Chapter 210: New Crops

Until today, the skill farm had only grown three types of crops: Moafuru, Brightvoice, and Crackdraff.

The reason was simple: it wasn’t worth spending NP to increase new seedlings.

Even as things stood, NP was steadily being earned, and getting a stable harvest of Brightvoice alone had been extremely challenging.

After we started cultivating not only Crackdraff but also Brightvoice and Moafuru, NP efficiency did improve.

However, whether it was truly worth all the effort… honestly, that was questionable.

Given this background, I had hesitated to grow new crops. But now, responding to Sheila’s desire to try new crops, I decided to spend NP to increase the variety of seedlings.

The NP cost was 10,000—a modest amount compared to other skill upgrades—so I casually spent it to expand the crop varieties.

Three new crops were added: Brugard, Iceack, and Artipassion.

Naturally, I had never heard of any of them.

“Sheila, can I ask you something?”

“Oh, Sato. What is it?”

I asked Seira to get an idea of what these crops might be like. Even if they were unusual crops, the primary goal was converting them into NP, so we were going to grow them regardless.

“I added some new crops, but I wanted to ask if you know any of them… is that okay?”

“Oh! You increased the types of crops! You don’t need permission—feel free to ask.”

“Then I’ll ask freely… Brugard, Iceack, and Artipassion. Could you tell me what kind of crops these are?”

“Iceack is a bluish vegetable. The taste is bad, but it has a cooling effect, so it’s used to wake people up when they’re sleepy.”

Sounds like a mint-like crop. The name gives that impression, and it could be surprisingly practical depending on its use.

“That sounds like a crop with interesting applications. How about Brugard and Artipassion?”

“Sorry, I haven’t heard of the other two. I often check the capital’s market, but I’ve never seen them. They must be quite rare. I feel bad saying ‘ask me anything’ and not knowing them.”

“No worries. Just knowing they’re rare is helpful enough.”

I encouraged the slightly disappointed Seira.

To think these crops weren’t even available in the market…

I had a feeling they might be as tricky to grow as Brightvoice.

I was about to plant the seedlings, but after finishing the work, I decided to ask Norman about them.

Even a professional like Norman might not know them, but if he does, their demand could rival Japanese crops.

Knowing Sheila didn’t know them made planting the seedlings feel exciting.

By evening, after finishing all the farm work, I headed straight to the kitchen.

Dinner was already laid out on the living room table, and Norman was tidying up in the kitchen.

“Oh, Sato. You came back pretty early today.”

“I wanted to ask you something before dinner, so I hurried back.”

“You want to ask me? About ingredients?”

“Yes. We’re growing new crops… do you know Brugard or Artipassion?”

“Brugard… that’s quite an unusual name. Just so you know, I’ve never heard of Artipassion.”

Brugard was rare even to Norman, and Artipassion was unknown to him.

From the name, I thought Artipassion would probably be the tastiest, so I was even more excited to grow it.

“Even you haven’t heard of them… by the way, what kind of crop is Brugard?”

“I’ve never seen it in person, but people who like it really love it. The defining feature is… it smells awful.”

“A smelly crop…”

Not a good feeling at all. It might be like a durian.

If it smells before cutting, it would likely be unsuitable for continuous cultivation.

If only the inside smelled bad, that would be more manageable.

“I’ve heard it tastes good, but I’m not sure. Once you grow Brugard and Artipassion, can I have one?”

“Of course. I’ll bring one when they’re ready.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

After talking with Norman, I decided to take a shower before dinner to wash off the sweat and dirt.

I was excited about Artipassion but a little anxious about Brugard.

With these mixed feelings, I stepped into the shower.