Fairy Tale Ranch

With his first attempt at cooking under his belt, Tong Hua deliberately shortened the boiling time this time, making the noodles a little firmer.

The information on the panel remained unchanged: quality E, only enough to fill the stomach...

Tong Hua figured the dried noodles he was using as the main ingredient had to be too low in quality! Once he finished the remaining bag tomorrow, he would definitely head to the market to buy some rice!

Thinking of that, Tong Hua took the neatly stacked bundle of banknotes out of his bag.

"So that comes to a total of 128,000 League Coins..."

League Coins were the universal currency of the Pokémon world. Even in regions outside the Pokémon League's jurisdiction, such as Almia, they could still be used for transactions.

This was what remained after the body's original owner had sold his grandfather's house and bought the ranch, not wanting to be reminded of him by the things he had left behind.

Judging from his memories, the old village chief had probably given the original owner the lowest possible price. After all, although the ranch was fairly large, it had been abandoned for a long time, and much of its basic infrastructure needed money spent on renovations.

"I remember the currency in the Pokémon world being worth about as much as Japan's currency in my previous life.

"Converted into Chinese currency, would this be a little over six thousand? Though that conversion doesn't really mean much..."

He would be earning League Coins and spending League Coins. Tong Hua figured he would have to assess the Pokémon world's prices based on the actual situation.

"I'll go have a look at the village market tomorrow."

By the time he finished dinner, it was almost completely dark outside. The cabin had no electricity or electrical appliances, so Tong Hua had to light a kerosene lamp. The room immediately brightened.

Still, in a cabin without internet or a phone, there was little entertainment to help pass the evening.

Bored, Tong Hua tidied up the various items in the room a little, then noticed the two Pokémon beside him struggling to stifle their yawns.

"Let's just go to bed."

After a busy day, the two little ones were already exhausted. Tong Hua lay on the bed, the bedding beneath him carrying the scent of sunshine from its airing that afternoon. With Minccino tucked into his left arm and Turtwig into his right, all three drifted off to sleep together.

Early the next morning, Tong Hua was awakened by knocking.

He opened the door and found the old village chief outside.

"You've tidied things up pretty well! Come on, I'll show you around the whole ranch. There are a few things I need to tell you, too."

Tong Hua quickly washed up and changed his clothes, then followed the old village chief around the ranch with Minccino and Turtwig in tow.

"This ranch is actually pretty big. You just don't need to develop those other areas yet. Once you've built the place up, make sure you get yourself some way to get around. Otherwise, just making a circuit of the ranch will take you all day."

The old village chief walked ahead, stopping now and then to explain things to Tong Hua.

"See over there? That whole area is pasture near the village. The part enclosed by the fence belongs to this ranch."

Tong Hua looked in the direction the old village chief pointed. It was a sizable pasture, and even just the fenced-in portion was much larger than he had imagined.

About the size of several sports fields?

"You can let cattle, sheep, and the like graze here. As for those Pokémon sheds over there, I suggest you get a carpenter to repair them once you've tilled your fields. Remember to mention my name. They'll charge you a little less."

With that, the old village chief continued onward. Tong Hua, however, faltered as he looked at the nearby sheds riddled with holes.

Come to think of it, woodworking-carving wood-also seemed to be a form of processing that could activate his cheat ability.

"Chief!" Tong Hua jogged a few steps to catch up and called out to him.

"If I wanted to learn woodworking myself, could I pay a carpenter to teach me?"

The question visibly startled the old village chief. His eyes widened, and even the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out a little.

"You mean... besides running the ranch and farming, you want to learn woodworking, too?

"Will you have time for all that?"

Tong Hua had not considered that question. As far as he was concerned, the ranch was only just getting started. How much could there be to do every day?

"Chief, didn't you tell me yesterday that I shouldn't let Grandpa outdo me? I want to learn carpentry and surpass his craftsmanship."

Hearing this and seeing Tong Hua's earnest expression, the old village chief's eyes filled with approval.

"Good lad. You've got exactly the same look in your eyes as your grandfather. In that case, I'll go speak to the carpentry shop in a bit. Once you've finished the spring planting over the next few days, remember to pay them a visit."

"All right. Thank you, Chief!"

Afterward, the old village chief took Tong Hua to see several places outside the ranch, including the hill behind it, a pond, a forest, and a cave.

Finally, after passing the orchard, the well, and the beekeeping area, the two returned to the cabin. A large wooden box had appeared out front at some point.

"This is the shipping box. Put whatever your ranch produces in here. Starting in a few days, a truck from town will come by every morning to buy your goods.

"The farmland is beside the cabin, along the path we just took back from the orchard. Wherever you can see the field ridges, that's land that was tilled before. If it's not enough, you can keep clearing more outward, but remember to fence it in.

"Our village has few people and plenty of land. If you're capable, you can claim a bit more, but once you've claimed it, you need to farm it properly. Don't let it go to waste.

"Take the spring planting seriously. I put seeds for several easy-to-grow crops with the tools I left you yesterday. There's also a notebook my granddaughter wrote. Give it a good read."

With that, the old village chief walked over to his horse-drawn cart. Only then did Tong Hua realize that the horse pulling it yesterday had also been a Pokémon.

This kind of Pokémon was large, powerfully built, and immensely strong. It was also tireless and uncomplaining, quietly getting on with its work once tamed.

It was Mudsdale, originally native to the Alola Region, a Pokémon well suited to hauling loads along all kinds of mountain trails and muddy roads.

A sheet covered the cargo area at the back of the cart. The old village chief stepped forward and pulled it off.

"Moo-!"

There was actually a Miltank riding in the back.

"This is the Pokémon I said I'd bring you yesterday. Start by raising her. She's a fine one brought in from the Johto Region, and the Moomoo Milk she produces fetches a good price."

Although Tong Hua had no idea how much a Miltank like this was worth in the Pokémon world, the old village chief's reluctant expression told him it certainly

wasn't cheap.

"I brought the milking equipment for you, too. This Miltank hasn't been milked today, so come along and I'll show you how it's done."

The old village chief put a collar on Miltank. Apparently still half asleep, she jumped down from the cart and followed him with a somewhat disgruntled air.

They moved to the sheds they had seen beside the pasture earlier. After finding a stall that was barely free of holes, the old village chief began his demonstration.

"Watch carefully. First, disinfect all four of her teats, then give each one a squeeze. Once you've checked that everything looks right, attach these four suction cups."

The old village chief's practiced movements left Tong Hua, who had never encountered anything like this before, a little overwhelmed. Squirt, squirt, squirt, squirt! After four squeezes, he immediately attached the milking device. Over the next few minutes, he occasionally worked the foot pump connected to the suction cups.

A steady stream of milk flowed through the tubes into the metal can prepared beside them. As the process continued, Miltank's initially irritated expression gradually relaxed.

The Moomoo Milk she produced filled an entire twenty-liter metal can!

"If this were milk from an ordinary dairy cow, we'd have to send it straight to the processing plant in town to be pasteurized. But Miltank's Moomoo Milk doesn't need all that fuss."

The old village chief opened the tap on the metal can, filled a cup with milk, and handed it to Tong Hua.

"You can drink this straight away. Give it a try. It's very sweet."

Tong Hua sniffed it. There was indeed a rich fragrance. He tipped his head back and drank half the cup in one go.

Its smooth texture and delicate sweetness slipped down his throat, leaving a sweet, refined finish.

"Not bad!"

Tong Hua offered the remaining half cup to Minccino and Turtwig beside him, and the two Pokémon eagerly jostled for a drink.

"No need to fight, no need to fight! Hahaha, there's plenty more." The old village chief laughed at the sight, then took out another cup and filled it to the brim.

After drinking it, both little ones reacted just as Tong Hua had. That rich, sweet flavor did not become cloying the way ordinary milk could. It made them want to keep drinking!

"Miloo-!"

Seeing the blissful expressions on all three faces, the freshly relieved Miltank smiled happily, too.

"A single healthy Miltank can produce twenty liters of Moomoo Milk every day. Make sure you feed them rich, fresh pasture grass. In winter, use hay to tide them over.

"Always remember to milk her every morning. Otherwise, if her udder gets too full and it affects her mood, it won't just harm her health. The quality of her milk will drop for the next few days, too."

After explaining this most important matter, the old village chief prepared to leave.

Before departing, he sat on his cart and asked Tong Hua one final question.

"Oh, right. Have you named this ranch yet? I'll need to spread the word when I get back."

Tong Hua thought for a moment, then gave the old village chief a name.

"Fairy Tale Ranch. How does that sound?"