League Calendar, Year 198, Spring, February 4
Income: 15,500 (from cabbage and strawberries)
Expenses: 500 (used to purchase eggs and ingredients)
Remaining funds: 93,000
After recording the income and expenses of the past two days, Silas realized that the ranch's demand for eggs was steadily increasing.
He needed eggs when cooking dishes, and eggs were also required to make pastries for Minccino and the others.
Basically, every two days, Silas had to go to the farmers' market to buy a batch of eggs to keep in reserve.
Flipping back through earlier records, he took a look and found that every month, nearly 4,000 League Coins were spent on eggs alone.
And this was an unavoidable expense.
Kangaskhan and Cyclizar had large appetites and needed eggs to supplement their protein intake, while Minccino, Mudbray, and the Flabébé also needed eggs for their daily meals and snacks.
Closing the ledger, Silas murmured to himself, "Looks like it's necessary to build a chicken coop and raise a batch of hens to lay eggs."
Even if he didn't sell the eggs externally, just saving himself from having to buy eggs would already count as a profit.
The only thing giving Silas some hesitation now was—once the chicken coop was built, who would be responsible for looking after it?
On the other side of the ranch lake was a watering spot for wild Pokémon, and he often saw Pokémon coming over to drink. There was no guarantee that some wouldn't wander into the ranch and go after the hens.
Silas lowered his head and saw Cyclizar at his feet, tail wagging like a fan, eyes burning as it stared fixedly at his pant leg.
"Shoo, shoo, go play somewhere else. Stop clinging to me all the time."
He lifted his foot in a shooing motion, but Cyclizar easily dodged it and countered by biting onto his pant leg.
Kicking helplessly a couple of times, Silas felt that Cyclizar was even clingier than Kangaskhan now.
It was completely his little shadow.
"Huh!"
Silas suddenly realized—wasn't there a perfect candidate right in front of him?
He could let Cyclizar be responsible for watching over the hens, giving it something to do so it wouldn't stick to him all day long.
With that thought settled, Silas grabbed Cyclizar's big head and placed it on his lap, rubbing it vigorously with both hands.
"Cyclizar, there's a very important and challenging task on the ranch that I want to entrust to you. Can you handle it?"
Being able to help the ranch and help Silas—
Cyclizar immediately shifted into its battle form, raising its forelimbs, brimming with fighting spirit.
"Cyc!"
"Very good, very spirited," Silas said with satisfaction, patting it before leaning in to explain the task in detail.
"Cyc?" (??_??) (So, it's just taking care of little chickens?)
Cyclizar felt a bit disappointed. This kind of task could be handled by anyone.
What Cyclizar wanted was a mission that only it could accomplish—one that would make Silas look at it in a whole new light afterward.
Noticing Cyclizar's change in mood, Silas spoke seriously.
He elevated chicken-raising to a matter of the ranch's survival—daily egg production determined whether the whole family could eat their fill.
In the end, Cyclizar took on the role of head of the chicken coop and even began urging Silas to hurry up and buy hens. It was already eager to start work, all for the sake of everyone being able to eat properly.
Logistics Captain Cyclizar, reporting for duty!
Before building the chicken coop, there was one prerequisite facility needed—the silo.
It was a building used to store feed. Not only would it serve the chickens, but it could also be used in the future if the ranch raised other large livestock.
After walking around, Silas chose a construction spot beside the ranch gate. Right next to the gate was an open area that could be used to build the chicken coop.
As for why he didn't build it close to the ranch house, Silas had his own considerations.
He was already close to saving up 100,000 League Coins, and the ranch house would soon undergo an expansion. The land area would increase as well, so he needed to reserve enough space.
[Ranch Silo]
League Coins: 1,000
Stone: 100
Clay: 10
Copper Ingots: 5
Description: A building used to store feed and produce feed.
All the materials were available on the ranch. Without hesitation, Silas clicked "Build."
In just a moment, a building rose up from the ground right before his eyes.
It was constructed from red bricks and stone, tall and long, visible even from far away.
The Pokémon playing around the ranch all noticed the commotion and quickly gathered around, very curious about this suddenly appearing structure.
Minccino stood with hands on her hips atop Mudbray's back, her little face flushed red, vividly describing Silas's greatness to Smoliv and the newly joined Flabébé like a storyteller.
After that, one by one, they all looked at Silas with eager, expectant eyes.
Magic—they wanted to see magic too.
Facing all those gazes, Silas helplessly picked Minccino up and flicked her on the forehead. "You, you—always showing off."
"Min!"
Minccino giggled and snuggled into Silas's arms, covering her eyes with her big ears.
Smoliv copied her example, jumping off Mudbray and burying itself into the soil.
The Mudbrays glanced at each other, then lay down on the spot, lifting their mud-covered hooves to cover their eyes.
The five Flabébé looked left and right, then formed a circle and used their flowers to cover one another's eyes.
Everyone was fully prepared, just waiting for Silas to perform magic.
With a tap, Silas opened the panel.
Chicken Coop
League Coins: 4,000
Wood: 300
Stone: 100
Four thousand League Coins was still within Silas's acceptable range—this price was quite reasonable.
Finding craftsmen in Shalour City would cost about the same, and he'd still have to pay additional processing fees.
Under the expectant, curious, and puzzled gazes of the Pokémon, a small red-roofed house appeared before them.
At Silas's signal, Minccino opened her eyes, pointed at the chicken coop, and excitedly chattered to the other Pokémon, her little face filled with proud cuteness.
Silas not only knew how to cook delicious food—he could even perform magic. He was the best, best, best!
Ignoring the noisy chatter of the little ones behind him, Silas pushed open the door and entered the chicken coop.
The space was neither too big nor too small—raising eight, nine, or even ten hens would be no problem at all.
The interior was simple: a row of nesting boxes for the hens to lay eggs in, and beside them a separate partition used for hatching chicks.
Opposite the nesting boxes were the water trough and feed trough. Every morning, feed would need to be taken from the silo and water added to ensure the chickens had enough to eat.
Other than that, there was a small door on the same side as the main entrance—this was where the chickens would come and go.
On good weather days, the hens could be let out to roam freely.
With enough exercise, the eggs they produced would be even tastier.
And guarding the flock from being disturbed by wild Pokémon—that was the responsibility of Cyclizar, the head of the chicken coop.
Now everything was ready—except for the hens themselves.
Having Minccino call Cyclizar over, Silas mounted it, and they quickly headed to Shalour City.
At a shop that sold ranch Pokémon, he purchased three hens and one rooster.
As for chicks, Silas planned to hatch them himself.
That way, he could save a considerable amount of money.
When they returned, all the Pokémon gathered around, staring at the four chickens.
They watched as the chickens entered the coop, walked over to the feed trough, and began pecking at the feed.
They adapted quickly—perhaps by tomorrow morning, eggs would already be waiting to be collected.
"Alright, alright," Silas clapped his hands. "You've all seen enough. Don't disturb them anymore. Come outside with me—Cyclizar, I'll be counting on you."
"Cyc!"
(End of Chapter)