Chapter 4

Not far from Landing Mountain, there is a forest, about 2 kilometers away.

Before dawn, Tianming had visited that forest. The trees were tall, nearly 20 meters, with lush branches and leaves. The forest was vast, estimated to be about 5,000 mu (about 820 acres) in size.

Calculating by 8 trees per mu, there were about 40,000 trees. Tianming had tried hugging the trunk of a tree; it was about as thick as a person's armspan.

From a young age, Tianming had been told he wasn't good at reading and writing, but when it came to climbing trees or catching shrimp in the lake, no one could match him. Climbing this tree was a piece of cake.

Moreover, the gravity in the small space was less than on Earth. Outside, it was 70% of Earth's gravity, but here, it felt like 100%.

Tianming himself was not heavy, standing at 1.72 meters tall and weighing just over 120 pounds, slightly on the lean side.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, Tianming climbed the 20-meter-high tree with ease and agility.

The leaves of the tree were similar to those of a hazel tree on Earth, thick and fleshy. When he pinched a leaf, green sap oozed out, emitting a distinctive plant fragrance. Among the dense leaves and branches, Tianming saw many fruits similar to jujubes.

He picked one. The fruit's outer skin was yellow with a hint of red, each about the size of an adult's thumb, densely clustered on the branches, in bunches and clusters, very tempting. He picked a large handful and put them into the special space.

Since he didn't know if these fruits were edible or toxic, out of caution, Tianming didn't dare to eat them right away.

Climbing up and down, he estimated he had picked over a hundred pounds of these jujube-like fruits. Feeling he had picked enough, Tianming came down from the tree.

"There are so many trees, all covered with these fruits. I'll pick more when I need them."

He looked at the large backpack on the ground, where the rope tied to the rabbit Huihui's legs was still attached, and it hadn't run away.

He grabbed Huihui, took out a handful of fruits from the special space, and teased, "Come on, Huihui, stop eating grass. Master is inviting you to eat jujubes. Come and eat."

At first, Huihui ignored Tianming, turning its head away, showing its back. But animals are animals; after offering the jujube-like fruits to Huihui's mouth several times, Huihui finally started nibbling with its rabbit teeth.

After eating eight, the rabbit was finally full. No matter how many fruits Tianming threw on the ground, Huihui didn't eat any more.

"Let's see if you have any adverse reactions." Tianming observed Huihui's behavior with the curiosity of a researcher.

10 minutes passed, no signs of poisoning.

30 minutes, Huihui was still active and jumping around.

After an hour, Huihui started eating the fruits on the ground again.

It seemed the fruits were not toxic. The rabbit was eating them with relish, as if they were very tasty. Feeling reassured, Tianming took out a handful from the special space, picked a ripe, red fruit, and took a small bite.

It was fragrant, with a light, fresh aroma. It was soft, like a ripe persimmon. Finally, it was sweet, but not overly so, a light sweetness that wasn't cloying.

Two words: delicious.

He quickly finished the first one, finding the taste excellent, and ate dozens more, about 2 pounds, until his stomach felt full.

"From now on, these trees will be called Yellow Jujube Trees, and these yellow fruits will be called Yellow Jujubes. This forest will be called the Yellow Jujube Forest!"

Like a king, Tianming began naming his territory. He took out a sheet of A3-sized white paper and a 2B pencil, and on the map, he outlined the area and wrote "Yellow Jujube Forest" to represent the geographical information.

"These Yellow Jujubes taste good and have some nutritional value. They would be great to sell in the future. This forest is about 4,000 to 5,000 mu, with tens of thousands of Yellow Jujube Trees. Each tree bears at least 500 pounds of fruit, totaling millions of pounds. One person could never eat all of it in a lifetime. It should be considered for investment!"

So, Tianming added to the map: Economic crop Yellow Jujube, has some nutritional value, can be considered for external sales.

The 10-day, 240-hour exploration plan of the small space was now in its 8th hour. Feeling a bit tired, Tianming decided to rest for a while before continuing.

He took out a blanket, set up a single-person tent, found a flat, green grassy area, and lay down to sleep.

Tianming quickly fell asleep, snoring softly. The surroundings were completely silent, as if the world had paused. If not for Tianming's snoring, no one would know about this quiet, secluded paradise.

In his dream, there was no noise from the world, no trivial matters of life. Tianming slept soundly.

He dreamed he was in a vast, uninhabited universe, surrounded by stars in all directions. The tranquil starlight bathed him, silent and formless, with only himself present.

Tianming felt weightless, floating effortlessly in this space.

The wider the mind, the wider the universe. The farther the thoughts, the farther the dreams. A sudden insight flashed in Tianming's mind, as if he saw a vast galaxy slowly rotating; he saw the entire universe expanding and contracting, symbolizing the birth of all living things.

At that moment, Tianming woke up.

He checked his watch: 28:26:36, 28 hours and 26 minutes. He hadn't realized he had slept for nearly 20 hours.

Tianming suddenly understood something. With a wave of his right hand, he opened his special space. He sensed that the volume of the special space had increased nearly tenfold, with dimensions of about 3 meters in length, width, and height.

It seemed the biggest gain from this sleep was the expansion of the special space. He no longer had to worry about where to store things.

Rumble, rumble, his stomach growled with hunger.

...

From the special space, Tianming took out an alcohol spray stove, a portable stove, and cooking utensils like a pot, oil, salt, rice, and vegetables. He began his first outdoor cooking session.

While cooking, Tianming added a handful of Yellow Jujubes to the rice. As the rice cooked, a rich aroma filled the pot, making Tianming's mouth water so much that it even dripped into the pan.

He cooked dried tofu with meat, spicy cured meat, and mushrooms with vegetables, along with a large pot of rice.

Tianming scooped a large bowl of fragrant Yellow Jujube rice with a ladle, then picked up a large piece of meat, pressed it into the rice, and stuffed it into his mouth, eating voraciously.

His taste buds exploded, the fragrance of the rice reaching his brain, causing his saliva to flow even more.

Soft, sticky, fragrant, and refreshing!

Delicious, absolutely delicious. Tianming began a battle to control his saliva.

Generally, an adult's meal is about two medium-sized bowls, but Tianming finished a large pot of rice, far more than two bowls. He also ate all the dishes, significantly increasing his appetite.

He burped, rubbed his round belly, and realized he couldn't even sit down.

He chuckled and thought, "I can't eat so crazily next time. If I get too full, it will be a tragedy."

To aid digestion, Tianming took small steps around the area.

For some reason, Tianming hadn't seen any animals in the small space, not even a bird in the sky, an insect on the ground, or a fly or mosquito. Only a lush plant kingdom existed.

Perhaps, in this small space, the limited biodiversity restricted the development of animals, leading to the presence of only plants.

This was fine. Without animals, there was no noise, making it the perfect environment for someone who liked quiet.

An hour later, he put the pots and utensils back into the special space and cleaned them with his special ability.

This cleaning method involved placing the dirty pots and utensils in the special space, wrapping the dirt with his mind, and separating it in a zero-gravity environment. This method was much cleaner than washing with any detergent multiple times. It was a practical function Tianming had developed for daily use.

...

Out of his love and fondness for the Yellow Jujube rice, Tianming, in a fit of joy, climbed two Yellow Jujube Trees and picked nearly 200 pounds of Yellow Jujubes in a short time, storing them in a designated area in the special space.

The exploration of the Yellow Jujube Forest came to an end. Holding the rope, he dragged the reluctant Huihui and began the next part of his journey.

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