Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 34: Witch Doctor’s Apprentice and the Disgusting Water Giant Worm
According to legend, the Witch Doctor could prophesy the commands of the Beast God and was an expert in the healing arts. For this reason, they were highly respected and admired by the Beastmen.
The tribe’s Witch Doctor was an elderly female with sparse white hair, her body as withered as a dead tree. Leaning on a wooden staff inlaid with a green gemstone, she looked at the young female who had recently become famous, her gaze gentle yet complex.
The Witch Doctor’s heart was filled with guilt.
She had once declared that An Jin could not bear cubs. Although it was true, the tribe had looked down on the young female because of it...
"Witch Doctor, what brings you here? The sun is harsh outside. Please, come in and sit."
The young female quickly put down the basket in her hands and respectfully invited the old Witch Doctor into the hut. Showing no signs of holding a grudge, she hurried to bring her a stone bowl of clean water. "Is something the matter?"
The sun outside was exceptionally fierce and the weather was scorching. An Jin was covered in a layer of sticky sweat, but the old Witch Doctor seemed as serene as if in a trance. Her thin, dry fingers gently took An Jin’s hand.
The old Witch Doctor sighed softly and revealed the purpose of her visit. "Little one, I’m too old. I don’t have much time left. I want you to be my successor."
"What?"
’A successor?’ An Jin was stunned. This came out of nowhere, and she couldn’t quite process it.
An Jin shook her head, feeling lost and uneasy. "Grandma, you look so healthy. Don’t say such things, it can’t be..."
"Little one, I am a Witch Doctor. I know my own body better than anyone."
The Witch Doctor smiled and interrupted her, but her old, graying eyes were exceptionally clear. ’Everyone has to die someday.’ She was just worried that the tribe would be left without a Witch Doctor after she was gone.
The Witch Doctor’s status was second only to the Clan Leader, serving as the tribe’s spiritual pillar. The selection process for a new Witch Doctor was also extremely strict, and they could only be chosen from among the females.
But she had observed for many years, and the young females in the tribe were either lazy and incompetent or lacked discipline. There wasn’t a single good candidate.
Only this young female had caught her particular attention recently.
The Witch Doctor was particularly insistent about taking on an apprentice, and An Jin had no reason to refuse.
’This is a good thing. Besides, I also want to learn about the medical arts of this Otherworld.’ So, for the past several days, she had been studying with the Witch Doctor.
The old Witch Doctor then announced to the entire tribe that she had taken An Jin as her disciple and that she would be the tribe’s next Witch Doctor.
[Personal Prestige +10. Total +40]
Fortunately, An Jin was more than up to the task. Her aptitude for learning was high to begin with, and she was diligent and a quick thinker. Not to mention, the medical knowledge in the Beast World was primitive; most of it was basic first-aid that she already knew.
In just half a month, she had more or less mastered everything, earning high praise from many Beastmen, including the old Witch Doctor herself.
Meanwhile, Shana could only watch from a distance, green with envy. Anger and jealousy practically burned her alive—
’Why? Why did An Jin get to be the Witch Doctor’s disciple? How did she become so celebrated?’
’And what about the males? Before, they all said *she* was the most beautiful and that they liked *her* best. But now? Now they were all fawning over An Jin?!’
Even her so-called good sisters had come to regret their actions, turning around to scold her one by one. When had she, Shana, ever been wronged like this?
...
Ling Hong had suddenly become very busy lately, often going out on the pretext of hunting and gathering supplies. An Jin was suspicious but didn’t ask too many questions. She was busy herself, exploring for new resources.
More than a month had passed since she received the system’s main quest: [Cultivate One Mu of Wasteland].
Before she could start cultivating, she first had to find seeds. Rice and wheat were her top choices. After all, she was tired of eating meat every day and longed for a taste of things like rice and white flour.
If she could really grow wheat and rice, it would be a major miracle in the resource-scarce Beast World.
An Jin often went into the forest to look for edible plants with good cultivation potential. Although she hadn’t yet found any wheat or rice plants, she had discovered many similar species.
After collecting the seeds of these plants, An Jin spent several days and sleepless nights sifting through thousands of assorted seeds, picking out the ones that were plump, most similar to her targets, and most likely to survive...
Finally, one morning, a surprised cry was heard from the wooden hut. Sporting dark circles under her eyes, An Jin pranced joyfully around the room. From the thousands of seeds, she had finally selected a few dozen that met her requirements.
Just as she was about to leave the hut to find a fertile plot of land outside the tribe to start plowing and sowing, she heard the call of a young beast cub from outside the door.
An Jin quickly opened the door.
Outside was a small, panting tiger cub, waving its paws anxiously and stuttering. "Big Sis An Jin, i-it’s bad! Around the tribe! A huge swarm of terrifying Water Giant Worms has appeared, and the clansmen are fighting to drive them away! You absolutely must not leave the tribe for now! Those worms are very dangerous!"
After saying its piece, the little tiger cub ran off in a great hurry to warn the next household. It was clear the situation was critical.
An Jin frowned, went into her space, and looked up information on the [Water Giant Worm].
Water Giant Worm: A swarming insect species unique to the Beast World. Their bodies are completely white and wrinkled, and they are exceptionally large, reaching 1-2 meters in length as adults. They consume large amounts of green vegetation and some small animals.
More aggressive Water Giant Worms pose a significant threat to the tribe’s females and cubs.
They hatch in the spring and pupate in the autumn and winter. It was currently the transition from spring to summer, precisely when the larvae were rapidly maturing. Therefore, they needed to consume a massive amount of sustenance and would swarm nearby tribes, foraging for food in preparation for pupating during the cold winter.
Even more remarkably, when these Water Giant Worms pupate in autumn and winter, they form a thick, white cocoon around themselves for protection.
A photo appeared on Mirror Mirror’s light screen.
An Jin took a closer look, her eyes lighting up with joy. ’Aren’t these just silkworm cocoons, magnified hundreds of times?!’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Zooming in on the photo, she examined the threads on the cocoons more closely. They were thicker and tougher than ordinary silk, almost like yarn.
’If these threads aren’t poisonous...’
An Jin glanced at the animal hides she was wearing. She had long since grown tired of them but had never found better materials for making clothes. This was a godsend.
...
On the outskirts of the tribe, the male Beastmen on guard had shifted into their beast forms. They roared and snarled threateningly at the surging swarm of Water Giant Worms, trying to drive them away.
’Dammit!’
The Beastmen cursed inwardly. They weren’t afraid of wild beasts, but why did it have to be a swarm of these disgusting, troublesome worms?!
The Water Giant Worms’ attack power was actually very weak. The trouble was that if you killed them, they would rapidly self-destruct just before dying!
The sticky white liquid they exploded into was disgusting. If it got on you, your fur would be corroded away, and it would take years for beautiful fur to grow back.
If the liquid splattered on the ground, the grass would instantly wither and turn yellow, and nothing would grow there for years.
That’s why they could only drive the Water Giant Worms away, not kill them.
The threatening roars had some effect. A few dozen of the big white worms writhed on the ground, tumbling over and over until they gradually rolled out of the tribe’s territory.
But a few stubborn "holdouts" remained, refusing to leave. They seemed determined to set up camp near the tribe. Now the Beastmen were truly at a loss, looking at each other helplessly.
"Could you leave them to me?"
The clear, pleasant voice of a female came from behind them, instantly invigorating the young male Beastmen who had been frustrated for so long.
