"Is it good?"
Silas looked at the five Flabébé with expectant eyes. Each of the little ones was holding an egg tart with a golden, crispy surface.
This was a pastry he had just baked using the pollen and nectar collected by the Flabébé, mixed with flour. Because he hadn't added any other seasonings, this small pastry had developed a unique, exclusive culinary effect.
[Sweet Little Egg Tart (C): A simple dish made with eggs and Flabébé nectar. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a rich fragrance—an uncommon and delightful snack.
Dish Effect: Stamina Recovery (Small)
Special Effect: Better Nectar Lv.1 (Flabébé Exclusive): After consumption, slightly increases the quality of the nectar collected by the eater, improving its taste and giving it distinct floral aromas.]
The five Flabébé hugged egg tarts that were even bigger than their own faces, unsure where to start eating.
Yet the aroma wafting from the tarts made them all swallow instinctively, sniffing eagerly several times.
"Min!"
Minccino hopped over beside them and began gesturing enthusiastically in midair, wordlessly demonstrating how to eat, signaling for the Flabébé to imitate her.
Beside the red-flower Flabébé's little head, a lightbulb seemed to pop on—she understood.
Before eating, food should be offered to the boss first.
This was one of the survival rules for weaker Pokémon in the wild.
Flabébé were very weak. Mimicking what they had seen other Pokémon do, they struggled to break off a portion of the egg tarts and carefully offered them to Minccino, as well as to Kangaskhan and Cyclizar who were gathered nearby.
"Bébé~"
Silas also found a piece being offered to him. He gently lifted the red-flower Flabébé up to eye level and accepted the egg tart.
He shouldn't let the Flabébé's heartfelt gesture go to waste.
After all, good food was meant to be shared.
Besides, this was also a great way to grow closer—why not?
As Silas took small bites of the egg tart, the Flabébé happily formed a circle around him, letting out clear, bell-like laughter filled with joy.
This was the most delicious food they had ever eaten—without exception.
Warmth spread through their bodies, and the tiny cluster of strength within them seemed to grow just a little.
"Looks like you really like it."
Seeing the Pokémon enjoy his cooking made Silas just as happy. He took out all the remaining egg tarts and shared them with everyone.
Minccino, who loved sweets, rushed over first, climbing onto Silas's shoulder. Her small body nuzzled constantly against his neck, occasionally even planting a noisy little kiss.
Silas took the opportunity to lift Minccino up, muttering something along the lines of "Little Minccino are born just to be eaten by humans," while pinching her soft, fluffy ears, then burying his face into her warm, fragrant, furry belly and taking a deep breath.
Seeing how close they were, Kangaskhan puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, jealousy clearly written on her face.
She stepped forward and wrapped both arms around Silas, pulling him and Minccino into her embrace, rubbing her head against him.
"Cyc~"
Cyclizar, meanwhile, first grabbed an egg tart and gobbled it down, then suddenly clamped onto Silas's pant leg and scrambled up, shoving his large head forward as well.
In an instant, Silas was completely surrounded by Pokémon, unable to move at all.
If he patted one, the others would immediately get upset.
Silas dearly wished he had dozens upon dozens of hands.
Holding their egg tarts, with bits of custard still lingering at the corners of their mouths, the Flabébé tilted their heads and watched Silas's affectionate interactions with Minccino and the others, eyes full of envy.
To earn the recognition of so many Pokémon—this human before them was truly a gentle person.
Choosing to stay at the ranch had been the right decision.
After soothing all the Pokémon, Silas instructed Minccino to take the Flabébé to meet the rest of the ranch Pokémon.
As for himself, he began the day's harvesting work.
Today, it wasn't just strawberries—there were also cabbages ready to be harvested.
…
In the afternoon, after placing the harvested crops into the purchase box, Silas headed to the Miltank ranch.
Yesterday, John had taken away all the green grass dumplings. Now that a day had passed, Silas came to ask about the results.
After greeting the Herdier guarding the entrance, Silas found John and his wife in the Skiddo pen, milking the Skiddo.
When they saw Silas arrive, they were both delighted.
Silas noticed there were still some grass dumplings left in the feed trough and asked curiously, "John, did the grass dumplings work?"
Without stopping his hands, John finished milking one Skiddo, then carried the bucket over, the smile on his face impossible to hide.
"The effect is amazing," John said, pointing at the milk bucket with obvious joy.
Silas leaned over to take a look. Having been a farm owner for nearly a month now, he had developed a decent eye for judging agricultural product quality.
The goat milk in the bucket was milky white, evenly textured, with no obvious sediment. Leaning closer, he could even smell a faint milky fragrance.
While it wasn't quite top-tier quality yet, it was noticeably better than before.
If the Skiddo continued using green grass dumplings long-term, reaching top-grade milk quality wasn't out of the question.
Top-grade goat milk sold for several times the current price.
And the benefits didn't stop there—improvements in reputation and prestige were equally exciting.
"Silas, I'll need to trouble you to make another batch in a few days," John said.
This time, since several ranch owners had pooled together to place an order, John himself hadn't gotten much. At most, it would last about a week before supplies ran out.
Now that they knew how effective the grass dumplings were, naturally they wanted to order more.
Silas had no objections at all.
From the first batch of grass dumplings, he had earned 3,000 League Coins.
At the rate the ranch owners consumed them, he could sell four batches a month, bringing in a steady income of 12,000 League Coins.
That was no small sum, and he had no reason to refuse.
Silas agreed immediately.
After observing the Skiddo for a bit longer, he returned to his ranch with the Pokémon.
Afternoons were usually Silas's time to relax and rest, but today was an exception.
Before nightfall, he needed to build exclusive little houses for the five Flabébé.
He walked around the tulip field once and chose a spot in front of it, where the houses could be seen at a glance from the field.
Because Flabébé were so small, Silas opted for a birdhouse-style design.
The main structure was made from waterproof logs, with a slanted roof to allow rainwater to run off easily.
Inside, the space was divided into multiple levels and compartments, similar to a honeycomb structure, ensuring that each Flabébé had its own private room.
The bottom was left open so the Flabébé could insert their flowers.
Overall, it looked like a matchbox mounted on a wooden pole, topped with a triangular roof.
The structure itself was simple—something even a beginner woodworker like Silas could manage.
The only real difference was whether it looked good or not. After brushing on a coat of blue paint, it actually turned out quite presentable.
He nudged Cyclizar lightly and told the troublesome kid to go call the Flabébé back.
Watching Cyclizar trot away with that dog-like swagger, Silas smiled helplessly.
This guy had been pestering him nonstop while he worked, nearly tripping him several times when he wasn't paying attention.
A few minutes later, a noisy crowd of Pokémon came running over.
They surrounded the little house Silas had built, observing it curiously.
The Flabébé controlled their flowers to fly in and out of the tiny house, loving it beyond words.
This would be their home from now on.
The five little ones gathered around Silas, clustering close and affectionately rubbing their cheeks against his.
Silas was the best, best human in the whole world.
They would love Silas forever.
(End of Chapter)