41. Harvest
“Hah. Hah.”
Han ran on the treadmill.
His breath was ragged from exhaustion, but he didn’t stop.
Even while running, he occasionally glanced towards the direction of the refrigerator.
Today, Iriana’s harvest consisted of only a few mana mushrooms.
Not a very satisfying result.
But there was no great disappointment.
From Noble mtl dot com
Harvesting was never guaranteed to be extraordinary.
Sometimes, depending on luck and circumstances, the harvest could be poor, while on the flip side, luck could also be exceptionally good.
Today was just one of those days.
And even Iriana could understand that fact.
Everyone knew it well.
Tap, tap.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, there was a touch on oneself.
Curious, when turning to the side, a oak tree by the window was staring at oneself.
While exercising, a pot was placed next to it.
For plants, photosynthesis is an essential part of the necessary process.
Brushing against one of its leaves, a leaf trembled.
However, it seemed overly delightful.
A few strands of leaves that hadn’t grown much simply fluttered down.
Momentarily taken aback, Han observed the tree’s reaction, which surprisingly seemed indifferent.
Regardless, it was a relief.
Han thought while gently petting the oak tree, which fervently gazed at him.
“Come to think of it, this fella, despite growing slightly more until now….”
Its height was barely 1 to 2 centimeters at most.
In reality, its growth was so minimal that it was almost non-existent for a tree.
At this rate, it might remain this small size in the future.
Nevertheless, the oak tree basking in the sunlight by the window seemed quite lively today.
Seemed like quite a positive response.
It seemed necessary to allow it to bask in the sun more frequently.
“From now on, that spot is your designated seat.”
Certainly, even for plants, sunlight was an essential element for photosynthesis.
In dim spaces, it was merely about breathing, but in bright places where light shone strongly, plants underwent photosynthesis and obtained the necessary energy for growth.
“Huh.”
Suddenly, a single error was noticed.
It was due to awakening a peculiar fact from past memories.
“Come to think of it, why did this fella grow from my hand?”
Thinking about it, it was an incredibly odd fact.
The growth of plants is entirely dependent on receiving sunlight.
Unless they were receiving help from Yggdrasil.
Could it be that the plant received something to continue photosynthesis from him?
“I’m definitely not Yggdrasil.”
Since Han had awakened, there was one ability he gained in reality.
Divine power.
“Could it be that there’s something in divine power that promotes plant growth?”
It’s an unknown matter.
***
One day, Han observed the daily life of a group of voracious mice and snails.
The routine of these creatures continued throughout the day.
Eating, eating, and eating again.
Before one knew it, evening approached.
As dusk settled in, they would gather in the middle of the forest, snugly nestled in their sleeping bags.
“…….”
In the midst of it all, doubts began to creep in little by little.
These little critters.
Could it be that they weren’t beneficial insects, but pests instead?
“System.”
Han inquired.
“Are these little ones really beneficial insects? It seems to me like they just eat whatever catches their eye.”
[…….]
The system remained silent in response to the inquiry.
Was it merely a misconception that it only answered when it was advantageous for itself?
Hmm. Somehow, this time, a strong feeling sent a signal that this wasn’t a misconception.
Thud!
At that moment.
With a powerful landing, Irina made her entrance, and the two siblings welcomed her return.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah.”
Sion and Yumina.
They were digging in the dirt, squatting down and engrossed in something.
Their hands and faces were covered in dirt, likely from digging vigorously.
Puzzled by their appearance, Irina inquired, “What were you doing?”
“Oh, we were planting the potatoes the Lord provided us! hehehe.”
Sion wiped his nose.
Due to digging in the dirt, his hands were covered in it, and dirt was smudged on his nose.
He turned to look behind.
In the distance, where the elf’s gaze reached, there was a group of critters leisurely nibbling on grass.
“It seemed like we could eat these fruits too. So, we decided to try planting them as a test. Expanding our edible options is always good, right?”
Irina chuckled at his words.
“Sion, you’re doing well.”
“We have to do anything for this place!”
Sion’s voice was resolute.
He was thinking of contributing for everyone’s sake.
Irina gently stroked his head as he pursued this noble idea.
Sion was right.
It was indeed necessary.
Now, the family had grown larger.
It wasn’t just about the elves anymore.
Now, even for the mice and in-laws, we had to prepare food.
Of course, there was the help of Han, who was their god, but it was natural for them to pour their strength into providing food for the mice and in-laws.
The amount they ate, growing up to be quite large, was not ordinary.
The mice and in-laws together could easily devour a whole bag a day.
It couldn’t be solved with just the grass around.
To fill their stomachs, they had to farm directly to produce a substantial amount.
“…Hm?”
But there was one unexpected fact.
This change could be noticed only when they were burying the potatoes in the ground.
“Eh….”
Irina and the two young elves blinked, looking bewildered.
The first thought that came to mind was ‘why?’
The potatoes that would have grown by now and yet this time, they were still buried in the ground, not having grown at all.
“The potatoes….”
“Aren’t growing?”
It was an unprecedented phenomenon.
Irina, the two siblings, everyone was equally puzzled.
It wasn’t just the elves who were puzzled by this fact.
Han, who was watching, was also the same.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
Han asked, puzzled.
Normally, it was time for them to have grown by now.
So far, the plants within the World Tree’s domain grew astonishingly fast as soon as they were planted.
Plants that inherited the vitality of the World Tree seemed to sprout as if they had been waiting, quickly growing long and thick stems.
The system answered his question.
[The crop ‘Fist Potato’ is not originally from this world.]
“Not from the same world?”
[Correct. While the World Tree exerts exceptional power over the growth of all plants in the world, this potato is not a native plant of the Frey planet. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to grow something that did not exist in one’s own world, even for the World Tree.]
“Ah….”
So, that was the reason.
“Then how long does it take to grow?”
[It will take at least a month.]
“What, a whole month?”
[This is possible due to the significant influence of the World Tree on the growth rate of the potato. Normally, potatoes take a long time, around 90 to 100 days to grow.]
In that case, it was indeed a shortened period.
But it was still a woefully short time.
A month.
In the end, even if they spent such a long time growing it, it would only amount to a day’s worth of food for the mice and in-laws.
In that case, it seemed more efficient to buy it with points.
The system continued.
[Of course, this is assuming the current situation only.]
“So what? Are you saying the cycles could speed up even more?”
[Yes. If there is ample sunlight, water spraying, and optimal care, these cycles can be accelerated even faster. Everything will be finished within 5 or 6 days until the harvest.]
5 or 6 days…
Such a significant difference.
Indeed, it was an extreme contrast.
Well, it was only natural.
Photosynthesis was an essential element for plants.
Just like the acorn tree by the window that preferred its place by the window.
But there was no sunlight shining in here.
Naturally.
The rough snowflakes blowing in all year round obscured the sunlight in the sky.
Although there was a warm atmosphere inside, it was derived not from the sun but from the World Tree.
It was akin to the warm air circulating through a greenhouse via internal heaters to maintain the temperature.
In reality, there were no elements here for photosynthesis.
The growing plants relied solely on the energy of the World Tree.
So, it wasn’t that strange for the growth of the potatoes to be delayed.
Han’s gaze turned towards the fountain.
“Even if we rely on the water from that fountain… it seems like there’s no way to get sunlight.”
A deep concern filled his eyes.
Eventually, it seemed like he had to give up.
At that moment, the system’s advice followed.
[Oddly enough, some advice is possible.]
“Advice?”
Han raised his head at the unexpected statement.
[Currently, you have products for the photosynthesis of organisms.]
“I have such products?”
[Yes. However, these products are located quite low in the shop, which is why you haven’t discovered them yet.]
At those words, Han began to look around at the products.
The contents of the products seemed endless.
Before completing the previous tutorial, there were only a few products, but they kept increasing.
Of course, Han had shown some determination to look through them before.
However, he soon gave up.
The reason was simple.
There were just too many products.
Starting from pencils, pens, to needles and sharpeners.
There were even miscellaneous items whose purpose was unclear, all being commercialized and sold one by one, naturally leading to an endless array of products.
Certainly, among them were useful items like fountains or bars, but such items were only available after a thousand items or more.
However, not all items beyond a thousand were useful.
Most of them were still crude.
Useful facilities were extremely rare.
[This item can be found beyond the two thousandth.]
Following the system’s guidance, I scrolled down the list.
As I descended, more advanced facilities appeared with increasing prices.
At the thousandth, there were facilities worth 1,000pt, while at the two thousandth, facilities and items worth 2,000pt were revealed.
There were things that couldn’t be overlooked scattered all around.
From Noble mtl dot com
Especially generators and 3090 graphic cards, they were the kind of things that would make you want to buy one immediately.
At that moment.
Han’s gaze stopped at one place.
“This is….”
Intermediate Shop
▷Little Sun: 2,000pt
Literally a small sun. It raises a small sun high in the sky. It exerts the power possessed by the planet.
However, this only works during morning and day; it automatically goes out at night.
(Current points: 2,400pt)
I knew right away upon seeing it.
Without a doubt, this was what the system mentioned.