Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Mu Ying patted its head soothingly and let it go play.

“Sorry, it’s just too cute—I couldn’t help myself,” Aisha said, scratching her head sheepishly. Then her face darkened—wait, wasn’t that Penny’s catchphrase?

Mu Ying understood completely. Who could resist petting a panda? She herself often couldn’t.

There wasn’t much food left at home—a bag of rice, a few pieces of cured meat, a basket of eggs, a bundle of wild greens, and a basket of miniature soft bamboo shoots from Grandpa Xiao Mu.

Since she had a guest, she decided to make something nice. Without hesitation, she requisitioned Yuan Gun Gun’s bamboo shoots.

Stir-fried cured meat with bamboo shoots, and wild greens with scrambled eggs—only two dishes, but both were stir-fries. Lately, she’d mostly been eating simple noodles and porridge, sometimes with a splash of Spring of Recovery water for flavor, but it was all rather bland.

Now that she was in the mood to cook, Mu Ying couldn’t help but make generous portions of each dish, hoping to eat her fill. Any leftovers could be eaten the next day.

She was already adept at using the primitive stove, but compared to the convenience of pre-apocalypse kitchen gadgets, it was still a hassle.

Cooking rice, especially, required constant attention to the pot and the fire—boil first, then steam, and ladle off the excess rice water in between. But the result was a more flavorful, homey rice, especially the crispy crust at the bottom, which could be cut up as a little snack.

Once the rice was done, the stir-fries were quick.

The cured meat hit the pan, and the aroma quickly filled the air.

“What kind of meat is that?” Aisha came over, drawn by the smell.

“Cured pork—smoked and preserved,” Mu Ying explained.

Soon, two heaping plates of food and a plate of crispy rice crust were on the table—plenty for everyone. “Dinner’s ready!”

“Mmm, delicious!” Aisha wasn’t used to chopsticks, so she went home to fetch a knife and fork, speared a piece of cured meat, and her eyes lit up after the first bite.

Mu Ying also enjoyed the meal immensely. Her ordinary cooking, enhanced by the Spring of Recovery, tasted extraordinary. The two of them—and the panda—devoured everything, and she even forgot what she’d meant to ask earlier.

It wasn’t until she was slumped in her chair after dinner, digesting, that Mu Ying finally remembered."

"""Aisha, what did you mean earlier when you mentioned the 'novice period'?""

Rubbing her stomach, Mu Ying asked directly. After sharing a meal, there was no need for small talk, especially since Aisha was such a straightforward girl.

""Ah, that... Did I mention that?"" Aisha's expression froze.

Mu Ying nodded vigorously. ""You did!""

""Uh... I think I ate a bit too much. I should head back and walk it off. Thanks for the meal!"" Aisha practically fled the room, but as she reached the door, she suddenly sighed loudly, ""I haven’t made any furniture in a month—my hands are itching!""

...The way she emphasized ""a month"" couldn't be more obvious.

Earlier, Aisha had said that hardly anyone could afford her furniture because they were still in the novice period. That meant they were currently in this so-called novice phase. Now, this ""one month"" could mean the entire novice period lasts a month, or that there’s still a month left.

Either way, it meant the current peace was only temporary. The zombies were just the beginning—maybe just the monsters of the novice period.

With unknown dangers looming, Mu Ying actually felt a weight lift from her heart. Knowing there’s danger is better than being an ignorant frog in slowly boiling water.

It had been over ten days since the apocalypse game descended. That meant, in another ten to thirty days, new changes would arrive.

""I need to hurry and get stronger,"" Mu Ying resolved silently.

After tidying up the table, Mu Ying went upstairs, made her bed, used a cleaning spell on herself, and lay down, entering the Cube World trial for the second time.

By now, the night in Cube World was fading, and the corpses had vanished with the sunrise.

[Your Cube World trial character, Mu Ying, has survived for 1 day. Gained 1 Origin Power.]

As soon as she entered, good news greeted her: just surviving earned her Origin Power. Mu Ying was now even more determined to get a bed and speed through the nights.

She gathered the five stacks of stone she’d mined yesterday and converted them into 1 Origin Power. Then, as planned, she packed up and set out, following the river to look for wheat.

There were more animals near the river. She avoided chickens and pigs, since she’d hunted them yesterday and already had some bread to eat. She needed to conserve her strength and collect enough wheat to settle down as soon as possible.

But she didn’t spare a single cow or the newly discovered sheep. Cows could drop leather for backpacks, and sheep could drop wool for beds.

Chests could be converted into storage boxes, and backpacks might become spatial backpacks.

Not only did her trial character need a backpack, but it was also the first thing she wanted to convert into a real item. Wool could be used to make a bed and speed through the night.

After collecting three pieces of wool, she stopped, combined them with three wooden planks, and crafted a bed at the workbench.

[Single Bed]

[Function: Sleep here to quickly pass the night. You cannot be harmed while sleeping.]

[Physical Conversion: 10 Origin Power/bed]

[Physical Description: A single bed that improves sleep quality and reduces sleep time.]

[Origin Power Conversion: Not available]

The bed’s real-world effect would be useful for Mu Ying, who always felt short on time. But compared to the backpack, the bed could wait.

[Backpack]

[Function: Contains 10 slots. Using it increases your carry capacity by 10 slots.]

[Physical Conversion: 50 Origin Power/item]

[Physical Description: A small storage bag with 10 cubic units of space.]

[Origin Power Conversion: Not available]

The backpack had one-fifth the space of a chest but was only half the price. On the surface, chests seemed more cost-effective, but they were bulkier and couldn’t be carried around. Each had its own advantages.

Mu Ying only had 3 Origin Power now. She still needed quite a bit to reach 50.

But now that she had a bed, maybe things would speed up. For now, she’d let her trial character use the backpack to increase her inventory slots.

As soon as night fell, Mu Ying took out the single bed from her backpack and placed it on a flat patch of ground.

""Sleep in the bed?""

Mu Ying selected ""Yes,"" and her body lay down uncontrollably.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the sunset had turned to sunrise. Around her, she could see zombies burning in the sunlight, and she took the chance to collect plenty of bones for bone meal.

[Your Cube World trial character, Mu Ying, has survived for 1 day. Gained 1 Origin Power.]

Only halfway through her trial time, she’d already survived another day and night, earning 1 more Origin Power.

Daytime in this world was very safe, so Mu Ying continued her search for wheat.