Thanks for the Invitation, I'm on Terra, and I'm a Parasite — Chapter 47

"Welcome to Wilson's Seed Station. What can I do for you, customer?"

A customer came in?

Hearing his son's voice over the phone, Old Man Wilson asked.

"Ah, yeah, Dad, there's a customer..."

Then why the hell are you talking to me?! Go ask the customer!

Click.

The disconnected tone sounded from the other end of the line.

The clerk sighed.

When it came to temper, the old man in his family had always been rather incomprehensible.

Apparently, when he was young, he'd been a minor noble somewhere, wearing a tailcoat, lifting a goblet, and drifting through one salon after another.

How had he become the very image of a scruffy farmer in his old age... with such a rotten temper, too?

He shook his head, then stepped forward and helped the limping middle-aged man over to a chair.

"Customer, what do you need? Wilson's Seed Station provides crop seeds, farming tools, as well as herbicides, fertilizers, and all kinds of other chemicals."

"If your crops or soil have any diseases, you can come to me too. I hold advanced certifications as both a plant protection specialist and an agronomist."

"I studied abroad and graduated from Great Yan Agricultural School. My certificates were issued there too."

"By Great Yan agricultural college standards, you can have complete confidence in my professional ability."

The middle-aged man parted his lips slightly, his words somewhat slurred.

The clerk could only lean closer and try his best to make out what he was saying.

"Seeds... grow fast... fill stomach..."

"Want... lots..."

"Let me think... Got it."

The clerk snapped his fingers.

Then he ducked behind the counter and brought out a bag of samples for him.

"Imported from the Flame Kingdom. These are fifteenth-generation hybrid rice seeds personally improved by my principal... ah, the Agricultural Celestial Master."

"The yield is extremely high. Three harvests a year."

"The only downside is that Victorians don't really like growing or eating rice... Tch!"

"Those seeds improved by the Celestial Master are obviously so excellent! Yet all Victorians can think about are fish and chips and fried bread slices!"

"Ah, sorry, sir. I always get a little worked up when my alma mater's principal comes up. How much do you need?"

"One village's... worth."

"A whole village's worth? Please wait a moment."

This sort of situation wasn't unheard of. Sometimes, villagers from certain places collectively switched from fishing or hunting to farming.

So they would send some people here to buy seeds.

But... what kind of people lived in that village? They'd sent a middle-aged man with slurred speech, one blind eye, and a limp to collect seeds for the entire village?

Could everyone there have been so skinny they were practically skin and bones?! They couldn't even be bothered to come along?!

Thud.

"Huff... huff... It's all here... huff... huff..."

The clerk panted heavily as he carried a large wooden crate on his shoulder and brought it before the man.

"These are all sealed bags of seeds. There are six hundred seeds in each bag."

"Sir, if you can't carry it, I'll bring out the landship in a moment and take you back... huh?"

He had just been planning to give the man a ride when, the very next second—

This hunched, limping middle-aged man lifted the wooden crate with one hand.

He did it as easily as if he were picking up a little Fowlbeast.

"????"

He froze, then looked at his palm, which had turned somewhat red from the weight.

What the hell? He didn't have a tail or horns.

Was he some kind of Vouivre or Oni?

"Ahem, um, customer, there's also the matter of payment."

Suppressing his inner shock, he stepped forward to begin the final stage of the transaction.

Still... after giving the other man's clothes a quick glance... some parts were so tattered they were hard to look at.

"We allow credit here for the time being. You can take them back and plant them first, then bring part of your harvest to the seed station when it's ready. We'll deduct the debt at eighty percent of the market price at that time."

"The total comes to... I'll put it on your account. What's your name and village address?"

He had just taken out his pen when he felt something heavy shoved into his arms.

Looking down, he saw an equally tattered cloth bag.

"Money. Buy seeds."

"Ah, all right. I'll count it first—"

Coins...? That fit the usual way rural people traded... but why was it so heavy—

He placed the cloth bag on the counter behind him, then opened it to count the money.

They were probably copper coins or something... Gaul had issued similar currency back in the day, and it could still be used in Victoria, though it'd have to be exchanged at a bank...

That was what he thought... before opening the bag.

"?"

"Why is it so filthy?"

"And... this doesn't seem to be Gaul's currency."

The clerk picked up a coin and examined the markings beneath the filthy layers of dirt. He could vaguely make out that it seemed to be...

Iberian currency?

"Iberian currency? Wait... why does this copper coin look a little off?"

He paused, scraped away the dirt with his fingernail, then glanced at the dim overhead light before taking out the flashlight he used when checking the storeroom.

The light came on and shone into the filthy cloth bag.

At that moment, dirt and dazzling gold gleamed within it, glittering like an untouched treasure mine waiting to be excavated.

Were these fucking Iberian gold coins????

What the hell was going on??

"Enough...?"

A hoarse voice asked from behind him.

"Enough, enough—more than fucking enough... No, wait! This is way too much! Sir, take your money back. You don't need anywhere near this much—"

However, the instant he received the man's confirmation, the man grabbed the crate and headed outside.

The clerk hurriedly put the gold coins back into the bag, then turned to return it to him.

"? Where'd he go?"

Where had such a big man gone? And he was carrying a huge crate of seeds too?!!

"Customer! Customer!!"

He chased outside, but couldn't find a trace of anyone.

Then, a sharp bird cry tore through the night and drew his attention.

He looked up, but beneath the cover of night, he could only make out a massive bird flying through the sky at incredible speed.

It seemed to be carrying something, too.

"No! Why am I looking at a bird?! Where did that customer go??"

He stared at the bag in his hand. Never mind whether his conscience could bear accepting it—

If the old man at home found out, he'd probably actually break his legs!!!

"You said you wanted to change the world... yet you still fell asleep on your own like a child."

Late at night, Zuo Jian controlled Laurentina's body as he got up and looked out at the moonlight.

Laurentina had hugged Zuo Jian and said she would make sure he rested, but she had fallen asleep first instead.

It seemed she slept exceptionally peacefully, to the point that the suppression of her consciousness had almost vanished—

Provided he stayed inside her body the entire time.

The moment he showed any sign of leaving, he would be dragged back into the mental space.

"Come to think of it... nothing went wrong with the part I sent out to look for seeds, right?"

"And... I hope those coins buried in the ground that I found in the Church of the Deep's church basement can be used."

"That stuff looked like gold, but it was also different from the gold in my memories..."

"Hopefully, it'll bring back plenty of seeds..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Terra's twin moons outside, then had his extended tentacle look at the sleeping Laurentina.

"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you..."

He lay back down, sinking his consciousness into Laurentina's mental space.

He looked at the little shark sleeping in bed.

Zuo Jian lay down beside her and fell asleep with her.

(This little rat is really going to starve to death! Please give the poor rat more votes!)

(I'll see if I can manage two updates tonight.)

(Just trying it, no promises!)

(Maybe there'll be two updates!)

I Can't Believe It! I'm Going to Make Everyone Farm Together! (Part 2)

Before dawn...

Laurentina opened her blue eyes... then turned to look at the sky beyond the window.

It wasn't even fully light yet.

[...I only slept for five hours?]

He placed his fingers against the bridge of his nose and rubbed it in irritation.

However, a moment later, realizing this body was no longer his original frail one, he lowered his hand.

Come to think of it... after sleeping for so long, he still couldn't leave directly with his consciousness...