Chapter 16: Visiting Jones Farm

Luo Mu remembered that after the Tera Orb completed one Terastallization, all the Tera energy stored within it would be exhausted, preventing the Trainer from using Terastallization a second time.

As for replenishing the Tera energy, there were two options.

The first method was to go to the Pokémon Centers in various towns and use the Tera Energy Recharging Device, a supporting facility invented by Professors Sada and Turo, to recharge.

However, because the Tera Orb had not yet been fully mass-produced, Tera Energy Recharging Devices were only distributed in a few large cities within the Paldea region, and Cortondo Town was not included.

The second method was to seek out the rare Tera Shards scattered across the vast land of the Paldea region; when the Tera Orb came into contact with a Tera Shard, Tera energy would automatically replenish the orb.

This method was far more realistic, but unfortunately, Luo Mu had yet to encounter any Tera Shards near the farm, so he could only wait a while before recharging.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu sighed and had to abandon the idea of determining the Tera Types of his other Pokémon besides Swampert.

Luxray and Serperior were definitely Electric Tera Type and Grass Tera Type respectively; the only ones in suspense were Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, Mimikyu, and Dragonite.

Pecharut tugged at Luo Mu and asked curiously, "Can we plant crops and harvest ingredients just like this?"

Luo Mu pondered for a moment and said, "How should I put it? Generally, as long as the land is cleared and the plants being grown aren't those that require specific seasons or soil conditions to cultivate, then yes."

"As for this aspect, I'm also only half-knowledgeable; I haven't decided what plants to grow for the first time yet."

Pecharut looked speechless; even though he was just a ten-year-old child, he could see how unreliable Luo Mu was—he seemed to completely lack professional knowledge related to farming, essentially counting as a layman.

"Brother Luo Mu, you..."

Pecharut held back for a long time but couldn't figure out what to say.

Luo Mu smiled, heavily patted Pecharut's shoulder twice, knocking him off balance, and said mysteriously, "I know what you want to say; in fact, I'm very clear about the fact that I'm a layman, so why don't we just go consult a professional?"

Pecharut rubbed his slightly sore shoulder and tilted his head.

Jones Farm was one of the largest sources of crop supply in Cortondo Town; various crops produced here would be distributed to the dining tables of the town's people and even transported to large cities in the Paldea region for sale.

With such a vast sales channel, it was naturally a major taxpayer within Cortondo Town and received preferential treatment from the town's administrators in various aspects.

Jones Farm was located somewhat far to the west of the land Luo Mu had purchased, also situated in the suburbs of Cortondo Town, bordering some wild lands.

However, whether in terms of facilities and environment or personnel professionalism, it was something Luo Mu's empty farm could only dream of reaching.

At the guard booth outside the farm, it was shortly after noon; looking through the glass, an old man was lying leisurely on a recliner, sound asleep.

Luo Mu glanced at the ordinary watch on his wrist, which he had bought for a few hundred yuan, confirmed that the time had passed 2:00 PM, the end of the lunch break, and lightly tapped the glass with his finger, saying, "Old sir, visitor registration."

The old man had a straw hat covering his face, seemingly to block the afternoon sunlight; only after Luo Mu knocked three more times did he slowly wake up, looking at the visitors with sleepy eyes.

A young man and a child... and a dog?

This strange combination left the old man somewhat baffled, but he still dutifully stood up, yawned, took out a registration form, and asked, "Name?"

Luo Mu smiled and said, "Luo Mu; I made a reservation for a visit earlier, please take a look."

Hearing this, the old man lifted his head, sized Luo Mu up, while his aged fingers kept busy rustling through the papers; putting on his reading glasses to check, he laughed happily, "Hey, it really is you; the appointment was for two o'clock this afternoon. It seems this old man overslept."

"Let me apologize to you."

"It's fine." Luo Mu shook his head, indicating he didn't mind the matter, then reminded, "As agreed beforehand, could you please help us contact a guide?"

"No problem, no problem." The old man breathed a sigh of relief, replied repeatedly, and immediately picked up the landline to contact someone inside. Suddenly, his finger paused while dialing the number; he looked at Pecharut and Ao Ao Jiaofu and asked hesitantly, "They are...?"

Luo Mu glanced at Pecharut and Ao Ao Jiaofu, then explained with an unchanged expression, "A child from a relative's family and a Pokémon; they happened to have matters requiring me to look after them, could you make an exception?"

The old man hesitated for a moment but finally made the call.

After the call connected, someone arrived very quickly.

The newcomer was in his early twenties, sporting a buzz cut, with bright, spirited eyes that gave him an inexplicable sense of clarity.

He seemed to have just come down from the fields, as fresh, wet mud still clung to his trouser legs; a large straw hat was strapped to his back, making him look slightly like an enlarged version of the Bug Catchers Luo Mu had once seen in games.

The young man flashed a broad smile, took over Luo Mu and his group from the guard old man, and led them through the gate of Jones Farm.

Jones Farm specialized in cultivation, producing various seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables according to the season; the farm's area was not large, approximately only half the size of the land Luo Mu had purchased.

However, since Luo Mu had also divided his land into zones, the actual farming area was considerably smaller than Jones Farm.

Along the way, the young man gave a brief self-introduction; his name was Peter, the person in charge of fruits and vegetables at Jones Farm, and he participated in most matters related to cultivation, making him what one would call a professional.

Peter said that upon hearing that a peer had come to learn from them, Mr. and Mrs. Jones felt honored but also somewhat regretful, as they were currently negotiating business at the market in Zapapico Town and couldn't spare the time to return to host them.

In the end, this task had fallen on his shoulders.

"Hearing the bosses say recently that someone had taken over that wasteland nearby which had been abandoned for so long, I didn't expect it to be you, young brother?" Peter showed a look of gratitude, gripped Luo Mu's hand, and said, "The bosses had also been watching that wasteland for a long time, hesitating whether to take it, but never expected you to snatch it right from under their noses, haha!"

Luo Mu felt slightly awkward; he remembered that when he went to see the mayor, the latter had indeed mentioned that besides him, many others were waiting on the sidelines due to the price. He himself had traveled for a year, saved up quite a bit of money, and directly chose to buy it outright with ample funds.

He hadn't expected Mr. and Mrs. Jones to be among them.

"Strike first to gain the advantage, don't mind it!" Peter gripped Luo Mu's hand slightly tighter and spoke frankly, "On a personal level, I should thank you; it's a good thing you took over that wasteland, otherwise my workload would have at least doubled!"

"So, whatever you want to know, just ask me!"