Chapter 38: Hard Work and Harvest
Chapter 38: Hard Work and Harvest
At 11 p.m. past midnight, Naoki, who had been busy all day, returned to the ranch with Gurduron.
Even at this late hour, the ranch remained brightly illuminated.
Ever since his trip to Big Pot Lake, Naoki had been preoccupied with the idea of creating a cobblestone path on the ranch.
Lacking the necessary machinery to shape stones into cobblestones, he had to settle for the next best option—using wooden boards to construct a pathway across the ranch.
For the past few days, they had been toiling until late at night. To illuminate their work area, Naoki crafted torches by wrapping oil-soaked cloth around wooden sticks, which he then placed along the wooden path.
When night fell, lighting these torches would brighten up a significant portion of the ranch.
Under the warm glow of the flickering flames, the entire ranch seemed to come alive.
It was already quite late, and Motorizard, who had been waiting for Naoki, had dozed off under the eaves of the house.
Not wanting to disturb his slumber, Naoki and Gurduron worked together to empty the net of their catch into the small lake on the ranch.
Without a vehicle, their fishing method was rather cumbersome.
Naoki would first scatter bait on the lake's surface, luring the nearby fish to gather in one spot.
Then it was Gurduron's turn to spring into action, scooping fish from one area of the lake while Naoki fished in another, until they had filled their large net. Only then would they airlift the entire load of fish back to the ranch.
Finally, they released the fish into the lake, awaiting Zack's arrival the next evening to collect the day's haul.
As long as Gurduron worked at his top speed, he could release the fish into the lake before they suffocated.
Of course, there were always a few casualties, and these unfortunate fish would be turned into delicious treats for Gurduron by Naoki.
For convenience, they had laid an extra-large fishing net at the bottom of the lake.
This way, when Zack came to collect the fish, he simply had to lift the net by its four corners, easily gathering all the fish in one go.
It's worth mentioning that, to facilitate the loading of fish, Naoki had also released the Karpirs he had initially tossed into the lake back into the river.
"Good work!" Naoki said with a smile, wiping the sweat from his face with the hem of his shirt as he turned to Gurduron.
Gurduron also wiped the sweat from his face with his large claw, letting out a tired "Graawwrr."
Surveying their handiwork, Naoki noted the late hour and added, "Let's call it a day for today!"
They headed back to the wooden house, where Naoki roused Motorizard from his slumber and sent him off to bed before making his way to the kitchen area to prepare a late-night snack.
The commotion woke Mini-Fu and Frost Fairy, and the two little Pokemon blinked sleepily at them.
So, Naoki made a little extra to share with his unexpected guests.
After the pleasant night snack, Mini-Fu and Frost Fairy returned to their slumber.
Having worked tirelessly all day, Gurduron had no energy left to compete with Motorizard for attention. He merely yawned, curled up, and rested his head on his claw, drifting off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Motorizard stood by Naoki's side.
"Gaawrrr," it rumbled softly.
Naoki stripped off his dirty blue overalls, now wearing only a thin white t-shirt.
Hearing Motorizard's gentle rumble, he reached out and patted the Pokemon's head affectionately. "Just a little while longer, and things will get better. Was everything peaceful here today?"
Motorizard, diligent in its role as the ranch's guardian, shook its head. "Gaawrr."
"That's good," Naoki said with a smile. "You're doing a fantastic job. I should be the one thanking you."
"Gaawrrr..." Motorizard rumbled contentedly.
Naoki patted its shoulder. "Alright, it's getting late. Go get some rest. I just need to finish up the accounts for the day, and then I'll turn in as well."
Obediently, Motorizard padded off to sleep.
Naoki pulled out his ledger and meticulously recorded the day's earnings.
After deducting the cost of buying bait and fishing nets, they had made a total of 43,320 Pokedollars in the past five days.
If he sold the fish in the lake tomorrow and added what was left from before, his savings would exceed 50,000 Pokedollars.
These days had been tiring, but seeing the drawer full of money, Naoki felt energized.
The day and night labor had made his body stronger, his muscle contours more defined, and his skin noticeably tanned, making him look more and more like a real ranch owner.
"Perfect timing for a well-deserved rest!"
Naoki stretched leisurely and leaned back in his chair, thinking about what he needed to do tomorrow.
Now that he had money, he planned to go to town first and get the salt house sorted out with Clary, although he wasn't sure if the Saltrock Pokemon would be willing to come to the ranch. Still, it was better to be prepared.
Additionally, he needed to buy a few more Poke Balls so that he could attempt to catch a mount Pokemon like Woobat, Gogoat, or Tropius while Clary worked on building the salt house.
Once those tasks were done, the first batch of crops he planted would be ready for harvest.
After harvesting, he would need to till the fields again and plant the next batch of seeds.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Naoki glanced up at the old-fashioned pendulum clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it was almost 1:00 am.
Naoki: "..."
Time for bed!
The next morning, Naoki headed to the Pokemon Center's shop in town and bought ten Poke Balls.
Although it cost him 2,000 Pokedollars, he believed that the Pokemon he would catch with them would create value far exceeding that amount.
After leaving the shop, he made his way to Clary's workshop, located in a forest cottage on the outskirts of town.
Clary was wearing a light blue work uniform and chopping wood with an axe.
When she saw Naoki approaching, she raised her eyebrows slightly. "I heard about what you've been up to these past few days from Zack. He said you and Gurduron caught a lot of fish and made a big sale. You've been working hard!"
Naoki smiled. "I have to, considering all the Pokemon waiting for me to take care of at the ranch."
Clary appraised the young man before her.
Compared to their first meeting, he had noticeably bulked up, his skin tanned, and he looked much healthier overall.
"Impressive," Clary commented. "You're looking more and more like a real ranch owner! Have you met the other ranch owners in the area yet?"
Naoki shook his head. "I haven't had the chance to visit them. Is there something about them?"
"They're all big and sturdy, thanks to years of farm work," Clary explained. "I can see you heading in that direction too."
Naoki shrugged nonchalantly, not too concerned about his appearance.
After some small talk, Clary got down to business. "So, what do you want me to build this time?"
"A salt house," Naoki replied.
After careful calculations, he determined that raising Saltrock Pokemon to collect and sell Rock Salt would be one of the most profitable ventures.
That's why he prioritized building the salt house.
(End of Chapter)
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