“Now that I’ve got some money, maybe it’s time to head for another settlement.”
Over two days of trading, I managed to earn the equivalent of 10 gold coins.
For a first-time traveling merchant, I’d say that’s a pretty decent result.
“Brother Tohma , are you leaving already?”
“Yeah. I’m a traveling merchant, after all. If I find something good to sell, I’ll be back.”
“Okay! Mei wants something yummy!”
A little girl clinging to me so innocently is simply adorable. As I patted her head, recalling my younger cousins, she purred like a contented kitten. Her older brother, August, stood nearby, watching his sister with a resigned look.
Thinking about tasty treats, a memory suddenly resurfaced.
(Come to think of it, Rei asked me to help grow some Earth-native plants.)
This world lacks many resources.
To compensate, the Creator God used magical energy to “create” various plants and animals. Borrowing heavily from other worlds—especially Earth—similar plants were brought into existence, but even now, the variety seems insufficient.
“The Creator God will be going into slumber for a while, as will their counterpart. This should buy time for the heroes to strengthen themselves.”
That’s what Rei, the golden dragon, had told me.
So when the Creator God Kesaran Pasaran slumbers, the Evil Dragon is also forced into slumber.
Though, it seems the ones instigating conflicts with humans are the demons. Those heroes won’t have the luxury of relaxing anytime soon, I suppose.
“Since the Creator God won’t be able to bring new blessings to this world for a while, they’ve asked if you could spread the vegetables and fruits you’ve obtained from Earth.”
Rei’s request was simple: scatter seeds of Earth-native fruits and vegetables in the Great Forest and its surrounding areas.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult task, so I readily agreed. For now, I’d left the fields and orchards I’d set up near the Magic Mountain Dungeon as they were.
Since the forest is dense with magical energy, everything should take root and thrive.
Beyond that, I planned to casually scatter vegetable seeds while traveling.
Perhaps after eating fruit for dessert, I could plant its seeds along the way. That seemed like a reasonable approach.
(But wouldn’t it be more effective to give vegetable seeds to the villagers and have them grow them?)
I looked over the settlement of feline beastfolk once again.
The young adults had gone to work in faraway cities, leaving behind only the elderly, women, and children.
I’d heard their food supply relies on the forest’s blessings, but if someone like June were injured or fell ill, they’d soon face hunger.
If the children and elderly unable to hunt worked on fields instead, at least they wouldn’t starve right away.
If they sold vegetables to traveling merchants, it could even become a source of income. Not a bad idea, right?
“I’ll talk to the village chief.”
When I offered to provide vegetable seeds, the village chief was so grateful he practically worshipped me.
It felt a bit awkward since I’d just bought them all from a 100-yen shop.
Still, considering it was a request from the Creator God via Rei, I’d intended to offer them free of charge. Despite this, the chief insisted on giving me gold coins in return.
Feeling guilty, I handed over some gardening tools as well.
Shovels, sickles, rakes, hoes, and watering cans. I even included soil for vegetables, fertilizer, and plant nutrients. I hadn’t realized you could even buy leaf mold at a 100-yen shop!
To make planting easier while they worked the fields, I also prepared plenty of pots and planters for sowing seeds.
“Now then, what seeds should I give them…?”
I browsed the items available through my summoning magic’s online shopping function.
If a home improvement store had been added to the roster, I could have handed out seedlings, but unfortunately, for now, only 100-yen shop items were available.
Even so, you’d be surprised by the quality these shops offer nowadays.
“Let’s see… eggplant, cucumber, mini pumpkins, bell peppers, daikon radish, and carrots are must-haves. For leafy greens, maybe some baby lettuce or salad greens that kids can eat easily. Oh, and corn!”
Aside from the seeds I’d purchased at the 100-yen shop, I also had potatoes and sweet potatoes I’d picked up at a convenience store.
Root vegetables with a longer shelf life could also be great for traveling merchants.
I handed over five sets of each seed variety, along with notes on how to grow them, which I entrusted to the village chief.
“This is wonderful. Even the children and elderly will now have work they can do.”
“Some vegetables might not grow well in this soil or climate, but I think at least a few will take root.”
I made sure to provide enough items to match the value of the gold coins I’d received.
After informing the chief that I’d be leaving the settlement by the end of the day, I headed toward June’s treehouse.
“Brother Tohma !”
Mei, who had been playing with Ketsue at the base of the treehouse, came running toward me with a big smile.
Catching the agile little girl as she jumped, I pulled a potted plant out of my Item Box.
“This is a gift from me.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a potted mini tomato plant. I’ve already planted the seeds in it.”
“Tomatoes! They’re yummy!”
Mei seemed to vividly remember the vegetables from the hamburger she’d eaten.
“That’s right! These are like cousins to those tomatoes. They’ll grow small, cute tomatoes.”
“Small ones?”
“Yep. They’re smaller than regular tomatoes, but they’re even sweeter and tastier.”
“Really? Then I’ll take care of it!”
There are two flowerpots.
As August returned from fetching water at the nearby river, I waved him over.
“Keep this a secret, okay? Just for you two, I’ll use a bit of magic.”
When I whispered this, the little siblings nodded excitedly. After confirming no one else was around, I used [Plant Magic] to sprout the seeds.
From the seeds planted in the center of the flowerpots, green sprouts emerged, causing their eyes to sparkle with amazement.
“Amazing! That’s so cool, big brother!”
“Hey, Mei! Shh, it’s a secret, remember?”
August quickly covered his excited little sister’s mouth. Watching them was so adorable it made me smile.
Noticing that Ketsue had discreetly cast [Spirit Magic], I hurriedly scooped him up.
“Meow?”
Was that bad? He tilted his head in confusion, and I found myself at a loss for words. His actions were clearly out of kindness, and besides, he’s just too cute to be mad at.
“It’s not bad, but if your true nature is discovered, it could be dangerous. Next time, check with me first, okay?”
“Meow… fine.”
Though he sounded a bit sulky, he nodded reluctantly.
Thanks to the [Spirit Magic] from Ketsue, the tomato seeds had grown into healthy seedlings.
“Ah, August? Now that they’ve grown this much, you should transplant them into the ground. Time to work on that field, okay?”
“Me?!”
“I’ll help!” Mei chimed in.
“Oh, good job, Mei. In that case, I’ll give you tools for the field as a present.”
I gave August a quick lesson on how to prepare the field and handed over tools like a shovel and a hoe. Of course, I also left decomposed leaves, fertilizers, and plant nutrients.
For Mei, I gifted a small watering can.
“Use this to water the mini tomatoes, but don’t overdo it, okay?”
I’ve heard that tomatoes taste better when watered sparingly. Even if they make a few mistakes, plants grow well in areas dense with magic essence, so I left the rest up to them.
“Mini tomatoes taste great raw, are perfect for stir-fries, and make delicious soup when stewed.”
“Mei’s going to make hamburgers!”
“Oh, that’s great. Go for it.”
I planned to leave a tomato sauce recipe with June. It’s tasty and packed with nutrients, so it’d be nice if tomatoes became more widespread in this world.
After bidding a bittersweet farewell to the three members of June’s family, I left the settlement.
I was slightly surprised when Mei tried to stop me by wrapping her shiny black tail around my arm. The soft, fluffy sensation of the tail snugly coiled around my wrist left a small pang in my heart—but that’s my little secret.
I handed over a glass jar filled with candies to distract her, and while her attention was diverted, I managed to leave the settlement.
Though I felt a little lonely, I can always come back to visit.
Thanks to my [Automated Mapping] skill, I now have a detailed map of the places I’ve passed through. I should be able to make a detour here when I’m nearby again.
“Oh, right. I should let them know. Akira would love hearing about a feline beastfolk settlement.”
Recalling my cat-loving cousin, I grinned. I even had photos of the adorable black panther siblings.
“I hope he’s doing well. Maybe I’ll send him something as a care package.”
