Chapter 76: Bountiful Harvests
Chapter 76: Bountiful Harvests
Naoki wandered through the rest of the Wet Market, carrying the bag of soil, in search of items that would benefit the other Pokemon on his ranch. However, he couldn't find anything similar.
Reluctantly, he turned to leave and headed towards his next destination—the town's seed shop.
The owner of the store was a middle-aged man with slightly curly brown hair and a plump build. He always wore a brown overcoat. He quickly recognized Naoki as the new ranch owner in town and greeted him warmly.
"Good day! What seeds are you looking for today? Spring is almost over, and we're offering discounts on some spring crop seeds!"
Naoki looked around and soon spotted a batch of newly arrived seeds on the shelves. Perhaps to distinguish the planting season, these seeds were packaged in deep green bags reminiscent of summer.
Several people dressed like farmers were selecting seeds from that section. It was clear that Naoki wasn't the only one preparing for the upcoming season early.
"I don't need any spring seeds," Naoki said. "I'm here to look at summer seeds this time."
As he spoke, he walked over to the shelf and began to browse carefully.
Compared to spring, the variety of summer crops was much more extensive.
There were corn, wheat, hops, melon, pineapple, pumpkin, onion, and sunflower seeds.
The selection of flower seeds had also increased, including cornflowers, evening primrose, lavender, and grape hyacinth, to name a few.
Naoki pondered his choices, deep in thought.
Currently, his ranch focused primarily on livestock, with income generated mainly from rock salt yogurt and the mushrooms in the cave at the back of the mountain. They didn't rely on farming for a living.
Therefore, when purchasing crops, the first consideration was their practicality.
"Corn is good. Aside from selling it, we can also make boiled corn and popcorn, creating two tasty snacks."
"Wheat? I need to save up to build a mill soon so that we can process wheat and corn into flour and animal feed."
"Hops... Although the ranch doesn't have a wine cellar yet, according to my plan, the new house will be completed by the time winter arrives. I wonder if we can store the hops harvested in summer until autumn, and if so, we can use the time when we can't grow crops in winter to brew beer."
As for melon, pineapple, pumpkin, and the like, we can plant some of each. Aside from selling the produce, we can also use them to create new dishes.
The same goes for sunflowers. A field of sunflowers will not only beautify the ranch, but the seeds can be roasted into sunflower seeds for a leisure snack.
With these thoughts in mind, Naoki bought one packet of each type of seed. When he paid, the owner looked at the seeds and said, "You know, you don't have to buy every type of seed. It's a lot of hard work for a ranch owner to manage so many different seeds, and each one has its own planting method and maturation time. It can get very tricky if you mix them up."
"Especially for a new ranch owner like yourself," he continued. "It might be wiser to start with a few crops you like and get to know their growth habits. Then, once you're familiar with them, you can try branching out."
Hearing this, Naoki smiled and replied, "Don't worry. I keep a dedicated notebook for such things. I'm growing these crops not just for selling but also for my consumption and that of the Pokemon on the ranch.
The elderly man was sitting behind the counter, reading a newspaper with a pair of half-moon spectacles perched on his nose.
Hearing the wind chimes signal the entrance of a customer, he looked up and saw Naoki walking in.
A smile spread across the old man's face. "Naoki, my boy! What Pokemon are you looking for today?"
"Any news on the ship transporting the Miltank?" Naoki inquired.
"Yes, indeed!" The old man nodded, his expression turning thoughtful as he recalled the phone call he had received. "The cargo ship transporting the Miltank did run into trouble. It encountered a terrible storm at sea and sank after hitting a reef near a small island."
"Fortunately, the crew were well-trained, and with the help of their Water-type Pokemon, they rescued the Miltank from the water."
"They mentioned that while they were lost at sea, a Noivern guided them and helped them find their way back to land."
"Noivern?" Naoki's eyes narrowed, picking up on the crucial detail in the old man's story.
The old man nodded, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Indeed, a very kind Pokemon! It was thanks to its help that the Miltank could make it here. They arrived at the ranch just yesterday. Would you like to see them?"
Naoki had only ever drunk MooMoo Milk; he had never seen an actual Miltank before. Hearing this, he couldn't help but nod curiously.
Seeing his interest, the old man rose from behind the counter and led Naoki through a small door at the back of the building, out into the sprawling ranch where countless Pokemon roamed.
On a lush green pasture, Naoki laid eyes on the group of Miltank.
In reality, Miltank resembled pink bovine creatures with spherical tails and black markings on their heads that resembled an assassin's cowl.
Their bodies looked strong and sturdy, which was probably why many trainers chose to use Miltank in Pokemon battles.
The most famous Miltank user was undoubtedly Gym Leader Whitney of Goldenrod City.
It was said that her Miltank had blocked countless challengers with its Rollout move, becoming the bane of many aspiring trainers.
"So these are Miltank," the old man said with a smile, "Your first time seeing them up close?"
"You could say that," Naoki replied vaguely, "I've only seen them on TV before."
"Miltank are humankind's best partners," the old man continued, "Their milk has nourished generations, from the people of the nearby Galar region to those in the distant Kanto region. We all grew up drinking their milk."
He paused, then asked, "Have you heard of Whitney?"
"Hmm?" Naoki was taken aback, surprised to hear Whitney's name mentioned here. "Whitney?"
"Yes," the old man nodded, "She's a very famous Miltank trainer. The milk produced by her Miltank is considered the finest MooMoo Milk—it's truly remarkable!"
The finest MooMoo Milk...
That quality was probably on par with the enhanced milk produced using the [Milk Porridge] recipe.
To have trained a Miltank to such a level, Whitney certainly had a special talent.
Naoki felt genuine admiration for her.
"Well then," the old man asked, "How many would you like?"
(End of Chapter)
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