Steven returned to the village market. It was now evening, but his classmates were still there, enjoying the lively atmosphere. The market had completely transformed; the stalls that once sold fruits and vegetables were gone. In their place were vendors offering roasted fish, boiled corn, and an array of snacks—dumplings, fries, hot dogs, and grilled burgers. There were even stalls displaying beautiful birds caught from the forest and fish from the river.
Veronica had just bought a fishbowl with two vibrant guppy fish swimming inside. Steven approached her.
"Oh, you bought guppy fish," he remarked.
"Yeah, aren't they beautiful?" she replied happily.
Steven's attention shifted to another stall. "I think I'll get that baby red-eared slider," he said, signaling to the stall owner. He handed over thirty bucks and walked away with the small turtle.
Veronica frowned. "Why did you buy a turtle? They're so boring. They don't even move much."
Steven grinned. "Nah, this one's quite active. Turtles are easy to take care of, they love swimming, and they live a long time."
"Then why is it just sitting there?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The fishbowl is too small," Steven explained. "There's nothing here to catch its interest. Once I set it up in a nice aquarium, you'll see—it'll be very lively."
Steven and Veronica returned to the inn together. Veronica, worried that the fishbowl might fall, only felt at ease after carefully placing it safely in her room. Meanwhile, Steven went to his room, set the fishbowl on the table, and gently took out the little turtle, placing it on his bed. The turtle immediately became lively, moving around energetically on the soft surface. Steven smilled and said,"I will call you Toki, little Toki."
Smiling, Steven retrieved a cloud peach from his inventory, slicing off a thin piece and offering it to the turtle. The little creature eagerly nibbled on the slice, finishing it with delight. Amused by its enthusiasm, Steven handed over the entire peach, watching as the turtle happily devoured it. Steven felt a warm sense of joy—he was growing quite fond of his tiny companion. He placed the turtle in the desk drawer beside his bed. He left the drawer pulled out and placed another cloud peach inside, along with the seed of the previous peach. The turtle played with the seed, pushing it with its head. Steven then relaxed on his bed. The day was awesome. Not only had he acquired a good property, but he also received amazing rewards from the system.
After a short nap, Steven went downstairs to eat. Veronica was seated by a window, engrossed in something on her smartphone. Many other students were scattered around, relaxing after spending the entire day at the market. Everyone seemed to have something in their hands—girls were showing off bracelets and necklaces made of shells, garlands of fresh, beautiful flowers, bird whistles, small pets like wild birds, and hamsters.
Steven approached Veronica and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out what Guppy fish eat," she replied.
"They usually eat algae and brine shrimp. You could also feed them dry fish food like flakes and pellets," Steven suggested.
"But they don't have any of that here," she said, frowning.
"Then just give them some boiled vegetables or a bit of banana. Make sure it's soft and chopped into small, bite-sized pieces," he advised.
"Oh, I can do that!" Veronica said, her face lighting up.
"Yeah, go ahead and try it," Steven encouraged.
"Wow, Steven. You're so knowledgeable!" she exclaimed happily.
Steven smiled. He had spent countless hours reading all sorts of random information while tinkering with his computer. He could confidently claim that no one could rival him when it came to such miscellaneous knowledge.
After some time, dinner was served, and everyone, being quite hungry, eagerly dug in. The meal was delightful, featuring roasted chicken legs, Indian-style chicken curry, rice, fried shrimp, and boiled eggs. To complement the food, everyone was given a glass of lychee juice. As they ate, the students began chatting, and soon the conversation shifted to the topic of "Dreadfang."
"Did you catch the livestream of TurboMax playing Dreadfang?" someone asked.
"Yeah! It was incredible! Even though I was just watching the gameplay, it felt like I was transported to the prehistoric dinosaur era. The graphics were absolutely stunning," another replied.
"Totally! I watched MadAlex stream a battle against a hunting pack of Velociraptors. He was brutally taken down before he could even defeat them," someone else chimed in.
"Why are they always trying to kill dinosaurs? They should focus on finding shelter. My favorite streamer, Julia, discovered an empty cave. She used scraps from the ship to craft a sturdy metal door that keeps the dinos out," another student added.
Just then, someone noticed Steven sitting nearby. "Hey, Steven is here! He must know a ton of cheats," they exclaimed. Suddenly, the group turned to Steven, bombarding him with questions.
Steven raised his hands to calm the group. "Alright, settle down, guys. I'll share some tips. First, focus on building a shelter. There are various bases you can create, like the cave base Streamer Julia used. Just remember to add air vents to the metal frame, or you might suffocate if you sleep there. Store all your valuable items, weapons, and tech you find from scrap in your base."
He continued, "Next, taming dinosaurs is essential. You can tame any dinosaur in the game, but each species has a unique process. For example, if you want to tame a Triceratops or Ankylosaurus, look for a special shrub called Ganeromitica. It resembles a Snake plant. Bring it to them, and once they eat it, they'll become your pets. Both Triceratops and Ankylosaurus are excellent for guarding your base and farms. They're also great in battles—Ankylosaurus is like a tank with a heavy club tail, while a Triceratops charges at enemies with its powerful horns."
"For mounts, you can tame a Parasaurolophus or Telmatosaurus using a plant called Sercatica. Once you feed it to them, you'll have a reliable mount. If you're looking for hunters, go for Velociraptors. To tame them, locate some dinosaur eggs—any eggs except raptor eggs. Place them near an injured medium or large dinosaur, like a Hadrosauromorph. The raptor pack will show up quickly. Make sure you're hiding nearby. Once they've eaten the eggs, step out, and they'll become your loyal hunting companions."
The group listened intently, hanging on every word as Steven shared his tricks. Meanwhile, Arnold sat stiffly, pretending to focus on his food. His eyes flicked toward Steven now and then, jaw clenched every time someone cheered. The conversation brought back memories of the incident at Sky Pearl, and every mention of dreadfang felt like a veiled insult. To him, it was a silent slap in the face.