The Life of a Returned Genius Farmer - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Making Seedlings – Part 1

[Translation by Divinity]

“Honey Sweet Potatoes?! Where did you get such a rare treat, nya?!”

“I went hunting near the Two-Horned Dragon’s territory a while ago,” Longbiart replied with a chuckle. “I gathered them then.”

Judging by Seolmyeong’s reaction and Longbiart’s words, Honey Sweet Potatoes seemed to be quite a valuable crop.

Lee Han peeked into the sack. It contained many fist-sized, honey-colored sweet potatoes.

“They look interesting. Are these Honey Sweet Potatoes?”

“Yes, nya! Honey Sweet Potatoes are a very precious crop!”

“Really? Why?”

“They taste amazing, and if you roast some special Honey Sweet Potatoes well, they can increase your strength,” Seolmyeong explained. “Plus, they’re so rare that it’s not easy to find them growing naturally.”

“Hmm… Sweet potatoes are relatively easy to grow…” Lee Han mused aloud.

“What do you mean, nya?!”

“I’ve grown sweet potatoes before.” He had cultivated them in the small garden behind his house. Sweet potato cultivation wasn’t particularly difficult; even people who visited weekend farms could easily grow them.

Of course, it might be different here, so he couldn’t be sure, but if it was similar to growing regular sweet potatoes, there shouldn’t be a big problem.

“Then let’s grow them, nya!!” Seolmyeong cheered.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

He had the fertilizer he received from Jilpung, so it seemed wise to try farming Sweet Radishes and Honey Sweet Potatoes. After all, he needed valuable crops to attract merchants.

“Haha. That’s impressive,” Longbiart said. “If you succeed in growing Honey Sweet Potatoes, can you sell some to us?”

“Of course,” Lee Han replied with a smile. “I’ll sell you as many as you want if you bring me more things like this hammer.”

Having Legendary-grade equipment might make life in this world a little easier. If he had to stay here, he might as well be comfortable.

Longbiart nodded vigorously. “If the Honey Sweet Potato farming goes well, I can get you as many of those as you want.”

“Are they easy to get?”

“We have to go hunting far outside the Great Forest, but… well… it’s easier than finding Honey Sweet Potatoes.”

“Can I go with you then?”

“No, you can’t,” Longbiart said firmly. “It’s a very dangerous place, unlike here. A weak human like you wouldn’t survive.”

“How dangerous is it…?”

“Outside the Great Forest is the Land of Storms, nya!” Seolmyeong interjected. “The blade winds that blow there are too harsh for your skin to endure! Don’t even try to go there unless you have proper equipment!”

‘Blade winds… Can I withstand them?’ Lee Han wondered.

He might be able to endure it, having survived the tower, but there was no need to take unnecessary risks now.

As Lee Han contemplated the idea of venturing out later, Longbiart smiled and said, “There will be a way someday. Don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you for the reassurance. Well, we’ll be on our way then.”

“Alright, see you next time. Bargentus! The guests are leaving!”

Hearing Longbiart’s loud shout, Bargentus came running and, like before, picked up Lee Han.

Lee Han, holding on tight, looked around the village and shrugged.

“If you need anything else fixed, please call me. Oh, and can I get the materials used to make the kiln?”

“That’s something we received from other beastfolk, so it might take some time,” Longbiart replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I want to make some pottery.”

“I’ll look into it,” Longbiart assured him.

Satisfied with the elder’s response, Lee Han gathered the pouch of Honey Sweet Potatoes and the items he’d taken from the warehouse.

“I’ll put these to good use,” he said, giving a slight bow.

“We’ll put them to good use too,” Longbiart replied with a hearty laugh. “Haha.”

After a brief farewell, Bargentus hoisted Lee Han onto his shoulders and set off at a run. He moved just as swiftly as he had on their previous journey, and they arrived back at Lee Han’s base camp just as the sun was setting.

“Good work,” Lee Han said, dismounting.

“It was nothing!” Bargentus boomed. “See you next time!”

“Oh, right,” Lee Han called out. “Can you come by again tomorrow? I want to use the kiln. I’ll make you some pottery as payment, and we can consider that as settling the debt for the Sweet Radishes.”

“Sounds good!” Bargentus agreed with a cheerful moo.

As the minotaur disappeared into the twilight, Lee Han used the remaining embers to rekindle the fire. He opened the sack, revealing a saw, nails, a wide iron plate, and the Honey Sweet Potatoes. It was a successful haul.

“No more stone slabs from now on,” he declared, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

“The stone slab wasn’t bad either, nya!” Seolmyeong chimed in.

“True, but the iron plate is much more versatile. Let’s see what we caught in the traps.”

They headed to the river and found two Red Trouts in the traps. Lee Han’s stomach growled; the day’s labor had left him famished. He cleaned the fish and placed them on the iron plate, drizzling them with oil from the Yellow Olives. Then, he retrieved the Honey Sweet Potatoes.

“Shall we grill these too?”

“Yes, please!” Seolmyeong exclaimed.

Lee Han cut the fist-sized sweet potatoes into chunks and added them to the iron plate. The delicious aroma of grilling fish and sweet potatoes filled the air, and both Lee Han and Seolmyeong watched the food cook with rapt attention.

Just then…

Ding!

[Delicious Grilled Trout]

[Red Trout grilled to perfection on an iron plate. Simply seasoned with salt, it complements the oily fish beautifully.]

[Delicious effect: Increases Stamina for one day upon consumption.]

[Delicious effect: Increases Willpower for one day upon consumption.]

[Delicious effect: Increases Production Skills Lv1 for one day upon consumption.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ☆☆]

“Oh?”

Using the iron plate had resulted in a dish far superior to anything he’d made before.

While Lee Han marveled at this, Seolmyeong, unable to resist the enticing smell any longer, tapped his arm with its tail.

“Let’s eat, nya!”

“Alright, alright.”

‘This is interesting,’ Lee Han thought. ‘So, if I make other dishes properly, they’ll be completed like this?’

“Let’s dig in, nya!” Seolmyeong exclaimed, eagerly snatching a piece of grilled trout.

“It’s delicious, nya! Much better than the one cooked on the stone slab!”

“Oh… is that so? That’s good.”

“It was a great idea to bring the iron plate! The Honey Sweet Potatoes are amazing too, nya!”

“Let’s see…”

Lee Han took a bite of a Honey Sweet Potato and was instantly impressed. The moment it touched his tongue, an incredibly concentrated, rich sweetness burst forth. It was far superior to any sweet potato he had ever tasted.

“No wonder they’re considered so precious,” he remarked.

“Nya~! Exactly!” Seolmyeong chirped in agreement.

Thanks to the Honey Sweet Potatoes and the delicious grilled trout, their dinner was more than satisfying.

After their hearty meal, Lee Han and Seolmyeong lay down, pleasantly full.

“Ugh… I don’t want to get up,” Lee Han groaned.

“I’m so full, nya…” Seolmyeong echoed.

“But we have to.”

“Is there anything else to do, nya?”

“We need to wash the dishes.”

It was important to clean up after themselves. Plus, he needed to rebait the fish traps with the leftover entrails. There was still work to be done, so rest would have to wait.

As Lee Han got up, Seolmyeong quickly jumped onto his shoulder and tapped his other shoulder with its tail.

“By the way, how are you going to grow the Honey Sweet Potatoes, nya?”

“First, I need to get them to sprout.”

“Are you going to use Growth Acceleration, nya?”

“I’ll use Growth Acceleration on half of them and try using it in water on the other half. I’m not sure which method will work better.”

He was confident that the combination of Growth Acceleration and Soil Enhancement would yield good results, but it was always beneficial to experiment and find the best approach. Of course, there was no guarantee that the Sweet Radishes would grow the same way they did on Earth, but trial and error was part of the process.

“Can’t you get some pots from the minotaur village, nya?”

“I wish, but they seem to be short on earthenware pots themselves.”

He couldn’t ask them for their crudely-made pots, which they had clearly put effort into crafting. That’s why he had agreed to go back to the minotaur village tomorrow.

“Nya? Can you make pots too?” Seolmyeong asked, surprised.

“I took a pottery class during the winter when I had nothing else to do.”

He had taken a pottery class after returning from the tower. If he followed what he had learned back then, making a few pots shouldn’t be too difficult.

“I’m looking forward to it! I wonder how they’ll turn out?!”

“Well… I guess we’ll have grilled trout for breakfast tomorrow before we go.”

If grilled trout increased his Production skill level, it would be helpful when making pottery.

With that in mind, Lee Han started washing the dishes.

☆☆☆

As the sun rose the next morning, Bargentus arrived at Lee Han’s base. Lee Han had already finished breakfast and was ready to go. Bargentus, grinning from ear to ear, said,

“I’ve gathered the materials for you to make earthenware pots!”

“Oh, really?”

“But make a few for us too!”

“I can’t guarantee they’ll be well-made, though.”

“I think even your failed attempts will be better than what we can make.”

That was probably true. Recalling the dented and cracked earthenware pots of the minotaur tribe, Lee Han had to admit that even his hastily made ones might be an improvement.

Of course, he had no intention of making them crudely.

Lee Han thought to himself and then held out his hand to Bargentus.

“Let’s have a productive day.”

“Then let’s go!”

Like yesterday, Bargentus hoisted Lee Han onto his shoulders and set off at a run towards the minotaur village.

Today, it seemed that quite a few minotaurs, including Longbiart, were absent.

“It’s Hunting Day today,” Bargentus explained.

“Why do minotaurs hunt if they’re herbivores?” Lee Han asked, curious.

“There are things we can only get through hunting! Materials, or hunting monsters that target our territory and grasslands. We hunt for those reasons.”

“That must be tough.”

“Thanks for understanding. The village chief told me to help you a lot. Come on! Let’s go to the kiln!”

Following Bargentus, they arrived at the kiln, where a considerable amount of clay and firewood were piled up.

It seemed like it would take quite a while to make all of this.

“Okay. Shall we start?”

Just in case, he tried using the Crafting skill, but nothing special happened.

Maybe he had to make one himself first before the Crafting skill could be used. Or perhaps there was a separate skill for pottery making.

Anyway, he had to try it to find out.

Lee Han immediately scooped up the clay and started shaping it into a bowl.

Bargentus, who was watching him curiously, was surprised to see the finished bowl.

“You made it already?!”

“Huh? Yeah.”

It wasn’t baked yet, but if he dried it to maintain its shape and then baked it, he could make an earthenware pot.

As Lee Han was thinking about making the next one, Bargentus kept expressing his admiration.

“That’s amazing?! I’m looking forward to it!”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high. By the way, is this water from the well?”

“Yes! It’s the water I drew with the bucket you brought!”

“I see…”

Not only the soil but also the water seemed to be of good quality, perhaps because it was purified water.

Lee Han recalled what his pottery teacher had told him and continued making earthenware pots.

He worked until the sun was high in the sky, making five small earthenware pots and one large bowl, and then put them in the kiln.

“All that’s left is to bake them.”

“Is that all?!”

“Yeah. But… I don’t know if they’ll be baked well.” Earthenware pots often cracked or broke during the firing process.

As Lee Han shrugged and was about to get up…

“Moo! Moo! It’s a human! Moo!”

“Amazing! Mooo~!”

A group of small minotaurs approached Lee Han, Seolmyeong, and Bargentus.

‘Are they minotaur children?’ Lee Han wondered, tilting his head. He looked at them with a puzzled expression, then asked Bargentus hesitantly.

“Why do the children look so thin?”