Mu Zong stealthily planted the starf berry seeds.
He understood in his heart that this was his source of survival; since he couldn't be a proper Trainer, he could only rely on developing this farm until his case was resolved.
He sat by the field until sunset, looking at the setting sun blocked by the mountains, with a few rays of sunlight falling on the waterwheel.
All fifty seeds were planted.
"So, this is the first day, huh...?"
A smile appeared on his lips, and he unconsciously felt a sense of satisfaction.
As a seasoned gamer in his previous life, farming games were naturally indispensable.
At this moment, he felt his vision blur slightly.
Until the pale writing turned into a string of text.
"Crop Type: starf berry (Ghost, Grass.)"
"Crop Status: Green (Continuously Decreasing)."
"Maturity Countdown: 2659.9 hours (Slightly Increasing)."
"Estimated Yield: Unknown."
"Environmental Warning: Drought."
Mu Zong gasped, "This is... is this the mod I wrote myself?"
It was the new mod he wanted to add to MC, an expansion for planting and leisurely farming, where crops could also mutate, adding various attributes with infinite possibilities.
Crop status was divided into green, yellow, and red; green meant no problem.
But there was also a 'continuously decreasing' after it.
"The drought problem..."
Then he looked at the last line.
"One-click Help."
As his thought, the one-click help expanded.
"Zarude: Greatly reduces Growth time."
"Froakie: Bubble repairs waterwheel."
"Mudkip: Irrigates fields."
"......."
A long string of information popped up.
The Pokémon display was not comprehensive; Mu Zong thought carefully before realizing that these suggested Pokémon were all ones he had seen along the way.
"Then the 'unknown yield' makes sense... But why does the starf berry have the Ghost attribute?"
He didn't know the value of the starf berry.
"What about the mutation section?" He tried to open it.
To his surprise, the mutation section actually opened successfully.
"Farmland Mutation Rate: 0.001."
Each plot of farmland was a one-meter long, one-meter wide square, and without exception, each plot had this probability.
"Well, it's a higher probability than Tencent's lottery." He stood up; for a farmer, this was like cheating. As long as it wasn't 'all sugar', he could become a qualified farmer.
It was also very useful for him.
Someone who never did manual labor naturally wouldn't know how to farm.
If he were to give a lecture on college student employment guidance, he would know how, after all, in his previous life, the teacher for that easy class was troublesome and didn't allow phones.
He then returned to the wooden house and glanced into the bedroom.
Zarude was still unconscious.
"He's still quite suitable for me... It's a pity, I definitely have nothing to do with him now."
As forest blood, Zarude could use the vines on his body to accelerate crop Growth.
But the extremely exclusive Zarude probably wouldn't help him.
He collapsed onto the sofa, holding the egg in his arms all night.
Early the next morning, as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of scarlet eyes staring intently at him.
Zarude was over 1.8 meters tall, and his shadow perfectly enveloped Mu Zong.
"I... Oh my god!"
Mu Zong yelled, rolling off the sofa onto the floor.
The fear deep in his eyes made Zarude's gaze dim slightly.
But the dizzying sensation that followed forced Zarude to sit on the ground.
"luzha..." Zarude made a small sound, expressing his goodwill.
At the same time, he handed over the photo frame in his hand.
Mu Zong took the photo frame and asked in confusion, "You know this person?"
"luzha!" Zarude nodded, then shook his head.
Mu Zong frowned, "Right... Grandpa has been old for many years. Are you my grandpa's Pokémon?"
Zarude shook his head.
"Is that so? Then you must be his friend, right?" Mu Zong said, pointing at the photo frame.
Zarude looked at the photo of Mu Zong's young grandfather for a while, then nodded after thinking.
"luzha!"
"That's great." Mu Zong breathed a sigh of relief; his feeling was correct.
Zarude was indeed a good Pokémon.
"So, are you leaving here next?" Mu Zong asked.
He completely ignored the panic rising in Zarude's eyes.
"Or are you staying here?"
As soon as he said this, Zarude nodded quickly.
"That's even better... But I must warn you beforehand, I have nothing now, so you might have to live frugally with me." Mu Zong reminded him.
Zarude quickly stood up, about to show his strength, but due to his injuries, he reluctantly sat back down on the ground.
"You're injured? I'll go to town to buy you a Potion." Mu Zong felt that one Potion might not be enough.
Zarude, however, shook his head.
"luzha!"
He placed his finger on the floor and began to draw what he wanted to say.
He started by drawing seeds, then trees one by one, and in the center of the trees were him and Mu Zong, holding hands together, with the surrounding trees seemingly glowing.
Even though it was a stick figure drawing, Mu Zong still understood his meaning.
"You mean, you want me to plant trees on the farm?" Mu Zong asked.
Zarude nodded.
"That will make you recover? But why not just find a forest?" Mu Zong asked, puzzled.
Zarude shook his head, saying nothing.
He was insistent on Mu Zong planting trees.
"Alright, you rest first, I'll go make dinner."
Mu Zong patted his butt and stood up, placing the Pokémon egg in his hand on the sofa and walking towards the kitchen.
As expected, only two eggs were left in the kitchen.
"Sigh."
Mu Zong sighed, realizing that the old man indeed hadn't left any money.
There wasn't much oil left either; he had to go to town to buy some things.
Groceries, things to repair the waterwheel, fertilizer...
Many, many things, and he didn't know if his savings would be enough.
A three-month Growth cycle was too long; he had to see if he could rely on Zarude to ripen the starf berry trees.
Otherwise, he would have to tighten his belt and live frugally.
Soon, he came out with a plate of scrambled eggs, wondering if he should raise some ordinary chickens for eggs.
Yes, ordinary animals existed in this world.
He casually ate a few bites, and by the time he reached Zarude's side, only half was left.
"I only know how to make scrambled eggs and instant noodles, so you'll have to make do."
He handed over the spoon as well.
Zarude's gaze left the stick figure drawing on the floor, and the reminiscence in his eyes disappeared.
He subconsciously took the bowl and spoon.
Finally, under Mu Zong's gaze, he ate in small bites.
Seeing this, Mu Zong smiled.
They say 'he who eats another's food is beholden to him, and he who takes another's things is soft-mouthed'; now it was stable.
"You rest here first, I'm going to town to buy some things." Mu Zong said.
Zarude instinctively wanted to follow, but his injured body prevented him from walking more than a few steps, so he could only watch Mu Zong's retreating back.
His eyes dimmed slightly, but then he smiled again, perhaps having thought of something.
His gaze fell on the stick figure drawing on the ground.
Soon, his scarlet eyes were filled with tears, and his green pupils were also enveloped.
