C2 Development System
Exhausted as he was, Liu Feng still had to collapse onto the bed.
He opened the door and stepped into his house.
A quick look around revealed just two rooms: a combined kitchen and living room, and a bedroom. The decor was starkly simple, with only the bare essentials like tables, chairs, and a bed. Anything that could be done without, was.
Too weary to tidy up, Liu Feng flopped onto the unforgiving mattress.
His head swam, yet he couldn't help but mutter, "The crops on the system's land grow a hundred times faster than on real land. That means the roses will bloom in about three days. Roses that normally bloom once a year will now yield every three days. Impressive!"
"But that also means I'll have to water them incredibly often, every few hours?"
"Can't worry about that now. I need to find some food."
Cooking at home was out of the question for Liu Feng; without lighting the wood stove, he'd likely starve.
He decided to head into town, which wasn't too far off.
Liu Feng trudged on and on, the town in sight but seemingly unreachable. He began to wonder if it was all an illusion.
But, as it turned out, he could indeed reach it.
At a roadside noodle shop, Liu Feng waved over the owner, "Hey, two big bowls of pork noodles, please."
After slurping down both bowls, Liu Feng felt he couldn't possibly walk back home.
"What's that? A motorcycle dealership?" His interest piqued.
Time to buy a bike!
He walked straight into the dealership and picked out a 125cc Suzuki scooter.
The price tag read 5,000 yuan.
"That stings a bit," Liu Feng thought, the phrase echoing in his mind.
It hurt, but the bike was a necessity. He swiped his card and took possession of the scooter.
The moment he held the keys, the system pinged to life.
[Host has acquired a means of transportation. System Map updated.]
Liu Feng checked the map to find it had expanded significantly. But beyond his 101 acres of land, the rest was shrouded in darkness.
Was it up to him to uncover it all?
Mounting his new scooter, Liu Feng rode around the town, covering 30 kilometers and gradually unveiling the System Map.
Several small red dots appeared on the map:
[Fishing Spot]
Use the System fishing rod to catch any kind of sea or river fish and replenish the System's stamina.
[Logging Site]
Chop down actual trees to transform the System's land.
[System Store]
Sell mature products from System planting or breeding at the System Store. (The System Store is a virtual shop for host use only.)
Liu Feng was quite intrigued by the System Store. Even though he had no mature crops to sell at the moment, he decided to check it out.
Upon arrival, Liu Feng discovered it was just a small, rundown shack that looked like an abandoned pump house next to a field. It seemed to have been replaced by a canal, rendering the pump house obsolete.
He pushed open the door, cobwebbed and dusty, to reveal a stark contrast inside.
Without the System, the place was decrepit, strewn with cobwebs and litter, the walls peeling and crumbling.
With the System, it was a different story: opulent decor, shelves stocked with a variety of goods, and even a beautiful young lady.
"Hello there," Liu Feng greeted her.
"Hi, are you here to buy something or sell System-grown crops?" she replied with a smile.
The System immediately presented two options:
[Sell] [Buy]
On second glance, the young lady seemed to be an NPC, her smile too fixed to be real.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Liu Feng asked, half-hoping she might be a real person.
"Hi, are you here to purchase something or sell System-grown crops?" she responded with the same smile.
The System prompted again:
[Sell] [Buy]
"Well, an NPC is an NPC, but at least she's a beautiful one," Liu Feng mused, browsing the System's wares. There was even food, all with clear pricing.
Take the Tiramisu bread, for instance: 200 System gold coins for a 5-point stamina boost.
What a rip-off!
Two words crossed Liu Feng's mind: "Too expensive!"
Unless it's a last resort, he wouldn't consider purchasing items from the system.
Glancing at the sales interface, a hundred bouquets of roses were going for a mere 10 gold coins.
So, two thousand roses would only fetch a Tiramisu cake?
The pricing was outrageous.
But Liu Feng couldn't dwell on it; he was struck by a sudden recollection.
The roses needed watering. The moisture from earlier would barely last another two hours.
So, he hopped on his motorcycle and sped back to the farm. He didn't hesitate to ride straight into the system's land, undeterred by the weeds over a meter tall.
Sure enough, upon arrival, the system alerted him to the roses' thirst. Thankfully, with the motorcycle, watering became a breeze.
After the second round of watering, the system flickered.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden mission: Diligent Farmer]
Mission Reward: 200 system gold coins.
Lavender seeds x3.
Liu Feng accessed the system to check the prices and saw that a single Lavender Seed was worth 300 gold coins. This was quite the windfall.
But then he noticed his system stamina had significantly depleted. Only 47 points remained.
"How should I restore my stamina?" Liu Feng pondered, stroking his chin.
[System prompt]
Stamina can be replenished by sleeping promptly at 11 PM and waking at 6 AM, which restores it to full.
Late nights or early mornings will prevent a full recovery.
"Got it!"
As he delved further into the system, Liu Feng stumbled upon an intriguing feature.
[Trust]
The system could manage the land autonomously. Watering could be delegated for one gold coin per hour, and weeding for one gold coin every two hours.
"Automation? That's high-tech. No more words needed. I'm beat. I'll set it to manage itself tonight."
After fussing with the system and inspecting the roses' growth, Liu Feng rode his motorcycle back to his modest bungalow.
He tidied up, only to realize there was nothing to do for leisure. No TV, and the internet was shoddy.
As darkness fell, all he could do was count the stars.
...
At 7:00 PM, Liu Feng had just finished boiling water for a bath over a large stove.
Before Liu Feng could finish getting dressed, the system notification popped up.
[System TV is now playing. Would you like to watch?]
"Of course I'll watch it. I'm dying of boredom over here!"
While speaking, Liu Feng clicked confirm, and a 51-inch screen materialized on the dust-speckled wall.
Weather Report:
Rain is expected in certain areas of the system's territory tomorrow.
A map highlighted the regions due for rain—undeveloped wastelands that Liu Feng had yet to touch.
"Damn!" was Liu Feng's succinct reaction.
News Bulletin:
One of the system's countries was gearing up for Valentine's Day, facing a rose shortage.
The cost of high-quality red roses had soared to 1 gold coin each.
Liu Feng's eyes sparkled with opportunity. He mused: 1 gold coin apiece? That's a tenfold increase! Even accounting for the system's markup, I could make at least seven or eight times the profit. Jackpot!
[Fishing Update: A large school of small yellow fish will converge at the fishing spot tomorrow, ideal for angling.]
With a click, the system TV vanished, and the wall was bare once more.
Liu Feng exclaimed, "The system is unbeatable—it's a blast to have this edge! But man, am I exhausted. Time for some sleep!"
Yet glancing at the clock, it was only 8 PM. According to the system, sleeping this early wouldn't fully restore his stamina.
Was the system being overly dramatic, or was it the truth?
After some consideration, Liu Feng decided to trust the system this time.
So, he picked up his research materials, ready to delve into his project. With the system's help, his research was a breeze! And who knows, with this edge, snagging a major scientific research award might not be out of reach!
Most importantly, it was a surefire way to impress his advisor.
The advisor in question was Moo Yanran, a prodigy who became a mentor at 25. Not only was she a brilliant single woman with stunning looks, but she was also Liu Feng's age. At twenty-four, Liu Feng couldn't help but feel a spark of interest!
