"Goo goo!"
The cries of the Moon Pearl Birds were getting closer, their dazzling light illuminating the meadow like a series of flickering spotlights.
As the small Moon Pearl Birds flapped their wings near Crescent Lake, the dazzling light reflected off the water's surface just as Jiang Yuan had anticipated, making the entire lake shimmer with radiant colors.
Jiang Yuan buried his face in his right arm, bent his back, and strained to pull, inching backward slowly with great difficulty.
He could even feel the cool wind stirred by the wings of the Moon Pearl Birds on his back, the unique scent of bird feathers wafting over him. Just a little more!
Damn, if only he had cleared a wave of minor creatures before using the Good Fortune Card!
This situation was indeed his fault for being too careless. When he received the side mission, he had noticed the system's warning that those birds would actively attack and devour humans. He hadn't thought to strike first and eliminate them so they would hide, ensuring absolute safety before starting to fish.
Countdown 29, 28, 27...
Just as Jiang Yuan was stuck and unable to pull any further, a chill ran down his spine. The sparkling Crescent Lake attracted aerial predators with wingspans of at least three meters, gliding with the wind.
He was fully focused on avoiding the light and couldn't see what was happening, but he felt the breeze of something passing over him and heard the panicked cries of the Moon Pearl Birds amid the chaos.
"Bang!"
The fishing line vibrated, and the Moon in the Water finally couldn't hold on anymore, was pulled ashore, and automatically collected into the Storage Bag.
[Moon in the Water +1]
Jiang Yuan, having exerted too much force, fell heavily to the ground. Ignoring the pain, he quickly put away his fishing rod and wildly swung his jujube wood stick. Behind him, there was clearly an unknown creature preying on the Moon Pearl Birds. The fierce battle was hurting his ears, so he scrambled away in the opposite direction of Crescent Lake, opening his eyes to sneak a peek around only when he was far enough from the "battlefield."
Not far away, a cluster of densely leafy short trees provided perfect cover. Since he had caught the quest-required Moon in the Water, there was no need to risk going back to the lake. He needed to ensure his safety and hide until the battle ended, then cross the meadow to return to the yard and dig at the northeast corner to see if he could find an unexpected surprise.
Finding no aggressive creatures in the grove, Jiang Yuan quietly breathed a sigh of relief and eagerly clicked to check what the Moon in the Water was exactly.
[Moon in the Water: Medium Quality. A rare space-related artifact refining material, formed into a fossil near a spiritual energy-rich spring after the death of aquatic creatures called Moonlight Shells, absorbing moonlight essence. The longer it's formed, the larger, rounder, and brighter it becomes, with stronger spatial power within. There is a chance to lure out the Moon in the Water when the reflection of the full moon appears on the water's surface during a full-moon night.]
"Wow, it's actually a space-related material and of rare grade!" After reading the description, he momentarily felt proud of his newbie self for managing to catch it successfully, realizing he inadvertently discovered a key to clearing the quest when thinking about the corpses in the grass and the hidden achievement rewards.
Once Level One homes are built, players have basic security at night.
If the bodies hadn't been discovered to trigger the side mission or had been left exposed without gaining hidden benefits, then players could only try their luck at the lakeside every night, hoping for a burst of luck to coincide with a full-moon night, making the Moon in the Water surface to absorb moonlight essence for fishing to complete the mission. Failing to fish it would prevent establishing the Floating Market, but wouldn't affect life safety.
The secret to quick clearance lies in — receiving the quest exactly on a full-moon night with Moon in the Water appearing; finding and burying the body to gain the Good Fortune Card buff, plus adding courage and brute force to succeed!
At this moment, he was far from the pursuing Moon Pearl Birds, and even their dazzling light was out of attack range, so hiding under the leaves, Jiang Yuan could see amidst flashing lights, a gigantic two-headed eagle gorging on the plump Moon Pearl Birds with ease.
The dazzling light he feared seemed to have little effect on the two-headed eagle as if one object subdued another. Those birds who couldn't hide like quails in the thickets were quickly directionless by the eagle's wings, clutched and swallowed whole by the talons.
It must have been these massive wings gliding over him to capture prey. Reflecting on that dire moment, Jiang Yuan felt immensely grateful for the luck bonus; good luck was incredibly crucial!
"The two-headed eagle is truly formida..." his silent compliment was interrupted by the loud splash from the lake as an octopus-like tentacle reached out from Crescent Lake, sweeping across the lively "battlefield".
The two-headed eagle, facing away from the lake, couldn't escape in time and, along with its prey, was swept up. The whole ordeal lasted at most three seconds before everything fell silent.
The meadow above was empty and quiet, as if the previous commotion of chickens flying and eagles chasing were illusions. Only the rain-like water splashing down from above Crescent Lake evidenced an unknown creature had burst from it, taking the noisy birds away.
A patch of clouds obscured the bright moon for a few seconds before dispersing, letting silver moonlight scatter down, and the meadow and Crescent Lake appeared serene and beautiful as they had at first sight.
"Wilderness truly is dangerous!" Jiang Yuan's heart pounded as he swallowed a gulp of saliva, eyes fixed on the gradually calming lake surface, palms sweaty.
Can he still come to Crescent Lake to fish in the future?
With unknown creatures that might be fish or dragons in front, and long-tentacled water monsters behind, he had fished there all night and returned unscathed?!
"Goo goo~" After a few minutes, the surviving Moon Pearl Birds emerged from the forest, occasionally chirping as they slowly pecked at the meadow as if the water monster attack was a common occurrence.
Jiang Yuan waited quietly for a long time, detecting no threats, and deduced that a large number of Moon Pearl Birds wanted to collectively attack and predate him but instead attracted the predator two-headed eagle. Their fight on the meadow was so intense it disturbed the water monster in the lake.
"Phew! I must work hard to become strong, with the ability to protect myself. No wonder humans end up as the lowest tier. In the wilderness, there's one demon beast more formidable than the next, how can we ever win?" He exhaled deeply, carrying the jujube wood stick as he stealthily crossed the meadow, following the map back the way he came.
The yard was still protected by a dome emitting a faint glow, giving a strong sense of security.
It was now 2:30 AM, and Jiang Yuan, both exhausted and hungry, felt a bit apprehensive about the Wilderness World's outside, deciding to end today here, exit the game for a meal, then return to dig for treasure and nap until dawn to pick cherries!
But as his gaze fell on the spoils in the Storage Bag, he couldn't help but take them out to admire each one.
The Moon in the Water looked like the reflection of the moon in the water, and when taken out of the Storage Bag and held in his hands, he found it to be a small "moon"!
Cool, soft, stretchy, and bouncy like a large stress ball, it felt particularly good in hand, and the one he caught was as big as a basketball, round and adorable, radiating a bright glow that illuminated the thatched cottage.
Putting the Moon in the Water on the Storage Box to temporarily serve as a light source, he then turned his delighted gaze to the Broken Beast Tooth Necklace.