NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13 - The Harvest - Part 1
Chapter 13: The Harvest – Part 1
[Translation By Divinity]
“Wheat.”
A crop widely used not only as a staple food but also as an ingredient in various products like bread, noodles, alcohol, and snacks. Along with rice, it’s a crop favored by humans, and its high yield per area makes it cultivated in many places.
“Maybe that red-furred monkey beastfolk was right.”
“What do you mean?!”
“Even so, it’s a crop of discord for us! We don’t need it!”
The monkey beastfolk retorted harshly and left.
After they were gone, Lee Han looked at the wheat in his pouch and said to Jilpung,
“This is a crop called wheat. It’s a very useful crop.”
“Then you can plant it! We can trade fertilizer for it!”
Fertilizer would be helpful even if he used Soil Enhancement. Lee Han smiled faintly at Jilpung’s suggestion.
“Are you serious?”
“We can make fertilizer! It’s a method passed down through generations!”
Lee Han looked at Jilpung and then turned his gaze to the other dog beastfolk. They, too, seemed to be thinking of giving Lee Han some fertilizer to thank him for helping them resolve the issue easily.
“Let’s go back to the village first!!”
He had to report the resolution to the village.
Returning to the village and reporting to Hanwool, Lee Han gave a wry smile at his serious expression.
“The monkey beastfolk were negative about getting wheat, so it seems unlikely they’ll head north.”
“Hmm… wheat. I’ve heard stories about humans growing it a long time ago. Are you thinking of growing it?”
“Yes. I’ll give it a try. I need fertilizer to grow wheat. Can you help me with that?”
“I can give you some fertilizer… but can you make something called bread with that wheat?”
“Pardon? Yes, it’s not difficult.”
It was a shame that he didn’t have yeast, but it wasn’t impossible to make bread without it.
When Lee Han nodded, Hanwool smacked his lips.
“They say that when humans were around, we used to trade with them to get bread. I heard it was very delicious… I’m looking forward to it. Jilpung! Give this friend as much fertilizer as he needs!”
Lee Han headed to the warehouse with Jilpung, who responded. As they approached the warehouse, he slowly stopped. There were corpses of monsters scattered near the warehouse.
“Wh-what’s this?”
“Don’t worry! They’re all dead!”
“Why are those things near the fertilizer warehouse?”
“Because the blood and flesh of monsters are used to make fertilizer! Want to see?”
It seemed they were making fertilizer at the moment. He saw several dog beastfolk filtering the blood and flesh of monsters, grinding and mixing them with the magic stones from the monsters’ hearts, and then sprinkling ash and bone powder.
“We put that in wooden barrels, store it well, and then grind it to make fertilizer!”
“So that’s how you make it here…”
“How do you make it in other ways?!”
“Well… we also used animal manure, leftover soybean meal from making oil, and fish.”
“That’s amazing! Make some next time!”
“I haven’t made natural fertilizer many times, so I’m not sure if it’ll work well. But why do you make fertilizer? You don’t farm.”
“If we apply it to fruit-bearing trees or other crop habitats, they grow well. Also, it’s the teaching of our ancestors! We also make it to remember them!!”
If that was the case, what could he say? Lee Han nodded, and Jilpung, grinning, opened the warehouse door.
“There’s so much. Is all of this fertilizer?”
“We don’t use that much, so take as much as you need!!”
“Even if you say as much as I need… it won’t be easy to carry.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll bring it to you!!”
“Then I’ll gratefully accept it. Can I take about half of what’s in the warehouse for now?”
He would continue farming anyway, and fertilizer was essential for that. Also, wheat farming required a large field, so the amount of fertilizer needed would be considerable.
When he finished his calculation and spoke, Jilpung nodded lightly.
“I’ll bring it to you by tomorrow!!”
“Thank you. I’ll share plenty of Honey Sweet Potatoes, Vitality Cabbages, and Sweet Radishes with you when they’re ready.”
“Yay!”
“We can have a Honey Sweet Potato party?!”
“He’s giving us Sweet Radishes! You were a good human after all!”
Everyone seemed quite happy. As Lee Han nodded in satisfaction at their reaction, Seolmyeong on his shoulder spoke in a worried voice.
“Don’t you have to trade with Shredder too? Is it okay to give away this much, nya?”
“It’s okay. This much is no problem.”
“Think of it as an investment in the future.”
With the fertilizer from the dog beastfolk, his other crops would flourish too.
“I’m about to head out. Can you give me a ride back?”
“Sure!!”
Jilpung, who had been dancing joyfully, stopped. He lightly picked up Lee Han and shouted to the dog beastfolk making fertilizer.
“I’ll leave the fertilizer to you!”
“Leave it to us!!”
As soon as they finished their greetings, Jilpung ran off with Lee Han. True to his name, he ran like the wind and arrived at Lee Han’s base in an instant. He hummed a tune as he looked at the field Lee Han was cultivating.
“Honey~ Sweet Potatoes~!! Honey~ Sweet Potatoes~!!”
“Are you that happy?”
“There’s no beastfolk who doesn’t like Honey Sweet Potatoes!!”
It seemed he was really excited. Jilpung hummed as he gazed at the Honey Sweet Potato field for a while, and Lee Han, while checking the field, pointed to a suitable vine.
“Pull on that one.”
“This one?!”
He grabbed the vine Lee Han pointed to and pulled with all his might. At the same time, the ground shook, and honey-colored sweet potatoes started popping out of the ground.
[Blessed Honey Sweet Potato]
[A Honey Sweet Potato grown with the blessing of the Hand of Verdure. It is much sweeter and tastier than ordinary Honey Sweet Potatoes.]
[Restores Stamina upon consumption.]
[Restores Magic Power upon consumption.]
‘Huh? What’s this?’
Lee Han was puzzled by the message window that appeared when he harvested the Honey Sweet Potato. While he was focusing on the message window, Jilpung admired the Honey Sweet Potatoes.
“Whoa?! I’ve never seen Honey Sweet Potatoes this big!!”
They were the size of Lee Han’s fist. The color and shape were quite good. Maybe it was the effect of the Hand of Verdure.
‘Well, it can’t be bad.’
“Let’s have these for dinner today. What do you think?”
“I agree!”
“Me too, nya!”
They decided to grill half of the harvested Honey Sweet Potatoes and use the other half for another dish. Seolmyeong, watching Lee Han work as the Honey Sweet Potatoes were grilling nicely over the campfire, tilted its head.
“What are you doing, nya?”
“I’m trying to make something like Goguma Mattang (candied sweet potatoes).”
It seemed like he could use the sap from Sweet Radishes as a substitute for oligosaccharide. Lee Han grated some Sweet Radishes he had brought from the field, squeezed out the juice, and set it aside. Then, he soaked the cut sweet potatoes in water.
“This is to remove the starch.”
“That’s amazing, nya!”
“It’s nothing special.”
It was just ordinary cooking. Lee Han said nonchalantly and continued cooking. He poured oil into the iron cauldron and fried the sweet potatoes, then put water and Sweet Pumpkin juice on the iron plate and mixed them to make a sauce.
It tasted fine.
“Now, add the fried sweet potatoes…”
He put the fried sweet potatoes from the campfire onto the iron plate and started mixing them with the sauce.
As the translucent sauce mixed with the fried sweet potatoes and started to glisten, Jilpung’s eyes widened.
“They’re so shiny and pretty!!”
“They’ll taste good too. Let’s see…”
[Delicious Honey Sweet Potato Mattang]
[Mattang made with Honey Sweet Potatoes. Its sweet taste is exquisite.]
[Delicious effect: Increases Stamina for one day upon consumption.]
[Delicious effect: Increases Willpower for one day upon consumption.]
[Delicious effect: Increases Magic Power for one day upon consumption.]
[Restores a large amount of Stamina upon consumption.]
[Restores a large amount of Magic Power upon consumption.]
[Crafting Difficulty: ☆☆☆]
[Dexterity has increased.]
“Huh?”
A message window appeared above the finished Honey Sweet Potato Mattang.
‘Delicious’ Honey Sweet Potato Mattang.
He didn’t know how much it would increase his Stamina, Willpower, and Magic Power, but it couldn’t hurt.
“Wow! Can I eat it!?”
“Sure. Be careful, it’s hot.”
Jilpung immediately picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth. And then…
“Wow!!”
He starts shouting. Embarrassed by his reaction, Lee Han and Seolmyeong were flustered, while Jilpung’s eyes sparkled.
“It’s incredibly delicious!! My mana and stamina have recovered tremendously!”
“That’s good to hear.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever tasted such a delicious and amazing dish! What did you say this was called again?!”
“Honey sweet potato mattang. Isn’t it a bit sweet?”
“No! It’s just right! Crispy and sweet! It’s a taste that our dog beastmen will love! It seems to give me strength too!”
“You might gain weight if you eat too much.”
“It’s delicious nya! It’s really, really delicious nya! Lee Han! Can you make this again nya?!”
Fortunately, Seolmyeong also seemed to like it. Seeing both of them eating the mattang frantically, Lee Han took a bite himself.
The rich flavor of the honey sweet potato and the sweetness of the sweet radishes blended together in harmony. Lee Han couldn’t help but admire the taste, which was incomparable to any sweet potato mattang he had tasted before.
‘Is it because of Handcraft? Or is it because the ingredients are good…?’
Maybe it’s both. Lee Han looked at his hands and then at the iron plate.
Is it because they’re both eating so frantically? The quite large amount of sweet potato mattang he had made was gradually disappearing.
“Eat slowly. I’ll make more if you need it.”
“Really?!”
“I knew I was right to stick with you nya!”
Only then did they slow down their eating. After having a meal with them, Lee Han had to make honey sweet potato mattang one more time to satisfy them.
“I’m the only beastman who has tasted such delicious food!!”
“I’ve never eaten anything this delicious, even when I was with the Witch. This vacation is a really good one nya!”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Thinking he should treat other beastmen to it later, Lee Han got up from his seat. He had to do the dishes and prepare to make the fields.
“Ah. If you happen to find anything like this while hunting monsters, can you bring it to me?”
“What?”
“Iron or monster parts in this shape.”
What Lee Han drew was the shape of a plow blade. Although he had a plow made of stone, he needed tools to farm on a larger scale.
“If it’s something like this, it would be Herkios’ scales.”
“What’s Herkios?”
“A three-headed serpent. Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get it for you!”
“That’s reassuring.”
“But if you get it for me…”
The guy grinned and pointed at Lee Han’s iron plate.
“Can I ask for more mattang?!”