I Grow Crops with a System

”It’s not too late to plant them now, but I’ll need your help.”

”Mhm! No problem! Just give the order!”

Since Lachipi agreed, things were much easier to handle, with the help of the Ape Beastmen, Ethan found a piece of land suitable for farming, the land was located by a river not far from the village, and the soil was fertile.

It was absolutely perfect for cultivation.

”Let’s reclaim this place and turn it into farmland, here, take this, and turn the soil over first.”

Ethan and the Ape Beastmen plowed the land together, loosening the hard earth, the soil downstream of this river was very rich, so it probably wouldn’t need any fertilizer.

”Leave the rest to me!”

”Meow, is it the crucial moment now?” Pearl asked.

Ethan smiled at Pearl, without further delay, he had to give it his all, he sowed the seeds and then used Growth Acceleration and Soil Fortification on the crops, under his meticulous care, the crops grew at a rate visible to the naked eye.

A few days passed.

”This is truly magical!! To think they grew this fast!”

In the makeshift farmland they had reclaimed by the river, the crops were thriving, looking at these crops that were ready to be harvested at any moment, Ethan looked down at his own hands.

’The power of Green Thumb is not to be underestimated.’

The growth far exceeded his expectations, this was the sweltering, unbearable southern region, yet these crops showed not a single sign of withering, the effect of Green Thumb was even more powerful than he had imagined.

”Just what kind of magic did you cast?!” the Ape Beastmen asked in astonishment.

”I just used my own abilities, that’s all,” Ethan said.

But the Ape Beastmen all knew that it was definitely not that simple, they had seen with their own eyes how Ethan had been busy in the fields for the past few days, they knew he had barely rested.

The Ape Beastmen were all deeply moved and expressed their respect one after another.

”So amazing! This is too amazing!”

”Thank you so much for this!”

”A few of us also tried planting some, but they all failed!”

It turned out that some of the Ape Beastmen had cleared a small patch of land nearby and tried planting crops on their own in order to help Ethan, but those crops had all withered, they still couldn’t withstand the extreme heat of the south, or perhaps, as others had said, they simply didn’t have the qualification to grow crops.

”Since ancient times, only humans have been able to grow crops, you don’t need to be disheartened,” Lachipi comforted his dejected tribesmen.

His gaze swept over the crops Ethan had planted, even as an Ape Beastman who had lived for the better part of a century, he had rarely seen crops thriving so beautifully.

Lachipi retracted his gaze. ”Then, can we hold the Spirit Ritual now?”

”Yes, the ingredients are mostly ready, next, I just need to prepare the food... By the way, what about Raul?” Ethan asked.

”We have already found him, he is on his way here right now, you don’t need to worry.”

”That’s good, then...”

Ethan looked at the ingredients delivered by the Ape Beastmen and nodded.

”Let’s begin.”

The dishes needed for the ritual weren’t too numerous, after all, the ingredients were limited, moreover, to prevent them from getting cold, they had to cook near the Hill of Spirits.

But this wasn’t a problem for Ethan, he moved all the ingredients and tools to the foot of the hill, looking at the setup before him, he stroked his chin.

”Hmm...”

”What are you thinking about, meow?” Pearl asked.

”I’m thinking about what to make with the potatoes, let’s make French fries, how about some fried sweet potatoes too?” Ethan said, additionally, he could make some meat cutlets and various other savory pancakes.

Zharok walked over and dropped a large chunk of meat.

”What kind of meat is this?” Ethan asked.

”This is Spiked Boar meat, there are quite a few Spiked Boars here in the south.”

Zharok had brought the carcass of a wild boar with two sharp, spike-like horns and began skillfully skinning it, he cut the meat into portions based on the cut, looked at the ingredients Ethan had gathered, and asked, ”What dishes are you planning to make?”

”I’ll start with some meat cutlets and fried foods.”

”Will this be enough?”

”It didn’t specify how many types of dishes are needed, anyway, I’ll just make as much as I can.”

”Ethan!! We caught some fish~”

A few Ape Beastmen ran over, holding several large fish, to ensure the ingredients were fresh, they had specifically hunted nearby, it seemed they had a great haul.

Ethan nodded in satisfaction and began processing the ingredients at once, he sliced the fish into thin fillets and marinated them with salt and pepper, then he coated the fillets in starch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, and dropped them into the frying pan.

[Delicious Fried Red Trout Cutlet]

[Sliced trout coated with starch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried. Perfectly salted and savory, it is incredibly appetizing.]

[Delicious Effect: Mana increases for one day upon consumption.]

[Delicious Effect: Stamina increases for one day upon consumption.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ★★]

Besides the Red Trout cutlets, Ethan fried a few other types of fish cutlets as well.

Pearl watched from the side with sparkling eyes, Ethan skillfully flipped the fish cutlets, seeing Pearl’s expectant gaze, he handed one over.

”Want a taste?”

Pearl took the slightly fish cutlet and took a delicate bite, its eyes lit up at once, and it wagged its tail excitedly.

”Super invincible delicious, meow!!”

”What?! I want a taste too!” Zharok leaned in from where he was processing the boar meat.

Pearl stuffed a piece into Zharok’s mouth.

”Whoa?! What is this taste?! It’s so tender! The umami of the trout just explodes in the mouth! This is unbelievable! To think fish could be made this delicious?!” Zharok exclaimed.

”It’s not impossible, the steps are just a bit tedious, right, hand me that piece of meat.”

Ethan took the boar meat Zharok had processed, sliced it thin, marinated it, and fried it using the exact same method as the fish cutlets.

Pearl and Zharok watched the sizzling meat cutlets, drooling, they waited eagerly by Ethan’s side, just waiting for him to finish.

[Delicious Fried Spiked Boar Cutlet]

[Sliced Spiked Boar meat coated with starch, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried. The flavor is light, but the meat is so tender and savory that it’s impossible to stop eating.]

[Delicious Effect: Combat skill levels increase by 1 level for one day upon consumption.]

[Delicious Effect: Willpower increases for one day upon consumption.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ★★]

”Wow...! This is incredibly delicious too!”

”Meow-woo! The meat is sliced so thinly, it’s not tough at all!”

”And the flavor is light, paired with the fish cutlets, I could eat this forever without getting sick of it!”

”Another piece of fish cutlet, meow~”