CHAPTER 242: CHAPTER 234 NEW FISH FRY

[Ice Lotus]

[Non-edible]

[Can only be placed in water]

[Special Effect - Frost Aura: The Ice Lotus can convert a 3×3 area around it into a snowy environment]

[Note: Under special conditions, the Ice Lotus will produce Ice Lotus Seeds]

The Ice Lotus appeared crystal clear, resembling a lotus in overall shape. However, its roots differed, not resembling lotus rhizomes, but instead consisting of thin strands of root systems, untainted by any soil, making it look exceptionally clean.

"Converting to a snowy environment? What’s the point of this effect?" Han Qiwu thought aloud while continuing to dig up the remaining plots.

He obtained six Ice Lotuses in total.

"Could it be that certain seeds can only grow in a snowy environment? And these Ice Lotuses are used to create such growing conditions for those seeds?" Han Qiwu made a mental note, carefully storing the Ice Lotuses away to explore where to place them later that evening.

Walking along the riverbank for a few steps, Han Qiwu finally found a fracture in the ice river and quickly switched to his fishing gear, retrieving Red Sun to start fishing.

"Whoosh—"

The fishing hook whizzed into the river with ease.

Soon, Han Qiwu entered the fishing mini-game.

[Glacier Whitefish: Movement pattern is floating type, skill effect is freezing the bobber for 2 seconds]

"Ah, so it’s a floating type." Han Qiwu felt more confident and began controlling the bobber to chase and react accordingly.

As the progress bar was about to reach its maximum, the whitefish flicked its tail, preparing to release a blue glow.

However, Han Qiwu, who was already prepared, preemptively cast Lightning Strike and Sunlight, successfully reeling it in!

[Congratulations, you obtained a rare Glacier Whitefish Fry during your fishing session]

[Glacier Whitefish Fry (Silver-Star Quality ☆)]

[Can only survive in a snowy fish pond]

[Maturation Time: 5 days]

[Produces: Glacier Whitefish Eggs]

"I even caught fish fry?" Han Qiwu was pleasantly surprised. This was only the second time he had successfully caught a Glacier Whitefish.

The +6 Luck effect was truly extraordinary.

Grateful for Mr. Tang’s gift as always.

As for the care of the Glacier Whitefish, Han Qiwu felt no pressure—he already had a solution in mind.

Didn’t the Ice Lotuses he acquired earlier have the ability to convert the environment into a snowy one?

If he made a fish pond, placed an Ice Lotus Seed in it, wouldn’t that create the perfect snowy fish pond?

Compared to other fish fry, Han Qiwu was looking forward to Glacier Whitefish Eggs even more. After all, these fish could be used to heal Mr. Tang. The more, the better.

Perhaps the fish eggs might even have superior effects.

Thinking along these lines, Han Qiwu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of exhaustion.

The duck shed needed construction.

The chicken coop needed upgrading.

A new fish pond had to be built.

And so on and so forth.

"Hopefully, there’ll be a moonless night in the next couple of days. Then I can test the upgraded effects of the Laurel Wood Axe." Han Qiwu let out a long sigh and kept on fishing.

Seizing the opportunity before the ice fracture drifted away, he managed to reel in six Glacier Whitefish.

"Splash—"

As he watched a massive sheet of ice float toward him from afar, Han Qiwu reluctantly packed up his rod, ending this Ice River Whitefish fishing trip.

He searched around briefly, glanced at the time—59 minutes and 48 seconds—then hurried to the staircase and entered just on time.

[You have arrived at level fifty-six of the mine]

Alright.

Didn’t quite make it in, huh? Well, there’s always the next time.

As he opened his eyes, Han Qiwu quickly retrieved his Ice Armor and Ice Club, remaining alert to his surroundings.

The scenery on this level was similar to before—still a snow-covered landscape.

"No monsters here. Time to start mining." Han Qiwu took Xiao Lai out of his bag and tossed him onto the rock wall to keep watch. Switching to the Mother Copper Pickaxe, he began swinging it at the rocks.

Freshly awakened, Xiao Lai looked bewildered as he found himself suddenly stuck onto the rock wall.

Once he regained his composure, Xiao Lai decided not to move any further.

If you’re here, you might as well feast.

He turned his head and began chomping on the ice-covered rock wall below him.

And mind you, Xiao Lai wasn’t just eating—he came with sound effects and visual flair.

"Szzzzzz"

Hearing the sounds, Han Qiwu glanced over and saw that Xiao Lai had gotten quite skilled at devouring stones. First, he would use his venom to corrode the rock wall, then slurp up the softened material like jelly.

Since this was an icy mine layer, the rocks corroded by Xiao Lai’s venom quickly turned into thin sheets that looked remarkably like rolled ice cream.

Watching him eat so contentedly, Han Qiwu himself began craving some rolled ice cream.

"When will the cows at home start producing milk?" Han Qiwu muttered, a bit exasperated. Likely due to the feed, the young cows’ growth hadn’t been particularly noticeable.

Previously, when raising chickens at Wutong, he had gone through quite a lot of high-quality feed before getting them to lay eggs.

"Let’s see how the Alfalfa blooms turn out when they mature." Han Qiwu dismissed the thought and continued wielding his hoe to mine the resource spots.

[Iron Ore]×1

[Jade]×1

Today’s luck seemed pretty great; after just a few minutes, he had already unearthed some jade.

In merely ten minutes, he had dug up over twenty pieces of ore.

Suddenly.

A strange gurgling sound echoed from the depths of the mine, eerie enough to send shivers down one’s spine.

Accompanying the gurgling were unintelligible, jubilant noises.

"What’s going on?" Han Qiwu stood straight, holding his torch up to look into the distance.

On the rock wall, Xiao Lai mimicked Han Qiwu’s actions, raising his gaze toward the same direction with effort.

"Gurgle gurgle."

Under their watchful eyes, a round, plump, white ball of about 50 centimeters in radius came rolling swiftly from the depths of the mine.

Its body was covered in bits of mineral debris, its large eyes alternately opening and closing as it rolled toward Han Qiwu.

"What on earth is this?" Han Qiwu gripped his Ice Club warily and swung the weapon mid-air as the spherical object came flying toward him, sending it soaring away.

"Ee–oh!"

At the moment of impact, Han Qiwu caught a glimpse of the entity’s attributes.

[Mine Snowball]

[Level: 30]

[Attack Method: Rolling Impact]

[Description: Mine Snowballs are toys for most creatures dwelling in icy mine layers. They’ve never had the opportunity to unleash their potential abilities.]

"Toys???" Han Qiwu narrowed in on the key point in the description.

Thinking about it, it made sense. A level 30 snowball posed little threat in an icy mine layer where the average creature level was forty or fifty.

The airborne snowball drew an arc before crashing into two approaching snowmen, successfully knocking them over.

"100!"

Seeing this, Xiao Lai immediately corroded a "100" score onto the rock wall, signaling his admiration as he energetically jumped up and down in approval.

Han Qiwu chuckled and waved him down.

"Stay low-key, stay low-key."

In high spirits, he swung his Ice Club at the two snowmen, dealing swift and decisive blows to take them down.

With the Ice Armor, even defense felt like an unnecessary luxury; he simply smashed them to bits with brute force against the wall.

[Snow Essence]×1

[Snowball Incubator Blueprint Fragment]×1