The Daily Life of the Late Bloomer Tamer

Chapter 20: Weed

Today, I logged in again just after sunrise.

On my farm, medicinal herbs and other plants have grown and are ready to be harvested. Unfortunately, there is one disappointing news.

"The seeds in the field didn't become ★6 crops?"

The seeds we planted the day before came from ★4 crops. If the quality increased by two ranks like before, today I would harvest ★6 crops....... All the crops we harvested turned out to be ★5.

"Hey, Orto. Do you know the cause?"

"Muu."

"Is Orto's skill not high enough?"

"Muu!"

"Hey, don't get angry!　I'm just kidding!"

Orto crouched down on the spot and began to tap the ground.

"Could it be there's a problem with the soil?"

"Mumu."

Orto nods. Seems I was right. But is it the soil's problem?

"I guess it can't be helped if it's caused by the soil. ★5 is also fine. The profit is more than enough anyway."

Other than that, some mysterious grasses were growing on the ground. It seems that Orto planted it in the space that was left vacant by one square.

"...... Weed?"

No matter how I appraised it and looked at it, it only marked as a weed. Oh no, what is this? It doesn't have any flowers. It's just green grass that looks like basil.

"Hmmm. What the hell is it?　Are these just random grasses growing around the place to raise farming skill levels?"

It has the highest quality of ★10, but it's a weed. It has no effect, so this quality is meaningless. I guess it's in the same category as pebbles and other similar things.

Anyway, the more I look at it, the more it looks like basil. I mean, isn't this basil?

"Hmm."

I picked the weed and put it in my mouth. Even if it is poisonous, maybe it won't kill me. I chewed it slowly. Then I froze for a moment in surprise.

"This is Basil!"

This weed tasted exactly like basil. I used to grow basil in a planter, so there is no doubt. It is fresh basil. "What?

"Ee?　Why?　Isn't this a weed?"

I proceed to pull out the weeds that were growing outside my farm. The weed looked like Persian speedwell. I try to chew it, but.......

"Buhee!　It is a weed."

It is a weed. It smells foul, it's bitter, it makes my tongue tingle, and it's not edible. Even though they are the exact same item in terms of data. Why?

[Item, weed cultivated and harvested. You have fulfilled the requirements; some new skills have been unlocked]

While I was thinking about it, I heard some kind of announcement. Apparently, I had fulfilled some conditions thanks to Orto's weeds. I looked through my skills list. There is one skill marked with ★ mark, a sign that it was unlocked within 24 hours.

"Plant Knowledge?"

I looked at the description, but it only stated that it is knowledge about plants in this world. But from the course of events so far, I assume that it's a skill for identifying weeds.

"Hmm ... costs 2 points."

I have 4 skill points. I can acquire it, but....... I'd like to keep it to acquire battle skills in the future.

But I'm curious. I'm not sure what to do with it. If I leave it as a mystery, I might be too curious and can't concentrate on the game.

"Okay, let's acquire it!"

Finally, I acquired plant knowledge skill. Oh, the weeds aren't weeds anymore!

Name: Basille

Rarity: 1 Quality: ★10

Effect: None. Edible.

Now I can identify its name. It has no effect, but now it has additional information that says it's edible. It is really basil. The name is basille, but I guess I can consider it as basil.

I excitedly appraised the other weeds and confirmed that each weed has its name. As for quality, most of them were ★6 or higher. Basille also grew here. I wonder where Orto got the basille seeds, but I heard that they grow everywhere in the beginning town.

After doing more appraisals around, I found some interesting weeds.

Name: Tulip

Rarity: 1 Quality: ★7

Effect: None. For ornamental use.

It said ornamental. Well, it looks beautiful. Maybe I can sell them?　 Players may not be interested, but maybe I can sell them no NPCs?　Should I try to grow some tulips?　For the time being, I gave the tulips to Orto. Then, he gave the flower back to me and seed breed the bulb. Then the bulb turned into two. It seemed to be possible to seed breed the tulip.

Even though it has no effect, tulips are treated as weeds. But if it has a taste and a smell, it could be used for cooking. Can a tulip be placed in a vase for decoration?　Maybe it's worth investigating.

"If I have time, I'll try to grow some weeds. For now, let's try to grow basille and tulips."

I discovered a lot of things from mere weeds.

"Okay, let's plant today's portion."

Then, it's time for another round of experiments!　First, I made my first poison, paralysis medicine and bleeding medicine in auto. As I thought, these are beginner's recipes. They are simple.

Today I also tried mixing them in various ways, and I also tried to boil them beforehand. Still, I didn't find any new discoveries. It seems that the higher quality ingredients are more difficult to handle, and the quality doesn't improve as much as expected.

The materials I used were ★5 and ★4, but the finished poisons and paralysis medicines turned out to be of ★5 and ★4 quality. No, the quality is high enough, and the level of mixing and cooking has increased, so it's not a bad result.　The most important thing is that I learned that using cooking utensils can increase my cooking skill level.

But the experiment is far from over.

"Today's assistant is Orto, the Gnome!"

"Mumu!"

"Ooh! He puts his arms up in the air; he's so motivated."

"Muu."

I decided to test Orto's luck. I let him do some simple tasks like grinding. Orto seems to be enjoying moving the wooden pestle. He looks like a boy playing with weeds. When I was a kid, I like to gather up all the weeds I could find. I grind them up to make the mysterious Object X. I applied it to my friend's abrasions as if it were herbal medicine. After that, my parents beat me until I cry.......

"Mu?"

"Oops, I shouldn't let myself be carried away by nostalgic feelings. Let's see."

"Muu."

"Oh, you grinded it nicely."

It seems even though Orto doesn't have any mixing skills, he can do the job. But it didn't have the effect I was hoping for. In fact, the lack of production skills seems to have lowered the quality.

"Hmmm... Maybe it's not possible."

"Muu......"

"Don't be discouraged. It's not your fault. I'm the one who made you do it."

I'll let him try his luck in a different way next time. For the time being, I went to Alyssa's store to sell the low-grade potions, poisons, paralysis medicine, and bleeding medicine I made today.

"Hello."

"Oh, welcome, Yuto. What can I do for you today?

"I want to sell these. How much would you pay for these?"

"These!　Such high-quality products!　Where did you get these?"

"Ee?　Are they that great?"

The quality is high for a beginner like me, but I didn't expect a beta tester to be surprised.

"Of course it is!　This ★5 poison is the same quality as our current top producers. We've only bought up to ★6. Because it's very rare!"

"I, I see."

Hmm. Is it better if I don't tell her about my farm?　It seems to be very important. I'm not going to tell anyone until my farm is on the right track.

Anyway, the quality of the other producers is not as high as I thought. Maybe it's not a matter of skill, but the difference in ingredients. Thanks to Orto.

"Well, there are a lot of things..."

"Mmm, never mind. Anyway , it's good to have another route to get valuable items. But you're going to sell it to us, right?"

"That's what I'm here for."

When these medicines are sprinkled on a weapon, it gives the weapon an abnormal attribute for a certain period. To be honest, I don't need it now because I don't fight.

"★5 poison, paralysis and bleeding medicine are 600, and ★4 is 350."

"Ee?　That's ridiculously expensive, isn't it?

"Of course. Higher quality means greater effect. The higher the quality, the more effective it is. In this game, the bosses are also affected by abnormal status. Well, the probability is low. But the high-quality products have a higher probability of getting the enemy affected, and they are good enough to use against bosses in the early stages. Every strategy team will want one, you know? Even the NPC master class can't make items above ★6, so the price goes up. Do you have any?"

I see. If poison and paralysis are effective against bosses, anyone will use them, right? It seems that is one of the provisions in the early stages of the game.

"Then, the ★5 of the lower grade potions is 650, and the ★4 is 400. To be honest, no matter how high the wound potion's quality is, it doesn't make much of a difference. Even if I pay extra, it's only 50g each."

Wound medicine is cheap. Maybe I'll keep it instead of selling it. I can sell the rest because I need the money now.

"And these green portable foods, they're 10 G each."

" ...... Are you serious?"

"Yeah. This is the one with spinach in it, right?　No one would buy such a disgusting food, except for punishment game or those who can endure the taste."

Apparently, the devilishly disgusting taste of this portable food is well known. Hmm, but I don't want to eat it again either. If I can sell it, I'll sell it.

"So the total is 4,130 G."

All right, it looks like my plan to get rich by farming is on the right track. I can't stop grinning!　Alyssa-san is looking at me as if she's looking at a weirdo, but I just can't stop laughing.

"Oops, I better check my dried poisonous plants before I go out for map updating."

I try to appraise the plants that I have tied on the wall of the tool shed. But there is no change. It is still just poisonous, paralysis, and bleeding plants.

"Hmm, no change."

Maybe I'm missing something. Or do I need to let it dry longer?　Well, let's give it a few more days.

"Today, I'm going to pick up trash in the northern area and do map updating."

I almost never go to the Northern area. The only time I've been there was on my way to the northern plains on the first day I logged in.

However, from what I could see on the map, it was made the same as the western and southern areas, so I wouldn't get lost. As I walk around, looking for any valuable weeds, the time passed quickly.

By mid-afternoon, about half of the map has been finished. Though I am a bit tired. I've been walking a lot, and I've been straining my eyes to look for trash and weeds.

"There's a small square right there. Let's take a break."

I peeked into each of the 4 player's stores one by one to see if I could find any interesting items.

The first three are similar to Alyssa's and Mirei's stores. Mainly selling medicines and materials. But the last store is a bit special.

"Is this scroll a recipe?"

"Welcome to Sawyer's Alchemy Shop!　You have very good eyes, sir. These are recipes for medicines."

At first glance, the owner of the store looks like a junior high schoolboy. Well, it's summer vacation, so it's not surprising that a junior high school student would be playing. He's a shota elf with blue hair. He has long ears that give him a fantastical look that makes me excited just looking at him.

"Severe Attack drug, Instant-kill drug?　These recipes with disturbing names."

"What do you think?　Unlike the NPC's recipe store, we also sell medicines separately. It's a pretty good deal, right?"

"Well, even if I knew the name and the effect, I still wouldn't know. I don't have the ingredients.

Sawyer's store doesn't seem to sell any kind of ingredients.

"How much is this Severe Attack drug recipe?"

"All goods on that side cost 300G."

I'm not sure if it's cheap or expensive. Well, I'll come back when I've found the ingredients.

"That's too bad."

When I told him that, Sawyer muttered with a disappointed expression on his face. I want to tell him to be careful with older women who like shota.

"See you later."

"Yes, I'll be waiting for you."

Now, what should I do next? Map updating is good, but I also have to pick up trash. Then I realized something important.

"That's right!　I have to pick up trash in the canal."

After dark, I won't be able to find any trash in the canal. I have to do it in daylight.

"Just wondering if it's safe to go into the canal."

First of all, how deep is it? I know the edge of the river is shallow. But I don't know about the middle. I don't think it's that deep because it's not the kind of canal that boats can go through.......

Also, the fact that it makes me stand out is not good for me. Thanks to my title, I already got a lot of attention. I'm not sure what rumors would be circulating if I started picking up trash inside the canal.

"Hmmm, but I'll have to do it eventually."

After struggling for a while, I decided to enter the canal. For now, I'll start at the north end of the canal, near my current location, and head south down the canal toward the central square.

It's too late to worry about rumors. If people want to talk about me, go ahead!

"Thank God, it's not that deep."

The deepest part in the middle is about my navel. However, the green marker is entirely underwater, and it is difficult to spot unless I get close enough. As I thought, it would be impossible to find it at night.

In the end, it took me more than 2 hours to get to the central square. Moreover, I only managed to pick up 5 pieces of trash. After that, I went to the southern and western canals to pick up trash. In the end, I only picked up 16 pieces of trash. Still not enough.

Furthermore, the reaction of the people around me was painful. If they were just whispering to each other, I could still ignore them. But some people recognized me and started shouting at me. Thanks to my backpack, I really stand out.

"Oioi, as expected of the 3-Death guy, he's very unique. I never thought I'd see someone in a game picking up trash."

"You're right. That's the Silver White!"

"Gyahahaha, Silver White is the best!"

You think I can't hear you. You can say whatever you want!　But more than the fact that I was being mocked, there is something that is bothering me.

"When they said Silver White, is that referring to me?"

The title given to me is indeed the Silver White Pioneer, but....... Don't tell me that the name "Silver White" is spreading like an alias?　If so, it may take longer than I think for the rumors to disappear.

"No, no, it's just them.

I thought so for a while.

After that, I try to listen to them whispering to each other. It was not a mistake; all of them called me Silver White.

Me = Silver White = Funny Title = Me

That's the equation. When Players who don't know me see me being called Silver White, they would say, "Oh, that's the guy with the funny title".

"...... Sigh. Let's continue picking up the trash."

Yeah, I know that I'm running away from reality... right?　But if I complain and ask them not to call me Silver White, all it'll do is just stop them talking in front of my face. On the contrary, I'm afraid I'll give them more topics to talk about.

"Should I go back to the northern area and do mapping?"

Maybe because I was trying to ignore the noise around me, I could concentrate on picking up the trash. And my plant knowledge had increased to Lv. 3 thanks to all the appraisals I had been doing. Finally, I finished picking up the trash and updating the map of the southern area.