章 7: Normal Seeds and Mystic Seeds
Just like before, Elaina asked around to guide her to where she could buy seeds for crops and she was redirected to the general store. The General store is where most farmers can buy their crops, varying from normal crop seeds, flower seeds, edible seeds, and tree seeds. If a farmer is not confident in growing a tree from the seeds, planting a tree sapling is also available as an alternative which is more well received and easier to do.
For now, Elaina will be limiting her purchase to either crops or maybe a mix of both crop seeds and flower seeds as her budget to buy more seeds is not looking that great even for her. Approaching the catalog of seeds, she saw a lot of variety of available seeds, there are for vegetables, then there are for fruits and they are divided into different seasons. It is currently spring so the seeds for spring are bountiful and many people are buying them in bulk. As for other seeds that grow in different seasons, it seems they are not that well in stock, but they are also available, perhaps to those who have their means of growing crops that are out of season or those who own a greenhouse.
Elaina is well versed on what crops are best to grow from the very beginning and a good way to get her capital in a short time. Currently, the available seeds present for her that would allow her to grow crops fast and gain money quickly are radishes. Potatoes are also present but since she does not know if these varieties of potatoes are those that last for hundreds of days before they fully grow, she didn't bother for it. There are also the parsnips but just like the potato, they don't grow that fast either.
Her other alternative would be the strawberries. Compared to radishes that grow one time, strawberries bear fruit the entire season continuously until the next season changes. They are a bit expensive per bag but they are worth the price. After taking a bit of her time to decide which seeds she should plant, she decided that she would plant radishes and strawberries. Once she gets enough money, she will start buying other seeds as well. A bag of radish seeds costs 300 gold while a bag of strawberry seeds costs 500 gold, costing her 800 gold in total.
She might have only 200 gold left, but she decided that it should be fine for the time being. Once she earns the money from her first harvest, she can finally start recovering her expenses slowly but surely.
With all of that done, Elaina returned to her new home. Thanks to the guild, the workers who helped carry her things efficiently brought the bed and placed it inside the house. She made them put the bed in the single empty room before carrying the other stuff she brought like the dresser, table, and sofa into the house. With all of that done, the workers left Elaina on her own.
"Finally, this is it," Elaina smiled as she looked at her room that is only decorated with a single bed and a single dresser.
It might not look like it but for Elaina, this is the beginning of her new life as a single mother. Her responsibility as a farmer begins now.
Elaina pulls out the Coin chest that was given to her by the receptionist and puts it on top of her dresser since she lacked the proper place to fully put it, the top of the dresser is fine for now.
"Now that we have settled down, it's time to begin our formwork."
Elaina went to her clothes that were still in the bag and pulled out the jumper dress paired with a white shirt and brown shorts to accompany the jumper dress as a farmer's outfit. She tied her long golden hair into a bun so that her long hair wouldn't become an annoyance once she started her work.
Grabbing the seeds and the tools she needed, she went out of her house and looked at the field currently littered with weeds and and debris. On the side of the house is the shipping bin that she received after applying as a farmer. It was already set up there before she arrived earlier so she didn't see the actual setup process but seeing the size firsthand made her realize how big it was and how even a single person could hide inside which was thankfully not allowed as the guild has taken measures of that act.
Her attention returned to the fields. It might be wide and large but it was littered with rocks, branches, and some weeds that she needed to clear out before she could begin her actual work. She might be a noble and has grown with the assistance of maids and workers, but unlike other nobles, she does not hesitate to get her hands dirty. Grabbing the scythe, she cleared out the weeds and didn't realize that she used her technique the sword to cut through the weeds, clearing out a whole bunch in one swing which made her surprise.
"My sword swing abilities seem to still work even when I use a scythe, that's interesting..." Elaina wasn't expecting to learn this so she mentally takes note for the future.
Once the weeds were cleared out, she removed the rocks and loose branches that were also on the field and put them on the side as she would find some use for them. But for now, she sets up her field for her to plant the seeds.
Grabbing the hoe, she was about to till the soil when the god that talked to her earlier and had given her the almanac started to talk to her.
"[Hey, dear Elaina! Why are you not checking the tutorial? You have fulfilled a few tasks on it! You should confirm it, follow through with it, and gain the tutorial exclusive reward!]"
"It's a total hassle, to be honest, but since you said there is a reward, might as well check," Elaina sighed as the book reappeared before her. She flipped it and went straight to the tutorial.
There, she saw the tutorial on how to clear weeds and debris and other stuff which all of them were complete, which allowed her to gain a few awards in the process in the form of Farming points. Elaina had no idea what it was but she continued the tutorial and the next thing that was given to her was how to properly utilize the land and till it to make it a soil that is ready to receive the seeds. Despite being not a new piece of knowledge, she followed through and made a few rows of tilled soil, ready to get some plants.
The Almanac glowed brightly after she completed the task and the next message appeared on the book.
[You have completed the first procedures to begin your farming life! As a first-time reward, we award you a parsnip seed bag worth 9 veggies once they are fully grown! Try planting them and wait for 4 days to fully grow the seeds into fully mature parsnips!]
Elaina rubbed her eyes, thinking she was reading it wrong but what she saw was indeed the real deal.
"F-four days to grow a parsnip? That's absurd... They usually grow around 120 to 180 days! There is no way they will grow that fast!"
As Elaina couldn't believe what she just read, the god once again started to talk.
"[Don't be surprised, Elaina, because there are more of those seeds from where they came from. After all, we made those seeds for this purpose alone. We call these types of seeds the 'Mystic Seeds' as they are modified by us. Compared to normal seeds you can buy, they are different and they grow much faster and mature faster than normal crops, making them for quick and easy money.]"
"But this is unheard of! Parsnips are not that fast to mature and grow immediately! They even outpaced the fastest-growing vegetables in growth and maturity time alone! Radishes in minimum usually needed 22 to 60 days and this was the fastest and yet these parsnips take only four days?!" Elaina was too shocked to even understand it.
"[Why don't you just try it out? Isn't that nice that the parsnips will be fully harvested in just 4 days? You will immediately gain fast money with that alone and recover your expenses in just 4 days.]"
Although Elaina is not that convinced, she decides to receive the seeds and after confirming the task complete, a bag of seeds pops out of the book which she catches.
Looking inside are the usual seeds of parsnips but for some reason, they look a bit bigger than the usual parsnip seeds she has seen before. Despite still having doubts, she decided to start planting the seeds in the tilled soil one by one. Once she was done, Elaina shifted her attention to the radishes and strawberries and planted them as well. She added a few tilled soil to accommodate the other seeds due to the addition of the parsnips but she was finally done planting them.
Elaina grabbed the watering can and headed to the nearest stream not too far from her farm to fill it with water. Elaina remembered that the almanac is good at knowing whether the water is safe or not so she decided to check it out.
She then spotted the entry that was made for the little stream flowing down and read it.
[Pure spring of clean water that came down straight from the nearby river situated in the mountains. Water is very clean and has little impurities due to the healthy and uncorrupted environment it was flowing in. With countless filtration processes being done while it flows down from the mountain, the water that arrives is very clean and filled with nutrients that the body needs every day. Even drinking directly to it won't harm the drinker in the slightest. Not only that but this is also a good place to fish Mountain trout in the morning and River Bream in the evening.]
Seeing the entry, Elaina couldn't help but scoop a handful of water and drink a few of it. To her surprise, the water was so crisp and very tasty. Not only that but it also tasted slightly sweet which made her totally surprised by it.
"Looks like the Almanac was indeed saying the truth. And to think it would be this good, I might even think of using this stream for my drinking water as well!" Elaina smiled after knowing this.
Carrying the watering can that filled with water from the spring, she watered the newly planted plants one by one. Although she is still reluctant to agree that she is now looking forward to the results, she can't help but feel positive in her new life with the help of the almanac.
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