Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Ke Li Nuo Grasslands

The moment she finished the energy bar, Ling Mo felt like she’d come back to life.

Still, she didn’t want another scare like that. She had Qie Man set an alarm—once it went off, she would eat, no excuses.

Energy bars were convenient, but she preferred real meals.

After resting for a bit, she got back on her scooter and continued toward Ding Ding Fish territory. Since they were fish, they naturally lived near abundant water.

The land grew wetter with every stretch of road. Ahead, a rare patch of woods appeared.

Ling Mo put her scooter away and walked in.

The damp, shaded environment was crawling with water-storage mushroom—exactly the kind of place they liked. Ling Mo expanded her mental power and swept every one she passed straight into her Pocket Space.

Then she noticed moss growing alongside them.

Not green moss—purple.

“Qie Man, does this purple moss do anything special?”

“Purifying moss. It purifies the air and cleans water sources. It likes to grow near Ding Ding Fish beastmen.”

A companion plant?

If it truly relied on the Ding Ding Fish, that would make cultivation inside her Pocket Space tricky. But maybe it was just coincidence—the Ding Ding Fish favored this environment, and so did the moss.

Either way, it purified water. Ling Mo wasn’t letting it go.

She pulled out a shovel and gently scraped at the tree trunks, peeling off broad sheets of purifying moss. Wherever it grew, water-storage mushrooms flourished even more, thick and healthy.

She decided then and there: in her Pocket Space, she’d plant the purifying moss and water-storage mushrooms together.

She walked and scraped, happily lost in the rhythm of harvesting, when a loud commotion suddenly rose up ahead.

Ling Mo frowned. She had no interest in other people’s trouble. If she was going to spend time on anything, she’d rather spend it collecting.

Then a group of seven or eight—men and women—burst into view, sprinting toward her with terrified faces.

The two in front spotted Ling Mo and shouted, “Run! Run!”

Ling Mo glanced past them.

A dozen or more towering creatures—over two meters tall—were charging after the group. Their bodies were covered in blue scales, and they looked uncannily like the Na’vi from Avatar. Their expressions were furious.

Qie Man’s voice came promptly. “Ding Ding Fish. One of the last water tribes in Ke Li Nuo Grasslands. They are born combative and clear about grudges.”

Clear about grudges.

Ling Mo halted mid-step.

If the Ding Ding Fish were that strict about cause and effect, then this was none of her business.

She even stepped aside to give the fleeing group a wider path, then calmly turned the other way and continued collecting purifying moss and water-storage mushrooms.

Whatever those people did, they’d earned it.

From what the crocodile beastman had said, Ding Ding Fish only became aggressive toward enemies—people who tried to harm them. Most of the time, they were gentle. Their biggest daily joy was tending their gardens.

Apparently, every Ding Ding Fish had a vegetable patch, and they only ate what they grew themselves.

What a strange habit.

If a Ding Ding Fish ever got a mission like hers—where everything you tried to plant died on you—they’d starve to death.

With that ridiculous thought in her head, Ling Mo finally reached Ding Ding Fish territory.

A wide, neat stretch of farmland spread out before her, filled with vegetables she’d never seen in her life.

And yet… weeds were everywhere.

Someone seriously needed to clear them.

As she was marveling at the scale of the fields, she spotted a Ding Ding Fish beastman working the soil in the distance.

Ling Mo hurried over and introduced herself. “Hello! I’m here looking for work.”

The Ding Ding Fish beastman straightened.

Only then did Ling Mo realize just how tall he was. He stood in the field while she stood on the ridge—yet she still only reached his waist.

His gaze dropped to the badge on her chest. His voice was low and steady. “I’m the village chief here. If you’re looking for work, what can you do?”

Pick your own job?

There was actually something this good in the game?

“I can haul trash.”

The village chief glanced at her small frame, clearly skeptical. He pointed to the side. “Then haul that pile of weeds away.”

Ling Mo followed his gesture—and froze.

That pile looked familiar.

She picked up a leaf, took a bite, and her eyes widened even more.

Lettuce.

This was lettuce.

These were “weeds”?

So the vegetables she’d thought were vegetables—like this lettuce—were actually weeds, and the “weeds” she’d thought needed pulling were the Ding Ding Fish’s real crops.

“Qie Man, this lettuce isn’t poisonous, right?”

“It isn’t. Not only is it non-toxic, it’s rich in vitamins. Eating more is good for you.”

Good enough.

Ling Mo lifted a hand and swept the lettuce pile—stacked like a small hill—straight into her Pocket Space.

The village chief turned around at the sound, and his eyes widened as he saw the pile was simply… gone.

He stared at Ling Mo with fresh respect. “I didn’t expect you to be this capable. I underestimated you.”

He’d assumed that one pile would keep her busy for a long time. Instead, she’d cleared it in an instant.

Ling Mo smiled shyly and immediately followed up by clearing several more lettuce mountains.

The lettuce here grew even taller than the vegetables in her Pocket Space. How did the Ding Ding Fish manage that? Could she learn their method?

As she worked, Ling Mo remembered the earlier chase. “Before I arrived, I saw a group of people running away. Did they do something to anger you?”

The village chief’s expression turned dark. “They came looking for work too. We kindly arranged jobs for them. They destroyed our fields.”

That was enough for Ling Mo to piece it together.

Those players had come to complete tasks, pulled up the crops from the fields, and left the weeds behind.

To be fair, it wasn’t entirely their fault. Who would expect the Ding Ding Fish’s crops and weeds to look reversed like this?

In short order, Ling Mo cleared every last “weed” from the village. The Ding Ding Fish were so grateful they nearly looked like they might cry.

They explained that if those weeds were left too long, they would spawn green bugs—ugly, disgusting things that crawled everywhere. Ding Ding Fish loathed them.

To them, Ling Mo wasn’t just a worker. She was an angel.

Efficient, humble, and not a word of complaint—even after doing so much.

Compared to the recyclers they’d hired before, she was a miracle.