After gaining Luo Mu's consent, the burly man took a strawberry from the strawberry basket, sniffed it at the tip of his nose, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "Such a fresh fruity scent. Just by smelling it, I can imagine its sweet and sour taste."
"And it clearly hasn't been treated with any messy pesticides."
The burly man then handed the strawberry to Primeape. Primeape also sniffed it carefully in front of its nose. After a moment, its perpetually angry furry face suddenly showed a hint of intoxication.
Seeing Primeape like this, the burly man looked surprised. He looked at Luo Mu and smiled, "Primeape's nose is very sensitive. Even it is showing an intoxicated expression because of this fruity scent. I'm curious how you managed to grow such a successful crop on your first try."
"It's all thanks to the Pokemon's blessings."
Luo Mu replied with a smile. He didn't think these things needed to be hidden. In fact, the future farm's produce could even use this as a selling point.
"I see." The burly man was not surprised by this answer. Only the power of Pokemon could have such a magical effect. The quality and appearance of these strawberries were excellent; it was clear they had been cared for by Pokemon.
Unfortunately, many farms cannot guarantee that all their produce is cared for by Pokemon due to limited Pokemon energy and strength, among other reasons.
This is also why Arowana Farm's produce has received widespread praise globally, which is inseparable from the Gym Leader who runs the farm.
The burly man then checked the crops in the other baskets one by one. After concluding that the quantity was not large but the quality was excellent, his expression became even more enthusiastic.
He reached out and briefly shook Luo Mu's hand, introducing himself: "My name is Sean. As you can see, I'm a middleman who specializes in buying goods from farms and reselling them. That being said, I believe the purchase price I set is not much different from what you would get if you sold them yourself at the market. If you think it's okay, I'd like to purchase this batch of your crops."
"Hello, Mr. Sean." Luo Mu nodded slightly after withdrawing his right hand, indicating his agreement with Sean's intention.
He had contacted Sean through Peter precisely to sell this batch of crops.
"I like straightforward farmers like you." Sean's lips curved upwards. He immediately took out professional weighing tools from his van and, with Primeape's cooperation, began weighing the produce.
Since they were all small batches of crops and the man and Pokemon worked efficiently together, Sean quickly gave Luo Mu his quote.
"Cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes, and cucumbers, with a small but good quality amount of strawberries... A total of six thousand three hundred and fifty-one alliance currency."
"Not bad." Luo Mu's eyes lit up slightly. Buying seeds only cost 600 alliance currency, and even adding the cost of fertilizer and time, the first harvest brought such a considerable profit.
Not to mention that some crops can continue to flower and bear fruit after a period of cultivation. Although it seemed like he had only harvested a little over six thousand alliance currency after working busily for most of a month, Luo Mu knew very well that the cumulative profit from a steady stream would be the most substantial.
Sean smiled and said, "After all, the price I'm offering you is higher than for ordinary crops produced by other farms. Such high-quality crops are very popular with wealthy people."
Sean took a stack of cash from his satchel, counted it several times, and then handed it to Luo Mu.
Receiving the first real money he had earned since opening the farm, Luo Mu carefully counted it, and a simple smile spread across his face.
Putting the small stack of banknotes into his pocket, Luo Mu asked, "Mr. Sean, do you also buy items other than agricultural products?"
"Oh? Tell me more!" Sean's eyes lit up. Did Luo Mu have anything good on hand?
Luo Mu brought a small box from under a nearby fence. Inside the box lay several quiet, soft, and beautiful-looking cotton fluffs.
"This is...!" Sean's eyes widened, and his mouth slightly opened, as if he was shocked by the item in front of him.
Luo Mu smiled and said, "These are the cotton fluffs shed by our farm's Eldegoss. I heard they're very popular, and since we don't have any use for them, we thought of selling them for money."
Sean took a deep breath, rubbed his suddenly throbbing temples, and leaned his head back for a long time, then said with regret, "I didn't expect you to have such valuable items here. Unfortunately, I don't have the courage to acquire them."
Luo Mu was a little confused: "Huh?"
Sean gave a wry smile and said, "Even in the Galar region, the number of Eldegoss is not too many. Only Arowana Farm and a few other top farms have large Eldegoss populations that can consistently produce cotton fluffs."
"The cotton fluffs produced by Eldegoss are very exquisite and beautiful, whether made into thread or woven into fabric with other materials. I never expected to see them in the Paldea region."
"Based on my estimate, the cotton fluffs you have here weigh only about fifty to one hundred grams. One jin of it is worth a full six thousand alliance currency. Instead of selling it to me, I recommend you accumulate a certain amount and then take it to the market in Ziqin Town to sell."
Sean knew very well that if he acquired these cotton fluffs, he would definitely make some money from subsequent sales.
However, his work area was only in Pingdie Town. This small town didn't need such high-grade raw materials, and he couldn't abandon his work, spend time and effort to go to Ziqin Town to sell such a small amount of cotton fluff.
The effort would not be proportional to the gain.
Sean's words made Luo Mu ponder. He hadn't expected the cotton fluffs shed by Eldegoss to be so valuable.
These cotton fluffs were shed today after the Gossifleur evolved into Eldegoss. More often, these cotton fluffs were used by Eldegoss as a medium to share nutrients with crops.
In other words, he had been burning money to farm all this time!
Suddenly, the six thousand-plus alliance currency he had just received didn't feel so appealing anymore.
Luo Mu thought this to himself, but his face did not show any signs of wandering in thought. He nodded, expressing his gratitude for Sean's suggestion.
Since Sean was unwilling to acquire these cotton fluffs, he would wait until he had accumulated more, and then take them all to the market in Ziqin Town to sell.
He seemed to remember that the market there sold items by auction, didn't he?
With money exchanged for goods, Sean and Primeape transferred the five baskets of crops into the baskets on his truck.
"Next time you have crops to harvest, just contact me by phone!"
Sean greeted Luo Mu, left his phone number, and then had Primeape drive the van away from the farm.
Luo Mu touched the newly added banknotes in his pants pocket, thought of the thriving pasture in the ranch area, and murmured, "It's about time to make plans for the ranch area."