The Daily Life of the Late Bloomer Tamer

Chapter 60: Field and incubator after a day away

I am visiting the Beastmaster Guild to complete a rank-up quest.

"Ara, Yuuto-san. Welcome."

"Hello. I'm here to report a quest."

I show Rick to Barbara.

"Quest report, I see. Yes, I have confirmed it."

[You've completed the rank-up quest. Your guild rank has been raised to 5.]

I could finally buy a new incubator now. It had been a long and tough journey. After all, I had somehow ended up fighting a field boss.

I checked the list of incubators, and sure enough, there are 3 more incubators available now.

The Ability-Enhancing Incubator costs 15,000 G, while the Battle Skill Incubator and Production Skill Incubator each cost 20,000 G.

The Ability-Enhancing Incubator gave you a +8 initial stat boost at random, making it the perfect incubator for raising your monster’s baseline capabilities. It was also a safe choice for when you weren’t sure what sort of monster you’d be getting.

The Battle Skill Incubator granted you a +3 initial stat boost and a fighting skill. The Production Skill Incubator granted your monster a random Production skill in addition to the +3 initial stat boosts.

"Ummm... Since this incubator is for Orto and Sakura's egg."

Therefore, it was highly likely that I’d get a humanoid-type monster—either a gnome, a tree nymph, or something else entirely.

In the case of a gnome, though, I wasn't sure if getting a Battle Skill Incubator would be wise. Would it obtain fighting abilities and become a gnome that could actually fight? Or would it only gain an initial stat boost due to its peaceful temperament?

While I was undeniably curious, I didn't want to take any chances with this egg. Even if it wasn't a unique specimen, I'd be more than happy to have a gnome specializing in production.

I decided to go with the safest option, the Production Skill Incubator.

I intended to incubate the egg as soon as I arrived. Unfortunately, my plan is ruined by a player waiting in front of my farm.

"H-Hey! A-Are you the owner of this farm?"

"Eeh?"

After successfully purchasing the incubator, l finally returned to my farm after a half day away from it. I'd better finish harvesting quickly and plant seeds for tomorrow.

But my plans were thwarted by a player waiting in front of my farm.

"Hey, hey!　Are you the owner of this farm?"

"Are you the one in charge of this unattended sales stand?"

"When do you restock the herbal teas?"

"Please sell us your herbal teas!"

"It's really delicious, right?"

When I stop, the crowd surrounds me with great enthusiasm.

"Eh? Eh?"

After asking them for the details, I learned they wanted to buy the herbal tea leaves I sell at the unattended sales stand.

"Go ahead, help yourselves,"

"They’re all sold out,"

"Eh?　Sold out?"

"That's right."

"That's why, please restock!"

I hurriedly check the unattended sales stand. Indeed, all items are sold out, and I got 8,700 G.

Just as Ashihana had said. Could it be that the rumor is really spreading?

Well, they want them. I'll just restock my goods for now. But I don't have that many on hand right now, so I'll have to make some more.

"Well, I'll restock them, so can you wait about 30 minutes?"

"I understand!"

"Okay, thank you."

"I'll wait!"

Are they just going to wait here? I stared as the players began queuing up in front of my stand. While I appreciate their patience, the pressure to deliver is high.

First, I need to harvest some weeds, so I ask Orto and the others to go pick some herbs for me.

In the meantime, I head inside the barn to set up my incubator.

"Wait... Maybe I should check my Alchemy recipes first. Now that I have an incubator, chances are I might’ve unlocked a new recipe."

Players should be able to make an incubator with alchemy. If I'm lucky, I can improve the effect. With that in mind, I check my alchemy recipes list...

"Huh... What should I do?"

I found not one but four recipes that used an incubator. However, the problem is the other ingredients.

Each recipe required a Production Skill Incubator and an iron ingot, plus a fire, water, earth, or wind crystal, depending on what you wanted to make. Yes, those crystals—the ones Alyssa-san was willing to buy for 30,000 G apiece.

Thirty thousand is a lot of money, not to mention iron ingots were extremely valuable too.

However, I have four crystals; perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to spare one. After all, considering the required ingredients, the incubator is bound to turn out amazing.

Okay, let's use it. After all, this is Orto and Sakura’s child! I want to give my best.

That said, it would likely take a while to prepare everything. I still had to select which attribute crystals to use.

Might as well restock the herbal tea leaves first.

While I check the recipes, Orto and the others are harvesting the herbs for me. My inventory is increasing.

I quickly take the herbs and dry them to make tea leaves. Once I have made some, I mix them together.

Should I use the same ingredients as before?　No, wait. I want to use wild strawberries for cookies, so I'll use a different herb.

I continued mixing in the barn and made about 50 packs of herbal tea leaves. It's almost half an hour before my promised time, so let's restock for the time being.

"Sorry to keep you waiting---. Eeeh?"

"Ah. Hello, Shirogane-san."

"Eh?　Is he Shirogane-san?"

"Yes, that's him. He is with a gnome, right?"

"I see!"

I am not surprised that my cover had been blown. I am used to this sort of reaction already. What surprised me was the number of people lining up before my stand.

There had been 5 people when I last looked, but 3 more people had joined the queue. Things were starting to get out of hand. Is someone spreading rumors again? Nah, that can't be true. It is because Japanese people love to join the line. I bet they joined the queue out of curiosity. Yes, that must be the reason.

"Eeto... Okay, I’ll restock the stand now. It’s 5 packs per person, so please don’t take any more than that."

"Okay."

The crowd replied in unison. It seems they will sell out in no time.

I only have a few herbal teas left!　This is a serious problem. Should I increase my production?

"All right. Once I’ve tried out the incubator recipe, I’ll go buy some more land."

Before that, I have an alchemy experiment to do. I double-checked the recipe, which listed an incubator, iron ingot, and attributes crystal as ingredients.

The question is, which crystal to use? Typically speaking, the crystal would likely give the soon-to-be-born monster an attribute or a skill of said attribute.

Currently, my party lacks wind- and fire types.

"Hmm. Think I’ll go with a fire crystal. Seems like it’ll be more useful for farm work than wind,"

Like, slash and burn agriculture or greenhouses.

Once I use the new incubator, the monster won't be able to learn a production skill, but....... Since I'm using such valuable items, the incubator made with alchemy should be better. I'm sure of that.

"I'll make the best incubator ever. Just wait!"

"Mu?"

"--?"

Time for alchemy. That's what I thought, but......

[Your equipment’s level is not high enough.]

What?　Do you mean a simple alchemy set is not good enough?　Do I have to buy a new alchemy set?　Well, it's a beginner's alchemy set.

I guess it can't be helped. My alchemy has grown to a certain level, so I think it's time to move on to the next stage. I might also get a new set for mixing and cooking.

"Maybe I should go to Alyssa-san’s place later."

And I have a week to set the eggs in the incubator. In the meantime, maybe she can introduce me to a skilled alchemist.

I also want to buy a farm, so let's go immediately. First, we head for the nearest farming guild.

I have about 56,000 G. No problem. I might as well buy 5 plots of land anyway.　But my ambition is quickly shattered.

"Unfortunately, your guild rank wasn’t high enough. You can only own up to 20 plots of land in one town."

Surprisingly, the number of farms that can be owned is limited. At rank 4, the maximum number of farms that can be owned is 20 plots in one city. The maximum number of farms that can be owned in a city double once your rank is raised to 5.

"The next increase is at rank 10."

Once my rank is raised to 10, I can own up to 60 plots of land. It looks like I can own up to 30 fields in one town. Right now, I have 18 plots of land. So I could only buy 2 plots of land.

Now I have 9 plots for weeds. I don't want to grow weeds by destroying ordinary farms because Potions and vegetables are also useful.

"Hmmm, I guess that's the only thing I can do for now."

Does this mean it's time to move on to the next town?　

I've heard players can transfer from one city to another town for a small fee.

It is possible to buy and manage a farm in another town simultaneously.

"Then I need to have the right equipment. I need to get a new alchemy set, so let's go to the stores. First, let's visit Alyssa-san."