Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Chapter 48: Reaping Dual Techniques i (2/2)

In fact, the number of termites in a colony could reach several million or even more.

When that time actually came, Qin Niu estimated he could simply lie back and let the insects do the work for him.

He gritted his teeth and directly added 900 labor points to his Pest Control skill.

“[Adding points failed. Skill level cannot exceed Grade Two of occupational level or above.]”

He hadn’t expected this regulation.

He was currently a low-level farmer. His cultivation skill proficiency had reached a moderate level of achievement, which only a mid-level farmer would possess.

His level was limiting his development!

Farmer low level 75.4/100.

Ever since he had finished sowing, his farmer level experience hadn’t increased at all.

Weeding, fertilizing, watering, loosening the soil, pest control, none could increase the farmer level experience.

Qin Niu guessed that only seeding and harvesting could increase a farmer’s level experience.

This thing seemed only to care about results, not the process.

Alright then, in just over a month, the harvest would be ready.

He’d reassess the situation then.

As he thought about it, going to work on the Yan Family’s farm specifically to sow seeds might be a good idea.

Unfortunately, the Yan Family had very strict hiring practices and only hired permanent hands, not temporary workers.

After some consideration, he temporarily dismissed the idea.

The most important thing right now was to help the Ant Nest develop quickly, creating a group of termite experts that could grow more safely and swiftly in the jungle.

If possible, he’d also tame a Queen Bee and breed a colony of honeybees.

These two matters were urgent priorities.

It would not be too late to think of ways to increase his farmer level once he had a stable insect population.

Otherwise, he would lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains.

He certainly wouldn’t engage in such shortsighted and eager-for-quick-success behavior.

Having Pest Control skill at a moderate level of proficiency was barely adequate for now.

At least it should be enough to handle the pests in the cornfields,

Accompanied by five termites, Qin Niu began to clear the pests lurking on the corn seedlings one by one.

It was shocking to see how many there were only when you started catching them.

Apart from Core-Boring Worms and beet armyworms, he found several types of pests including snails and aphids.

He even caught two locusts mating.

Without any mercy, he exterminated them on the spot.

He would save the bodies to take up the mountain later to feed the termites. He was even thinking that it might be a waste to burn the collected insect eggs; saving them to feed the termites might lead to some new discoveries.

Qin Niu kept busy until the moon came out that evening before bringing the five termites back home.

The basket now held many leaves with insect eggs.

The jar used to house the termites was currently filled with the bodies of various insects.

There were so many that it would be enough for the termite colony to eat for many days.

He had only cleared pests from four plots in the cornfield. This pace was considered very fast.

He estimated that seven more evenings of hard work would enable him to completely eliminate the pests from the cornfield.

Not to say that he would eradicate them perfectly, but at least he could ensure that the cornfield’s yield wouldn’t be affected too much.

That was good enough.

Truly purging the cornfield of pests would only be feasible once the number of his termite colony reached over ten thousand.

Upon returning home and securing the door, he still worried a bit that Old Five and the other four termites might fall prey to enemies like rats or centipedes.

Thus, he found a large jar to keep them inside.

The lid wasn’t sealed to allow air in.

There was no helping it; under the current basic conditions, many things had to be tackled one step at a time.

First, he ate three pounds of bear meat, then he bathed, and afterward, wearing only a pair of shorts, he went to the backyard to cultivate.

The growth of the foxtail grass beside the well had visibly slowed. Around the spot where he had cultivated the previous night, the weeds were growing wildly..