Chapter 1696 (2/2)

Barely at the first Level of the Hierarchy of Burden…tsk, tsk… getting me excited for nothing. Randidly proceeded through the passageway and then turned around. Nrorce looked at him in shock for several seconds before muttering to himself and hurrying forward. He lowered his head and kept his limbs tightly pressed against his sides. But even with his preparations, the tiny, blue-skinned goblin buzzed like a kicked beehive as he rushed forward.

Nrorce huffed out a breath and shivered when he passed through the long tunnel. After giving Randidly a wary glance, both turned and waited for Claudette to follow. To both of their surprises, she proceeded forward in a manner much more akin to Randidly’s walk than Nrorce’s frantic run.

Nrorce sighed with obvious disappointment in a way that made Randidly wonder if he was something of a pervert. Then the goblin pointed to some farming equipment leaning against the interior walls. “You, take those. Go through the East field and till the soil a bit. Then walk through the South and North fields, examining every plant, understand? Rip out any weeds. Kill any bugs. And you…” Nrorce scratched his head as he looked at Claudette. “Well, come with me. I’ll have you refine some spices.

Suddenly, Randidly scratched his cheek as he watched the other two’s departing backs. He had been left alone on a farm. A breeze rustled the grass in front of him, dancing ahead down one of the dirt tracks that led around the periphery of the fields.

Well, let’s not think too deeply about it. Randidly picked up a hoe and walked vaguely toward the West field. The entrance to Nrorce’s massive farm they had used was to the South, so for now he moved past the South field and headed to the Northwest. To his right, Randidly could make out a well-to-do country manor on a small hill above the fields. That was likely where Nrorce was currently taking Claudette, into his home.

Aside from the four main fields in the cardinal directions, Randidly also sensed four miniature special spaces between them. Two were animal enclosures, one for a monstrous form of bears and one for a feathered, flightless bird that looked like a pheasant. The one in the Southwest that Randidly walked past now was a place with several small orchards clustered together, while the one opposite was an herb garden.

Nrorce certainly has all his bases covered… no wonder he is such a good chef, Randidly reflected as he allowed his senses to expand. He takes this process very seriously…

Randidly continued to walk through the blue-greenery, admiring the various strange fruits that he saw hanging from branches in the orchards. But the more he looked, the more Randidly realized two facts that made him abruptly glad that he had come to this place.

In a way, his typical habit of not thinking about money had led him to a unique opportunity.

First, due to the runes that stripped away the typical overlay System, the pressure the Nexus applied in the area was somewhat lax. Therefore, the usual thin layer for Nether was able to expand somewhat on the farm, perhaps to three times its normal thickness. That wasn’t as wide as the depths of the shaft, but Randidly could remain here and train with Nether usage while allowing time to pass in the Nexus.

Specifically, he wanted to allow time for his Elite Squad to earn its merits and also to get a response from Claudette regarding his requests. Plus, since he had his Pantheon running an imitation System within his body, so he would still receive Skill Level Up notifications.

Secondly… and this was truly what stopped Randidly dead right as he was about to walk into the Western field, was that he discovered an ancient and completely organic Nether Array humming beneath Nrorce’s farm. The flows of energy were inconsistent and tattered, which was the reason that he hadn’t noticed it from a distance. But as he walked across the farm… the currents of Nether in the surrounding area quickly became clear.

The whole of the farm was connected by the significance of Nrorce’s purpose in becoming a chef. Perhaps the existence of the Nether was a bonus reason why the food turned out so well; all of the ingredients were grown with this harmonious bond that multiplied the effect when they were cooked together. This was truly a pollution-free environment.

And that meal was definitely worth a little bit of work, Randidly patted his stomach with a smile on his face.

And without any external Aether or images being allowed into the area, the sheer length of proximity had slowly adjusted Aether and Nether within the barrier to be neutral toward one another. That was the real reason that an organic formation of Nether could occur. And looking at it, Randidly realized how long Nrorce had worked here, honing the art of his cooking. Truly, it was admirable.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 344!

When he reached the West Field, Randidly licked his lips. He immediately got to the physical task of hoeing the soil, but that barely took any attention at all. Instead, his mind was carefully examining the organic Nether Array beneath his feet. Despite the fact that it was quite the accomplishment… the thin and raggedly flows quickly earned his pity.

Since I’m here laboring anyway… Randidly eventually reasoned with himself. There should be no harm in just… polishing up the Nether flows, right? It’s the least I can do.