Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging
Chapter 17: Happy Farm 1

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Happy Farm 1

Furthermore, the money brought out of the game was being sold for exorbitant prices.

Players distinguished them by their colors, calling them copper coins and silver coins. Above those, there were also Gold Coins.

Not everyone was like Moira Lynch, who had obtained three silver coins in the first game; most players had only gotten copper coins.

At the same time, Moira Lynch was surprised to see the name of her shop in one of the posts.

Many people were speculating about the true identity of SoySauceDrunkard, the owner of the [Don’t Miss It] shop.

They wondered where those interstellar machines had come from.

Of course, many also questioned the authenticity of the claims.

Seeing many people calling for SoySauceDrunkard to come forward and prove themselves, Moira Lynch simply laughed it off.

’Transactions are about a willing buyer and a willing seller,’ she thought. ’It’s not like I begged them to buy anything.’

Watching more and more players appear on the news, showcasing all sorts of bizarre and wondrous talents to the world, she had a hunch that the next game would begin in the next day or two.

Moira Lynch felt she should prepare in advance. First on the list: clothes.

’I was in my pajamas when the first game started, without even a pair of shoes, and I was going commando. I absolutely can’t let that happen again.’

’Next is food.’ Moira Lynch wasn’t a good cook. In the past, she had always been dead tired after work, so she’d never had time to cook. She survived on takeout.

’Even though I have money now, I still don’t have time to learn how to cook. Lately, I’ve just been eating leftovers I saved from before.’

But as she trained, Moira Lynch could clearly feel her appetite growing. The food she had wouldn’t last much longer.

To avoid the possibility of starving to death while sitting on a mountain of gold, she decided to take two days to learn how to cook.

When night fell, Moira Lynch began to meditate. Time passed, second by second, minute by minute.

Even when the time she’d set for herself had passed, she didn’t stop. She was trying to see if meditation could replace sleep.

’If this works, I can use the time I’d normally spend sleeping to train instead.’

Just as she was immersed in her meditation, a familiar electronic voice sounded in her ear.

"Dear players of Caelus, hello. First, congratulations on successfully awakening your talents. You truly did not disappoint this game system. Second, welcome to the second game: Happy Farm. Are you ready?"

Moira Lynch jolted and quickly opened her eyes, discovering that she was in a different place.

’It was a ranch before, and now it’s a farm. What’s next?’

She glanced down at her clothes. ’Good thing I had a feeling the game was about to start and didn’t change into my pajamas.’

’But since the second game has begun, that means all players on Caelus—whether they succeeded in awakening or not—have now woken up.’

She looked around again. During the last game, everyone’s faces had been blurred. You could only see someone’s features clearly if you became familiar with them or if you already knew each other and acknowledged it.

This time, however, that restriction was gone. Everyone’s faces were now clear.

While the others were still observing their surroundings or looking for companions, Moira Lynch moved with lightning speed, pulling out a face mask and covering the lower half of her face, leaving only her dark eyes visible.

She deftly tied up her long black hair and put on a black baseball cap.

Just then, the game’s notification tone sounded again.

"A farm as renowned as Serene Ranch, Tucker Farms combines animal husbandry with agritourism. Here, you can enjoy the most authentic pastoral life."

"It is the peak tourist season, and Tucker Farms urgently needs extra hands to help prepare for the upcoming visitors. As a good friend, the ranch owner of Serene Ranch has recommended you to the owner of Tucker Farms!

Therefore, to live up to the expectations of both owners, please work hard for the next three days."

"Note: Players who fail to complete their work or attempt to slack off will lose their eligibility for the game."

After listening to the game system’s introduction, Moira Lynch looked up at the sign above her.

After her recent studies, she could now understand some simple spoken and written interstellar language.

Just then, a familiar gray bird flew over.

’Maybe it’s just my imagination, but this bird seems a lot rounder than the one I saw at Serene Ranch.’

’It looks like it could fall out of the sky at any moment.’

From the gray bird, Moira Lynch received her first Task Card: retrieve the newly hatched chicks from the incubator.

’Just taking newborn chicks out of an incubator... this task doesn’t seem very difficult.’

’Besides, newborn chicks are yellow, fluffy, and very cute. Compared to their adult counterparts, they’re completely harmless.’

With her experience at Serene Ranch, Moira Lynch already anticipated that the chickens, ducks, and geese here wouldn’t be of normal size.

’As for exactly how big, she didn’t dare to imagine.’

’Chickens and ducks are one thing; they aren’t that dangerous. But geese... geese are the tyrants of the countryside. People used to raise them as guard animals, which just goes to show their combat prowess.’

She arrived at a dedicated chick hatchery, which was filled with incubators stretching as far as the eye can see.

CHIRP CHIRP! The sound came from every incubator, as if the chicks were urging someone to let them out quickly.

A pushcart appeared in front of Moira Lynch. On it were two different colored bins: one labeled "Accepted" and the other "Rejected."

Approaching the first incubator, she found the newly hatched chicks inside. Even though Moira Lynch had prepared herself mentally, the size of the chicks still shocked her.

They were a full size larger than a market-ready chicken from Caelus, to say nothing of the ducklings and goslings.

After she placed the lively little chicks one by one into the "Accepted" bin, they were immediately teleported away.

’This job is pretty easy,’ she thought. ’Aside from being a bit physically draining, it doesn’t require any technical skill.’

This continued until Moira Lynch placed a noticeably scrawnier chick into the "Accepted" bin, and nothing happened.

Moira Lynch picked the chick back up and examined it carefully. ’It looks perfectly healthy. Why was it rejected?’

’Well, if you don’t want it, I’ll just take it off your hands~’

Moira Lynch had been wondering how she could fleece the system. Now that she’d gotten a taste of the benefits, she was suddenly filled with motivation.

She did a rough calculation. ’If these chicks grow up, a single one would be enough to feed me for a long time. I’d have meat with every meal.’

Moira Lynch’s hands began to move faster. Whenever she found a rejected chick, she would unhesitatingly put it into her personal space to raise.

Besides the ones that were obviously smaller, those that seemed listless were also deemed rejected.

Toward the end, Moira Lynch even started using her spiritual power. A single scan was all it took for her to know whether a chick would be accepted or not.

It wasn’t until the gray bird appeared again with a Task Card in its beak that Moira Lynch wiped the sweat from her brow and stopped what she was doing.

Beneath her mask, she was beaming. She had collected at least a hundred rejected chicks today. ’To be honest,’ she thought, ’I’m actually a little sad to leave this job.’