Chapter 17: Future Planning

Luo Mu's eyes lit up; he had been waiting for exactly these words.

Compared to an amateur like himself burying his head in research, or relying on the experiences of bloggers from other regions with entirely different climates and environments, directly consulting a local professional was the most appropriate course of action.

Luo Mu spoke frankly: "To be honest, I'm unsure about the choice of crops for the farm's first batch, which is why I thought to visit Jones Farm to learn from your experience."

Peter blinked, suddenly realizing why Luo Mu, who should have been a fellow practitioner, had cast curious glances at the fields along the way; it turned out he was half an amateur.

Perhaps he was just a wealthy young master playing around; Peter didn't quite understand the mindset of the rich.

Still wearing a beaming smile, Peter patted his chest as if to say the matter was entirely up to him, stating, "You've asked the right person about this. When the bosses noticed that wasteland, they sent me to investigate it. So I know that the soil there is basically consistent with our Jones Farm; essentially, anything we can grow, you can grow too."

Peter led Luo Mu, Penny, and Grandma Ju Zi to an orchard where trees bearing Oran Berries and Pecha Berries—the most common and highest-demand fruits—were planted.

With a curious expression, and after obtaining Peter's permission, Penny led Grandma Ju Zi under the guidance of the farmer responsible for this area to experience the joy of harvesting berries.

Luo Mu stroked the slightly rough bark of the Oran and Pecha berry trees, then looked up; a lush, leafy Oran Berry tree bore approximately a hundred Oran Berries.

Luo Mu recalled that a normal-quality Oran Berry was worth about 20 League Coins, and even after testing, a top-quality Oran Berry would not exceed 100 League Coins.

He just didn't know the price of Oran Berry saplings, nor their growth and harvest cycles.

Luo Mu looked at Peter, voiced his doubts, and waited for an answer while the other man pondered.

Peter pondered for a moment; by rights, he shouldn't enlighten a competitor of the farm he worked for too much. According to the boss and his wife's intentions, he should only roughly inform the other party of some common-sense directions.

However, Luo Mu was likely a wealthy second-generation heir just playing around; his farm probably wouldn't impact Jones Farm's sales volume and didn't count as a competitor worth noting. Moreover, the information he was asking about could be found online with a little effort, so it was better to build a friendly connection.

Peter remained composed and smiled, saying, "Oran Berry trees and Pecha Berry trees are both 1,000 League Coins per sapling. The harvest cycle varies depending on the specific bred variety, but most fall between one and a half months to two and a half months."

"However, you need to note that most berry trees require two months for growth before they begin to bear fruit. In other words, if you choose to plant saplings, adding the sapling's growth cycle, you'll need to wait at least three and a half months."

"If you transplant mature fruit trees, you won't need to wait all that time; you'll see berries next month."

"Of course, this is because berries contain rich energy. For ordinary melons, fruits, and vegetables, there are no such restrictions; they basically mature within one or two months."

Peter finished speaking in one breath, then looked at Luo Mu to observe his expression.

They saw Luo Mu pull out a small notebook from somewhere; as Peter spoke, he seriously organized the key points and wrote them down.

It seemed he wasn't worried at all about capital turnover, only eager to learn.

Peter could only abandon his idea of earning a brokerage fee by introducing a batch of mature fruit trees to Luo Mu.

The tour of Jones Farm went smoothly; Luo Mu gained much trivial knowledge that is hard to acquire without practice, making him even more confident about establishing his own farm.

On the way back to the farm with Penny and Grandma Ju Zi, Luo Mu had already formulated his initial planting goals in his mind.

First were ordinary crops led by potatoes, tomatoes, and cabbage; before the berry trees matured, they would be one of the main sources of income.

Second were the berry trees; considering his limited experience, Luo Mu initially planned to plant only Oran and Pecha berry trees, which have high demand and aren't as picky about growing environments as other rare berry trees.

Later, Luo Mu also asked Peter how much a berry tree already grown to fruit-bearing age would cost, but Peter's quote of 3,000 League Coins made him shrink back.

He currently had only 231,145 League Coins in savings; how could he afford to burn that much money? Waiting a while wouldn't starve him to death, and soon he would receive his salary from Grandma Ju Zi Academy.

The grass seeds needed to cover the pasture area were no small sum, nor were the edible fingerlings needed for the lake area; as for Fish-type Pokémon, catching them himself would be cheaper than introducing them.

It was better to honestly plant berry saplings; taking steps too large could lead to disaster, so proceeding step by step was the safest approach.

Since potatoes could be grown in the Siberian environment, he would set a small goal first: successfully growing a single potato would be a victory!

Soon, Luo Mu, Penny, and Grandma Ju Zi returned to the farm entrance; since Jones Farm and the road to the Lighthouse Research Institute in South Area One were in opposite directions, Penny planned to take Grandma Ju Zi back to the Lighthouse Research Institute alone.

A smile radiating from his face, Penny jumped up and down while waving his hand: "Brother Luo Mu, I had a lot of fun today; thank you for treating me~"

Luo Mu stroked his smooth beige-brown hair and asked, "Won't you stay for dinner before leaving?"

"No need, Mom has prepared delicious food waiting for me~" Thinking of Arven's promise that morning when he left with the Tera Orb, an expectant look appeared on Penny's face.

It had been a long time since he last ate cuisine cooked personally by Arven.

Luo Mu didn't insist, merely suggesting, "Otherwise, shall I have Dragonite give you a ride? It flies very fast; you might even get back early to help Professor Arven, cooking together as mother and son."

Luo Mu felt that if he could let Penny influence Arven and the others through countless small details, he might be able to shift the ending of that potentially tragic story to some extent.

Compared to seeing a single mouse, he would rather see a family of mice.

Luo Mu's proposal tempted Penny greatly; he agreed without hesitation, sitting on the back of the Dragonite summoned by Luo Mu, clutching a Poké Ball in his hand which contained Grandma Ju Zi.

The Poké Ball was one Luo Mu dug out from his unused stock and gifted to Penny after hearing that Grandma Ju Zi was still in a wild state and hadn't been caught.

Once Penny indicated he was ready, Dragonite flapped its small wings, instantly soaring into the sky, and slowly vanished into the horizon.

Watching Dragonite's silhouette fade into the distance, Luo Mu stretched lazily and murmured, "While I'm at it, it's the perfect time to go to the market and buy some seeds."