Looking at the basket of strawberries in front of her, which were as tempting as rubies and exuded a fresh fragrance, Blanche accepted it without ceremony and popped one right into her mouth.
Stored in the system space, the strawberries were as fresh as if they had just been picked. Especially since these strawberries had been nourished by Dendro Elemental Power, their appearance and taste were top-tier!
Blanche took a bite, and the juice of the strawberry splattered in her mouth, the sweet and sour taste stimulating her palate.
"Delicious!!!"
Seeing Blanche's eyes light up as she ravenously devoured the strawberries, Arkz smiled proudly.
Strawberries grown on his Springvale Farm being so popular was only natural!
However, seeing Blanche eat with increasing fervor, even looking like she wouldn't stop until the entire basket was gone, Arkz quickly stepped forward to dissuade her:
"Blanche, big sister, you big glutton! If you eat all these strawberries at once, won't you burst your stomach?"
"No matter how delicious these strawberries are, you can't eat them all in one go!"
"Who are you calling big sister!" Blanche shot Arkz a look but heeded his advice and stopped her frantic eating.
She put the half-eaten strawberry in her hand into her mouth, took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth, and reluctantly put away the remaining half-basket of strawberries.
"Go on, what is it you need my help with?"
"You never come here without a reason."
Blanche elegantly folded her handkerchief, appearing like a lady. If Arkz hadn't witnessed her unrestrained behavior just moments ago, he might have been fooled by her beautiful and graceful movements.
"Hehe, look at the way you talk."
"If I have nothing else, can't I come visit the heartthrob of Mondstadt—the beautiful Miss Blanche?"
Blanche was amused by Arkz's words, and she immediately burst into a fit of giggles.
"Heartthrob, you certainly know how to speak sweetly."
"Of course! My greatest virtue, Arkz, is honesty! The people who want to pursue Miss Blanche could circle Mondstadt three times if added up!"
"Oh my, your mouth is truly like it's been smeared with honey, you really know how to please a girl."
"Then I thank you for your gift."
"Since the weather is so nice today, why don't we take the day off and have a drink at the Cats Tail Tavern."
"Well then, Mr. Arkz, pardon me, goodbye~"
Blanche smiled playfully at Arkz, making a gesture as if to put up the 'Closed for Business' sign on the counter.
"Alas!!!"
"Wait..."
Looking at the smiling Blanche, Arkz knew his little plan had been seen through long ago, so he stopped hiding it and decided to be direct.
"Don't!"
"I really do have something I need to ask you for help with."
Blanche put down the 'Closed for Business' sign, shed her usual languor, and listened attentively with a serious expression.
"The strawberry harvest at the farm has been bountiful recently. The quality of these strawberries is so good thanks to the strawberry seeds you helped find. I thought I shouldn't forget my great benefactor when good things happen."
"So, you want me to buy the strawberries?"
Blanche covered her mouth and chuckled, "I thought you were bringing milkshakes and strawberries, and making such a long pretense, all for this!"
"With the quality of your strawberries, wouldn't they be snatched up immediately in the Mondstadt market?"
"Besides, haven't you partnered with Sara?"
Arkz spread his hands and explained, "Although I cooperated with Sara, the problem is that the yield of strawberries this time is too high. The Good Hunter Restaurant completely cannot handle this many strawberries."
Blanche suddenly understood.
"I see. Although The Good Hunter's restaurant is large, the number of customers it can accommodate each day is limited."
"Once your production increases, it's true that Sara's single restaurant cannot digest it all."
Arkz said, "Exactly, that's the logic."
"And look at how popular my strawberries are in Mondstadt. If our two establishments cooperate, business will surely boom, right?"
"You could say I'm giving you a benefit here."
Thinking about how busy The Good Hunter had been these past few days, and recalling the delicious taste of the strawberries she just tried, Blanche immediately made up her mind and readily agreed to cooperate with Springvale Farm.
Thus, another delivery order was added for Siegfrieda and Amu.
The strawberry harvest at Springvale Farm this time made Arkz both happy and worried.
The bountiful harvest naturally made him very happy, especially sharing the joy of the harvest with friends.
But the sheer quantity of strawberries was also a source of anxiety.
For this first batch of harvested strawberries, Arkz was already worried sick about where to put so many of them.
Of the first batch harvested, only a small portion was eaten by Klee and the others along with the farm staff on the day of picking. The majority were given away by Arkz as gifts to people he was familiar with in Mondstadt City.
One portion went to his acquaintances in the Knights of Favonius, one portion to Ellin's side, one portion to the Knights of Favonius Church, and one portion to the neighbors in Springvale and the Patrol Team...
After giving away so much through various means, there were still many strawberries left over.
It wasn't until today, after delivering the goods to Sara, and then packing up the remainder for Blanche to sell, that Arkz finally cleared out all the strawberry inventory.
At night, Arkz sat at his desk, reviewing his farm development plan.
"There is still over a month before summer ends and the strawberry seedlings wither. During this period, the strawberry seedlings on the farm can be harvested once every four days!"
"However, this first harvest has already brought the current supply channels of Springvale Farm close to saturation. Developing new markets is already imperative!"
"It's a pity that there are too few available talents under me. Otherwise, forming a Market Development Department would be quite good."
As the farm developed, the disadvantage of insufficient manpower gradually began to show.
In the past, relying on the help of the wooden puppets and Arkz's clones, the work on the farm could proceed in an orderly manner. However, once the strawberries on the farm matured, this flaw could no longer be concealed.
Strawberries were harvested every four days. Just for the harvesting alone, with the current farm staff, even adding Arkz's clones, it would still take a full day.
Recruiting employees for the farm was already imperative.
"But where should I recruit employees from?"
Thinking about these giant babies in Mondstadt, Arkz shook his head.
To Arkz, Springvale Farm was like his home, so compared to strangers, he preferred to recruit people he knew well to become his employees.
Although it seemed that the only official employees at Springvale Farm currently were Amu and Siegfrieda.
"Forget it. Anyway, those strawberries won't spoil if stored in the system's warehouse."
"Recruiting employees still requires caution."
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