Black Truffle...
Maybe it's the lack of money that made Naoki's first thought upon seeing it: This must be expensive, right?
But soon, he noticed the enhancement effects mentioned after.
[Although it has no inherent enhancement effects, it can greatly boost the effects of cooking.]
What is this? A high-grade synthesizing material?
Regarding this, Naoki could vaguely judge based on the settings of a game from his past life.
That game also featured ingredients of this type.
Adding it to a dish could upgrade an lv1 effect to lv3, and even turn a temporary buff into a permanent one.
With this, the value of the Black Truffle had increased another level.
A good thing indeed!
Naoki cautiously dug out the entire black truffle whole.
Seeing his actions, Cyclizar lay down beside him, holding its breath, until the palm-sized truffle was packed into Naoki's backpack, then it raised its head and curiously asked, "Gao?"
"This is something that can improve our quality of life!"
Naoki smiled at Cyclizar, weighing the truffle in his hand, estimating it to be about a kilogram.
As an outsider, he didn't know the price of a black truffle, but based on its shape and size, he could sense its price wouldn't be low.
He looked up at the sky, noticing it was getting late, so Naoki mounted Cyclizar, urging it to head towards the ranch.
At five in the afternoon, just as Naoki returned to the ranch and was about to pour himself a glass of water, he heard a honking sound outside.
"Beep beep beep!"
He stepped outside, spotting a van with a wave logo driving in from outside.
A brawny driver with muscular arms and a buzz cut stuck his head out the window and warmly said:
"You must be the new owner of this ranch, Naoki, right? Mayor Thomas told me about you. I'm Zack from Porto Marinada Market, responsible for collecting goods from nearby ranches. Please take good care of me in the future!"
"Hello, Mr. Zack." Naoki greeted politely.
Zack turned off the engine, jumped out, and glanced around, seeing the farmland not far away that had been cleared. He grinned and said: "Looks like you've already gotten the hang of working on the ranch! Do you have anything to sell?"
Zack only asked casually, well aware that a new rancher wouldn't have mature crops or wool and milk to sell.
After all, the development of a ranch takes time.
But in the next moment, he saw the new rancher take out a large, black object from who knows where.
The well-informed Zack recognized the name of that item at a glance.
He widened his eyes in astonishment, "Black Truffle? Wow! Truffles of this size are extremely rare, where did you find it?!"
"The back mountain," Naoki replied, "Can it be sold?"
Zack nodded quickly, "Of course, this thing sells for an outrageous price! Normal quality black truffles go for about five thousand league coins per pound, but the quality and size of the one you have is practically top-notch, the kind you rarely come across on the market. The price is about fifteen thousand league coins per pound."
Its unique flavor is sought after by many, especially the high society families and nobles.
They certainly have no shortage of money.
Fifteen thousand per pound?
Naoki's heart stirred, meaning the black truffle in his hand was worth a total of thirty thousand league coins?
At this price, Naoki couldn't help but feel tempted.
Should he sell it?
Such a rare ingredient could greatly enhance cooking for Pokemon.
But...
If he sold it, he would have enough money to buy seeds, renovate the ranch, and prepare food.
In an instant, Naoki fell into hesitation.
But soon, he made a decision.
In the long term, although black truffles enhance the effects of cooking, turning it into cash could speed up the ranch's development, bringing in more money.
Once the ranch develops, he could use the money to buy other top-tier ingredients with similar effects.
Thinking about this, Naoki no longer hesitated and decisively chose to sell.
Seeing this, Zack took out a scale from the vehicle to measure it, then pointed at the marked data and said to him, "One kilogram plus one hundred grams."
He then used a calculator and notebook for a brief calculation, eventually saying, "A total of thirty-three thousand league coins."
"Okay," Naoki nodded.
"Then I'll take this black truffle with me!" Zack said, while taking out a wad of cash from his wallet and handing it over.
Naoki reached out to take it, counting it carefully, and then heaved a small sigh of relief in his heart.
The first sum of money as a rancher was in hand! He no longer needed to eat bland hot noodle soup!
Zack still had other goods to collect from other ranches. Before leaving, he looked around the whole ranch and suggested:
"Besides planting crops and raising Pokemon, there are many ways to make money. You haven't been to Porto Marinada Town yet, have you? Be sure to buy a fishing rod at the grocery store when you go there. During the crop growth period, you can earn money through fishing."
"Ah, but there's no rush. It's tough in the beginning, but it gets much better in the summer. Besides planting ordinary crops, you can also grow hops for brewing beer, which has a rural flavor that's very popular in the big cities!"
Hops?
Hearing this familiar name, Naoki raised an eyebrow.
However, what he thought of wasn't brewing beer, but that the beer brewed by him might end up having some odd effects, just like his cooking...
Thinking this, Naoki nodded, saying to Zack, "I'll keep it in mind, thank you very much."
Zack laughed heartily, "Good luck!"
With that, he bid farewell to Naoki, driving the large van away.
Naoki returned to the wooden house, looking at the small piece of black truffle left on the table — it was accidentally broken during the excavation.
"With truffle prices so high, I wonder if raising Oinkologne could help root out truffles hidden underground..."
Naoki pondered a little.
He planned to keep that small piece of black truffle, waiting until he made the dish he wanted, then add the black truffle to enhance the cooking's effect.
As for now...
Looking at the thick stack of league coins in his hand, Naoki felt cheerful.
It's time to head to the town, buy new ingredients, and cook up a meal!
Naoki mounted Cyclizar, and after giving the direction, Cyclizar ran towards the destination.
Naoki sat on it, looking at the sunset-painted sky, softly humming: "Riding my beloved little motorcycle~"
"Gao?"
Cyclizar looked puzzled, is the beloved little motorcycle referring to it?
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