17 Is this a farm or a zoo? [Part 1]

Everyone slept soundly since it had been a long and productive day. Being a farm family they were used to sleeping early and waking early. Having roosters on the farm was also a big reason they got up early.

An ear-piercing screech seemed to shatter the still of night as it accompanied the first rays of morning sunlight. Zanir awoke to the familiar sound. It had pretty much become his alarm clock at this point. Sound wasn't the only thing to awaken him.

Mouth watering scents seemed to waft into his room from the direction of the kitchen. His mom was making one of his favorites.

Pancakes! This world actually had pancakes and syrup. It wasn't the exact same but there were only a few minor differences.

The pancakes themselves were grittier and had a coarser texture. Being ground by hand and mill didn't give the uniform texture that he was used to. Another difference was the syrup. They used something that was closer to agave syrup instead of maple syrup.

All in all it was still a delicious stack of pancakes. He tore into them and cleared his entire plate, even heading back for seconds. A giant glass of farm fresh milk helped to wash it all down.

Satisfied with a delicious meal Zanir and his father both thanked his mom as they cleaned off the table and washed the dirty dishes. The family discussed their plans for the day while cleaning. Mom wanted to work on her garden now that they had more free time.

The boys would head out to the pastures to take care of the cattle. With the crop system up and running it took care of a big part of their workload. Getting the Livestock subroutine up and running as well would free up the rest of their day. Zanir wanted to check his status to see how his world was doing.

[Name: Zanir

Age: 18

Dimension Status: World (Level 1) Crops ~7%

Dimensional Power: 190

Powers: None

Skills: None]

He had spent ten points to create the magic subroutine. It seemed that he would get a hundred points each day for having a first level world. The crop growth was astounding at a fourteen day cycle. There were many factors working together to achieve these results.

The environment was completely controlled and the nutrients were supplied directly to crop roots. The needs of each different crop were accounted for. Without any pests to bother them the crops were pampered and spoiled. They took in as much sun as they wanted and grew and grew.

There was also the Magic subroutine. It had analyzed the pendant that Reed had given Zanir. Reproducing the nature element over the crops had greatly assisted their growth rate. It was like he had a tiny druid inside there constantly blessing his crops.

Excited by the news of an unexpected bonus Zanir relayed the info to his dad as they continued walking on. His father was definitely shocked by the growth rate. 'We'll have to make good friends with that Reed fellow' he joked. Zanir agreed, he figured Reed had more up his sleeve than just a pendant.

When they arrived at the cattle pens Zanir was blown away at how many animals they were raising here. There were fenced off pens that had all manner of bizarre creatures. Some of them were similar to what he was used to but others looked totally foreign.

There were large horned animals that looked like a cross between a cow and a sheep. They had shaggy wool coats that were white in color and tinged with black or brown spots all over. He noticed that they had two sets of front legs but only a single set of large and powerful back legs. The smallest one of these would have dwarfed any prizewinning cattle back home.

Zanir knew that this would be a key addition to his world. His mouth watered at the thought of endless steak. He gently approached the big horn. He caressed the mane as the big horn nuzzled his hand, encouraging Zanir as if to signal 'A little more over here'. As the creature became contented it let out a sigh and decided to lay down. Just as was getting comfortable he disappeared.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Big Horn cattle

Type: Bovine,Livestock

Rating: Level 3

Description: Big Horn cattle are gentle giants that have been domesticated on Norantal for generations. The eponymous large horns are used by the males for competition. They are able to provide both milk and wool, resulting in them being a staple on many farms and ranches. Rumored to have an ancient lineage from a mighty eight legged horse.]

It took more time for the system to take in animals as they were more complex living organisms. He worked his way through the cattle one by one. On the tenth big horn cattle Zanir received a system prompt.

[Livestock capacity limited to 10 specimens per species at this time. Excess will be stored.]

He could keep ten of each creature to begin with. There was no need to absorb any more Big Horn cattle so Zanir moved on to another animal nearby. It was the little bugger that had been crowing all morning. He looked like a chicken but had the plumage and color scheme of a peacock. It struck out visually with bold iridescent blue and green colors.

Approaching cautiously he laid out some feed before the proud creature. It was reluctant to eat as it strutted around the pile and then stopped in front of Zanir. It glanced at the seeds and then back to him. He brought the seeds up to the stubborn animal so it could eat them out of his hand. Zanir hoped there was would be a toggle in the system for the crowing he was bringing into his world.

[Material analyzed:

Name: Screamer

Type: Avian, Livestock

Rating: Level 2

Description: Screamers are kept primarily as a food source for their meat and eggs. They are omnivores and known for scratching at the soil to forage for seeds, insects, and smaller animals. Their beautiful plumage and feathers are highly sought after for decorative purposes.]

Soon enough he was able to chase down and cajole nine more screamers with the help of his father. They discovered that an animal had to be calm to be absorbed. It wouldn't work if the animal was hostile or resisted. If the animal trusted him right away, was docile, or was sleeping than the absorption process went much faster.

That was two down but there were still more animals to be absorbed. With all this running around it was starting to feel more like a zoo than a farm.