Chapter 5: Defending One’s Food

At the first sight of the fuzzy creature, Chujiu froze.

This... is a spirit beast?

It was far too different from the majestic, god-like beast he had imagined.

However, when the little thing tilted its head and let out a soft "meow," Chujiu felt his heart melt. In an instant, the thought of "I must summon a domineering, awe-inspiring beast" was cast into the abyss of the universe.

He stepped quickly toward the fluffball, squatted down, and gently stroked its head, whispering, "Oh my, where did such a little cutie come from..."

Chujiu’s voice was naturally clear and melodious, like that of a young man. Now, softening it unconsciously, it sounded even more crystalline and fluid, like a bubbling brook.

The creature shivered slightly and stayed frozen on the spot.

It was very confused right now.

Who was it? Why was it here?

It vaguely remembered coming here to eliminate some kind of bug.

Where was that bug?

Did this human in front of it know?

Also, who exactly was this human?

The creature continued to ask, full of wariness: "Who are you?"

This guarded question turned into an unintelligible "Meow-meow, awoo-awoo."

The sound, much like a tiny kitten, made Chujiu’s heart flutter.

He carefully scooped the creature into his hands and said softly, "Are you hungry? Just wait a moment, let me see how I should feed you."

Since a moment ago, the system had been popping up notification boxes one after another, but Chujiu hadn't had a chance to read them.

Now, he began to read them one by one.

First, the basic information of the "Spirit Beast":

[Race: Unknown
Skills: Unknown
Favorite Items: Dried fish
Disliked Items: Bugs]

Chujiu couldn't help but chuckle: How is the race unknown? It is clearly a little kitten.

Chujiu continued to flip through the notifications.

[Method of obtaining Spirit Beasts: The host can obtain the first spirit beast through summoning.
After a successful summon, the host will gradually master the "Capture Spirit Beast" skill, allowing the capture of more spirit beasts.]

Ah, so this little kitten is a unique summoned spirit beast.

Seeing this, Chujiu couldn't help but gently press the little creature's forehead: "So you are this special."

The creature tilted its head: ?

Chujiu looked at the next prompt.

[Communication method with Spirit Beasts: Spirit beasts do not speak human languages. As the hidden favorability of the spirit beast toward the host increases, the host will gradually be able to understand the language of each spirit beast.]

So, communication depends on favorability...

Chujiu opened another prompt:

[How to assign work to Spirit Beasts: Click the spirit beast icon to open the "Work Schedule." Drag the recipe the host wishes to craft onto the schedule to start the work.
Note: Ensure the host has sufficient raw materials and corresponding tools for the spirit beast to work normally.
Note: Do not keep the spirit beast in a state of hunger for long, or it will severely affect work efficiency and cause a decrease in hidden favorability.
Note: Different spirit beasts have different skills and hobbies. If the assigned work is far from the spirit beast's interests, it will refuse to work.]

...Wait, can such a tiny kitten really be sent out to work?! How heartless of a capitalist would one have to be to do that?

Just as he was wondering, the system popped up a new notification—

[Special Note: Spirit beasts need to work! Spirit beasts that do not work for a long time will suffer from spiritual power degradation and health damage!]

...It seems he has no choice but to be a heartless capitalist for once.

Chujiu decided to feed the kitten some dried fish first, let the little guy get full, and then send it off to work.

*

Chujiu worried that a whole piece of dried fish would be too large and that the kitten might choke, so he tore off a small strip with his hand and offered it to its mouth.

"Here, this is some dried fish I made myself. See if you like it."

The kitten’s nose twitched slightly. Its blue eyes first glanced at Chujiu, then fixed on the dried fish in front of it.

Cannot eat food of unknown origin.

But the dried fish smelled so good.

It licked its lips unconsciously.

Chujiu smiled and dangled the fish: "It's made from fresh river fish, with a faint sweetness."

The dried fish swayed.

The kitten’s eyes followed the fish back and forth.

In an instant, as if by instinct, the kitten lunged forward, opened its mouth—

The fish was gone in a flash.

It was so fast that Chujiu didn't even see how it ate it.

Chujiu nodded: "Not bad, not bad, you have a good appetite."

The kitten was stunned itself—what was it doing? Eating food from a stranger?

Chujiu tore off another small strip of fish.

Before the kitten could process what was happening, its body lunged forward again and swallowed that piece into its belly.

Before he knew it, the fish fillet, which was as big as half a basin, had been completely devoured by the palm-sized cat.

By the time Chujiu finished feeding it, he was worried the kitten might get a stomachache from overeating—but then he thought, perhaps spirit beasts just have larger appetites.

After all, it still had to go work in the fields later!

Chujiu made a disposable bowl out of a leaf, gave the creature some water, and prepared to take it to work.

When he stepped out, Chujiu still held the little guy in the palm of his hand.

The kitten, which had been aloof just a moment ago, was now tipsy from the meal and couldn't even stand up, so it just nestled in Chujiu’s hand, looking around in a daze.

What is happening to me?

Wasn't I supposed to come here to hunt bugs?

Why did I forget everything the moment I ate the dried fish?

And that fish, why was it so delicious?

It felt like it had never eaten anything so good, and had never been so full before...

What should one do after being full...

After being full... one should probably go to sleep...

Purr, purr...

*

Chujiu carried the kitten to the place where he planned to build a fence.

Following the system’s prompts, he found the spirit beast icon featuring a Q-version cat head and opened the "Work Schedule"—

Strange, why was every day in the schedule marked with a "zzz" symbol?

Chujiu didn't understand.

He didn't think much of it and dragged the "Fence" facility blueprint into today's work schedule.

[...The spirit beast refuses to build the facility.]

Eh?

He tried again.

["Building facilities" is far from the spirit beast's interests; it refuses to execute.]

...So that's how it is.

He couldn't force the kitten to do work it didn't like.

Chujiu decided to try having it farm.

He found a sunny spot on the edge of the forest.

Although he didn't know how to farm, he at least knew that most crops required plenty of sunlight.

However, after Chujiu dragged the "Farmland" blueprint over, the notification he received was still [The spirit beast refuses to work].

As if to match the system's tone, the kitten remained huddled in place, not even glancing at Chujiu.

This posture clearly expressed: I don't want to farm.

Ah, this...

Can't build a fence, and can't farm?

What kind of work could he arrange for it then?

Chujiu thought for a moment and tried dragging a recipe for a dish into the schedule.

Even though it wasn't stated that a spirit beast was required to make dishes, perhaps the kitten would be interested?

After all, in games like *Monster Hunter*, didn't the cats make "felyne meals"? You could even get a buff after eating them.

However, the kitten let out a yawn.

[The spirit beast refuses to work.]

[No further work needs to be arranged for it.]

Chujiu: ...

Wait, didn't you just emphasize, system, that "spirit beasts need to work"?

The system, which originally lacked a Q&A function and never answered Chujiu's questions, suddenly added an explanation as if to compensate:

[Upon detection, this spirit beast already has content in its work schedule. No further work needs to be arranged for it.]

Chujiu looked at the string of "zzz"s in the kitten's schedule, feeling a mix of amusement and frustration:

So the schedule it made for itself was to sleep all day, and "zzz" while snoring.

This kitten refused all work; it didn't want to do anything.

Chujiu: ...How did I end up feeling a little jealous.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that counting on this little guy to be an all-purpose helper or a farming expert was a lost cause; he might as well just raise it as a pet.

Anyway, he had always wanted to keep a cat.

With that in mind, Chujiu tucked the kitten into his shirt's chest pocket. This way, he didn't have to worry about the cat getting lost, and it wouldn't interfere with him chopping down trees later.

The kitten seemed to really like the chest pocket. After crawling in, it rested its two paws on the edge of the pocket, let its head droop, and closed its eyes to fall into a deep sleep.

Listening to the purring coming from his chest, Chujiu’s eyes curved into crescents, and he whispered, "Sleep well."

*

Because he had spent 30 spiritual power points to summon the kitten, he didn't have enough left for [Greased Lightning].

Chujiu didn't dare to venture deep into the forest again and could only chop wood near the pioneer's cabin.

After half a day, he had collected 40 logs and accidentally dug up [Potato Fruit x4] and picked up [Wind-riding Bird Feather x3].

The Potato Fruit was a real treasure. Not only could it be stewed or roasted, but the handbook card also had a small note: "Can be given to a spirit beast with farming skills for seedling cultivation." Although his own kitten didn't have farming skills, he would surely catch a spirit beast that could farm in the future, right?

As for the Wind-riding Bird feathers, they were not only beautiful in color but could also be used to craft equipment, adding special attributes.

Having had a fruitful harvest, Chujiu decided to call it a day, return home, and rest to replenish his energy before continuing to make furniture.

On the way back to the cabin, he saw the young woman from yesterday again.

She was still pacing back and forth under the road sign, occasionally peering toward his direction.

Chujiu took a detour, walked toward the woman, and waved, asking, "Hello? Are you looking for me?"

The other party froze for a moment, and after a moment of hesitation, finally whispered, "Y-yes..."

"I, I would like to trouble you to find something..."

Her hands tightly gripped the hem of her long dress, and she said quickly, as if she had made up her mind:

"I have things to trade!"

"I can trade a pair of socks and a roll of cloth!"

Socks? The "Pioneer Starter Pack" had provided Chujiu with enough clothes to change into, so he wasn't worried about not having socks.

However, Chujiu was quite in need of fabric—sleeping on bed sheets would certainly be more comfortable than sleeping on a mat of dried grass.