Chapter 97: Earth Medicine Rat

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Earth Medicine Rat

「Midnight.」

Outside the fence surrounding the Star-Spotted Snow Root patch.

Vili sat on a low stool, casually gazing up at the night sky and its twinkling stars.

Yadon, meanwhile, had his hands tucked into his sleeves, pacing back and forth while bundled in a thick, padded cotton jacket. He didn’t have Vili’s unnatural Constitution; despite the biting cold, Vili was still dressed in only a single layer of clothing.

Vili and Yadon were now focused on one thing: waiting for the little thief that had been eating the Star-Spotted Snow Roots to return.

"Lord Village Chief, should we light an oil lamp? That way, when the thing that’s eating the Star-Spotted Snow Roots shows up, we’ll be able to see it clearly."

Yadon suggested.

Vili waved a hand in disagreement. "The creature is very timid. If we light the area up, it’ll be too scared to approach."

Yadon "oh"-ed at the explanation and resumed his pacing. He had to keep moving to prevent his body from freezing stiff.

Watching the shivering Yadon, Vili thought to himself, ’It’s time I built a small hut by the fields for the night watch. That way, two people can take turns and won’t have to suffer like this.’

’When the weather was warmer, staying out all night was fine. But in this cold, it’ll cause real harm.’

A cold wind gusted as the moonlight shimmered hazily.

Suddenly, Vili caught a faint RUSTLING sound.

It was incredibly faint; even with Vili’s keen senses, he could barely hear it.

’The little thief that’s been eating the Star-Spotted Snow Roots is back.’

Vili shot to his feet, startling Yadon.

"Lord Village Chief..."

Yadon was about to ask if the thief had arrived, but Vili held a finger to his lips, and he immediately caught on.

Yadon didn’t rush. He followed Vili but stopped just outside the fence, just as Vili had instructed him earlier. Vili would handle catching the thief himself; Yadon’s job was simply to assist from the sidelines.

Vili moved with extreme stealth, his feet making almost no sound on the soft earth. His control over his body had reached a meticulous level; minimizing the vibrations of his steps was a simple task for him.

As Vili moved deeper into the patch, the RUSTLING grew clearer.

’There it is!’ Vili quickly pinpointed the source of the sound.

It was coming from beneath the Star-Spotted Snow Root plant in the northeast corner, right against the fence!

Vili remained patient, only making his move when he was three meters from the source of the sound.

He dove toward the ground, plunging his hand deep into the soil. The earth was so soft it offered no resistance.

He immediately felt a furry, palm-sized creature in his grasp. The little thing struggled violently, letting out a series of SQUEAKS. But to the creature, Vili’s hand was an inescapable cage; it couldn’t budge an inch.

"Light the lamp!"

Vili ordered Yadon.

Yadon was already prepared. He deftly lit the oil lamp and hurried to Vili’s side.

"Just as I thought!"

A smile touched Vili’s lips as he got a clear look at the furry little creature in his hand.

It was a small animal that looked like a rat. Its fur was a dirt-yellow color, its eyes were tiny slits, and its limbs were short, but its claws were quite sharp. Its tail was extremely short, only about a fifth the length of a normal rat’s.

It was an Earth Medicine Rat, a peculiar creature that was somewhere between an ordinary animal and a Magical Beast. It had no combat ability whatsoever.

Unlike Magical Beasts, Earth Medicine Rats weren’t exceedingly rare, but few people ever managed to find them. They only appeared in the remote depths of forests or in villages and hamlets that cultivated medicinal herbs. They were nocturnal and possessed an exceptionally clever stealth Ability, making them nearly impossible for ordinary people to detect.

If Vili hadn’t been in Fandou Village, the entire population could have stood guard over the Star-Spotted Snow Roots and still never have noticed it secretly gnawing on them from underground. And even if they did, they would have been unable to catch a creature that moved so quickly through the earth.

The Earth Medicine Rat feeds on medicinal herbs and other nutrient-rich plants. After absorbing a small portion of the essence, it breaks down and catalyzes the remaining nutrients before excreting them. This was why its droppings carried a medicinal fragrance.

While the resulting droppings couldn’t be used directly as medicine, they were extremely valuable as fertilizer.

Crops fertilized with the droppings of an Earth Medicine Rat grew much stronger, yielded more fruit, and were of a higher quality. They also became more resistant to harsh weather and pests.

This was precisely why Vili had been so thrilled to find traces of it. If he could raise this Earth Medicine Rat, its droppings, though seemingly small in quantity, would be more than enough to support the crops for half of Fandou Village.

"Lord Village Chief, what is that?"

Yadon asked, staring in amazement at the rat-like creature in Vili’s hand.

"It’s called an Earth Medicine Rat. A very interesting animal. It..."

Vili was about to explain when he suddenly heard another noise.

’Could it be...?’

Vili’s eyes lit up. With a flash of his hand, he plunged his other arm into the dirt and pulled out another Earth Medicine Rat.

"There are two of them?"

Vili held an Earth Medicine Rat in each hand, a look of pure surprise on his face.

’Earth Medicine Rats are incredibly nimble,’ Vili mused. ’I only detected the movements of one. If I’m not mistaken, the second one should have already burrowed away to escape, yet it seems to have come back.’

’Why?’

He brought the second Earth Medicine Rat closer to inspect it and noticed its abdomen was slightly swollen. Its struggles were also a bit clumsy.

"No wonder this one came back..."

Vili almost laughed out loud.

The two Earth Medicine Rats were a pair. Mated pairs never foraged alone; they always moved together. When he’d caught the male, the female had grown anxious and returned, allowing Vili to capture them both.

Judging by the look of the female, she was pregnant. If all went well, in about a month, Vili would have a whole new litter of Earth Medicine Rats.

With a breeding population, he would have enough fertilizer to support Fandou Village’s needs, even as it continued to expand.

Barring any major natural disasters, Vili would no longer have to worry about the village’s crops.

A feeling of immense satisfaction washed over Vili at the thought.

"Yadon, go build a small wooden box, line it with cotton, and make a new home for these two Earth Medicine Rats."

Vili ordered.