Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 273 - 265: Here Comes the Miner’s Hat!

Glancing around the cultivation cave, Han Qiwu shook his head regretfully.

Originally, he had planned to leave the jar bottles here, but first, the space was a bit small, and second, there were simply too many floating spores. He worried they might affect the fermentation of the jars.

Better to let the Little Prince dig a new hole.

After all, it’s just a matter of two jars of honey.

Piece of cake.

Leaving the cultivation cave, Han Qiwu quickly mapped out today’s itinerary. First, he’d head to the secret realm to do some fishing and make a bit of money, then buy some rice seeds to plant.

After that, he’d hit the mine to gather some rocks and coal, aiming to grind out the Intermediate-level Chicken Coop within the next few days.

He was curious to see what kind of chicks those random eggs at home would hatch into.

Hopefully all of them would be hens—more eggs, more profit!

Chickens laying eggs, eggs hatching chickens. The cycle is endless!

Back at the house, Han Qiwu turned on the TV for a quick glance.

[Weather Forecast]

Sunny skies tomorrow

[Pro Tips for Daily Life]

Some system forage items are hidden beneath branches, so you’ll need to move them aside to discover them.

[Almanac]

Recommended: Exploration | Avoid: Procrastination

[Shennong’s Cookbook]

Shennong is currently unconscious

Han Qiwu: ".....Shennong, my elderly friend, you really ought to look after yourself. Passing out all the time isn’t exactly productive."

Sunny tomorrow—that’s great news. Time to sun-dry some bamboo shoots again!

After quickly skimming through Pro Tips and the Almanac, Han Qiwu strapped on Red Sun, hopped onto his little moped, and happily rode off toward the secret realm.

Just as he entered town, he spotted Aunt Guo carrying a basket of fresh greens on her way home. Slowing down, he greeted her with a smile: "Morning, Aunt Guo! Those greens look so fresh."

"Of course! I went early to get them." Aunt Guo smiled back. "You’re just in time—you should come over and try on that miner’s helmet I made. I followed an online tutorial for it. Don’t complain if it doesn’t look great, though!"

"Not at all, not at all." Han Qiwu shook his head. "Anything you make looks perfect, Aunt Guo."

Aunt Guo chuckled, "Xiao Han, that sweet talk of yours—it’s like your mouth’s coated in honey. You really know how to flatter."

Han Qiwu paused for a moment.

Since Aunt Guo wasn’t familiar with internet slang, he figured she meant exactly what she said. No problem there.

Seeing as Aunt Guo’s place was still a bit of a walk away, Han Qiwu decided to let her hop on the moped. He drove her straight to her doorstep.

Sitting expectantly in Aunt Guo’s courtyard, Han Qiwu wondered what special attributes this miner’s helmet would have.

One-hit ore mining?

Golden diamond bonanza?

Before long, Aunt Guo came over holding the miner’s helmet and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Aunt Guo." Han Qiwu accepted it and carefully examined it.

The helmet was a deep blue color. He couldn’t tell what fabric it was made of, but it felt quite sturdy. The top even had a hard layer resembling leather for extra protection, and on each side, there were flaps to keep dust out of the ears.

The design was simple, but it was clear from the small details that Aunt Guo had put a lot of effort into crafting it.

[Miner’s Helmet]

[Activates upon wearing]

[Attributes: Max HP +10, Pickaxe strikes required -1]

[Special Effect – Professional Miner: Mining Level +1]

[Special Effect – Miner’s Light: When illuminated, hidden mining spots can be detected]

[Note: Only the glow of a living creature can activate it]

Taking his time, Han Qiwu examined the helmet’s attributes in detail while admiring it.

Just like the Fisherman’s Hat, its properties were very practical—it boosted health, reduced the number of pickaxe strikes needed, and made mining faster and more efficient.

The two special effects were also excellent. The first boosted mining expertise straight up, while the second seemed to reveal hidden mining spots when activated, though he wasn’t clear yet on how to light it up.

"Glow of a living creature? Could it be an anglerfish? Or maybe a bioluminescent jellyfish?" Han Qiwu muttered, a bit exasperated.

Seeing Han Qiwu hesitate to put on the helmet, Aunt Guo curiously asked, "What’s wrong? Don’t you like it? I can adjust the design if you want."

"No, no, it’s not that. The helmet looks amazing—I just haven’t washed my hair, and I don’t want to dirty it." Han Qiwu quickly came up with an excuse, a slightly embarrassed look flashing across his face.

His acting skills had definitely improved after spending so much time with the Little Prince.

"Oh, don’t worry about that," Aunt Guo said proudly. "The lining is removable. If it ever gets dirty, just flip it over, undo the little button there, and take it out. My grandma taught me this trick back in the day."

"That’s so clever. You don’t see designs like this much anymore." Han Qiwu said wistfully. Back when he was a kid, he loved wearing homemade clothes. They fit perfectly and often had little practical details. If something wore out, it could always be patched up at home.

After saying that, Han Qiwu put the helmet on.

Unexpectedly, although the leather patch felt stiff to the touch, the helmet was very comfortable to wear. Rather than being bothersome, it gave a reassuring sense of safety. The ear flaps also worked perfectly to block dust.

Taking a couple of glances at himself in the mirror, Han Qiwu nodded in satisfaction.

Still as handsome as ever!

Aunt Guo chuckled and pulled out her phone. "Xiao Han, would you mind modeling it for me? I want to show it off to my old friends."

"Not at all, go ahead and snap a few," Han Qiwu said, smiling as he struck a few playful poses.

As long as it made Aunt Guo happy, she could take as many photos as she wanted.

After the mini photoshoot and a quick chat, Han Qiwu left Aunt Guo’s house wearing the miner’s helmet.

It was fishing time!

At the entrance of the secret realm, Han Qiwu pushed aside a big reef rock.

[Remaining time for today: 1 hour]

Thank goodness it wasn’t the usual stingy 30 minutes.

Let’s go!

Checking the time, Han Qiwu headed to the trading post inside the secret realm, bought a Golden Chef Shark Bait, and plopped himself down on a large reef rock by the sea to start fishing.

But he had barely sat down when a shadow, over ten meters long and cone-shaped, emerged from the water beneath him.

And judging by how solid the shadow was, something big was rising toward the surface.

"What the heck is that?"

Han Qiwu cautiously retreated to the beach, keeping an eye on the sea from a distance.

Soon, the shadow surfaced, gazing in his direction from afar.

"You’ve got to be kidding me. The big boss actually showed up?" Han Qiwu muttered with a resigned expression.

Under the sunlight, the creature on the water finally came into full view.

A long, straight shell with brilliant, shimmering colors. At its aperture were dozens of long tentacles swaying with the currents.

Clearly, this was a force to be reckoned with.

It was an adult straight-shelled nautilus!

Likely the elder of that baby nautilus he had encountered earlier.

"Surely ocean creatures don’t have great eyesight, right?" Han Qiwu muttered as he quietly moved to a spot over 300 meters away. There, he found a tall reef, climbed atop it, and gently cast his fishing line.

"I can’t beat you, but I can definitely avoid you."

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