Back in the familiar warmth of the cabin, Neil, flanked by a beaming Kael and Rhys, recounted their successful hunt to Grandma and his aunts. However, their empty hands drew puzzled looks. "Where are the goats?" Grandma asked, her brow furrowed.
At a nod from Kael, Neil focused, and with a mental command, the nine lifeless goats materialized onto the cabin floor in a sudden, silent heap. Gasps of shock rippled through the room. Were their eyes deceiving them? Lyra, ever curious, cautiously approached and touched the thick fur of one of the carcasses. "It's real!" she declared, her voice filled with awe.
Excitement bubbled through the women at the sight of such a plentiful bounty. Grandma showered praise upon her sons for their hunting prowess, but Kael chuckled, gesturing towards Neil. "It was the lad who truly helped us, Mother. We wouldn't have managed so many without him." They then recounted the tale of the trap – Neil's swift digging and their sharpened branches.
Hearing this, Grandma approached Neil, her eyes shining with affection. She pressed a warm kiss to his forehead. "My dear boy," she murmured, "you are such a blessing to this family. Saving us from the storm, building our home and the village boundary, and now even providing food. I am so lucky to have such a kind and capable grandson."
Murmurs of agreement echoed around the room, even Lyra nodding grudgingly, though a hint of jealousy colored her features. "I help too," she grumbled, puffing out her cheeks like a pufferfish, "but Grandma never praises me like that!" Grandma chuckled and quickly offered Lyra some equally warm words of appreciation, smoothing her ruffled feathers.
Then, practicality took over. "Quickly now," Grandma directed her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter, "we need to skin these animals, drain the blood, and start smoking the meat before it spoils. The sun isn't strong enough this time of year for proper drying."
Everyone nodded in agreement, but just as they were about to begin, Neil spoke up. "Wait. Don't smoke them. Just process them."
His words drew confused looks from the adults. "But Neil," his aunt Astrid explained patiently, "if we don't smoke the meat, it will go bad. It will be a waste."
Neil remained firm. "Trust me. Just process the goats – dissect them, seperate the organs, bones, blood, skin, and meat. Once you're done, let me know. I have a surprise for you all."
Intrigued by his unwavering confidence and the many strange wonders he had already shown them, the adults exchanged glances and agreed to his unusual request.
The women set to work processing the goats with practiced efficiency, while Kael and Rhys, surprisingly energetic after their successful hunt, decided to head back into the forest to gather more firewood.
With everyone occupied, Neil found himself alone in the main room. A thought struck him – perhaps he could unlock more recipes by interacting with other household items. He scanned the simple room, but with minimal furniture, there wasn't much to examine.
He moved to the kitchen. A stone stove sat unused, rendered outdated by his crafted furnace. His gaze fell upon a collection of wooden bowls and plates. Deciding to experiment, he reached for a wooden plate and mentally commanded, "Collect." Just as with the goats, the plate shimmered and vanished. He quickly checked his inventory.
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100 dark oak wood 1 slot
30 dark oak wood 2 slot
79 stick 3 slot
1 wooden plate 4 slot
Just as he checked the inventory a familiar "ding" resonated in his mind, and a new prompt appeared:
Unlock new recipe: [ Wooden Plate ]
He mentally opened the crafting table. A new recipe icon pulsed at the top. Clicking on it revealed:
Wooden Plate
Recipe: One Wood Plank in each slot of the top row (1x1x1 = 12 Wooden Plates)
Description: A basic wooden plate used for eating food.
His theory about unlocking recipes was confirmed. He returned the plate to its place, his curiosity satisfied for now. He repeated the process with a wooden bowl, unlocking its recipe as well:
Wooden Bowl
Recipe:
Top row: Empty.
Middle row: Wood Plank - Empty - Wood Plank.
Bottom row: Empty - Wood Plank-Empty.
Description: Hollowed wood for holding food. Light and useful for stews.
Overjoyed by his discovery, Neil scanned the kitchen for other potential recipe unlocks, but nothing else caught his eye. He considered checking the his sleepimg room for clothes, but just then, his mother called him from outside. He decided to postpone his exploration and went to see what she needed.
Outside, the women had already finished cleaning the goat carcasses, separating the meat, bones, and hides. "You work quickly,"
Neil remarked, surprised by their speed.
His mother smiled. "Dissecting is the easy part, son. It's the smoking that takes time. Which is why I called you. What do we do with all this meat?"
As they spoke, the others gathered around. Aunt Seraphina informed him that they had yielded a remarkable 540 pounds of edible meat – roughly 60 pounds from each goat.
Seeing everyone's expectant faces, Neil quickly accessed his inventory. He converted two oak wood into eight planks, leaving him with 28 oak wood. With the planks, he crafted a single wooden chest.
"Clear some space," he instructed, and the women readily complied. He placed the blocky wooden chest on the ground. A murmur of curiosity rippled through the group.
Kneeling, Neil opened the chest. A strange sensation washed over him – a feeling of connection to a vast, empty space, like a mental room. He instinctively knew he could place items within it and retrieve them at will.
Upon this he asked his aunt for a pound of meat, which she readily handed over. He placed it inside the chest. Just like with his personal inventory, the meat shimmered and vanished. He reached into the chest again, and the familiar mental space appeared, now containing the single pound of meat. Focusing on it, he willed it to return, and the meat reappeared within the blocky confines of the chest.
Confused murmurs rippled through the onlookers as they witnessed the disappearing and reappearing meat.
Standing up, Neil addressed their curious gazes. "This," he announced, gesturing to the wooden chest, "is like my inventory, but… outside, It can store items, and they won't weigh anything, nor will they be affected by time."
Hearing this understanding dawned on his mother's face. "You mean… we can put the meat in there, and it won't spoil?"
A chorus of disbelief followed, but after Neil's repeated assurances, excitement began to bubble through the group, especially from Lyra, who grimaced at the thought of smoked meat.
"Can we try?" his mother asked hesitantly. Neil nodded, handing her a piece of meat and guiding her through the process. She placed it in the chest, felt the connection to the mental space, and then retrieved it. A collective gasp of wonder filled the air.
One by one, everyone clamored to try the magical chest. Neil instructed his mother to explain the process. Soon, the initial shock gave way to practical enthusiasm as they began transferring all the meat and even the valuable furs into the chest.
Neil noticed they were leaving the bones and horns. "What will you do with these?" he asked.
Hearing his question grandma explained their usual practice of burying the bones and organs to avoid attracting wild animals.
"Could I have them?" Neil asked, a new idea forming in his mind.
Grandma looked surprised. "What do you need bones and horns for, child?" Neil simply replied that he had a use for them. She didn't press further and agreed.
Neil collected all the bones and horns into his personal inventory.
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18 horn 1 slot
100 bone 2 slot
100 bone 3 slot
100 bone 4 slot
100 bone 5 slot
100 bone 6 slot
100 bone 7 slot
100 bone 8 slot
100 bone 9 slot
100 bone 10 slot
100 bone 11 slot
100 bone 12 slot
100 bone 13 slot
100 bone 14 slot
100 bone 15 slot
100 bone 16 slot
100 bone 17 slot
100 bone 18 slot
(A total of 1800 of bone, 200 from every goat.)
The sheer quantity of bones excited him. Just then, Kael and Rhys along with other returned from the forest, their arms laden with firewood. The family excitedly recounted the tale of the magical chest, and the uncles and father marveled at the strange object.
"Can we move it?" Neil asked, remembering that chests in Minecraft were immobile once placed unless broken.
His father stepped forward and easily lifted the blocky chest. It was surprisingly light. Neil was once again intrigued by how his abilities sometimes diverged from the strict rules of his past life's game. Than his father placed the chest in a corner of the kitchen for easy access.
Later, the family enjoyed a hearty dinner, the bounty of the hunt providing a welcome feast. Neil was once again praised for his crucial role in their success. Exhausted from the day's events, he fell asleep at the table. His father gently carried him to his room, and soon, the entire cabin was quiet.