Chapter 41. Lucky Blue Lightning

When I arrived at the Agriculture Guild, Regal-san still seemed to have his keen eyesight as always.

“Yo!”

He immediately noticed me and came over to the counter.

I raised my hand in return and said hello. Today, I decided to just talk to him right here at the counter.

“Thanks for plowing the fields. But I thought I just asked for a third of one plot?”

“Huh? Oh, right. The area near the shed, a third, yeah.”

But then,

“You plowed the entire field,”

 You realize, right?

“Ah, so that’s probably a mistake on the part of the person in charge. Most likely, they misunderstood about one-third with one whole plot.”

I see, so it was a matter of mixing up a third of the field with a third of one field.

Just a third was communicated.

He apologized profusely, and although the amount of work was more than expected, it was a mistake on the part of the agricultural guild, so we agreed that there would be no additional charges.

It seems the communication did not go smoothly because the request was made on short notice to an employee who suddenly had some time to spare.

They mentioned that the sooner it was done, the better. Since It certainly does help that they were able to get it done quickly, I decided to accept that it was unavoidable.  That settles the matter for now.

Now, let me ask a few more things one at a time.

“The hay that was left… what should I do with it?”

I wonder. Since the hay was grown before I even took on the task, there’s a bit of a gray area regarding who owns the rights to it.

“Oh, I told them to cut and set it aside before plowing. Feel free to use it however you like. If you don’t need it, we can take it back, but you’ll probably make more money if you take it to the Tamer Guild stables next door.”

“Money…?”

“Yes.”

Regal-san made a circle with his fingers, indicating coins.

Of course, I need money. Instinctively, I nodded.

Our field is right next to the Tamer Guild’s stable… 

I had been wondering about that large building I saw a little way off. It had a fence and looked like a ranch, and I remember there were horses there.

Would giving hay as a gift when greeting your neighbors be alright?

Should I bring something like soba noodles, I’m not really sure what the customs are around here? I’ve heard that recently, plastic wraps or designated trash bags are popular for greetings. Designated garbage bags are surprisingly expensive, so when I heard that people would be happy to receive one, I understood. I’d be happy to receive one myself. Apparently In the city, some say it’s better not to greet your neighbors at all, but having grown up in the countryside, I think it’s better to at least try.

Anyway, I think I should go and say hello for now.

After all, neighborhood disputes can be quite troublesome…

Next, I want to ask…

“Could you show me the seed list?”

I’m very interested in the seed list!

“Alright, wait a moment.”

Regal-san, who had gone into the back, returned with a bundle of papers. He handed me one of the pages.

The seed list I was shown included a lot of the name Kaen, just as Dawn-san had told me. Amazing. I could get all the seeds I wanted if I go to Grandma Kaen’s place. That would be convenient. But as I had been told, they were expensive.

Single seeds are much cheaper from other sources. However, if I want a variety of items, I’d need a referral letter for each one, which probably adds up in commission.

According to Regal-san, the list he just showed me belongs to this agricultural guild, and if I want, they can get me seed lists from distant guilds, and then I could order seeds from them.

But that takes time, and there is a time lag sometime where the item may be out of stock, and there is also a cost to ordering it, so most people don’t go that far unless it’s absolutely necessary.

He showed me the remaining stack of papers, they also exchanged seed lists with nearby guilds, so I could look at those too, but for now, I think I’ll pass. Even if it was nearby, ordering from them would take time and cost money in the end.

At this point, I wondered whether I should get a referral letter to Granny Kaen.

I hesitated quite a bit.

Either way, I have a strong feeling that I’ll end up visiting her eventually. 

But I also want to confirm if that the vegetables that Luna grew using seeds from here are okay. Actually, when I think about it, the field is three times larger than I had expected, so I could grow some separately and experiment, and if Luna can’t eat it, I could just sell it to the agricultural guild or somewhere else.

Maybe I should just go once and see.

I checked with Regal-san, and the referral fee wasn’t very high. It seems like fate is guiding me.

I decided to get a referral letter.

“Are you sure? Granny Kaen’s place is a bit expensive.”

“Probably. But I’m interested.”

It’s interesting just to know that there’s someone who’s growing so many different things.

The high cost of seeds seems manageable, at least, I think.

But I still need to see what kind of person Granny Kaen is before I decide whether it’s safe to give her my seeds.

Now, what else should I ask…

Ah, there’s that issue where I had been avoiding eye contact with. I want to keep avoiding it as much as possible, but I probably can’t just ignore it forever.

“Actually, a huge blue earthworm appeared in the field you plowed…” I’m having trouble dealing with it, i started to say, but—

“Fertility worms!?”

Regal-san exclaimed in surprise, raising his eyebrows sharply. He hadn’t been very expressive today, so I hadn’t been drawn into his gaze much, but now he was showing intense emotion.

What? That earthworm? Is it really something to be so surprised about?

Apparently, it’s a kind of monster—though a rare and beneficial one. If it appears in the field, a good harvest is guaranteed, making it a kind of auspicious, rare monster.

Its formal name is something like “blah blah blah Earthworm,” but honestly that’s a long name, and I couldn’t remember it all in one go. I think calling it “Fertile Worm” is fine. Or even “Big Blue Earthworm” — that might be simpler.

I believe simple and easy-to-remember names are best.

“They say, just one appearing means a good harvest; and a pair appearing means a great harvest! Lucky, huh?”

Hearing this, I look off into the distance.

Hmm, I don’t think there were just one or two. I didn’t look very closely though…

Apparently, they appear from nowhere, till the soil, fertilize it, and then quickly disappear again.

If you’re unlucky, the fertility worm will ruin the vegetables you have planted, but more often than not, they avoid the vegetables, and after they come, the crops tend to grow well. Farmers even consider them a lucky monster. I even learned a tidbit: they’re also known as “The Lucky Blue Lightning.”

Lucky lightning, huh?

Maybe it has something to do with the legend that lightning strikes bring a good harvest? I think lightning fixes nitrogen in the air, which is why it brings a good harvest. There are many theories, but the fact that it’s written as “lightning” suggests that thunder must have had some kind of effect on rice growth. Most likely.

Well, if they’ll just go away if I leave them alone, I’ll do my best to pretend I don’t see them at all!!!

That’s about everything I wanted to ask, I think.

I thanked Regal-san, and my business at the Agriculture Guild was done.

Next, I think I’ll head to the Tamer Guild. I believe that in these situations, taking initiative is important.

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