Chapter 229: 1.5-10

After learning that he had Rambutan trees, a goat, and a cave on his farm, the hatch had just slipped his mind. It wasn't as great of a find to him as those other things, so it was quite easy to forget.

Logically, Xinya knew that the only thing that could be underneath the hatch was a storage area of some kind. Even though it wasn't something as exciting as finding a hidden cave, it was still good in his book.

Extra space to put things was always needed, especially on a farm. And depending on how big the area down there was, Xinya might be able to put in a potions lab.

He might have become a little spoiled by the one that was on Wandering Sound's rented boat, but having space where he could experiment in peace was really ideal. Plus, having a contained room would be great for the off chance he ever blows up any of those test potions.

Starting another fire and having to rebuild his farm again because of a potion accident wasn't something he ever wanted happening. 'I might cry if it did.'

"So, this is what you found?" asked Melting Snow, snapping Xinya out of his thoughts.

"Yes, I stumbled upon the hatch while I was surveying the area around the cottage to see if there were anything besides ashes left from the fire," Xinya explained. "I was going to check out what was inside, but you arrived before I got around to it."

Tilting his head cutely to the side Melting Snow stared down at the metal hatch wondering where it led. "Do you think it will lead to a hidden room full of treasures?"

"If it did, I would be pleasantly surprised," Xinya laughed as he grabbed the hatch's handle. "If anything, the hatch will lead to a food storage area. Which would be a wonderful edition if it's not burnt up as well. But we won't know until we can go inside and see."

However, no matter how hard Xinya tugged at the hatch, it just wouldn't open.He tried using his full strength while using two hands to pull at it, but no matter what he did, the hatch wouldn't budge an inch.

Sighing, Xinya blamed the fact that his class didn't need STR, and that was the reason he was so weak. After giving the hatch the stink eye, he glanced at Melting Snow, hoping that the boy would offer his assistance.

After watching his friend's pitiful attempt at trying to open the hatch, Melting Snow was eager to step in. He was going to offer his help to the man, but after dealing with his brother for all these years in and out of the game, he knew how fragile the male ego was.

Instead, he just watched as the man struggled with the metal door until he gave up. Noticing his friend's glance, he knew that it was the time to ask. "Do you want me to give it a try?As you know, I do have more strength than you."

"Go for it," Xinya tiredly said, while gesturing for the boy to take his place. His stamina was already nearly depleted from using all his might to try and pull that thing open. "After all, you once said you are my brawn as long as I cook for you."

"I did say that, didn't I? Well, in that case, after we explore what's inside of this hatch, I want a yummy snack." With those words, Melting Snow begins tugging on the handle with an exaggerated ferocity.

It only took two hard tugs from the boy before the hatch door was pulled open. Much to the surprise of Xinya and Melting Snow, as soon as the door was opened, a cool breeze hit them, causing them to shiver.

Looking down into the hatch's opening, the only thing Xinya was able to see was darkness. Not even the light from the afternoon sun could pierce its cold blackness.

"Drifting Cloud, why is the air that is coming out the opening so cold," Melting Snow asked while peering down and wondering why all the fun places must be so dark and scary.

Xinya was wondering that as well when he suddenly remembered something. He once read on the forums about how players who didn't have the coin to buy refrigeration units to keep their products from spoiling, started using a cheap ancient method.

"That's because this hatch leads to a root cellar," Xinya explained with complete certainty.

"A root cellar?" Melting Snow questioned, trying to recall if he ever heard of that term before in his life. "What's that?"

"Well, from my understanding, a root cellar is a structure that is usually underground. It is used to store vegetables, fruits, nuts, or other foods," recited Xinya from memory.

Nodding his head at Drifting Cloud's words, Melting Snow now understood what a root cellar was, but something was still bugging him. "Okay, I get that it's for storing food, but that doesn't tell me why it's cold down there."

"That's because it's underground and the farther underground you go, the colder it becomes. Unless you go too far down, then, it becomes scorching since it is closer to the earth's core," As Xinya was talking, he realized that the explanation didn't sound as good as it did in his head.

"Um, Drifting Cloud," Melting Snow begins while being very confused by the answer his friend gave. "That really didn't make any sense, you know?"

Patting the boy on the head, Xinya soothingly said, "I know, but that's because the world doesn't make any sense."

"I see...," Melting Snow had a feeling that his friend was simply making up stuff and made a mental note to ask his cousin about it later.

"So should we go down and explore?" asked Xinya as he opened his interface and took out two glow flowers. "If we wait too long, it will be dark, and I don't know about you, but heading into dark, creepy basements at night is not very ideal.

Xinya was mostly saying this for Melting Snow's benefit since he knew how scared of the dark the boy was. All the while, adding lights to his mental list of things he would need to buy first.

"Sure, let's go!" exclaimed Melting Snow as he grabbed the Glow flower from Xinya's hand and wrapped it around his head. Peering down into the opening again, the boy smiled to himself. 'With a light, the dark is always less scary.'

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