Earth Dungeon 40.1

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Chapter 40.1. Land Development

People diligently worked on cultivating the newly opened land. Even though the land had become fertile through some mysterious power, it had many scattered stones due to being left unattended. Under the scorching sun, the children worked hard, diligently picking up stones from the developed land.

The adults used hoes to create ridges, ensuring good drainage and transforming the land into fields. Everyone was drenched in sweat and exhausted, but they finally finished preparing a decent field, taking breaks along the way.

The phrase "human wave tactics" is truly remarkable.

Around 50 people wiped their muddy faces with towels, drank water thirstily, and wore expressions of awe as they stood before the newly created fields they had built.

"What should we plant here?"

"What would be good for this season?"

"We've never done farming before."

Almost everyone was inexperienced in agriculture. Their ability to handle horses was also a skill created by the horses' circumstances, allowing them to understand human language and obediently follow instructions. They used horse-drawn plows similar to machines for tilling and hoes for creating ridges. They could do physical tasks such as picking up stones and removing tree stumps, but they hesitated about the most challenging part: growing vegetables, which required expertise.

Previously, they had hidden in the abandoned town, where the only available jobs outside the town were dangerous, tough, low-paying, and deadly. Even scavenging for leftovers led to territorial disputes, making it nearly impossible to accomplish anything. These people are accustomed to a harsh environment, unrelated to agriculture.

They had put so much effort into cultivating the fields. They hoped that the crops they planted would grow well. It was only natural for everyone to wish for that, so they had been thinking of seeking advice from experienced farmers.

"Well, then, should we just plant something randomly? Hey, is this okay?"

A man with a relaxed tone approached them, his forehead covered in sweat. He had sharp eyes resembling a knife and exuded an aura of intimidation. He was of average build and wore a baseball cap to shield himself from the midsummer sun. 

He was dressed simply in a shirt and jeans. However, his hair was clean without dandruff or greasiness, and his clothes were stained with fresh soil from work but were still tidy. His shoes were not worn out, but they looked almost brand new.

He was the visionary who established a market in the abandoned town, the president of Amatsugahara Corporation, Amano Sakimori.

"President!"

"Boss!"

"Captain!"

Everyone stood up, bowing their heads and hurriedly greeting, but their titles were all over the place, causing Sakimori to furrow his brow.

"Um, please call me 'President' and unify the titles. No 'Boss' or 'Captain.' And what's with 'Captain' anyway? We're not a baseball team."

Walking with him was an old man in a work kimono named Shingen and his son Katsuyori. Katsuyori, a large man, carried a sack, though it didn't seem too heavy.

"These are the crops we'll be planting this time. Sweet corn seeds. Here, Ooki-kun, show them."

"Yes, sir! These are the seeds for planting 'sweet corn'—one bag. I exchanged them for 50 E-rank cores."

Setting the sack down with a thud, Ooki-kun took out the seeds with his hands, and everyone gathered around, marveling at them.

While everyone was admiring the seeds, Sakimori crossed his arms and decided to explain.

"These are the new products from that shady Core Store. Sweet corn, isn't it great? I'm sure it'll grow as easily as potatoes, right?"

We should be able to harvest them in about 20 days. Then, we can repeat the process 3 more times at 7-day intervals for additional harvests. I don't want to think too much about the growth rate.

-One bag of sweet corn seeds (50 seeds): 50 E-rank cores-

To expand the chain stores, we used 30,000 E-rank cores. I covered the costs with cores obtained from dungeon conquests and various locations where I tried them. As the Core Store spread throughout Japan, everyone wanted to try inserting E-rank cores. It's a case of small amounts adding up to a large sum.

I added the profit, so the selling price is 50 E-rank cores. Each bag contains 50 seeds. The maintenance cost is 10 cores, and my profit is 10 cores.

Each bag contains 50 seeds. I wonder how they'll grow.

[If we have a lot of corn, let's play hide-and-seek in that field. As a city girl, I can move fast while squatting. I'll fix three or four generators right away.]

[The problem is how many ears of corn we can harvest from a single seed...]

Ignoring the girl who was squatting and pretending to fix something, Amano pondered. It would be disappointing if one seed only produced one ear. How are corn seeds even made? Are those yellow fruits the seeds?

After pretending to stroke the head of the teary-eyed Shizuku, who pleaded not to ignore her, Sakimori took hold of the seeds and stared at them intently.

"Even with a fairly sloppy way of growing them, potatoes grew just fine, so I think corn will work out well too. What do you think, Shingen?"

"Hold on a moment. There's a book here that explains how to grow corn. It says something about thinning the plants and pruning everything except the top ears."

Shingen had an old, worn-out book that he obtained from a bookstore. It seemed to be a guidebook on growing corn. He flipped through the pages and furrowed his brow.

Thinning out? Pruning? What were those?

"Ah, those who have experience growing corn, please raise your hands."

As he looked at the people shaking their heads in unison, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Thinning out?"

"Pruning?"

"There's also planting spacing to consider."

"............"

I exchanged glances with Shingen and fell into silence. The chirping of birds flying by sounded unusually loud.

That seems impossible. There's probably a high chance of failure. Farming is difficult. I'm sure there's also choosing the right fertilizer and considering the climate and planting timing.

Very well. Let's decide it as the president.

"It's the mysterious new power of the Core Store. Let's plant them casually."

I believe in the power of our skills. After all, even potatoes grew normally despite the constant rain during the rainy season.