Chapter 395: Problem

Maris stared at the strange figure in Glen’s hands.

The man carrying it was none other than Glen, one of the survivors who had awakened a Rare-Grade Talent.

His Sculptor Talent allowed him to shape wood and stone with remarkable precision. Ordinary materials that would normally require hours of carving could be transformed within minutes, while his enhanced control over the material allowed him to create surprisingly detailed structures.

At first, Maris had thought the Talent would only be useful for making decorations.

However, Glen had already proven that it could be quite useful inside the shelter.

He had helped repair damaged walls, reinforce wooden structures, and create various tools and components whenever the shelter needed them. With enough materials, he could even reproduce complicated shapes with a level of precision that ordinary craftsmen would struggle to achieve.

But the thing he was carrying now was clearly different.

Glen carefully placed the sculpture on the ground.

"Maris! Look at this!"

Maris blinked.

It was a sculpture of a chicken.

But it wasn’t an ordinary wooden carving.

The body had been made primarily from carefully shaped wood, while several smaller sections had been reinforced with metal. The feathers had been carved individually, giving the sculpture an almost lifelike appearance. Even the eyes had been made from polished pieces of metal that reflected the surrounding light.

Maris stared at it for several seconds.

"It looks... surprisingly realistic."

Glen immediately puffed out his chest.

"Of course it does!"

He looked incredibly proud.

"This is my magnum opus!"

"Your what?"

"My greatest creation!"

Glen walked around the sculpture, admiring his own work.

"I spent an entire week working on it. I used different types of wood for the body, reinforced the internal structure with metal, and carefully carved every feather."

Maris looked at the sculpture again.

"Why a chicken?"

Glen’s expression became even more serious.

"Because chickens are important!"

Maris stared at him.

That was certainly one way to answer.

Glen then pointed toward the chickens wandering around the farm.

"But that’s not even the best part."

He placed his hand against the sculpture.

"This isn’t just decoration. I used my Talent to imbue the sculpture with a special effect."

Maris’s expression changed.

"What kind of effect?"

Glen smiled.

"It can enhance the chickens."

"Enhance them? Like iron feathers? Or maybe they can fly high now or something?"

"Exactly."

He proudly explained that the sculpture could subtly influence the chickens within its range, improving their biological efficiency and increasing their egg production.

"Under normal conditions, they can produce one egg."

Glen raised a finger.

"But with my sculpture nearby, they’ll be able to produce twice as many!"

Maris’s eyes widened.

"Twice as many?"

Glen nodded enthusiastically.

"Twice as many eggs!"

Maris immediately looked toward the chickens.

The shelter already had around two hundred chickens, and approximately 150 of them were hens.

If every hen could produce twice as many eggs, the increase in food production would be enormous.

She suddenly looked at the sculpture differently.

This wasn’t decoration.

It was an agricultural treasure.

"Glen."

"Yes?"

"I take back what I said about your Talent only being useful for repairs."

Glen laughed proudly.

"I told you my Talent was amazing!"

Maris couldn’t help but smile.

"You’re right. This is actually extremely useful."

With the shelter’s population continuing to grow, anything that increased their food production was valuable.

Eggs could be eaten directly, used for cooking, or even used to raise more chickens.

A simple increase in production could have a significant effect on the shelter’s long-term food supply.

Maris looked at the sculpture again.

"How long will this effect last?"

"As long as the sculpture remains intact and the chickens stay within its effective range."

"Then we’ll make sure nothing happens to it."

Glen nodded seriously.

"Don’t worry. I’ll protect my magnum opus with my life."

Maris almost laughed.

"Good. Then I’ll leave the chickens to you."

She glanced toward the farm before remembering something.

"Actually, I need your help with something else."

Glen looked at her curiously.

"What is it?"

"We’re preparing roasted chicken for tonight."

Maris pointed toward the larger chickens she had selected earlier.

"I want twenty of them prepared."

Glen’s expression immediately became serious.

"Twenty?"

"Yes. And I don’t want anything wasted."

Maris then looked toward the shelter.

"Go find Leron, Randel, and Emiru. Tell them I need their help cleaning the chickens."

Glen nodded.

"Got it."

"And make sure they keep everything."

"The feathers too?"

"Especially the feathers."

Maris smiled.

"We can use them for other things later. There’s no reason to throw away useful materials."

The shelter had already learned that even seemingly worthless materials could become valuable after the apocalypse.

The meat would become tonight’s meal.

The bones could be used for broth.

The organs could be cooked as well.

Even the fat could be rendered and stored for cooking.

Nothing needed to be wasted.

As for the feathers, Maris already had several ideas for how they could be used, whether for stuffing, insulation, or other practical purposes.

Glen nodded before carefully picking up his precious chicken sculpture.

"I’ll get them."

He turned around and started walking away.

Then he suddenly stopped.

"Maris."

"What?"

"Can you make sure nobody touches my chicken while I’m gone?"

Maris sighed.

"Yes, Glen. I’ll protect your precious chicken."

Glen smiled in satisfaction before finally leaving to find Leron, Randel, and Emiru.

Maris watched him disappear before turning back toward the farm.

She looked at the chickens... Then at the sculpture.

A smile slowly appeared on her face.

With this thing producing twice as many eggs, the shelter’s food supply was about to become even more ridiculous.

***

Not long after, Leron, Randel, and Emiru arrived at the farm.

The three immediately got to work. They began by butchering the twenty chickens Maris had selected, carefully draining the blood before plucking and processing the birds.

Nothing was wasted.

The meat would be used for the evening meal, while the organs and bones could also be prepared as food. Even the feathers were collected separately because Glen had already mentioned that they could be useful for other purposes.

With three people working together, they were able to process all twenty chickens surprisingly quickly.

After a while, Maris finally left...

Her next stop was the kitchen area, where Mila was already preparing for Kai’s return.

She soon found Mila in the kitchen, where she was checking on the preparations for tonight’s meal.

The kitchen was already bustling with activity.

Several people were preparing vegetables and other ingredients, while others were getting the cooking equipment ready. It seemed Kai had already informed them about the large group of survivors he was bringing back.

"How are things?" Maris asked.

Mila looked around the busy kitchen.

"Everything is going smoothly. We’re just waiting for the chickens. Once they’re ready, we can start roasting them. Though... I think we have a problem."