Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

Chen Nan carefully poured the Deer Blood into a special container. "I wonder how many of these Crystal Horned Deer there are. Has anyone ever caught one before? Does it count as a new species?"

"Even if we don’t get the new species reward, we haven’t lost out," Lin Mo said from the side.

"Yeah, Contractor. This blood doesn’t have a gamey smell at all. In fact, it’s actually fragrant," Chen Nan said to Ning Xuan as he collected the deer blood.

"This deer blood contains a special energy. It can act as an antidote, alleviate symptoms of viral contamination, and be used in medicine," Ning Xuan said. She had just finished analyzing the blood and had Tang Xue and Min Wu help collect it as well.

The three deer were quite large. Everyone worked together, skinning them, draining the blood, and cutting the venison into strips to hang. Nine-tailed had already set up a portable smoker, mixed the seasonings they’d brought, and was preparing to smoke the meat. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Master, this Purple Wood Vine is so aromatic. The smoked meat will taste absolutely amazing," Nine-tailed said, showing Ning Xuan the vines they had gathered earlier.

"This Purple Wood Vine contains energy. Isn’t it too wasteful to use it as firewood?" Lan Xin couldn’t help but ask. The Purple Wood Vine was one of the Exotic Plants they had found along the way.

"We’re not going to burn it all, and the meat is for us to eat. How is that a waste?" Seeing that Ning Xuan didn’t object, Nine-tailed grabbed the Purple Wood Vine and ran off.

In addition to the Purple Wood Vine, there were three other Exotic Plants, all of which were rare varieties nearly extinct in the Federation. One was the "Jade Orchid," which was green all over. It was the main ingredient for the highest-grade Spiritual Power Recovery Potion, making it incredibly precious and scarce. The one Ning Xuan had found was fifty centimeters tall, and judging by its height, it was at least a hundred years old.

The second Exotic Plant was a fiery red one named "Flame Heart Grass." Its sap was one of the main secondary ingredients for the highest-grade Alienation Value Clearing Potion.

There were also three translucent "Crystal Mushrooms." They grew in the Crystal Horned Deer’s habitat. When they were discovered, the surrounding energy fluctuations were intense. Ning Xuan guessed that these Crystal Mushrooms could gather energy, making the area around them equivalent to a small Energy Gathering Array.

Besides these few rather precious Exotic Plants, their haul also included over a dozen types of wild fruits. A thumb-sized golden berry was the most popular; it was juicy, refreshingly sweet, and great for quenching thirst.

That massive, wheel-sized honeycomb was also a treasure. A large amount of honey was divided up into metal cans. This mutated honey was not only astonishingly sweet but also had the effect of eliminating neurotoxins.

They rested for about an hour. Looking at the sky, it was already afternoon. They needed to find a military safe zone or a temporary shelter before nightfall.

With the mechanical vehicle, Ning Xuan’s group could carry a lot of supplies. The cargo bay was neatly arranged with all the items they had collected. The smoked venison gave off the subtle fragrance of Purple Wood Vine, while the deer hides and antlers were set to one side. The few rare Exotic Plants and other items were mostly kept in their personal backpacks. Ning Xuan checked the map drawn by Lan Xin and Zhang Nan, nodding in satisfaction at the detailed resource points marked on it.

As the mechanical vehicle drove on, the Companion Spirit Zhang Nan had sent out—a Golden Hamster—suddenly started squeaking.

Zhang Nan leaped from the vehicle. He crouched down and brushed away the layer of humus on the ground, revealing half of a rusted can. "Miss Ning, this is a Federation military can. Based on the production date, it’s from a batch made three months ago," Zhang Nan reported to Ning Xuan after carefully inspecting the can.

"If there are signs of soldiers having been here, then we shouldn’t be far from a safe zone. Keep searching the area for clues. See if we can determine the direction of the safe zone." Ning Xuan took out the military-issued coordinate locator. This locator could only be used after having current data imported and being calibrated at a military safe zone.

Following Zhang Nan’s discovery of the can, others found a shattered mechanical watch, a broken fountain pen, and a broken sword. Chen Nan also found a piece of mud-caked fabric—a fragment of a protective suit from the left shoulder, irregular in shape. Ning Xuan took the piece of hardened composite material and noticed irregular, starburst-like cracks, as if it had been torn apart.

Min Wu, who was searching the perimeter, discovered a charred, dead tree. From a distance, it looked like a raised mound of earth; only up close was it clear that it was a burnt tree trunk.

"Miss Ning, there’s a dead tree here. Looks like it’s been charred," Min Wu reported.

Ning Xuan and the others all gathered around.

After some analysis, everyone unanimously agreed that a fierce battle had taken place nearby. For some unknown reason, however, most of the traces had been cleaned up.

"There’s an abundant water source about thirty to fifty kilometers to the northeast." Wang Yue had just assembled a groundwater environmental scanner that could detect underground water reserves. While not necessarily accurate, it was at least a point of reference.

Having determined their direction, the mechanical vehicle headed northeast. However, after only about ten kilometers, the road conditions deteriorated drastically. The terrain was full of pits and craters, alternating between hills and valleys, forcing Ning Xuan and her group to abandon the vehicle and proceed on foot.

Not long after abandoning the vehicle, they were ambushed by a pack of Mutant Beasts. It was a group of wolf-like Mutant Beasts, numbering forty to fifty in all. The pack was extremely ferocious, swift, and had powerful attacks. However, Min Wu summoned his White Wolf Superpower Body, Lin Mo summoned his Blue Flame White Tiger Superpower Body, and Qinghe flicked out a blade that transformed into a chain. The three of them struck simultaneously, and the mutant wolves were instantly annihilated. It’s worth noting that of them, over thirty were killed by Qinghe.

There was no way to take the forty or fifty wolf carcasses with them, so Ning Xuan’s group simply skinned them for their more valuable pelts and buried the remains in a pit.

After walking for several more kilometers, Ning Xuan and the others heard the sound of flowing water. The low, sparse vegetation gradually grew denser. Ning Xuan heard the mechanical hum of machinery coming from a thicket. Parting the bushes, she saw three jet-black reconnaissance robots sweeping red scanning beams across the group.

"Those are the military’s ’Night Owl’ reconnaissance robots!" Yun Han said.

"They should be here soon," Di Youlin said, looking to the northeast.

Sure enough, after the three reconnaissance robots departed, a squad of fully armed soldiers approached. "This is the Second Legion Seventh Supply Point. Which school are you from?"

Hearing the name of the Second Legion, Lin Mo stepped forward. ’I wonder who from the Second Legion they sent.’

"General Lin? It really is Lieutenant General Lin Mo." A surprised cry rang out. The soldier, who had been completely serious just a moment ago, took off his helmet and gave Lin Mo a respectful military salute.

"Captain Xu Tao of the Second Legion’s 303rd Regiment, reporting to General Lin." As Xu Tao saluted, the other soldiers saluted in unison.

"I’m not on active duty right now. There’s no need for such formality. Can you take us to the supply point?" Lin Mo asked.