18 Ultra-Classic

The plants on the land were thriving; Cen Jiu had already seen quite a few sprouts poking through the soil. She filled her water jug at the riverbank and began watering the fields, humming a little tune.

The melody was an unknown ditty she had heard the previous night at the tavern—light, simple, with repetitive sections that made it quite catchy. Cen Jiu had memorized the entire tune after just one listen, perfect for spreading by word of mouth.

“Hmm~ hmm hmm hmm~”

Her musical ability was average at best, equivalent to someone with only a basic education. The only redeeming quality was that she stayed on pitch and had a loud, clear voice.

[You have acquired a new skill: Vocal Music.]

She had hummed the entire tune flawlessly, triggering an unexpected skill recognition from the system.

“...Wait, how do you have a music skill?” Cen Jiu was puzzled by the game's skill system. Aside from games focusing on performing arts, music-related skills were rarely evaluated. Bards were an exception, but there was no way "Measure of Life" could be a combat-oriented bard class.

Most games generously rewarded combat skills, but this one had none activated—clearly discouraging players from engaging in battles. So if her level rose, could she actually make a living by playing the lute and singing small songs? It seemed possible; she decided to explore that later.

“Adventurer, your most pressing task is to unravel the grievances of the residents of White Rock Town,” Cen Jiu whimsically declared, imitating an old-school game character’s voice while watering the fields.

“Pfft—”

[You have acquired a new skill: Performance.]

Following the vocal skill trigger, this new skill activation was expected. Yet besides the system notification sound, she thought she heard another noise—a brief, faint, shifting chuckle, which upon closer thought resembled the low-frequency sine wave often used in game testing.

Could it be a minor audio bug? Had she accidentally triggered it?

Cen Jiu circled the area and checked the map markers for living beings. Apart from herself, no one else was present.

Ah, testing games always have their share of glitches... but it was genuinely fun.

She made a note of this minor bug to report later.

After watering, she went to a higher spot and used a sickle to clear the weeds, preparing the land for building.

Confident in herself, Cen Jiu was determined to complete the town’s side quests and convince the miners to help build houses before the weeds reclaimed the land. If she could persuade them, she would save a lot of time exploring.

She had already planned her approach: experience as much as possible each day, advancing steadily across various tasks, rather than burying herself in mining for hours—boring and easy to lose focus.

She pulled out her notebook from her pouch to review upcoming tasks.

“...Buy a water pouch in town.” After working the fields, her thirst was nearly depleted.

She had triggered a bunch of side quests at the tavern last time and completely forgot about buying the water pouch. This time, she figured out the notebook had an actual note-taking function and wrote down her to-dos—no chance of forgetting again.

On the way to town, she picked some non-toxic berries as emergency rations. Their sweet and sour flavor was surprisingly good; maybe she could try cultivating stable varieties later.

Pushing open the tavern door, the bell above chimed crisply, “Ding-ding-dang-dang.”

“Good afternoon, A-Jiu,” the owner greeted her from a recliner behind the bar, stretching out a hand.

Cen Jiu sat at the bar, resting her chin on her hand as she looked toward the door. “If I’m not mistaken, this doorbell was broken before, right?”

“Yeah, Minela replaced it this morning. She must have had nothing better to do,” Marta said with a helpless smile as she rose from her rocking chair.

“Want something to drink? Besides the thornberry wine, we have a strong tequila, but I wouldn’t recommend you try that before work,” Marta kindly warned the clearly inexperienced adventurer.

“I’ll have the thornberry wine then,” Cen Jiu decided, wisely heeding the advice.

“Oh, by the way, Marta, do you know where I can buy a water pouch around here?” She quickly asked, not wanting to forget again.

Marta waved her hand and rummaged under the cabinet, then tossed a water pouch onto the bar. She stepped back, brushing dust from her head.

“I have one right here. No need to pay; didn’t you give me a silver coin before? That’ll cover it.”

“Thanks so much, Marta!” Cen Jiu was a little embarrassed at the mention of the silver coin but thankful to her past self for securing the water pouch without hassle.

---

Marta lay back down in her rocking chair for a midday nap. Seeing this, Cen Jiu finished her drink and left the tavern.

The midday sun blazed fiercely; she didn’t want to wander aimlessly under it. Her stats would drain much faster in this heat than at other times.

She checked the signs of the two other still-operating shops in town: a general store and a tailor.

Thanks to her studies with Rafael, she could read most of the writing now.

Though the shops appeared maintained, their doors were firmly shut.

She knocked, but no one answered.

Could the miners be doubling as shopkeepers? That seemed plausible given the town’s setting.

She needed to resolve the miners’ troubles first before these shops could extend their hours.

Such an important function was only an optional side quest.

Cen Jiu flipped through her notebook and marked the main storyline tasks as priorities.

Having her own house was important; running errands for it was worth the effort.

She set destination markers for Juya and Minela’s homes.

“Minela, I’m coming!”

---

“Yes?” The door creaked open with long, heavy footsteps behind it.

Minela, leaning on a crutch, opened the door, surprised. “A-Jiu? It’s you!”

“Good afternoon, Minela!”

“I thought it was Marta. Come in, have a seat!” She bounced aside, inviting Cen Jiu inside.

Inside, Cen Jiu immediately noticed the pile of clothes on the table. The top garment still had pins and needles, mid-mending.

Judging by the quantity, the clothes weren’t just theirs.

“What are these?”

Noticing her gaze, Minela smiled and explained, “These belong to our miner sisters. The work in the mine wears clothes out quickly, so mending is always needed.”

She sat at the table and patted the empty seat beside her.

Cen Jiu sat quietly, listening to what she had to say.

“My foot is injured, so I’m not much help. I want to do what I can,” Minela said as she skillfully sewed, her smile tinged with loneliness.

But the sadness faded quickly; catching Cen Jiu’s eye, she laughed, “I’m really glad you came!”

“Ha ha, as long as I didn’t disturb your rest,” Cen Jiu smiled in return.

“Rest? That’s only Marta’s luxury! She’s busy at night, the opposite of us,” Minela teased her old friend.

Setting down her needle, she scratched her head, “Thanks to you reminding me, it’s already noon—I should eat something.”

Minela had worked all morning and forgotten to eat without anyone to remind her; her house had no clock.

Cen Jiu stood with her, fearing she might fall.

“Have you eaten?” Minela asked.

“No,” Cen Jiu shook her head.

“Then let’s eat together. I only have some boiled corn and eggs from this morning,” Minela said, hopping on her crutch to the kitchen and opening a cabinet.

Inside the wooden cabinet’s upper shelf was a basket of eggs, several steamed corns, and a jar of seasoning salt.

“These eggs are fresh, a reward for feeding someone’s chickens,” Minela explained.

At the sight of the eggs, Cen Jiu instantly recalled a classic recipe.

This was a perfect chance to boost goodwill; she volunteered, “Minela, I’ll cook!”

“I’ve been waiting to hear that!” Minela laughed. “Juya told me about your cooking skills—I’ve been eager to try them.”

“Look forward to it!” Cen Jiu produced the berries she had picked on the way.

Minela eyed them warily and jumped back, “Are those wolf peaches?! I heard they’re poisonous and can’t be eaten!”

---

“Wolf peaches? So that’s what they’re called,” Cen Jiu read the updated name on the interface.

She reassured Minela, “It’s okay. These berries are edible when ripe; unripe ones might only cause diarrhea.”

This was knowledge she gained from the system’s identification screen; she had already sorted out the unripe berries.

Then, she ate one raw as a demonstration.

It was rather sour; Cen Jiu nearly lost control of her expression but kept it within the realm of delicious.

“The town says that, so hardly anyone eats them,” Minela calmed down after hearing Cen Jiu’s patient explanation. “I think I heard natives eat them, and merchants too—I thought they were just more tolerant of poison!”

Minela decided to trust Cen Jiu: “Juya said you eat things we never dared to try. You’re an adventurer who knows more—I believe you!”

She pulled up a small stool in the kitchen and asked, “Can I watch you cook here? I won’t share your recipe!”

“Of course.”

Rolling up her sleeves, Cen Jiu prepared the bowls and plates with Minela’s permission.

The wolf peaches had a sweet and sour flavor, resembling modern tomatoes but far more intense than commercial varieties.

She picked several ripe, soft berries, chopped them finely, and set them aside.

Heating oil in a pot, she cracked two eggs, quickly stirring them with a dagger. Before the eggs fully set, she removed them and set them aside.

She then stir-fried the chopped wolf peaches in the egg-flavored hot oil into a sauce, added whole wolf peaches along with about half a bowl of water, and sprinkled a little salt for seasoning.

As the water boiled, the enticing aroma of the berries’ sweet and sour oil filled the air, whetting the appetite.

Minela inhaled deeply, “Trusting you was the right choice! Can we eat now?”

Cen Jiu smiled, “Not yet, a little longer will taste better.”

She poked the berries to check softness. Once ready, she added the half-set eggs and the cooled corn back into the pot.

When it boiled again, she turned off the heat.

[Your Cooking Skill has increased to Level 3!]

“Tomato—uh, wolf peach scrambled eggs, done!”

A classic pairing: the stewed wolf peaches were soft and tangy, combined with fluffy, juicy fried eggs—a perfect balance of richness and lightness, satisfying the primal human craving for fats and sugars. Few could resist such temptation.

Cen Jiu took the first bite, confirming the dish had succeeded.

[Consuming wolf peach scrambled eggs: Perception +5%, Stamina +3%, Maximum Energy +1% (Duration: 1 hour)]

Not bad, familiar flavors with decent stat boosts.

Minela was so overwhelmed by the new dish she forgot to speak, finishing the bowl and corn in one go, leaving no sauce behind.

“Delicious!” she burped contentedly. Though the portion wasn’t large, the corn was filling.

Though she knew the reactions of game characters were virtual, seeing Minela’s happy smile made the experience worthwhile.

“Let’s save the rest for when Juya returns to try,” Cen Jiu suggested.

There was enough for two; Minela agreed.

Cen Jiu cleverly used Minela’s limited mobility to increase her housekeeping skill proficiency.

Minela resumed her mending, savoring the meal’s aftertaste, “I never thought those supposedly poisonous berries would taste so good...”

Cen Jiu wanted to help sew but was gently refused with, “You’re a guest; it’s not appropriate.”

Well, she’d better stick to her tasks.

“I want to mend my clothes too, but the tailor shop in town is closed,” Cen Jiu complained.

Her gear’s durability had dropped quite a bit but wasn’t yet broken.

“Ah, you don’t know?” Minela paused her sewing and explained, “The plague scared many people back to Elias; the tailor fled recently too.”

“Ah?” The player’s instincts caught the key phrase.

“No worries; the shop’s empty now and looked after by Marta. Since your clothes use a lot of leather, just talk to Marta about the maintenance tools inside,” Minela reassured, patting Cen Jiu’s shoulder.

“Thank you both,” Cen Jiu said politely, receiving a warm hug from Minela.

There weren’t many young people left in town, and even fewer like Cen Jiu with such vitality. Minela felt that, being women, they should look out for each other.

[Time of Remembrance: You have learned that White Rock Town once suffered a devastating plague, gaining more detailed knowledge.]

The quest notification was delayed but now appeared.

Without an optional tag, this was a main storyline task as important as securing safe land and housing for the player.