At dusk, beside the Miltank Ranch of John and Penny.
A cargo truck came speeding in from the distance and stopped by the roadside.
Gario stepped down from the passenger seat and walked over to Silas.
His gaze instantly locked onto the baskets upon baskets of strawberries.
With his many years of experience in harvesting and purchasing, he could tell at a glance that the quality of the strawberries Silas had brought could easily rank among the top three he had ever seen.
This kind of premium-grade fruit often sold for several times the price of ordinary produce.
"Wow! Silas, were all these strawberries picked from your ranch?" Gario's eyes lit up as he asked repeatedly, just to be sure.
After receiving Silas's affirmative reply, Gario proposed to conduct an inspection, explaining at the same time that if the strawberries reached top-grade standards, the purchase price would no longer be calculated using ordinary fruit rates.
Unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise. Silas told Gario to inspect them however he liked.
Gario randomly selected a strawberry and placed it in his palm.
The fruit had a well-proportioned shape, an even and vivid red color, and each berry weighed over 20 grams.
He then took out a professional sugar-content measuring device. The sugar level exceeded 10 degrees, accompanied by a rich, fragrant aroma that spread instantly.
The surface showed no scratches, pressure marks, insect bites, or other blemishes.
After inspecting over a hundred strawberries in succession, 95% qualified as first-grade fruit.
This percentage had already surpassed the company's purchasing standards.
"Silas, this batch of strawberries has reached first-grade quality. Our company's purchase price will be 50 League Coins per kilo."
This price was already quite high—after all, strawberries were still considered ordinary fruit.
They weren't like Berries, which contained abundant nutrients and possessed various special effects.
Silas nodded, agreeing with the purchase price.
The final figures were soon calculated.
A total of 500 kilo, sold for a staggering 25,000 League Coins.
Compared to the last time he sold tomatoes and cabbages, the price was no less impressive.
Of course, growing fruit required more careful attention and a longer waiting period.
Taking everything into account, the profit margins were actually quite similar.
In the first year, Silas had no intention of blindly expanding.
Two plots of land were already enough to keep him and the Mudbray busy.
After helping Gario load the strawberries onto the truck and watching him drive away, Silas patted his bulging money pouch, mounted Cyclizar, hummed a little tune, and headed back to the ranch.
"Riding my beloved little motorcycle, it'll never get stuck in traffic~"
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar, upon hearing this, suddenly had an epiphany—Silas was dissatisfied with its speed.
In that case, it would let Silas experience just how fast his beloved little motorcycle could go.
A blue-and-white streak of lightning shot across the land as Cyclizar exerted all its strength, faint arcs of electricity wrapping around its body.
A trace of the mysterious power hidden within Cyclizar was awakened.
Like a bolt of lightning, it tore through the quiet forest.
"Cyc~"
At the entrance to the ranch, Cyclizar came to a stop, looking at Silas expectantly, waiting for praise.
What greeted it instead was Silas raising his hand high and smacking down, pressing Cyclizar's head.
Silas leaned against Cyclizar, dry-heaving, his heart pounding violently.
The speed had been far too fast, and he hadn't been prepared at all.
He had almost been flung off—not to mention that his stomach now felt like it was churning violently.
As for praise… how about a slap instead?
With a scowl, Silas gave Cyclizar a light smack. "You idiot, what sudden madness came over you? Why were you running so fast?!"
Cyclizar widened its eyes, silently questioning him in disbelief.
Wasn't it you who said "my beloved little motorcycle will never get stuck in traffic"?
Wasn't that telling it to go faster?!
And now you turn around and deny it like this?
Hmph. Men.
Silas also felt inexplicably annoyed, though thankfully nothing serious had happened.
"Forget it, forget it!" He waved his hand dismissively. "Next time, don't run that fast, alright?!"
One man and one Pokémon entered the ranch, and Kangaskhan and the others immediately gathered around.
As for Korrina, Silas had already sent her home before nightfall.
After patting them one by one, Silas looked around. "Huh? Where's Minccino?"
Normally, whenever he came back from outside, Minccino would be the very first to rush over asking for pats.
Minccino was especially clingy.
But today, all the other Pokémon were here—even Smoliv—yet Minccino was nowhere to be seen.
Silas couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
"Kang!"
Kangaskhan gestured to Silas and opened its pouch.
Minccino was curled up inside like a ball of yarn, soft purring sounds drifting out.
"Hahaha~" Silas motioned for Kangaskhan to close the pouch, then couldn't help laughing.
Minccino had been completely worn out by Korrina.
Children at that age had boundless energy—enough to tire out even Pokémon.
Signaling the others not to wake Minccino, Silas picked up Smoliv and led everyone back into the cabin.
Seeing that there were still some strawberries left in the refrigerator, Silas decided to make strawberry jam.
It could be used interchangeably with honey in fruit platters, or even made into ice cream.
Hmm?
Then why not just freeze the strawberries directly?
The weather was getting hotter and hotter. Making frozen strawberries for the Pokémon to gnaw on like popsicles would be completely natural, additive-free, safe to eat, and hassle-free.
After dinner, Silas began experimenting.
He cut the strawberries into small pieces, added the proper ratio of white sugar and lemon juice to marinate them, then simmered them over low heat until thickened, carefully skimming off the foam during the process.
Soon, a special ingredient appeared before his eyes.
[Strawberry Jam: A sweet-and-tangy sauce. When bottled and refrigerated, it can be stored for one month. When added to desserts, it can slightly enhance dish quality.]
The description surprised Silas somewhat—a sauce that could improve quality.
This made him think of the premium biscuit cookies he had made last time. If several ingredients that enhanced dish quality were added together, could it reach master-level quality?
It was worth a try.
After harvesting and selling the cabbages tomorrow, he could experiment with it.
And also—the tulip field needed a buyer as well.
Today, he could already smell the faint fragrance of flowers.
After refrigerating the prepared strawberry jam, Silas picked up his ledger and recorded the day's earnings.
League Calendar, Year 198, Spring, February 3rd
Income: 25,000
Expenses: 49 (milk tea for Korrina)
Remaining Funds: 78,000
Silas made a rough estimate—once he sold all the cabbages and tulips, he would be close to reaching 100,000 League Coins.
At that time, he could upgrade the ranch house again, gaining larger and more rooms.
In an instant, his body was filled with motivation.
This was his anticipation of a better life.
After putting away the ledger, he carried out his usual checks before bed.
The Mudbrays were sleeping peacefully, while the Noibat trio were playing around in the berry orchard.
Chatot still hadn't returned home today, though its food bowl was empty every single day.
Next time he saw it, he would definitely give it a good talking-to.
Running around all day without coming home, busier than even him—and going days without showing its face.
"Cyclizar, stop following me around and go to sleep already!"
He patted Cyclizar, which had followed him all the way.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar obediently lay down in front of the living room fireplace, and Silas covered it with a blanket.
Returning to the bedroom, he closed the windows and urged Smoliv to go to sleep.
Before turning off the lights, he carefully carried Minccino onto the bed.
When the room finally filled with steady breathing sounds, Cyclizar quietly opened its eyes, tiptoed out of the cabin, and slipped away.
On the roof, Chatot, its whole body radiating exhaustion—was stuffing itself with food. As it curiously observed Cyclizar and the Noibat training together, its eyes suddenly lit up.
Got it—there's a way to get rid of that crazy woman at last.
(End of Chapter)