Chapter 54: The Long-Awaited Spring

A week had passed since the Christmas party.

The weather was gradually warming up, and all the accumulated snow had completely melted.

Although some snow remained in the mountains behind the house, the plains in front of the villa were now entirely clear, meaning that farming could resume today.

I had been eagerly awaiting this moment, but since winter had been a fulfilling season in its own way, it felt like a good period of refreshment.

Starting today, I want to focus on growing crops and earning NP again.

“Good morning, Sheila. Looking forward to working with you again starting today.”

“Likewise! I’m excited to get back into farming!”

“Same here. I never expected to look forward to it this much.”

“Me neither. The dungeon exploration during the winter was fun, but this is far more exciting.”

After having breakfast with Sheila, who was clearly just as eager as I was, we quickly headed outside.

It was still a bit chilly, but the clear sky made it feel refreshing.

Now, the question was what to plant…

I decided to try growing crops I had never planted before.

So, I immediately used some NP to unlock more types of seedlings for purchase.

With 3,000 NP deducted from my balance, three new types of vegetable seedlings became available: Moafuru, Sheer Stella, and Bright Voice. Each cost 10 NP, which was pricier than Crack Draf.

As expected, these crops were native to this world, so I had never heard of them before.

Since I planned to convert them into NP anyway, it didn’t really matter what I planted. However, to determine which would be the most efficient for NP generation, I decided to try growing all three.

I bought 20 seedlings of each type and upgraded my growth speed and soil quality skills to level 2.

Then, we got to work planting them in the field.

Even though I had been saving up, I had already spent nearly 10,000 NP in just ten minutes. But since NP would keep increasing, it shouldn’t be a problem.

With my remaining NP still at 10,788, I considered getting another summoned monster to help with labor.

I almost made an impulse purchase, but at the last moment, I reconsidered.

It would be wiser to save the 10,000 NP for now.

I also wanted to buy seedlings for Earth crops and needed to set aside funds for tomorrow’s and the day after’s planting.

Additionally, if these new crops turned out to have slow growth rates, I would definitely struggle if my NP reserves were low.

Reflecting on my near-impulsive spending, I focused on planting the seedlings with Sheila and Mash.

By early afternoon, we had finished planting and watering everything.

With two-thirds of the field still empty, I was tempted to keep working…

But as always, overplanting would make harvesting a nightmare, so we decided to stop for the day.

“Sato, that went by so fast! Even though it’s been a while, I feel like we could do more!”

“I feel the same. Once the crops grow, we’ll have a lot of harvesting to do, so it’s frustrating that we can’t plant more now.”

“I totally get it. But… how about planting something in the land that Thread tilled? You mentioned wanting to grow crops from Earth, right?”

Sheila’s words reminded me—I had completely forgotten.

Since I wouldn’t be converting Earth crops into NP, I had planned to plant them in a field tilled manually, not one made using my skills.

Unlike skill-created fields, manually tilled fields would take longer for crops to grow, so it made sense to start now.

“I totally forgot. Since we have time, let’s plant some!”

“Yes! Let’s do it!”

I took out my tablet and started deciding which vegetables to grow.

Considering the season, it would be best to plant spring crops.

I had a rough idea of what to plant, but I wasn’t completely sure, so… I figured I should buy a home gardening book.

I had been meaning to buy some useful books, not just manga, so this was the perfect opportunity.

While I was at it, I also purchased a cookbook.

Both books instantly appeared in my hands.

They were pricier than manga, costing 600 NP each, but they would definitely be worth it.

I quickly flipped through the gardening book to check which crops were suitable for this season.

Let’s see… tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, carrots, daikon radishes, and potatoes all seemed viable.

Tomatoes were a must, and I would plant a moderate amount of the other five.

Additionally, I wanted to grow my favorites—asparagus, okra, bell peppers, ginger, and maybe even melons.

Reading about different crops and deciding what to grow was surprisingly engaging, and time was flying by.

So, I quickly purchased the seedlings and seeds for the ones that caught my interest.

Since Earth crops were expensive in this world, I bought them in smaller quantities, except for tomatoes, which I bought in bulk.

For single-harvest crops like carrots and daikon radishes, I got seeds.

For multi-harvest crops like tomatoes, I stuck with seedlings as usual.

“You bought a lot of different crops. But still… it’s really mysterious how they just appear out of nowhere. Does it consume any magic power?”

“I have no idea how it works, and I don’t even know if it uses magic. I’ve never actually sensed magic before.”

“Oh, that’s right. You can’t use magic. Now that I think about it, your magic power is extremely low. That means… your skill probably isn’t magic-based at all.”

Thanks to my pathetic magic ability, we confirmed that my skill wasn’t reliant on magic.

In the end, we concluded that it was simply “the power of the gods.”

And honestly, considering that I was using vegetables to earn points and exchange them for items from another world, divine intervention seemed like the only reasonable explanation.

“I think so too. I never believed in gods before, but ever since I arrived in this world, I’ve been constantly benefiting from them. Maybe I should offer something in return?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. You’re already offering vegetables, so it’s probably a win-win relationship.”

Was that really the case?

Now that I thought about it, the exchange rates for otherworldly items were quite high, so maybe the gods were just using me for their own gain.

But over analyzing wouldn’t change anything, so I decided to just carry on as usual.

“Well, if they want something, I’m sure they’ll reach out. Let’s just focus on growing vegetables.”

“Yes, that’s a good plan. I’m excited to see how these new vegetables turn out.”

“They’re all delicious, so once they’re ready, let’s have a harvest festival.”

“That sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try your cooking!”

Sheila beamed with excitement.

I was especially looking forward to her reaction to the melon—it was bound to surprise her.

With that thought in mind, we got back to planting the vegetable seedlings and seeds.

It would take at least a month before they were ready to harvest, so this time, we would take it slow and enjoy the process.

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