40: Berry Knowledge

“Wow, to be honest, I feel so much better now.”

Ning Ruogong looked at the string of red berries in front of him, and he shivered at the thought of what would happen if he really brought them back to the Villagers.

“Alright, let's stop thinking about this and see what I should do now,” he thought. Since he was now inside a dead rabbit, he had to find a way to get out of here.

“What should I do? Should I wait for another animal to come?” He thought for a few seconds. Then, he thought of something.

“Wait, what am I saying? Idiot, I can just Teleport. And it doesn't cost much. But do I have to carry this rabbit’s corpse?” He wondered.

He looked around and saw a pile of stones nearby. “Perhaps traveling as a stone would be more efficient and save more stamina,” he thought.

“But how can I touch it? It’s too far from me,” he thought.

“Hey, System. Can I change the range of Body Switch?” he asked.

<Yes>

<Each meter increase in Body Switch range is 8,000,000 Energy>

“Damn, why is it so expensive?” he asked.

But the System did not answer. Ning Ruogong was in a dilemma. “Status,” he said.

[Status

Name: Ning Ruogong

Energy: 45,257,561

Skills: Synchronized Thinking, Beginner Map, Intermediate Clavis Language, Candlelight, Yin-Heat Conversion Technique, Night Vision I, Cross-dimensional Storage (Time Stop; 5KG), Air Cutter]

“Hmm… I guess I can afford it,” he thought. “Alright, buy one meter of range.”

<Confirmed>

“Alright, let’s switch.” His attention focused on a small stone scattered on the ground, and he felt his entire consciousness flow into it.

“It’s time to Teleport around the island,” he thought. He began to choose short distances and Teleport temporarily. Once he found an animal nearby, he would stop.

Because he was inhabiting a less massive object and the distance to travel was not very far, each Teleport ended up costing only 10,000.

After Teleporting for a few minutes, he encountered another bush with a string of berries. This time, however, the berries looked dark blue, almost black.

“Are these also poisonous? Uh, System. Do you know anything about berries?” he asked.

<You can buy knowledge about berries here>

<Basic Berry Knowledge: 15,000 Energy>

<Elementary Berry Knowledge: 150,000 Energy>

<Intermediate Berry Knowledge: 1,500,000 Energy>

<Advanced Berry Knowledge: 15,000,000 Energy>

<Omniscient Berry Knowledge: 150,000,000 Energy>

“Hmm… Should I buy the elementary version? But the intermediate version is also reasonably priced.

I guess I can afford it. Alright, buy the intermediate version,” he commanded.

<Confirmed>

Suddenly, a flood of information poured into his mind. He looked at the blue-black berries in front of him. “Oh, so they are edible. It seems they belong to a family of blueberries found only on this planet.” The information he received was quite extensive.

“Alright, let’s collect all of these.” He Teleported next to the berry bush again and began to use Air Cutter to cut the stems.

The blue-black berries were less clumped together than the previous red berries, so he had to use Air Cutter more. Once each berry fell to the ground, he began to store them.

A few minutes later, he felt bloated.

“Ugh… I only have about 35 million Energy left now. I’ve already used more than half of the Energy I collected in Hyesi Village. What should I do now?” he wondered.

“Should I go back and send these berries?” he thought. “Hvesi should check the house every day, so if I Teleport there, he should come looking for me. Even if he doesn’t, I can Teleport to find him.”

“Uh… but I have to come back again, which will cost double the Energy. Hmm…” He began to think of some ideas.

“Ah. Hey, System, can you let me Teleport these berries without inhabiting them?” he asked.

<Yes>

<Teleport can Teleport any object>

“Alright, remember the house I asked you to mark? I need to send all the berries there. Can you do that?” he asked.

<Yes>

<Teleporting 5kg of berries will consume 94,000 Energy, are you sure?>

“Wow, this is more expensive than I thought. Although they weigh 5 kilograms, so I guess that makes sense. But wait, don’t I need to take them out before you Teleport them?” he asked.

<Teleport does not require the host to remove items from their Cross-dimensional Storage>

“Oh, that’s so convenient. Alright, let’s do it.”

<Confirmed>

“Hmm, let’s go find some more berries.” Ning Ruogong began to Teleport through the forest, occasionally observing the surrounding scenery, some places with dense trees, and some places with open fields, which could only be called grasslands if not for the giant bushes.

In addition to berries, there were other fruits and vegetables. However, these were clearly fruits, so he didn't have to worry about checking them.

“Oh my goodness. I hope I can taste mangoes again. I must make sure the jungle is safe before I can get my human body. However, getting Telepathy first might be a better idea.”

“Also, I need to have a strong body and then cultivate it to make it stronger. Hehehe, I wonder what those Islanders would think if I flew back.” He giggled like a child.

He encountered several different animals during his Teleportation. There were bears, wolves, and deer. But it seemed none of them were good options to jump into right now, so he continued to Teleport as a stone.

Throughout the day, he collected a total of over 25 kilograms of fruit for the Villagers and spent between 90,000 and 100,000 Energy on transportation, depending on the distance to the target.

Finally, night fell, and he felt mentally exhausted from a day's work, so he decided to sleep.

“System, you know what to do. Wake me up when the Energy cap cooldown ends. Can you do that?”

<Confirmed>

Slowly, he lost consciousness.