CHAPTER 213: CHAPTER 205 SPRING MELON SEEDS

"This thing is pretty convenient. Just set it down, and hey, caviar’s served!" Han Qiwu said with satisfaction, stashing it away before pedaling toward the museum.

Time to borrow some books.

When he reached the museum entrance, Han Qiwu carefully knocked on the door.

"Come in, oh wise, brave, handsome, and strong adventurer," Zack greeted with a ridiculously exaggerated smile, bowing as he pulled the door open.

Han Qiwu: "...You’re just after the ancient artifacts in my hands, aren’t you? Did you really have to say it out loud?"

Some truths are best left unsaid, unless you want to get scolded.

After taking out the latest ancient artifact he found, Han Qiwu smiled and asked, "So, Zack, what rewards do I get for this donation?"

Zack, who was just about to collect the items, froze for a moment. "Didn’t I just give you a reward last time?"

"Last time was last time. This time is this time. You ate yesterday, but don’t you still have to eat today?" Han Qiwu teased, testing the waters.

Zack’s stash of goodies was nothing to sneeze at—it was always worth a shot.

"Well, not necessarily. Yesterday’s meal can always be... regurgitated and enjoyed again today," Zack replied with a grin. "Wanna see it?"

Han Qiwu: "...No thanks."

There’s no reasoning with NPCs like Zack, who don’t follow conventional logic.

Han Qiwu walked over to the counter, placing all the ancient artifacts he’d collected during this period on it. Once the items were laid out, he prepared to head to the basement.

Better borrow the book and get home to work on those giant mushrooms and the fishpond!

But just as he turned, Zack suddenly appeared by the counter, grabbed a handful of seeds, and handed them to Han Qiwu.

[Thank you for completing your fifth donation.]

[You have received a reward: Special Spring Melon Seeds ×20]

[Special Spring Melon Seeds]

[Planting Season: Spring]

[Maturity Period: 13 days. Each melon vine has a chance to produce multiple melons, with a small probability of growing into a giant melon if conditions are met.]

[Watering Frequency: Once per day]

[Note: Store-bought melon seeds can only be planted in summer.]

"Giant melons???"

Han Qiwu’s attention was entirely focused on those two words.

It had been nearly a month since he planted cauliflower, and there wasn’t even a shadow of a giant cauliflower yet. His mind was full of conflicting feelings.

But now, great—new hope had arrived!

Giant melons must taste amazing.

Bet they’re sweet. Super sweet.

Zack’s act of generosity was truly something today. He talked of withholding, but his actions told a different story.

Not bad at all. Not bad.

After handing over the seeds, Zack’s expression grew a bit conflicted. He hesitated for a few seconds, but then his usual jovial demeanor returned, and he cheerfully invited Han Qiwu to head to the basement.

On the way to Area A, Han Qiwu curiously asked, "Zack, how can I gain borrowing privileges for books in the other sections of the library?"

"There are two ways. One is to continue donating items like you’ve been doing, and once you reach the reward threshold, you’ll encounter a choice. Just pick access to another area," Zack explained patiently.

"And the other way?" Han Qiwu asked, intrigued.

"The second option is to offer certain special items of research value. That’ll also unlock borrowing privileges for other sections," Zack said with a shrug.

"Special items? Could you give me an example?" Han Qiwu was a bit confused.

After asking, he scrunched his nose and spread his hands. "For instance, the Swordfish and Gold Chef Shark you once fished up—they can be used to unlock access to the library’s S-section for marine-themed books."

After hearing Zack’s explanation, Han Qiwu felt a bit powerless.

He didn’t bother asking Zack, "Why didn’t you mention this earlier?"

It was his own fault for not asking sooner.

"So all I need to do is submit those two types of fish?" Han Qiwu continued pressing, realizing Zack was like toothpaste—you had to squeeze him for information, bit by bit.

"Of course not. You also need the Dino Fish and Giant Squid, making it four types of fish total," Zack explained.

Han Qiwu silently noted it down. The first two fish weren’t a problem, but he hadn’t even seen the last two yet. It’d be a slow grind.

Still... could his puny frame even handle a Giant Squid?

Weighing barely over a hundred pounds himself, Han Qiwu would probably just be a side dish for it.

Not even an appetizer.

Oh, forget it—he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

If nothing else, he could always electrocute it!

As they continued on their way, Zack enthusiastically recommended his self-authored works to Han Qiwu—such as *The Mermaid Princess*, *The Elf Goddess*, and *Angel’s Love*.

Perhaps worried that Han Qiwu would deliberately avoid borrowing his books, Zack didn’t mention any titles explicitly and simply steered the conversation toward such themes.

Too much!

"Zack, everything’s about fate. If I don’t end up borrowing one of your books, it just proves we don’t have that kind of fate," Han Qiwu said with a smile.

"Tch." Zack pouted.

"Of course, if you were to give me some sort of reward, I might change my mind and check out your books," Han Qiwu added, his tone becoming serious.

"So it’s all about money? That’s a disgrace to my masterpieces!" Zack puffed his cheeks indignantly.

Han Qiwu shook his head helplessly, turning to step into Area A.

Then, Zack’s conflicted voice suddenly came from behind.

"What would it take?"

If he had a choice, he wouldn’t resort to this.

The feeling of having no one read your work was just too miserable.

Han Qiwu: "...You’re actually serious."

I’ve underestimated Zack’s potential all this time!

"We’ll talk later."

Once inside Area A, Han Qiwu took a deep breath.

Ah, the air was so fresh!

Sure, the air at home had improved a lot thanks to all the trees he planted, but the air in the library’s borrowing area was like it had been freshly harvested from a pristine mountain forest. Refreshing and invigorating.

"If only I could get a piece of this tree’s roots to plant at home," Han Qiwu mused. He’d have to poke Zack about it next time he brought in more ancient artifacts.

This tree must be pretty extraordinary.

As he thought about that, Han Qiwu cast his gaze toward the bookshelves.

This time, the shelves were more bountiful, stocking over thirty books in total.

After some deliberation, Han Qiwu reached for a hefty volume titled *Tales of Giants*. The title alone hinted that it’d be an interesting read.

Who knows? Maybe reading it would help him grow taller!

And if he could snag a blessing with the character [Giant], wouldn’t that be even more delightful?

Heh heh.

But just then, something unexpected happened.

As soon as the book left the shelf, it grew larger and larger, becoming progressively heavier.

If it weren’t for Han Qiwu’s boosted arm strength, he might not have managed to pull it down at all.

"This is interesting," Han Qiwu gritted his teeth as he fully extracted the book from the shelf, only to discover that its height reached nearly to his chest.

Its thickness rivaled his calves.

This didn’t seem like a book for normal humans.

"Don’t tell me this thing was really written by giants?" Han Qiwu chuckled. Looks like he really wasn’t destined to read Zack’s work after all.

Oh well, oh well.

Dragging the massive book with great difficulty, Han Qiwu finally exited the borrowing area.

"Hahahahaha!"

"That’s your reward!"