Acquainting
The following days Ryu went to the forest with Clark to fetch the remaining log pieces, the system provided quests to help with the wood and to repair the roofs. There was not much use with the axe these days, but it was an opportunity to learn and use the tools of a carpenter, he found himself enjoying the manual labor more than expected.
Sometimes when they were taking a rest in the forest he asked to leave for a while, he went to collect herbs he found near a stream. He recognized them because it was the same herbs he collected for the sect, identify herbs with his vision skills and the tips Anne gave him was much easier.
Eventually, he achieved level 3, with the 5 points to distribute he invested 3 points in agility, 1 in strength, and 1 in resistance. Making his stats: strength, agility, and resistance 15, dexterity 14 and focus 13.
That distribution in stats is balanced, something elder Qin Lao advised not to do. But it was still too early to keep addicted with a build, using some of these points until he could find one that completely satisfies him would not ruin his future.
As long as this situation does not persist.
When the repairs reached the final stage Ryu's help was not necessary anymore, he decided to force himself in another person - or to help another person, depending on perspective, he would not give them a chance to decline anyway.
But before that, he has one thing to do. He went to herbalist Anne, she expressed surprise with his visit, it was his first time paying a visit to someone besides Clark.
"I went with Clark to the forest these last few days and I found these herbs near a stream, I hope you have some use for them." he said conjuring a handful of herbs from his ring and gifted it to Anne.
"You just picked them near a stream? Speaking like that you make it look easy to collect herbs, I must have been difficult to get this much." she has experience collecting herbs and knew the region like the palm of her hand.
He spoke like he had just stumbled on a bush of herbs and picked it, but she knew that it was not the case he must have spent some time searching for it.
She was a little bit reluctant to receive so much as a gift but she ended up accepting it. After getting the herbs Anne invited him to enter to have a cup o tea, she was proud of her skills in making the finest tea using different kinds of herbs and flowers.
He followed the woman into the house, she pointed to a chair on a small round table. He waited alone for 5 minutes when she went to the kitchen in the back to boil water and make the tea.
When he was alone in this house he spends time looking at the surrounding, the furniture was simple the decoration consisting of books and woodcraft cats, there was no sign of another person living in this house.
She came back carrying two pots and a teapot, when went to the kitchen she had her hair loose now it is tied, the difference made her look much younger than before.
She picked a place beside him and filled the pot, it was indeed very tasteful and the smell rich and sweet. Ryu stayed there for half an hour chatting about herbs, cats, and wood crafting.
When he left her house it was evening time almost night, he went to the tavern to help Susan carrying sacks of potatoes and heavy stewpot. It was late to try to get a quest with someone, he was planing on waking very early the next day.
He was afraid to lose time since he left to the sect he was waking before the sun but this time he would have to wake much sooner. He was in his bed but wasn't sleepy, he looking at the same screen on the system for almost 10 minutes thinking that the system could provide some help with this problem.
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'There is really an alarm function. This system can be gentle sometimes, just sometimes he thought while setting the timer to ring at 4 am.
When the alarm rang at four he went into a rage before lifting, it took one minute until his mood settle.
'Why do I do this to myself? I want the life of a cultivator, not this.'
He left his room and went straight to a house near the end of the village, it was John's farm.
Ryu approached the farm like he was just passing by, John was working with the animals as expected from a farmer. He waved for John from afar and approached making his best to look unpretentious.
"You woke up early, planing to do something?" John was the first to talk when the other reached close distance.
"Not exactly, it is just insomnia" he was slowly turning into a schemer, when left this village he would have to do rehabilitation to stop lying. This or he will achieve a poker face skill and become a trickster.
"I hate when this happens, you wake in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep." John revealed he had some trouble to sleep and they began a chat about it. When the conversation was getting milder he sent Ryu sent the bait.
"Since I have nothing to do, what about helping you in the farm today? Do you have something I can do here?"
John was surprised with the offer, the villagers saw Ryu working with Clark and judge that he was doing this because he was interested in woodworking. The consensus was that he would do this a few days and stop when he finds something else that attracts his attention.
To do the job of a woodworker as a hobby is exotic but not entirely strange however the job of a farmer is different, people don't do it because they like it.
John's intention was to accept, have an extra pair of hands to help on the farm is not something he could simply reject. But he was afraid of accepting it and trigger a reaction from the people of the village, they were afraid of the presence of this cultivator in their village without a reason.
After a deliberation John decided to push the decision to the man, he went with excuses to test Ryu's desire to help on the farm. He said he couldn't pay much for his work, the job was dirty, he would have to work crouched, it was more like a job interview.
When Ryu said he would not mind the work, he was bored and wants something to do John was still undecided, but when he said the magical words that he would not be accepting payment the eyes of the farmer shined in enthusiasm his reluctance found an end instantly.
Without a single moment of delay, he accepted Ryu in and pointed a task for him to do.
This is how a cultivator turned into a farmer.