Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Small Granary

“Awoo–” A wolf’s howl came from below the treehouse, and Xu Xin immediately recognized it as Silver King’s.

He quickly descended from the treehouse, and even before his feet touched the ground, he saw Silver King waiting below with the corpse of a wild boar on his back.

It seemed these two fellows had not only filled their own stomachs but also brought back a catch for Xu Xin.

“Well done!” Xu Xin patted Silver King’s head, then turned to Mimi with a smile and said, “You too.”

Mimi remained aloof, slowly pacing around.

With the two beasts in tow, Xu Xin returned to the treehouse and began preparing for the next step.

The ice cellar was already built; the next step was collecting beast meat!

He opened the trading platform and started browsing the mutant animal meat for sale.

Mutant animal meat, while incredibly delicious and beneficial to the body, was still quite cheap–you could exchange a green-level resource for several kilograms.

After all, a lot of survivors from the dungeons had low-level mutant animal meat, each having killed at least one or two mutant animals, mostly carrying dozens or even hundreds of kilograms back.

If everyone had long-term food preservation abilities, the price wouldn’t be so low, but since green-level beast meat could only be preserved for around three days, even eating five kilograms in that time was quite a feat.

So although some people, afraid to enter the dungeons, purchased and consumed some, a vast amount of mutant animal meat remained unsold on the trading platform.

Supply far exceeded demand, making the prices exceptionally cheap.

Which was fortunate for Xu Xin.

The green-level resources Xu Xin had could be described as plentiful; he had been constantly selling salt, accumulating lots of green-level wood and stone daily, never refusing basic resources.

Thus, he immediately began a large-scale procurement spree on the trading platform.

“Mutant dog meat? Poor dogs, let’s make good use of it.”

“Cat meat? I’ve heard it tastes sour, let’s buy some for a taste.”

Silver King and Mimi suddenly felt a chill.

“There’s also mutant fox meat, buying that.”

“Oh, someone managed to kill a mutant wild boar? Impressive, all mine now.”

To verify if mutant animal meat could truly strengthen the body, Xu Xin cut a piece of each type to roast for a taste test.

The dense aroma once again permeated the treehouse, enticing the three already-fed beasts over. Xu Xin shared some with them and finished the rest himself.

Indeed, no matter the type of meat, a subtle warmth coursed through the body–a sign of bodily enhancement.

Looks like he was right; all mutant animal meat had this effect. With this confirmation, he expanded his purchasing efforts.

Xu Xin made numerous wooden boxes, dividing the purchased meat into convenient portions, categorizing them into separate boxes, and placing them in his newly built ice cellar, even carving the meat types on the boxes with a boning knife for easy locating.

Before he knew it, he had bought nearly two thousand kilograms, which was four thousand pounds, of mutant meat.

These weren’t just for his own consumption–the warehouse wasn’t just established for personal use. Should food ever become scarce, this amassed meat would be an enormous asset.

Although the possibility in the jungle wasn’t high, who knows what strange developments might occur in this world; it’s always better to be prepared.

So Xu Xin continued purchasing until half of the ice cellar was filled, then he stopped, satisfied.

Looking at the boxes scattered around, he broke into a smile.

Stability achieved, the warehouse was essentially complete; later, staple crops like wheat and rice could also be stored here.

At this point, the ice cellar was about minus twenty degrees, and Xu Xin’s hands and face had become numb from the cold, prompting him to quickly exit and seal the door tightly.

With the outside temperature over thirty degrees, it felt like a realm of ice and fire, prompting Xu Xin to cool things down outside as well.

Back on the third level, he filled a basin with water and tossed in a piece of nitre (blue), instantly freezing the water, spreading coldness, and lowering the surrounding temperature to a comfortable level in seconds.

Immediate effect, even better than air conditioning!

Xu Xin sunk into the sofa, pulling Keke, already lounging on it, into his embrace and gently rubbing.

How comfortable!

Now each level of Xu Xin’s treehouse had its own functionality. The first level was the ice cellar, the second the work area, the third the living area, and the fourth the planting area, offering complete functionality.

With air conditioning, pets, a stocked warehouse, and the capability of growing fruits and vegetables on the top level, Xu Xin feared he might end up too comfortable in the treehouse.

Keke, who had been lethargic from the heat, seemed to wake up as the temperature dropped, stirring in Xu Xin’s arms and curiously peering at the cold source–the basin of ice: “Eep?”

“We’ll never be hot inside the treehouse again,” Xu Xin said, ruffling Keke’s head, “But that ice can’t be eaten, it’s poisonous.” This warning wasn’t just for Keke but also for Silver King and Mimi, who were circling curiously around the ice basin.

“Mmm.” Keke responded, then comfortably buried her head in his arms. The Silver King and Mimi also lay down by the ice basin. Unlike Xu Xin, they were covered in thick fur and naturally preferred cooler temperatures.

Xu Xin swiped open his watch, and currently, there was a large number of people discussing mutated beast meat in the regional channel.

“The incredibly delicious mutated beast meat, this is definitely the best meat I’ve ever tasted, everyone come buy it!”

“Buy what? I still have a huge pile on my hands. I miss having a home fridge. If I had a fridge, I wouldn’t sell it.”

“Damn, I thought very few people could kill mutated beasts, didn’t expect this stuff to be so worthless. If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought it back. I carried 300 kilograms of meat plus a bunch of resources, it’s killing me!”

“Indeed, the strong large mutated beasts are unbeatable and can only be fled from, but small ones like rats or dogs are easy to eliminate.”

“I think we might as well bury it under the treehouse as fertilizer since no one wants it.”

“Aren’t you afraid it will stink?”

“Damn, someone just bought all my beast meat!”

“Same here! My meat was all bought up!”

“Seriously? Are people still buying meat in bulk? Are they fools? It’ll all rot in the treehouse in a few days.”

“Perhaps they have a method for preservation?”

“How is that possible, do they already have electricity or a fridge?”

“Those top ranking big shots, maybe they really can, just because you’re bad doesn’t mean others are too.”

It seems his actions did draw some attention, but it didn’t have a major impact. Though he acquired several thousand kilograms of meat, it was just the stock of under a hundred people, barely a drop in the ocean overall.

Xu Xin noticed that, although everyone in the regional channel claimed the meat tasted great, no one seemed to mention eating this meat would enhance strength. Could they not feel it?

Xu Xin asked in the [Explorers] group: “Have you all eaten the mutated beast meat?”

Wang Lei: “Haven’t eaten it. Most of what I have is rat meat, really hard to swallow. Though the regional channel says it’s delicious, I think I’ll pass, I don’t lack meat.”

Zhao Xiaochuan: “You’re better off than me. I have centipede meat, and even spider meat, all green-grade meat. I just toss it away. Who would eat that stuff!”

Qi Xuefei: “You encountered centipedes? Centipedes can be used in medicine, and you just threw it away.”

Zhao Xiaochuan: “Damn, it was as big as a python, and you say it’s medicinal?”

Qi Xuefei: “Dry and grind it, it’s not a big problem. Centipedes can calm convulsions, detoxify and break up knots, clear meridians, and relieve pain. What a shame.”

Zhao Xiaochuan: “Too professional, can’t understand…”

Wang Lei: “…Many things in traditional medicine are really hardcore.”

Xu Xin: “Throwing it away is such a waste. Mutated beast meat is extremely delicious, the best I’ve ever tasted, and most importantly, eating it enhances strength.”

Qin Yunlong: “Enhances strength?”

Wen Guixin: “Eating it enhances strength? How do you know that, Xu Xin? I’ve been eating it since yesterday, and aside from it tasting really good, I don’t feel anything.”

Hmm?

Wen Guixin’s words made Xu Xin a bit puzzled. Do they really not feel that the mutated beast meat can enhance strength?

If Wen Guixin merely puzzled him, Ji Chaoyang’s words made him frown.

“I’ve been eating it since yesterday too, whether from its description or from my own experience, this is just delicious ordinary meat. Xu Xin, how do you determine that eating this meat will enhance strength?”

Do they really not feel it? Could it be that the strength-enhancing effect is only useful to me?

Wait a minute…

Xu Xin: “When using the contract from the silver treasure chest, did you have any special feelings?”

The contract from the silver treasure chest is [Treehouse Renovation Contract], when Xu Xin first used it, he felt a warm flow coursing through his body, followed by a noticeable increase in strength.

Wen Guixin: “What feeling? After using that contract, didn’t the strength suddenly increase a bit? We already knew that.”

Xu Xin: “You didn’t feel anything else?”

Zhao Xiaochuan: “No, I only noticed that my strength increased a bit later.”

Xu Xin understood.

It seems only he can perceive that warm flow that accompanies the increase in strength. They don’t perceive the warm flow, and naturally can’t perceive the function of the mutated beast meat. The changes are subtle, and they can’t detect a slight increase in their strength.

This, perhaps, is a unique ability of his to discern?