The Life of a Returned Genius Farmer

Chapter 5: The Trade – Part 1

The new beastfolk they encountered was a dog-like creature, clearly interested in the Sweet Radishes Lee Han and Seolmyeong had discovered.

“Of course, I’m not trying to take them for free! You found them first!”

Thankfully, the dog beastfolk wasn’t trying to take the radishes by force, even though they were outside the no-combat zone. Instead, he was proposing a trade.

Lee Han saw no reason to refuse. While the Sweet Radishes could be used for food, trading them for something else could open up new survival opportunities.

Remembering the profitable trade with Bargentus, Lee Han smiled. “We have plenty to spare, so a trade sounds good. What do you have to offer?”

The dog beastfolk grinned confidently. “Powder that helps plants grow.”

‘Fertilizer?’ Lee Han thought.

Having fertilizer here would be quite useful. The Sweet Radishes he had just found had seeds. If he could cultivate them, fertilizer would make farming much easier. Moreover, with his ability, he could maximize the fertilizer’s effectiveness, significantly boosting his harvest.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the Sweet Radishes would grow the same way they did on Earth, but trial and error was part of the process.

Lee Han nodded calmly. “We’ll harvest the Sweet Radishes. How much of that powder do you have?”

“Five sacks.”

“That’s a lot. Where did you get it?”

“We made it ourselves! It’s been well-received by other races. How about five sacks for five Sweet Radishes?”

“Other races? You mean humans?” The possibility of encountering other humans excited Lee Han. They might have valuable information or resources.

The dog beastfolk shook his head. “No! Other beastfolk! As far as I know, there are no humans in the Great Forest. I heard there used to be some a long time ago, but not anymore. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a human!”

“Then how did you know I’m human?”

“We have records passed down through generations in our village!”

So that was it. Lee Han’s hopes of finding other humans were dashed.

Perhaps sensing his disappointment, the dog beastfolk scratched his head apologetically. Lee Han sighed deeply, and Seolmyeong rubbed his head comfortingly with its tail.

“So, are you going to trade or not?!” the dog beastfolk asked impatiently.

“Ah, yes, of course,” Lee Han replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

The dog beastfolk snapped his fingers. “Oh, if you’re looking for humans, why don’t you ask the Great Forest merchants? Maybe there are other humans outside the forest!”

“Great Forest merchants?”

“There are merchants who occasionally travel in and out of the Great Forest, nya!” Seolmyeong added.

“That’s right! They sometimes sell things you can’t find in the forest, so they might be able to help you!”

“Oh! Where can I find them?”

“I don’t know!” the dog beastfolk admitted with a shrug.

Lee Han sighed at his nonchalance. But he wasn’t completely lost. He had someone who could provide more information.

“The Great Forest merchants will come to you if they hear there’s someone they can do business with, nya!” Seolmyeong piped up.

“Someone they can do business with?”

“They’ll come if they hear there’s someone who wants to buy or sell something, nya.”

“Do they buy crops?”

“The Great Forest has many unique crops, beasts, and monsters, nya! So if you gather a lot of them, they’ll probably show up!”

Crops, beasts, monsters… Lee Han pondered this, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

The dog beastfolk nudged him and pointed at the Sweet Radishes. “Are you going to trade the Sweet Radishes?! If you are, I’ll go get the fertilizer now!”

“Alright. I’ll harvest them and wait for you at my base. How about we trade there?”

“Your base? Ah! You mean that shabby tent by the river?”

“Oh, you’ve seen it?”

“Some of my friends said they saw it. So that was your base.”

‘When did they see it?’ Lee Han wondered. He was sure there had been no one around until yesterday.

The dog beastfolk seemed amused by his surprise, wagging his tail playfully.

“Beastfolk are good at masking their presence, so don’t feel too bad,” Seolmyeong reassured him. “But I’ve heard that humans are skilled with their hands!”

“Really? Well, let’s make the trade here then.”

“Alright! Oh, I haven’t properly introduced myself yet! I’m Jilpung!”

“I’m Lee Han. Nice to meet you.”

Lee Han shook Jilpung’s paw, which was wagging excitedly. After Jilpung left, Lee Han harvested the Sweet Radishes. He had collected twenty-five roots in total, a substantial amount for two.

“Let’s set aside five roots… and what should we make with the rest?”

Eating them raw was an option, but he wanted to try something more creative. Unfortunately, he lacked the necessary seasonings and tools.

Back at the base, he pondered his options. Just then, Jilpung came running back, carrying five large sacks and a leather pouch.

“I brought them! I also brought something else in case you needed it. Let’s see if we can trade!”

The five sacks of fertilizer were expected, but Lee Han was curious about the leather pouch’s contents. Jilpung opened it, revealing a fist-sized rock, a bundle of thread, a pouch of nails, and a human-sized hammer.

“What’s this?” Lee Han asked, picking up the rock.

“That’s Salt Stone, nya,” Seolmyeong replied.

Lee Han tapped the rock with his hammer, producing some powder, and tasted it. It was definitely salt.

This was a stroke of luck. Salt would greatly improve the flavor of his meals, whether it was fish or meat.

The other items in the pouch were animal bones of unknown origin, a ball of thread, and another pouch of nails.

“Where did you get these nails?” Lee Han asked.

“These? They’re spines from Iron Quills! You can get them by flipping their hides after hunting them!”

“Oh, I see.”

So the nails he had received from Bargentus were likely leftovers from hunting Iron Quills. Fascinated, Lee Han gathered all the items Jilpung had brought.

“Can I keep the pouch too?”

“Sure! We have plenty of leather pouches!”

“That’s great. Oh, and can I see that spear? It looks a bit crude. I can make you a better one.”

“Oh, thank you! But what will you make it with?!”

“Glass Stone. It’s sharper, so it’ll be more effective.”

Lee Han picked up the hammer he had received earlier and searched for a suitable piece of Glass Stone. He carefully shaped it into a sharp spearhead and attached it to the shaft.

[Well-made Sharp Glass Stone Spear]

[A spear made of finely cut Glass Stone. Its sharp point can easily pierce the enemy’s hide, unlike ordinary stone spears.]

[Durability increased due to the well-made effect.]

[Attack power increased due to the well-made effect.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ☆☆]

[Handcraft Skill Acquired.]

[Handcraft (Lv1)]

[Increases the quality of crafted items.]

“Whoa! This spear looks amazing! I’ll be the only one in my tribe with such a fine weapon!”

“I’ll make you an even better one next time we trade.”

“Really?! Haha! You’re a good human!”

Jilpung excitedly shook Lee Han’s hand, clearly eager to test his new spear. Lee Han waved goodbye, and Jilpung, true to his name, disappeared like the wind.

“What are you planning to do now, nya?” Seolmyeong asked.

Lee Han looked at the fertilizer and Sweet Radishes, remembering his conversation with Jilpung.

‘He said the Great Forest merchants would appear if there was someone worth trading with. So…’

He currently had no currency to buy anything. That meant he had to become a seller.

“Hehe,” he chuckled.

“Why are you laughing, nya?”

“It seems my old profession might come in handy. Shall we get started?”

Lee Han headed towards the forest near the river. The lush vegetation indicated fertile soil, ideal for germinating seeds.

He filled the leather pouch with soil and returned to his base. He carefully spread the soil out and placed the seeds on top.

“What are you doing, nya?”

“I’m germinating the seeds. They’ll grow better if I plant them as seedlings.”

“Nya?! Are you going to farm Sweet Radishes?!”

“Let’s just say I’m praying for a Sweet Radish jackpot.”

As Seolmyeong had mentioned, Sweet Radishes were sought after by other races. If he could successfully cultivate them and produce a large harvest, the Great Forest merchants would surely come looking for him.

Lee Han gazed at the prepared seeds, hoping his plan would succeed.

“What are you going to do, nya?”

“I’m not sure if this will work, but… Growth Acceleration.”

As he commanded, the seeds in the seedling tray began to wriggle. Tiny roots sprouted, green leaves emerged, and they gradually took the shape of small seedlings. Lee Han smiled in satisfaction.

“This is my Growth Acceleration ability,” he explained. “It’s a power that makes plants grow quickly… I gained it before coming here.”

“Is this the same one from before?!” Seolmyeong asked, eyes wide with wonder.

“Yes. I didn’t know it would work on seeds here, too.”

Well, his abilities from the tower had worked on Earth, so it wasn’t surprising that they functioned here as well.

“Anyway, it’s not a bad thing,” Lee Han said, carrying the seedlings towards the field. Seolmyeong followed, helping him plant them in the fertilized soil.

“Soil Enhancement.”

Light emanated from Lee Han’s hand and seeped into the earth. Even if the soil had lost much of its nutrients, his Soil Enhancement ability could quickly replenish them. With the added fertilizer, the Sweet Radishes were sure to flourish.

“Nya~! If we get a lot of Sweet Radishes, can we eat them for every meal?”

“We’ll get sick of them if we do that,” Lee Han chuckled. “Ah, right. We have some rock salt, so how about grilled fish with salt today? We can plant the seedlings tomorrow.”

“Nya! I agree!”

“Great. Now, I wonder what’s in the fish traps?”

“Lee Han! Are you there?”

Lee Han and Seolmyeong, happily returning from the field to check the fish traps, turned their heads at the shout from afar.

It was Bargentus.

He had just been there yesterday. Did he have something else to fix?

Bargentus ran towards him, panting, and shouted,

“Lee Han! We want to invite you to our village!”

“Invite? Suddenly?”

“Everyone in the village loves the things you fixed!”

“Is that all?”

“Haha. There are some things in the village that we’d like you to fix!”

So it wasn’t a purely social invitation after all.

But Lee Han wasn’t particularly disappointed. It had only been a day since he met Bargentus. It was still too early to be invited out of pure goodwill, he thought, and reached out to Seolmyeong.

“But we haven’t eaten yet.”

“Then let’s eat and go! I’ll eat separately here!” Bargentus plopped down nearby, unconcerned. He started munching on some grass he had plucked.

Thinking that his life seemed quite comfortable, Lee Han checked the fish traps with Seolmyeong. Fortunately, they found a Red Trout inside one of them.

“Salt-grilled fish, nya!”

“It’ll be even more delicious than yesterday’s.”