Black Truffle...
Perhaps he was too poor, but Leo's first thought upon seeing it was: This must be expensive, right?
But soon, his attention was drawn to the buff description.
[Although it grants no buffs on its own, it can significantly enhance the effects of any dish it is added to.]
What was this? A high-grade crafting material?
Leo recalled mechanics from his past life's games.
In those games, ingredients like this existed. Adding them to a dish could not only upgrade a Level 1 effect to Level 3 but also potentially turn a temporary buff into a permanent one.
With that in mind, the Black Truffle's value skyrocketed.
Good stuff!
Leo carefully dug out the entire Black Truffle.
Seeing his cautious movements, Cyclizar lay quietly beside him, barely daring to breathe. It wasn't until the palm-sized truffle was safely stowed in Leo's backpack that it looked up, confused. "Gaa-ow?"
"This is a treasure that's going to improve our quality of life!"
Leo grinned at Cyclizar. He weighed the truffle in his hand—it felt like it was around a kilogram.
As a layman, he didn't know the market price for Black Truffles, but judging by its size and quality, he knew it wouldn't be cheap.
Glancing at the sky and seeing it was getting late, Leo climbed onto Cyclizar and had it carry him back to the ranch.
At 5:00 PM, Leo had just returned to the ranch. He was about to pour himself a glass of water when he heard a horn honking outside.
Beep beep beep!
He walked out to see a box truck with a wave logo driving in.
A burly driver with a buzz cut and bulging arm muscles leaned out the window, speaking enthusiastically.
"You must be Leo, the new owner of this ranch, right? Mayor Thomas told me about you. I'm Zac from the Porto Marinada Market. I'm in charge of collecting goods from the nearby ranches. Looking forward to working with you!"
"Hello, Mr. Zac," Leo greeted politely.
Zac killed the engine and jumped down. He looked around, spotting the newly tilled farmland nearby, and grinned. "Looks like you've already started getting the hang of things! Do you have anything to sell today?"
Zac was just asking out of habit. He knew full well that a new rancher wouldn't have mature crops or wool and milk to sell yet.
Ranches took time to develop.
But the next second, he watched as the rookie rancher pulled a large, dark lump out of nowhere.
Experienced as he was, Zac recognized it instantly.
His eyes went wide. "A Black Truffle?! Whoa! A truffle of this size is incredibly rare. Where did you find it?!"
"In the back mountain," Leo replied. "Can I sell it?"
Zac nodded furiously. "Of course! These things sell for crazy prices! A normal quality Black Truffle goes for about 5,000 League Dollars per half-kilo. But the one in your hand... the quality and size are practically top-tier. It's the kind of thing you can't just find by looking. The market price is probably around 15,000 League Dollars per half-kilo."
Its unique flavor was highly sought after, especially by the wealthy elites.
They were the kind of people who didn't lack money.
15,000 per half-kilo?
Leo's heart skipped a beat. That meant the truffle in his hand was worth over 30,000 League Dollars?
The price was tempting.
Should I sell it?
Using such a rare ingredient in cooking would grant huge buffs to his Pokémon.
But...
If he sold it, he would have enough money to buy seeds, repair the ranch, and buy food.
Leo hesitated for a moment.
But he quickly made his decision.
He needed to look at the big picture. Even if the Black Truffle could boost cooking effects, turning it into cash would accelerate the ranch's development, allowing him to earn even more money.
Once the ranch was established, he could use that money to buy other top-tier ingredients with similar effects.
Thinking this, Leo stopped hesitating and chose to sell.
Seeing this, Zac took a scale from his truck to weigh it. He pointed at the display. "1.1 kilograms."
He pulled out a calculator and a small notebook, did some quick math, and finally said, "That comes to 33,000 League Dollars."
"Deal," Leo nodded.
"Then I'll take this Black Truffle off your hands!" Zac said, pulling a stack of cash from his wallet and handing it over.
Leo took the money, counted it carefully, and breathed a sigh of relief.
His first pot of gold as a rancher was secured! He finally didn't have to eat tasteless noodle soup anymore!
Zac had other ranches to visit, but before leaving, he looked around the ranch and offered some advice.
"Besides growing crops and raising Pokémon, there are plenty of other ways to make money. You haven't been to Porto Marinada yet, right? If you go, make sure to buy a fishing rod from the general store. While you wait for your crops to grow, you can fish to earn extra cash."
"Ah, but don't rush. The beginning is always tough. It gets much better in the summer. By then, besides regular crops, you can grow Hops to brew beer. Rustic, ranch-style beer is very popular in the big cities!"
Hops?
Hearing the familiar name, Leo raised an eyebrow.
But his mind didn't go to brewing for profit. Instead, he wondered if beer brewed by his hands would, like his cooking, have some strange, magical effects...
Keeping these thoughts to himself, Leo nodded to Zac. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you very much."
Zac laughed heartily. "Good luck!"
With that, he waved goodbye, hopped into his truck, and drove away.
Leo returned to the cabin and looked at the small fragment of Black Truffle left on the table—the piece he had accidentally broken off while digging it up.
"If Black Truffles are this expensive, I wonder if raising Lechonk would help me sniff out more truffles hidden underground..."
Leo pondered.
He decided to save this small piece. Once he could make the dish he wanted, he would add it to enhance the effect.
As for now...
Looking at the thick stack of League Dollars in his hand, Leo felt great.
It was time to head into town and buy some fresh ingredients!
Leo climbed onto Cyclizar. After pointing out the direction, Cyclizar began to run toward their destination.
Sitting on its back, watching the sky turn red with the sunset, Leo hummed a tune under his breath. "Riding on my beloved little motorcycle~"
"Gaa-ow?"
Cyclizar looked confused. Beloved little motorcycle? Is he talking about me?