Jack looked around the marketplace, noticing colorful stands displaying fruits and all sorts of food. Though he wasn't hungry, the sight of ripe, glossy fruits stirred his curiosity. He licked his lips, tempted to try something—but then he realized something important. He had no money.
Worse yet, Jack looked down at himself. T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. Everyone else was dressed in robes, tunics, or ancient garments fit for the Tang Dynasty. He was a walking anomaly. At least he still had his sneakers—he'd worn them during VR gaming sessions to avoid smashing his toes. In this strange new world, that minor habit had turned into a blessing.
As he wandered, Jack noticed a clothing shop. It was nestled between a pottery stall and a spice vendor. He entered, the scent of herbs and linen strong in the air.
Behind a counter stood a woman, likely in her early thirties, her presence dignified and graceful. Her hair was coiled into an intricate bun, pinned with delicate jade sticks. She wore a flowing silk robe embroidered with cranes and plum blossoms. Her face was powdered, and her eyes held the wisdom of someone who had seen many seasons.
Jack approached. "Hello. I, uh... need to trade these clothes for something more... local."
The woman tilted her head. "You foreign-born, no? These cloth—strange, but of curious quality."
"Yeah, it's called denim. Pretty durable stuff. Would you trade it for some traditional robes?"
She stepped forward and examined the fabric of his shirt and jeans, her fingers light as feathers.
"Hm... Cloth like mountain stone—firm, enduring. Yet it breathe like morning mist. Strange craft. Strange indeed."
Jack smiled. "So, is it worth anything?"
She looked at him thoughtfully. "In days of old, scholar say: 'The jade that lies beneath dust still gleam when moonlight kiss it.' These clothes, though foreign, possess value. What you seek in trade?"
"Three sets of regular clothes. You know, robes like yours. And maybe a coin or two, if that's fair."
She narrowed her eyes and chuckled softly. "You drive hard bargain, foreign one. But even in market, the willow bends to wind it cannot resist. I give you three robes. And one silver tael."
"Deal," Jack said with a grin.
She handed him plain but well-made robes in deep blue, dark gray, and light green. She also pressed a silver coin into his hand. Jack ducked behind a divider, changed, and soon stepped out looking like a local.
Now dressed like a proper citizen, Jack wandered the streets. He passed a vendor selling spices and noticed something peculiar—chicken bone meal. His eyes widened.
"No way…"
He handed over his silver tael and received a kilogram of bone meal—and 98 copper coins in change. With one copper, he bought a fat, juicy watermelon from a fruit stand.
Leaving the city, Jack walked along the path until he reached the meadow again. He sat, ate the watermelon slowly, and saved every single seed. Then, he dug a small hole in the soil, dropped a seed in, and sprinkled a bit of bone meal over it.
Within seconds, a green sprout burst forth. Leaves unfurled, vines snaked out, and before his eyes, a full watermelon grew.
Jack laughed. "No way! The Minecraft mechanics... they still work with real-world stuff!"
He stood and looked at the growing plant. "So what happens if I try this with a mystical herb?"
The next few days, Jack began harvesting watermelons in the fields. He carried them into the city and sold them to fruit vendors. With the profits, he bought a wooden cart. On the second day alone, he was moving nearly 100 melons per trip.
After a week of this routine, Jack had made enough to buy a small hut with a walled garden inside the city.
He chose it deliberately—something modest, yet private. He didn't want curious neighbors noticing how fast things grew behind his walls.
Not only did he get a cart and a house, but Jack had twelve silver taels saved up. He was tired of walking out to the fields every day.
Tomorrow, he planned to visit the herb market and find something special—something mystical. With a touch of bone meal, who knows what might bloom?