Chapter 17: Qinan Fruit and Eagle Clawed Ferret
Shrek City is very close to the Star Dou Forest.
When Shrek City was established, the issue of the Spirit Beast Forest was taken into consideration.
Firstly, Shrek Academy encompasses almost 80% of the continent’s top-tier Spirit Masters, which creates a high demand for top-level Spirit Rings. Such a demand can only be met by the Star Dou Forest.
Secondly, the Star Dou Forest is not as peaceful as it seems on the surface.
According to historical records, the Star Dou Forest has experienced several beast tides due to excessive hunting of Spirit Beasts by Spirit Masters.
In the core region of the Star Dou Forest, there reside not just a single 100.000 Years old Spirit Beast, but several. Spirit Beasts at this level possess intelligence comparable to humans and naturally refuse to become easy targets. The extensive hunting of Spirit Beasts by Spirit Masters will eventually lead to a backlash.
After the establishment of Shrek City, it became a barrier standing in front of the Star Dou Forest.
In the past 5.000 years, Shrek City has twice made a full effort to fend off the surging beast tides and defend human survival.
This is also the reason why Shrek City remains aloof but highly respected.
…
“We have arrived, please get off here.”
A carriage stopped on a small road at the edge of the Star Dou Forest, and a handsome young man alighted from the carriage. He had no luggage with him and seemed more like someone out for a leisurely stroll rather than a hurried traveler.
Handing a Gold Coin to the coachman, Qi Han smiled lightly, “Thank you for your help.”
Waving his hand, he turned and walked towards the interior of the Star Dou Forest.
“System, do we have any food?”
Looking up at the sun hanging high above, Qi Han rubbed his stomach and helplessly asked.
Qi Han had woken up early in the morning and posted a leave notice at the entrance of his shop. He hired a coachman to take him to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.
It was already noon now, and although the place was not far, the speed of the carriage was indeed a bit slow.
He was starting to miss the high-speed trains and airplanes on Earth.
【Host, please solve it yourself.】
Fine.
Although he didn’t have the conditions to make the dishes he was good at here, Qi Han, who could already prepare 3 perfect-level dishes, shouldn’t have a problem with controlling the heat.
He had prepared the seasonings in advance, and grilling meat seemed like a good choice in the Star Dou Forest.
【Can you defeat a Spirit Beast for grilling?】
This—
“System, don’t underestimate me!”
Qi Han declared that he was someone with hidden weapons, so hunting and eating Spirit Beasts would be a piece of cake, right?
Wait, something doesn’t seem right.
‘The Fine Rain Needles are poisoned, so I can’t use them.’
Qi Han fell into contemplation…
‘I wonder if I can defeat a 10.000 Years old Spirit Beast…’
If worse comes to worst, he will just need to find a small stream and catch some fish. Grilled fish is also delicious.
As Qi Han moved deeper into the Star Dou Forest, he surveyed his surroundings, hoping to find something edible.
‘Oh? That seems to be a fruit tree?’
Qi Han reached into the system space and took out the Douluo Continent Ingredient Encyclopedia to search for information.
Soon, he found the description of this type of fruit tree ahead.
It was called the Qinan Fruit Tree. The fruits are edible, with a sweet and juicy taste.
As long as it’s edible, it’s good enough.
Qi Han took out his Flying God Claws from his waist and shot it at a thick branch. With a swift pull, he found himself sitting on the branch.
With a mischievous smile, Qi Han casually picked a Qinan fruit from beside him, wiped it with his sleeve, and took a big bite.
The sweet juice instantly flowed into his mouth, making him couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
The fruit was as big as a fist, with a thin skin. The flesh inside tasted similar to the watermelon on Earth, but even sweeter.
This would be perfect for making fruit juice.
“System, can I put Qinan Juice on the menu?”
While eating, Qi Han chatted with the system.
【Beverages can be included in the 1 Star dishes, but Qinan Juice is not worthy of being rated as 1 Star.】
Listen to that. Even though the fruit juice was so sweet, it wasn’t even worthy of being a 1 Star dish.
Qi Han clicked his tongue and continued to enjoy the Qinan fruit.
Rustle, rustle
A slight sound suddenly came from near Qi Han.
Qi Han abruptly stopped and looked around with suspicion.
He dropped the half-eaten Qinan fruit under the tree, and the Fine Rain Needle silently slipped into his hand.
On his other hand, Qi Han’s kitchen knife Martial Spirit emerged.
The strength of the Martial Spirit was directly proportional to the Spirit Power level. Although Qi Han’s Martial Spirit was a kitchen knife, with his Spirit Power reaching level 10, the strength of his Martial Spirit was far beyond that of an ordinary iron kitchen knife. It could easily cut through metal.
No, he couldn’t stay here.
Qi Han looked around. The branches and leaves obstructed most of his vision. It was difficult to turn his body while standing on the tree trunk, and he could easily be ambushed by Spirit Beasts.
He was careless. He should have picked a few fruits and quickly climbed down from the tree.
If he continued to stay on the tree, the likelihood of being ambushed was high. At this moment, he should get off the tree as soon as possible.
Qi Han leaped off the tree and landed on the ground, stumbling slightly but quickly regaining his balance.
With his level 10 Spirit Power, his physical fitness had greatly improved. If it were in the past, jumping from such a height might have resulted in a fracture, but now it only caused a slight stumble without any impact.
Swish!
Just as Qi Han stabilized himself, a gust of foul wind pounced on him from behind.
Not good!
In an urgent situation, Qi Han instinctively swung his kitchen knife and struck fiercely behind him. He then leaped forward, relying on the momentum of swinging the knife to twist his body in mid-air and face the back.
The feeling of the knife penetrating flesh was vividly transmitted to Qi Han’s hand, and at the same time, a shrill and miserable cry came from behind.
When Qi Han steadied his mind, he realized that the one who ambushed him was a strange-looking small beast.
The small beast was only half the height of a person, with a fierce appearance. It stood on 2 legs and had a pair of eagle-like claws for hands. Behind the small beast trailed a large tail similar to that of a squirrel.
At this moment, it lay weakly on the ground, with a deep gash across its chest, almost splitting it in half.
Apparently, with such a severe injury, its life had come to an end.
‘Did I do this by slashing it?’
It took Qi Han quite a while to realize that the gash was his handiwork.
The small beast’s howls grew weaker and weaker, and in the blink of an eye, its eyes lost their luster.
A white light emanated from its body, gradually condensing into a halo-like shape above the small beast’s corpse.
‘Is this a Spirit Ring?’
Qi Han was seeing the condensation of a Spirit Ring for the first time and observed it curiously.
The halo was all white, emitting a faint white light, somewhat resembling the halo on an angel’s head.
‘Right!’
Qi Han’s spirits lifted. Since he didn’t kill the small beast with the Fine Rain Needle, he could eat it!
He wondered if it was edible.
Qi Han retrieved the Douluo Continent Ingredient Encyclopedia and began searching for information.
The Eagle Clawed Ferret, known for feeding on Qinan fruits, had a pair of eagle-like claws and had slightly poisonous organs that were inedible. The meat was tender and similar to mutton. It held Hostility towards humans and would actively attack human Spirit Masters.
‘So, this Spirit Beast feeds on Qinan fruits?’
Qi Han looked up at the Qinan fruit tree.
No wonder it attacked him. It basically walked right into his hands.
The appearance of a 10 Years old Spirit Beast meant that Qi Han had officially entered the peripheral area of the Star Dou Forest.
The smell of blood would attract other Spirit Beasts, so Qi Han didn’t stay long. He quickly dealt with the Eagle Clawed Ferret’s corpse and stored it in his system space before swiftly leaving the area.