novelraw Chapter 218: I Saw You As A Brother
Chapter 218: I Saw You As A Brother
Just this batch of Parsnips alone brought Leon nearly 1,000 G in income. It finally made him understand why the identity of a farmer was held in such high regard—this was an absolute goldmine of a business.
In contrast, the fish that were so valuable in the game didn’t fetch much in reality. Apart from the Catfish, which sold for over a hundred, most others only brought in returns of a dozen or so gold at best.
Even so, once all the goods were tallied up, the total reached 2,140 G—higher than his monthly wage working at Joja Mart.
Working a job? Impossible. Never happening in this lifetime. He couldn’t manage big projects, so farming was the only way to survive.
That line kept echoing in Leon’s mind, and he now treated it like scripture.
After pocketing the money, Leon tossed the gold coins from this sea trip into the Shipping Box, along with the Tiger Shark.
The Shipping Box had proven its worth. The Traveling Merchant’s Guild offered prices no lower than market value. From now on, unless there was a special reason, Leon planned to sell everything through it.
The handsome profits from high-quality crops rekindled his urge to expand his planting area. The price difference was just too tempting—a hundredfold return was absurdly lucrative.
He turned his gaze back to the crops growing in his fields. In Leon’s eyes, each plant was a crisp, freshly inked banknote.
If he had known earlier how outrageous the price of high-quality crops was, he might have made sure to prepare fertilizer for every single one before planting.Still, it wasn’t too late. He was just getting started. There would be plenty of opportunities ahead.
After checking the fields and finding that most crops were still in their growth stage, Leon shifted his focus and headed for the cave.
It had been three days since Demetrius had remodeled it. Leon wanted to check on the mushroom planters.
Inside, lit by a wall-mounted lamp, he saw the current state of the mushrooms growing there.
“Mature Mushroom (Harvestable).”
The familiar System Prompt and the mushrooms’ faint green glow meant they were ready to pick.
But compared to the large mushroom planters, the harvest looked pitiful—just one mushroom in each box, none particularly big.
Harvesting them was easy. A light twist, and they popped into his hand. The mycelium beneath the soil remained untouched.
“Common Mushroom (Foraging Item): Slightly firm, smooth texture.”
“Chanterelle (Foraging Item): A delicious mushroom with a fruity, slightly peppery taste.”
Six planters. Five Common Mushrooms, one Chanterelle. The Common Mushrooms were standard brown with classic caps, while the Chanterelle was larger, flatter, and bright yellow.
After storing them in his System Backpack, Leon wandered around the cave.
While the mushrooms had matured, there was still no sign of the fruit bats he had been hoping for. No bats meant no free fruit.
It was disappointing. He wasn’t sure if the bats hadn’t discovered the cave yet, or if Demetrius had skipped the modifications that would attract them.
Most likely the former. While Demetrius didn’t think much of him, the man was a careful scientist. That much Leon couldn’t fault.
With no extra fruit to pick, Leon decided not to linger. Leaving the cave, he strolled around the farm again, but finding nothing to do, he hopped on his bike and rode toward town.
He hadn’t eaten anything all morning, and Gus wasn’t in any shape to cook. Leon decided to buy some ingredients and treat himself.
This time, he wasn’t heading to Pierre’s General Store or Joja Mart, but to the butcher John’s place.
Ever since hearing from Abigail that there was a butcher in Pelican Town selling poultry, Leon had been curious. In the game, he had never even heard of this John. Now he was determined to find him.
But wandering around aimlessly wasn’t Leon’s style. He was hungry, and he wasn’t going to waste time.
So he decided to grab a guide. Conveniently, he spotted Abigail wiping dust from her family shop’s glass door.
Leon crept forward, intending to tap her shoulder and give her a start—but he forgot about the freshly cleaned glass and its reflection.
Abigail spotted him sneaking up and spun around just as he was about to reach her.
She threw up her hands and shouted, “Ha! Got you!”
Her plan had been to scare Leon, but something awkward happened instead.
Leon’s hand, meant for her shoulder, froze mid-motion. Her sudden movement caught him off guard, and her shout startled him. His hand twitched… and landed somewhere far more, well, prominent.
“Ah!”
Abigail’s sharp cry snapped Leon back to reality. He jerked his hand away like it was on fire and quickly took several steps back.
“Let me explain.” Seeing Abigail clutch her chest with a furious blush, Leon blurted, “I was aiming for your shoulder! You turned too fast.”
“Bah, I don’t believe you couldn’t react in time,” Abigail shot back.
“I could have—if you hadn’t turned around and spoken out of nowhere,” Leon retorted.
“I think you did it on purpose.” Her eyes locked on him, unblinking.
“I saw you as a brother! How could I do that on purpose? You’ve got to trust my character,” Leon insisted.
“Hmph.” Abigail snorted, then shifted the subject. “I heard you went out to sea with Gus and Willy. What were you doing?”
“Treasure hunting,” Leon said, taking the chance to follow her lead.
“Treasure hunting?” Her eyes lit up. “Did you find a treasure map? Or an ancient shipwreck? What kind of treasure did you get?”
“You really want to know?” Leon asked, a plan forming in his mind.
“If you do, then take me to this butcher John. I’ll buy my ingredients, and on the way I’ll tell you the whole story.”
“Deal.” Abigail tossed the rag onto the door handle and waved him forward. “Let’s go!”