TN: There is no chapter 142.
A little past five in the afternoon.
Silas arrived at the Miltank Ranch and waited beside the delivery crate that belonged to him.
Before long, at the far end of the road, a familiar small cargo truck came to a steady stop by the roadside.
Gario stepped down from the driver's seat, while Diggersby sat in the passenger seat.
Walking over a couple of steps, Silas greeted him.
"Why are you the one driving today?"
"Don't even mention it," Gario said helplessly. "This morning Diggersby was speeding and got caught by Officer Jenny. Its driver's license was revoked, and it has to retake the driving test."
"Hah…"
Silas glanced at Diggersby beside him. No wonder it looked so gloomy—its greatest hobby was gone, and on top of that, it had to go back to driving school all over again.
"Let's not talk about that," Gario shifted to business. "You just got back, and you already have farm products to sell?"
"I do," Silas replied, taking two standard 500ml bottles out of his spatial backpack.
Inside them was the olive oil produced by Dolliv, a pale yellow color. Even sealed inside the bottles, a faint fragrance could still be smelled.
"Olive oil?!" Gario took them eagerly, his nose almost pressed against the bottle. He took a deep breath, then suddenly lifted his head. "This scent—top-grade extra virgin olive oil produced by Dolliv."
Silas smiled and tapped the bottle lightly. "Smoliv finished evolving yesterday. This was produced early this morning."
"So, Gario, how much is one bottle worth in League Coins?"
Gario took out his cargo ledger from the truck, flipped to a certain page, and pondered for quite a while before speaking.
"At the very least, I can give you four hundred League Coins per bottle. The exact selling price still depends on market feedback."
"You also know that Kalos isn't like Paldea, where olive oil is especially popular. The final price is hard to pin down."
"But olive oil of your top-tier quality would still have an advantage even if shipped overseas to Paldea. I estimate it could sell for around eight hundred to one thousand."
Silas nodded. This was about the same as what he already knew about the price.
The deal was struck—money and goods exchanged hands.
While they were talking, Diggersby had already loaded the agricultural products from the Miltank Ranch onto the small truck.
After leaving the corresponding payment, Gario rolled down the window and waved at him. "See you around!"
"See you."
Silas watched the truck drive away, disappearing at the end of the road.
Pulling his gaze back, he looked down at Cyclizar by his feet. "Let's head back too. Give me the some of the eggs. I'll help you carry it."
Before Gario arrived, Silas had also retrieved the chickens, which had grown noticeably plumper.
As summer set in, the days were getting darker later and later.
On a normal day, they would have already finished dinner by now, with Silas lying on the sofa holding Minccino and watching TV.
Today, however, there was still a trace of sunset glow on the horizon, and the Pokémon were playing around the ranch.
The temperature at this time was just right—not cold, not hot.
So Silas let them be and went to prepare dinner himself.
It was a simple dinner, and with Morpeko around, there wasn't a single crumb left behind.
Lying on the sofa, Minccino seized the best spot, sitting right in his arms.
The house was exceptionally quiet, with only the continuous sound of cartoons playing.
Already a grown-up, Silas had no interest in cartoons at all.
His hands absentmindedly kneaded Minccino while he thought about tomorrow's plans.
All the seeds had been planted, the orchard had been cleared, and the ranch was gradually starting to run smoothly.
Now the only thing missing was a greenhouse. The Sweet Honey collected by Flabébé and the others was still quite valuable.
Counting Grass Dumplings, clay, and olive oil together, the ranch's average daily income could exceed ten thousand.
Of course, the expenses were also huge especially after Noivern evolved.
Although it only ate berries, ordinary berries were no longer enough to meet its daily needs.
They also had to be paired with special berries and processed into Pokéblocks.
He really needed to get the greenhouse built as soon as possible. Tomorrow, he would go to Shalour City to buy materials and get Flabébé and the others into production quickly.
Oh, right—there was also the special crop he had obtained last time: the Silver Chalice Tulip.
According to its description panel, it could produce silver coins.
And there was also the fishing tournament.
Mid-April—it was only a few days away.
Once the greenhouse was built tomorrow, he would start preparing for the fishing tournament, striving to secure a ranking.
As he pondered his future plans, Silas couldn't help but yawn.
"Morpeko, what time is it now?"
"Morpe~"
The little one lifted the clock high over its head and waddled toward him.
Silas glanced at it—the hour hand was pointing slightly past nine o'clock.
"It's past nine. Time to sleep."
After saying that, Silas waited for Minccino and the others to finish watching the last episode, then turned off the TV.
He urged the Pokémon to all go to sleep—no staying up late.
"Phion~"
Phione kissed Silas on the cheek, waved at him, and ran into Kangaskhan's pouch.
Alcremie waved as well and walked into the kitchen.
Dolliv glanced around, then followed Silas upstairs.
Meowth and the others were already settled in their nests, fully prepared.
Back in his room, Silas closed the window.
Rowlet woke up at nightfall and was now playing around with the two Noibat—having them watch over the ranch at night put his mind at ease.
Before sleeping, he carefully wiped Minccino's little feet and hands clean before placing it on the bed. Morpeko was no exception, its paws were the dirtiest, and Silas had no choice but to wash it properly before letting it sleep.
By the time Silas lay down on the bed, more than ten minutes had passed. After fooling around with Minccino and the others for a bit longer, he finally turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The next day, Shalour City Department Store.
Silas arrived early in the morning to purchase materials for building the greenhouse.
His first priority was, of course, glass—he needed a large amount of it.
The greenhouse was mainly intended to ensure flowers could bloom even in winter; it wasn't particularly necessary in summer and autumn.
However, because he planned to grow Silver Chalice Tulips, he also needed to adjust the greenhouse's internal temperature to a range suitable for tulip growth.
Ventilation fans and a misting system for cooling were essential. As for the frame, he chose aluminum alloy steel pipes made from aluminum metal shed by Duraludon.
They had advantages such as wind resistance, corrosion resistance, and a long lifespan.
After buying all these items, most of Silas's money was spent, leaving just enough to cover about a week of expenses.
Fortunately, he now had multiple sources of income. In just a few days, his wallet would be plump again.
After leaving an address, Silas returned ahead of time.
He called for the Mudsdale from the stables as he would need them to help transport the materials later.
Just as Silas was waiting by the roadside, Gario's small truck drove toward him.
After confirming it was Silas, Gario jumped down in a hurry and shouted at the top of his lungs the moment he landed, "Silas, the olive oil from your ranch is selling like crazy!"
From Gario, he learned that a certain boss had placed an order for thirty bottles at once.
"Here, this is the additional price difference," Gario said, pulling out ten League bills with a denomination of one hundred each.
"The final price for your ranch's olive oil is set at 900 League Coins per bottle (500ml)."
This price was within Silas's expectations, so he didn't bargain and happily agreed.
After chatting for a while, Gario left to accompany Diggersby to retake its driver's license exam.
Not long after he left, the department store's delivery truck arrived. Silas handed the goods over, and had the Mudsdale carefully transport everything back to the ranch.
(End of Chapter)