insect.

Insects in the dirt...

!

Insects in the dirt! That’s it! Chujiu’s eyes lit up. He closed his eyes and, suppressing his discomfort, began to carefully recall a slimy, long-bodied creature. A moment later, a small star lit up on an unexplored black patch of the map in the deepest part of the Forgotten Forest: [Gathering Site of Gratitude Earthworms].

Chujiu let out a long breath and said to Little Can, who was guarding nearby, "Little Can, we’re going out to dig for earthworms tomorrow."

"Wow, what a thoughtful outfit."

After landing steadily, the dodo bird stretched its neck toward the swamp and let out an uneasy cry.

"I love playing in the mud, but I also hate getting covered in it!"

Little Mudball: "Dang..."

Little Can hopped back onto Chujiu’s shoulder without a word. Chujiu patted the dodo bird’s head. "It’s fine, just hide yourself well." Even though it usually hated being forced to bathe by Chujiu, Little Can could only reply, "Fine," at this moment.

Mini Capybara: "What about half of this?"

Chujiu washed it over and over again. As for the newcomer, the mudball... but it didn't stay limp for long before it started wriggling and twisting again, emitting an uncomfortable "dang-dang-dang-dang" sound.

Friendly companion Little Can: "..."

After setting the bait, Chujiu hid himself carefully.

Chujiu: ...Although earthworms are indeed a rich source of protein, our current food reserves are plentiful, so we don't need them for that yet.

"How did I forget? These tiny creatures play such a significant role in the land."

Right, they have nothing on their faces except for a mouth.

"We know these are good earthworms, and we don't want to hurt them. We just want to take them to another place and let them help us farm."

Chujiu sighed and scanned the area around the swamp, looking to see if there were any stray Konjac—no, wait, any stray Sticky Monsters. He knew very well that despite the little guy's feigned indifference, it was actually very happy.

A patch of silt on the bank was bubbling at a strange frequency and occasionally being heaved upward, clearly indicating something was buried underneath.

He felt a sense of dread toward earthworms—even the small, non-monster varieties. In his past life in China, many people loved eating lotus root. However, as he waited, what emerged from the soil wasn't a slow-moving lump of mud like a Sticky Monster.

[This spirit beast has lost its ability to resist; please contain it immediately.]

Chujiu was looking for these "Gratitude Earthworms" that could "eat soil and excrete soil."

*

Before Chujiu could speak, Little Can said coolly, "Everything this human makes is useful."

After using warm water to wash Little Can from the tips of its ears to the tip of its tail, ensuring it was clean and free of any mud, he wrapped the little creature in a cloth and set it aside.

Chujiu pondered for a moment and said, "If I can find this method, would you be willing to work with us?"

Seeing their companion dealt with so cleanly, the other Sticky Monsters huddled in the swamp, shivering and refusing to approach.

A split second before the mosquitoes were trapped, Little Can had already drawn its bow; as the mosquitoes were being caught, several bamboo arrows were released, piercing the mosquitoes' abdomens directly.

He entrusted the Mini Capybara to Little Can and retrieved the [Traveler's Banana Leaf] from his backpack. However, he couldn't leave just yet.

Chujiu nodded. "Okay."

Chujiu: "...Huh?"

The system was reliable in most areas, so why couldn't it recognize kittens, bunnies, saplings, or little capybaras?

Little Can added, "It also said that these earthworms, unlike the Sticky Monsters and blood-sucking mosquitoes, are not harmful monsters. They never hurt anyone; they just quietly eat mud and excrete it."

The Mini Capybara sniffed and whispered, "How about 'Kaka'?"

Chujiu waved a bamboo pole at the swarm of mosquitoes, immediately scooping up several mosquitoes the size of basins.

These Sticky Monsters looked a bit like slimes but were much more aggressive.

Dislikes: Getting body dirty with mud.

Sure enough. Chujiu used spiritual energy to create a bucket of warm water.

Instead, a fast-moving little mudball "whooshed" out of the sludge, looking as if it were about to smash directly into Chujiu's face!

What if he accidentally stepped on one?

All he had to do was walk over, gently pick it up, and put it into a bamboo cage to bring it back; that would restore the land to life!

The Mini Capybara sat in Chujiu's palm, its little ears twitching, and pointed its front paws toward the swamp: "Is the mud pit where you live this big?"

Chujiu: "..."

He patted Little Can's head again and smiled, closing the cage.

[Capture successful!]

"You're welcome."

"This feels so good!"

Little Can held its head high and gave a haughty "Meow" in response.

Hm? "Persuade harmless monsters to follow commands and perform work"? This skill sounded impressive!

Chujiu: ...?

In addition to excellent water resistance, these leaves had another advantage: good flexibility.

Race: Unknown.

This gathering site was actually an ancient swamp.

It was just that they were really big... so big you could clearly see their brown heads, flesh-colored bodies, short stiff bristles beneath, and ugly circular mouths.

However, the system still identified it as an "unknown species of spirit beast."

The only ones left before Chujiu and Little Can were the gray, slow-moving swamp Sticky Monsters.

"If you're willing to work with us, you can have a nice, comfortable bath after playing in the mud."

Chujiu had noticed before that some Chestnut Sprites would use these leaves to sew small clothes.

This was a specialty of the Sunny Plateau, with better water resistance than single bamboo leaves; the Chestnut Sprites loved using them as rain gear.

The Sticky Monster collapsed like a punctured balloon, turning into a puddle of "sludge."

[Sticky Monster's Core: Poisonous! Do not consume directly!]

"When there is no fertilizer or agricultural machinery, earthworms are our best choice for maintaining fertility!"

Although his backpack had enough capacity, it couldn't store "living animals." To bring the earthworms back intact, he had no choice but to carry the cage back like this.

Chujiu: "...Neither do I."

The little black cat, who had just been complaining about the Sticky Monsters being full of sludge and was usually spotless with smooth fur, was instantly splattered with mud.

"If only there were a way to jump in mud pits without getting covered in mud, that would be great! Hmmph hmmph hmmph hmmph!"

The little one played until it was mesmerized, until a cold "Meow?" came from not far away.

It pressed its right paw down firmly and spoke in a majestic tone: "Meow, meow meow."

It ran to Chujiu’s feet and nudged him: "You're really amazing!"

Chujiu decided to wait for this thing to emerge from the mud on its own.

Skills: Happily play with harmless monsters, persuade harmless monsters to follow commands and perform work.

I heard that in some places, earthworms are a nice delicacy? Would you like to try some?

It didn't take long before the soil on the bank began to heave.

Likes: Playing in the mud, jumping in mud pits; fresh vegetables.

Perhaps a hidden Sticky Monster?

Once they finished transforming, they would wrap around their prey like an opaque plastic bag, then release toxins and digestive fluids to turn the prey into liquid and slowly absorb it.

Gradually, a pair of fuzzy round ears appeared, followed by a soft, short tail, and then brown, webbed little paws...

Looking at the set of clothes Chujiu handed over, the Mini Capybara’s short tail wagged back and forth: "Will this really work, dang-dang?"

Chujiu, who was terrible at naming, could only come up with names based on the "dang" sound it made when speaking or its original species name.

Chujiu’s eyes widened, and before he could see what was happening, the earthworms had been swept into the bamboo cage by a gust of wind.

He waited for the moment the Sticky Monsters gathered into a ball and stood up from the ground, then plunged a [Sharp Short Spear]—modified from [Glistening Claws]—directly into the core on the Sticky Monster's chest.

Chujiu smiled. "Yes, we know."

As for the mudball being held down, Little Can didn't give it a chance to argue.

Chujiu had no time to dodge, and just as he heard a "bang," the quick-witted Little Can leaped with its hind legs, pressed its front paws down hard, and pinned the mudball directly.

But the "little mudball" pinned by Little Can started shaking uncontrollably, trembling as it replied: "Dang-dang... dang-dang... dang-dang..."

Thus, without much effort, Chujiu collected 10 portions of [Toxin that causes unbearable itching].

The Mini Pig looked up at Chujiu: "Then, is the mud pit where you live one where you can play and jump without getting covered in mud?"

Little Can, who had traveled to many places with Chujiu, maintained its usual calm and composure.

Little Can’s ears twitched: "...Earthworms?"

Chujiu naturally wouldn't give them a chance to finish transforming.

"Actually, where we work and live, we can take a bath every day!"

However, Little Can had no time to be disgusted by the mud on its own body.

"Dang-dang, dang-dang, thank you!"

In a trance, Chujiu felt like he was peeling an onion, layer after layer of mud that he couldn't peel clean; he also felt like he was washing a devil's egg, where the layer of mud on the outside had already formed a hard shell.