Chapter 15: 14. Wild Berries (Please Follow for Updates)

14. Wild Berries (Please Follow for Updates)

【Profession: Equipment Crafting】

【Level: 1. Next Level: 10/100 Experience】

After forging a sword, Li Ang's Equipment Crafting experience increased by a full 10 points.

The system prompt he had just ignored told him that it was because he had added extra materials and performed excellently to create equipment with a carried skill, so he gained more experience.

It seemed that adding extra materials was a positive improvement.

He continued to invest in crafting, but Water Mist Stones were not infinite; he could only add them to two pieces of equipment. This time, he added Wyvern materials to one of them.

After forging another sword and a pair of iron gauntlets, Li Ang held the two pieces of equipment and observed them.

【Dragon Tooth Standard Iron Sword 【Clear Spring】】

【A sword forged through standard processes; due to the addition of materials containing water elements, its attacks carry the water attribute. Low-grade dragon teeth and claws bestowed a slight amount of dragon power.】

【Level: 2】

【Category: One-Handed Sword】

【Equipment Skill: Water Flow Formation 【Torrent】】

The formation suffix on the armor looked different from that on the weapons:

【Dragon Scale Standard Gauntlets 【Clear Spring】】

【Gauntlets forged through standard processes; due to the addition of materials containing water elements, they can effectively defend against scorching heat and fire. The addition of low-grade dragon scales further strengthened this aspect.】

【Level: 2】

【Category: Gauntlets】

【Equipment Skill: Water Flow Formation 【Whirlpool】】

Li Ang also discovered that the skill activation requirements within them had decreased; the Dragon Tooth Sword's Water Flow Formation required "3 Synergistic Units," while the iron gauntlets only required 2.

He put on the gauntlets, gripped the Dragon Tooth Sword, and found that the gauntlets' formation skill had activated, raising their level to 3. Touching the metal and dark green scales on the surface, he felt a cool sensation, with water-attribute mana concealed within.

Li Ang picked up the first sword he had forged, holding one in each hand.

This time, the longsword requiring 3 Synergistic Units activated its skill, and it too rose to Level 3. Water mist seemed to rise on the blade, which displayed patterns due to the dragon teeth; presumably, when striking, it would possess the flexibility of water while also generating elemental damage.

The sword requiring 5 units to activate its skill remained exactly as it was.

He understood now: as long as there was other Water Flow Formation equipment, it would be counted, but only equipment meeting the activation conditions would increase in level. The reduction in formation activation requirements was likely due to the addition of higher-quality materials.

However, he neither used swords nor knew how to wield dual swords.

The iron gauntlets could be used for now; as for the swords, when dual-wielding long swords, the Dragon Tooth Sword would rise to Level 3 along with the gauntlets, so they could be used at a needed moment.

As for the remaining materials, they were exhausted after crafting three more weapons.

This brought his experience to 57.

The leveling speed was still quite considerable, but merely crafting things that weren't very useful was a bit of a waste of time and energy; to craft equipment for targeted improvements, he would have to go outside the island to find materials.

Stretching his arms, he only then noticed that the sun was setting over Xishan without him realizing it.

Li Ang looked around; Zoe didn't know when she had wandered off, but he had caught glimpses of her a few times, indicating she had sat there for quite a while. She was naturally a restless type; it was impossible for her to have the patience to stay until now.

Her door was open, and there were some sounds inside; Li Ang followed the sound and saw the situation in the room.

This small house was built quite spacious, indicating the owner was someone who had requirements for quality of life.

Inside, there was a scent of wood; directly facing the door was the kitchen, with two rooms to the left and right. There was also a small door in the kitchen, presumably leading to the backyard.

Surprisingly, inside there was not only a ladder leading to a narrow attic but also a ladder going down to the basement.

Seeing Li Ang enter, Zoe, who was fiddling with something in the kitchen, hurriedly said, "Ah, wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."

She made a clatter of clanging and banging, then walked out carrying a large bowl.

Inside the bowl were various melons and fruits, along with some scattered berries, bright red and looking very cute.

Outside the kitchen door was a dining table surrounded by three chairs, one of which was slightly smaller.

Zoe carefully placed the bowl on the table, then went around to his side and pulled out a chair for him.

"P-please, p-please catch, ah no, please sit."

Doing such things was clearly very unfamiliar to the girl; she couldn't even pronounce the words correctly.

Li Ang raised his dirty hands toward her: "I want to wash my hands first."

"Ah, o-over here."

Zoe ran with her head down, opened the small door leading to the backyard; just outside the door was a simple water diversion device with a faucet to release water.

While washing his hands, he looked at the vegetable garden in the backyard. The fields were divided into several plots, each planted with different crops; these must have been divided by Zoe's parents. Like the plot in front of him, which had a faded wooden board stuck in it reading "White Melons Plant Here," the other places had similar signs, seemingly specifically to remind the girl.

White melons were a type of white tuber crop and a staple food in many places of Newbis.

By the time Li Ang finished washing his hands and arrived at the dining table, Zoe was gnawing on a white melon; seeing him come, she nervously put the melon down.

She did not sit in the smaller chair; even though she was petite, she had already grown to the point where she didn't need a child's chair.

The girl gently pushed the bowl toward Li Ang and lowered her head.

"Um, I don't know if this is right, but these are the best things I can offer."

In the bowl before Li Ang, besides white melons, there were some common and high-yield fruits and vegetables of Newbis; presumably, this was Zoe's usual main meal.

This large bowl was surely not the portion size of a fifteen-year-old girl; she must have picked them specifically to treat Li Ang.

The skin of every melon and fruit was peeled very cleanly, the vegetables were placed neatly, and those scattered berries must have been deliberately decorated in prominent positions.

It was hard to imagine that the girl who would rush directly at monsters could have the patience to do this.

"No, thank you."

Li Ang smiled at her: "I've been busy for a long time and just happened to get hungry; you've saved my life."

Hearing this, Zoe, who had been pressing her lips together, nodded like a little bird; her eyes opened wider, with a bit more light in them.

Li Ang picked up that kind of berry from the large bowl: "These are the wild berries you said you loved, right? Sharing them with me, thank you."

"I, I really like it, so I hope you can taste it too."

Watching the girl's grinning mouth, Li Ang smiled and put the berry into his mouth.

Hmm, sour.

Damn! So sour!

As if the entire mouth had launched a protest, centered on the facial muscles, Li Ang felt every movable muscle on his entire head begin to twitch.

He quickly swallowed the wild berry, then grabbed a sweet orange he knew and stuffed it into his mouth.

Waiting until orange juice filled his mouth and covered the sour taste, his wildly jumping facial muscles finally managed to calm down.

Throughout the whole process, he maintained an expressionless face.

It wasn't fear of losing face, it was fear of hurting the girl's enthusiasm, okay?

But these berries are way too sour; Li Ang stared into Zoe's eyes, which were like pigeon-blood rubies, and could detect no hint of mischief.

She was very happy now, throwing those wild berries one by one, still attached to their stems, into her mouth.

People who can eat sour things are too terrifying; Li Ang now only longed for the poured-over ice cream at that ice cream shop in the Holy City.

"Who taught you to pull out chairs for guests?"

He started a conversation with a topic.

"Is doing this wrong? I see Dad often pull out chairs for Mom, and then they say things I don't understand and laugh very happily," the girl said.

"Your parents are quite affectionate."

"Yes, they are often together doing whatever they do; I also don't understand what they say, but they seem very happy."

Speaking of this, Zoe lowered her head slightly again.

"I don't understand many things, so I also don't know why they just left by themselves, why they didn't take me with them, why they promised to come back but didn't."

Zoe curled her legs up, hugged them with her hands, buried her face between her legs, and her shoulders trembled slightly.