Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 73

Day 245 of being stranded.

While Sejun was harvesting cherry tomatoes, the familiar notification appeared.

[The Seed Shop is now open.]

[Park Sejun’s rank is Common.]

[Four types of seeds available for purchase today are shown randomly.]

[At the current rank, you can purchase as many seeds as you want within 5 Top Coins.]

The Seed Shop opened, displaying the seeds available for purchase.

[50 Black Bean Seeds – 5 Top Coins]

[100 Radish Seeds – 1 Top Coin]

[25 Butternut Squash Seeds – 5 Top Coins]

[500 Onion Seeds – 5 Top Coins]

“Huh?!”

Sejun noticed the prices had significantly increased since his last visit.

Before, 100 radish seeds cost only 0.1 Top Coins, but now the price had increased tenfold to 1 Top Coin.

“Is this also because food prices are rising?” Sejun wondered.

The wolves, frequent visitors to the 67th floor of the Tower, often brought news. One recent piece of news was that food prices were rising alarmingly due to the Red Locusts.

At first, it didn’t make sense. How could locusts cause an abundance of food and rising prices at the same time?

But thinking about it, he understood. Even if plants started growing now, it would take months to harvest them.

Currently, the 67th floor was almost a wasteland, meaning one entire floor of the Tower had stopped food production.

Other floors, remembering the great famine of 100 years ago, were hoarding food. Grid, the largest landowner on the 55th floor and owner of the Tower’s largest granary, wasn’t releasing food either. This caused food prices to skyrocket.

Sejun remembered the wolves wagging their tails and looking at him with respect. A small smile touched his lips. Maybe he was doing okay here, after all.

“But what should I buy?”

Sejun pondered, looking at the seeds. The prices were tricky. Buying two types would definitely cost more than 5 Top Coins, so he could only choose one.

“Hmm…”

After much thought, Sejun decided on onions. Onions could remove the fishy smell and add sweetness, making them suitable for most dishes.

The rabbits were getting tired of his cooking due to the limited ingredients. He hoped onions would restore his culinary pride.

Sejun chuckled to himself. “Heh heh heh. The rabbits think they’re tired of my cooking? Onions will fix that. They’ll see what real flavor is!”

Sejun, with a villainous grin, bought the onions.

[You have purchased 500 onion seeds.]

[A total of 5 Top Coins will be deducted from Seed Bank Park Sejun’s account.]

[You have earned 50 Seed Shop mileage points.]

[A total of 106 Seed Shop mileage points have been accumulated.]

Clink!

A small, worn leather pouch landed in Sejun’s palm. It smelled faintly of earth and onions, even before he opened it.

[Thank you for using the Seed Shop.]

[You can use Seed Shop Lv. 2 again in 30 days.]

Sejun planted the 500 onion seeds in the remaining field in the cave and went back to harvesting cherry tomatoes.

Just then,

[The administrator of the Tower asks what your grandfather and father talked about.]

Aileen spoke to him for the first time since the Blue Moon.

***

“Kraaah! Slept well!”

Aileen woke up. She stretched, yawning after sleeping for days. The Blue Moon event had tired her out!

“I slept too much. What is that commendable human doing? Summon the crystal ball.”

Aileen summoned the crystal ball to check on Sejun.

[You have over 1000 unread alerts.]

[Please clear the alerts.]

“Not these alerts again!” Aileen groaned.

The crystal ball was covered in alerts! They had piled up while she slept, blocking her view.

Aileen quickly swiped them away. She saw a few red alerts, but she thought they were just from the 67th floor of the Tower.

After clearing the alerts, Aileen looked around the farm to find Sejun. The farm had grown so much that she had to search for him.

“It’s gotten even bigger in the last few days.”

As Aileen was searching for Sejun,

“Huh?!”

She spotted Kkueng playing with something. It looked like a branch, but it was strange. It seemed to grow and shrink as Kkueng swung it, glowing with a faint red light.

“What is that?”

[Crimson Giant Honey Bear says it is a corrupted Ent’s branch that absorbed the energy of the Blue Moon.]

“A corrupted Ent that absorbed the energy of the Blue Moon?! That’s incredibly strong! Where did you get that?”

[Crimson Giant Honey Bear puffs out his chest.] Dad gave it to *me*! He says it’s super strong!”

“That commendable human did?”

Something must have happened while she was asleep.

Aileen asked her mother, Crimson Giant Bear, for more details.

“Kkueng? The statue in the fountain moved?!”

“They said it was my grandfather and father?!”

She learned that her grandfather and father had spoken to Sejun through the black dragon statue.

“What did you talk about with my grandfather and father?”

[Tower Farmer Park Sejun says that Aileen’s father and grandfather asked him to take good care of Aileen in the future and help manage the Tower.]

“Take good care of me?!”

Aileen was greatly surprised by Sejun’s words. Take good care of her?!

“Did I get permission for marriage?”

[Tower Farmer Park Sejun waves his hands and strongly denies it.]

[Tower Farmer Park Sejun hurriedly corrects himself, saying that ‘take good care’ meant to continue helping with Aileen’s Dragon Heart treatment.]

However,

“Khee hee hee. Then I’ll just wait 300 years.”

Aileen wasn’t looking at Sejun’s message, lost in her own imagination.

***

Meanwhile, far away from Sejun’s farm, trouble was brewing in Granier Village…

When Oren arrived at the 75th floor of the Tower, following Theo, he remembered his father saying that the entire Black Wolf tribe would be staying in the village for about a month in five days to hunt something, because of a request from the Wizard’s Association.

‘The Black Wolf tribe mercenaries were from the 89th floor of the Tower. They were stronger than the Silver Wolf tribe on the 85th floor. That’s why I told Theo to go to Granier Village,’ Oren thought.

Oren thought he could subdue Theo and the Silver Wolf tribe wolves and take the contract by hiring just three Black Wolf tribe members.

‘And if I just take the contract…’

He was planning to invalidate the contract using the contract invalidation potion at home.

‘When that time comes, I won’t let you off easy, Theo!’ Oren thought angrily.

While Oren was vowing revenge, Theo and his party arrived at the entrance of Granier Village.

“I will go home first to tell my father the news and prepare to welcome Representative Theo.”

“Goodnya!”

Theo happily agreed to Oren’s words.

Grrrr.

Elka quietly growled as he watched Oren run home. Theo didn’t seem to notice yet, but Elka could clearly see Oren’s scheme.

Theo was amazing for not noticing Oren glaring at the back of his head throughout the journey.

But Elka remained still. It would be a thank you if Oren were to scheme.

‘Then I can get more for his life,’ Elka thought.

Elka was connecting everything to money, influenced by Sejun and Theo.

However,

“Kkyut kkyut kkyut.”

Elka became a little uneasy because of Iona, who was humming as she watched Oren walk away.

At that moment,

“Let’s go, nya!”

Theo confidently entered the village. It had been almost a year since he had run away, and now he was returning in triumph.

However, Theo’s smile faded. The village looked sad and empty.

“Why is everyone like this, nya?”

The cats looked emaciated, as if they hadn’t eaten for days, and they seemed to have no energy. Most of them reacted lukewarmly or ignored Theo even when they saw him. He couldn’t announce his glorious return to the village like this.

“What, nya? Why are the cats so listless, nya? Intern Jeff, what happened to Granier Village?!”

Theo grabbed Jeff by the collar and demanded an explanation.

“Th-that’s… it wasn’t like this when I left…”

Judging from the expressions of Jeff and the other cats, they didn’t seem to know either. Rather, their eyes showed anxiety and worry. It was because of their families.

“Go home and find out what’s going on, nya!”

Theo, his heart softened, sent the interns home.

“Thank you, Representative Theo!”

“If you run away, I’ll double your contract period, nya!”

“Yes!”

“And take this too, nya.”

Theo took out grilled fish from his bundle and distributed it to the interns.

“Thank you!”

The cats thanked Theo for his consideration and hurried home.

Theo went into his favorite grilled fish shop.

“Welcome… Theo, nya?”

“Boss, it’s been a while, nya. But why is the village like this, nya?”

Theo asked the grilled fish shop owner.

Telling the interns to find out what was going on was just an excuse. He was a tsundere cat, Theo.

“Monsters resembling frogs have appeared in Lake Jenka these days, so we can’t even see fish, nya.”

“Monsters resembling frogs, nya?”

“That’s right, nya. So all the cats in the village are starving right now, nya.”

According to the grilled fish shop owner, the frogs, monsters resembling frogs, had suddenly appeared in Lake Jenka a week ago. Lake Jenka was responsible for about 70% of the fish eaten by the cats in Granier Village, and now fish were not being caught.

“Eat this for now, nya.”

Theo had received fish from the grilled fish shop owner a few times when he had no money, so he wanted to repay the favor and handed over 50 grilled fish before going outside.

“Let’s go to Oren’s house for now, nya!”

Theo headed to Oren’s house with the remaining party.

***

“Father!”

“Oren! Why are you so late?!”

Oren’s father, Israel, greeted Oren and asked.

“That’s…”

To hide his mistake, Oren changed the story of being scammed by Skaram and said that he was threatened by Theo, had all his money taken away, and was forced to sign a contract to work under Theo for 10,000 days.

“What?! Theo hired Silver Wolf tribe free mercenaries to threaten you and force you to sign the contract?!”

“Yes. Theo will be here soon. Please ask the Black Wolf tribe to take the contract from Theo.”

“Okay! Trust me! I’m already hosting Hegel, the chief of the Black Wolf tribe, at our house. He will listen if I ask him.”

Israel spoke loudly and took Oren to the room where Hegel was staying.

“Very well. Three Silver Wolf tribe members are enough for me to handle alone.”

Hegel felt bad about owing Israel money. “Three Silver Wolf tribe members? Easy,” he said, eager to help and repay his debt.

At that moment,

“Oren! Where are you, nya?!”

Theo arrived at Oren’s house.

“I have a good idea. If you move after I take action, it will be easier for Hegel to subdue them.”

“There’s no need for that… but okay.”

Hegel felt uneasy at Oren’s confident words, but he agreed for now because he was the homeowner’s son.

“Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Hegel followed Israel and Oren to where Theo’s party was.

And

“Everyone, don’t move! Or this hamster dies! Hegel, now!”

Oren, who had approached Theo, suddenly snatched Iona from Elka’s head, pointed his claws at her neck, and shouted at Hegel.

‘Hey! You crazy bastard!’ Hegel thought.

Hegel was horrified to see Oren pointing his claws at the neck of Iona, the chairman of the Wizard’s Association, his employer.