"So, all things considered, this farm is actually quite profitable, but it takes so much time that I'm finding it difficult to continue operating it. If you're interested in farming, you can give it a try."
"At first, I planned to sell to [ Do Some Farm Work ], but he said he didn't like crops that move on their own... so sometimes I'm a little confused about whether this counts as crop farming or animal husbandry..."
After the introductions, [Pond Fish and Old Abyss] politely said:
We'll discuss it and give you an answer.
[ Howling Pothos ] nodded, walked to a spot where the two couldn't hear their conversation, and began practicing Directed Alienation. The other two started chirping softly.
What do you think? Are you interested?
[ The Pond Fish and Old Abyss ] asked [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ],
"It feels... a bit bizarre, but still quite interesting."
"Okay then, I'll go pay now."
"Etc."
The newbie grabbed his friend's arm, but actually grabbed a vine.
"Let's split it in half. I have 50 silver in my newbie gift pack, so consider it a loan of 50 silver coins. I'll pay you back slowly later."
"No need, consider it a newbie gift from me."
[Pond Fish and Old Abyss] rolled his eyes:
"I think this plantation would suit you quite well. I'll come and help out when I have time. And there's no need to sell all the harvested Deadwood Vine to middlemen—no, I mean guides. Since my fighting style mainly relies on appendages, I can buy some directly. Of course, remember to sell them to me cheaply, preferably at cost price."
"Wow, isn't this a bit too expensive...?"
"It's okay, it's okay, just have fun."
"Thank you, it's settled then!"
The two quickly found [ Howling Pothos ] and completed the payment. After transferring one gold coin to the other party, [ Howling Pothos ] sent them a file titled "Basic Cultivation of Aberration Plants. txt".
After successfully receiving the file, [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] sighed with relief:
"Is that all?"
"One more step."
[ Howling Pothos ] said:
"We need to go to the guide together."
"Do what?"
"Sign a document to change the ownership of this farm."
"Ah?"
Fifteen minutes later, at the castle.
"So, give the Deadwood Vine Farm a new name; it belongs to you now."
[Pond Fish and Old Abyss] handed a piece of paper to his friend and said with a smile.
"Ah, it feels like a dream."
"I also find it a bit amazing... I didn't know there were so many rules before, it's just like real life."
"But that's fine too, at least we don't have to worry about anyone taking over our territory."
"Yes, everyone in this faction, whether player or NPC, will abide by this rule. That's the point of signing the document, right? So, have you decided on a name yet?"
"Let's call it ' Greenhouse,' 'Deadwood Vine Farm' sounds like a sweatshop."
" Greenhouse sounds like a sweatshop disguised in a beautiful guise."
"Where did this blood and sweat come from? I'm the boss, and I'm also the employee."
"The blood and sweat of Aberration plants."
"Oh, really..."
After seeing off the three people who came to complete the "transfer" procedures, Ed was greeted by a familiar face in his study—the farming player [ Do Some Farm Work ], on whom he had placed high hopes.
"Is there something you need from me?"
"Yes, I have some questions about the new seeds in the store."
Ed thought to himself with secret delight, his expression unchanged as he looked at the player in front of him:
"Tell me, those seeds were improved by me. What do you want to know?"
[ Do Some Farm Work ] scratched his head, unsure where to begin.
Since it's farming in a game world, nobody knows how to ask about this kind of thing.
However, as a seasoned farming enthusiast with some real-world experience and who had played "Dew Valley," [ Do Some Farm Work ] quickly grasped the key to the problem, but struggled with how to translate it into language that the game NPCs could understand.
After a moment of hesitation, Ed nodded thoughtfully:
"... Oh, you mean that your farming experience might not be applicable to this world, so you wanted to ask if there are any things you should be aware of?"
Ed seemed to confirm this thoughtfully, then [ the Do Some Farm Work ] nodded sharply:
"Yes, my lord, that's exactly what I meant. We've cleared quite a bit of wasteland these past few days, but I'm still not very clear about the habits of these unfamiliar seeds."
"Okay, then I'll explain it to you briefly."
Ed took two steps forward, opened his left hand, revealing four completely different seeds. He picked one up with his right hand and introduced it:
" Tasteless Fruit, you should have seen this before. We used the fruit of this crop in our first trade with Dragonborn Village."
[ Do Some Farm Work ] nodded, having already started video recording. Ed continued:
"I recently modified its seeds again. Now the growth cycle of this crop is about forty days. It will first grow into a fruit tree about the height of a person before it starts to bear fruit."
"As its name suggests, its fruit has virtually no taste, but it can fill you up and provide some hydration, and it can be eaten without any cooking."
"Under the constant erosion of the Demonic Tide, it decays relatively quickly and generally cannot be stored for more than a week."
"Finally, there's the issue of seeds. A batch of original seeds can generally maintain stability for three generations, after which unpredictable mutations will occur, and then it's time to replace them with a new batch."
[ Do Some Farm Work ] I listened attentively to the lecture and also made a draft on the forum as notes.
He quickly completed his first record regarding planting:
[ Tasteless Fruit: Convenient to eat raw, but has a short shelf life (and doesn't taste good).]
He thought about it and felt that this crop was somewhat similar to the apples from his hometown, but he didn't know if it could successfully match them in terms of satiety and nutritional richness.
Ed knew, of course, that the player in front of him was summarizing notes. He gave [ Do Some Farm Work ] half a minute to digest it, then picked up the second seed:
" Scarlet Millet, a crop similar to traditional food before the Demonic Tide, has a growth cycle of about thirty days and dies quickly after it is full of dark red seeds, so you need to pay attention to the timing of harvesting."
"After harvesting, crops need to be dehydrated to a certain extent, otherwise they will sprout quickly and start the next round of growth. After dehydration, they can be stored for a long time and are less affected by the Demonic Tide. However, I personally still do not recommend eating Scarlet Millet that has been harvested for more than three years, as it may produce strange reactions."
"It needs to be processed before consumption. Eating it raw without processing will cause sprouts to grow from the consumer's mouth and skin, and nobody wants to see that."