After the rain.
On the ridges between the fields.
Gazing at the rows upon rows of lush greenery stretching into the distance, Silas finally understood the saying that spring rain is as precious as oil.
The seeds that had only been planted the day before yesterday had already begun to poke their heads out of the soil, racing one another to grow after the spring rain.
In another field, under the daily application of the Mudbray's move Rotottiler once per day,
various crops had already entered their second stage of growth.
Silas estimated that in about a week, it would be harvest time.
This spring rain had played a crucial role.
"Mud~ Mud~"
The three Mudbray worked together, mobilizing the Ground-type energy within their bodies to unleash a large-area Rotottiler.
The greenery visibly deepened, and the growth rate accelerated once more.
"Mudbray, I'll leave this area to you as well."
"Mud! Mud!" (No problem, Silas—leave it to us!)
Scraping the sticky mud from his shoes, Silas headed to the fruit tree area that had been planted first.
The growth speed of the berry trees was clearly much slower; for now, they were still thin, fragile seedlings.
A strong gust of wind would be enough to bend them over.
This area was being looked after by Chatot, who loved eating the insects that appeared on the berry trees.
Mm, according to Kangaskhan, those bugs even carried a faint fruity fragrance.
That was why Chatot usually came early every day to patrol the area—but today, something unexpected had happened.
That guy had no idea where it had gone off to play.
Just as Silas was about to go back to fetch some insect repellent, a sharp cry rang out above his head.
Chatot swooped down, something clutched in its beak, and landed on Silas's shoulder.
"Cha~ Mushrooms, super delicious mushrooms, for you, Silas! Tot~!"
Since coming to the ranch, Chatot felt that there weren't many ways it could help Silas.
Mudbray could help with farming, Minccino handled cleaning, and it—aside from catching bugs—couldn't really do anything else.
This made the usually proud Chatot feel rather dejected.
Until yesterday's rain, when it finally found a way to help Silas.
After every rainfall, the forest would grow all sorts of delicious things.
Silas was human—he surely had never eaten them before.
So Chatot wanted to pick some and bring them back as a gift for him.
"Cha~ Hurry! Tot~!"
Chatot urged him again—it had discovered a lot this time, and couldn't let other Pokémon pick them all first.
Just as Silas took the mushroom, still speckled with dewdrops, Chatot spread its wings and shot off toward the back mountain, completely tossing Silas's unfinished words out of its mind.
"Wait… a second…"
The words stopped at Silas's lips, and he could only swallow them back down.
He had wanted to ask where the morel mushrooms had been picked.
Morels were named for their resemblance to miniature sheep stomachs. Their flavor was delicate and fresh, and whether used in soups or stews, they enhanced the overall taste of a dish. They were once praised as "the meat among vegetables."
And their price was anything but cheap.
The single piece in Silas's hand was worth around 160 League Coins per half-kilogram.
If dried into mushroom jerky, the price could increase severalfold, reaching as high as 2,000 League Coins per half-kilogram.
That was already close to top-tier ingredient pricing.
Silas didn't have to wait long—Chatot returned just a few minutes later.
This time, however, it was holding a chanterelle.
Its price was even a little higher than that of the morel.
Before Chatot could leave again, Silas called out to stop it.
He asked about the mushrooms.
Upon learning that these could be sold for money, Chatot immediately became excited.
That meant it could truly help Silas.
There were still lots and lots at the spot it had found—they could definitely sell for plenty of little coins.
"Don't rush just yet. I'll call Kangaskhan, and we'll bring a basket."
Picking mushrooms didn't require too many people, and someone still needed to guard the ranch.
Minccino and the Mudbray were left behind, watching longingly as Silas and the others disappeared into the back mountain.
The forest after the rain had become rugged and slippery.
Fortunately, Kangaskhan was there, and Chatot, being a flying Pokémon, was unaffected.
They encountered no obstacles along the way and soon arrived at the treasure spot Chatot had discovered.
Mushrooms grew wildly, one after another, and Silas automatically converted each one into little piles of money in his mind.
Get rich, get rich, get seriously rich!!!
Rare morels, chanterelles, and king oyster mushrooms grew in dense clusters throughout the area.
Bending down to pick a morel, Silas felt as though coins were jingling before his eyes—it was no different from picking up money.
"Kangaskhan, Chatot, only these three kinds. The other types are poisonous and can't be eaten."
There were many varieties of mushrooms growing nearby. Those with bright colors were mostly toxic, and oddly shaped ones were also inedible.
"Cha~ Tot~"
"Kang~"
One human and two Pokémon split up, weaving through the rain-soaked forest, harvesting mushrooms one by one.
Before long, Silas had filled an entire basket. Besides morels and chanterelles, he also unexpectedly discovered an extremely valuable white truffle.
[White Truffle: A top-tier ingredient that appears in the mountains and wilds after rain. A rare treasure among fungi, with thick flesh, white texture, and a fresh flavor. When paired with certain dishes, it can produce special effects.]
Some top-tier ingredients, judging from their descriptions, could alter a dish's effects to a certain extent.
It was equivalent to adding an extra buff on top of the original dish, making the effects even more powerful.
Delighted, Silas carefully stored the white truffle away. When making special dishes in the future, he could try adding it to test the effects.
As for now, it was time to head back.
"Chatot, you really put your heart into this. These mushrooms can sell for a lot of money."
Silas smoothed down Chatot's ruffled feathers, sparing no praise.
Selling these mushrooms would bring him another big step closer to one hundred thousand League Coins.
What needed to be dealt with now was how to sell these mushrooms and exchange them for League Coins.
Silas thought of the Belmond couple not far away. Their ranch had existed for many years and had stable sales channels—he could go and ask them.
Of course, he couldn't visit empty-handed. Silas separated a small portion of the harvested mushrooms to use as a gift.
At noon, he made sure to properly reward Chatot—the great contributor couldn't be forgotten.
After resting briefly, he rode one of the Mudbray and brought Minccino along, heading toward the Belmond couple's ranch.
Their ranch was located along Route 12. When Silas arrived, he saw John chatting with a man at the entrance.
"Silas, what brings you here? We were just talking about you."
John waved enthusiastically and introduced him. "This is Gario, a buyer from the Shalour City agricultural market. He's responsible for purchasing from the ranches in this area—we were just talking about you!"
"Hello, Mr. Gario," Silas greeted politely.
Gario stepped forward warmly, his dark skin on full display, speaking in a straightforward manner. "So you're Silas, huh? That ranch of yours by the coast isn't in a great location—you'll need to be prepared for some hard work."
The road was too narrow for trucks to enter, making the transport of agricultural products extremely difficult.
Gario was simply offering a well-meaning reminder.
After all, having one more ranch in his assigned area only brought benefits, no drawbacks. He also hoped the other party could persevere.
"Thank you for your concern. I already have a solution." Silas patted the Mudbray standing closely beside him. With them around, transporting farm produce was no longer a problem.
"Mudbray, huh?" Gario's eyes lit up. Borrowing the power of Pokémon was indeed a solid solution.
(End of Chapter)