Chapter 9: Farmer

"Kyupiko?"

"Yes, it's something I have grown recently with some good quality seeds. I am hoping that it will become a speciality product of our village"

"Thats nice"

"Please wait here a moment, I will bring it for you"

"Lets go to your vegetable garden together, I want to see how it's grown"

"I would be happy to show you, Michio-sama"

The merchant takes me outside and we go towards the edge of the village.

"So everyone here has vegetable gardens?"

"Yes everyone maintains small vegetable gardens"

Well I guess they have to, if they want to be self-sufficient. They could also sell their product for some extra income.

"What about farmers?"

"Yes, there is a man here from the farmer's guild who maintains a field just outside of town"

Guilds, every job has one. Well but you can only join one guild and there are several restrictions on you after you join one. Mostly the guilds are used for changing jobs, sharing their experiences and convenience.

But for me it's not necessary. I can change jobs as well as have multiple of them at once.

"You must have joined the merchant's guild then"

"Yes I am a member of the merchants guild. My dream is someday to join the wealthy merchants guild. But I would need lots of more experience to join it"

So the advanced job for 'merchant' is 'wealthy merchant', touché.

At the edge of the village there are various fields spread out.

"This is our vegetable garden"

"That is a very big garden"

It is strange to call such a big field a garden. This is almost a small farm. But I guess if he calls it a farm then that will make him a farmer, but he is a merchant already so it's a garden.

There are various plants which I recognise, like there are so many cabbage-like things grown in the field. In front of me is a plant which is a meter high with red carrots hanging from it.

"That one is Kyupiko"

Fascinating, here the carrot is called kyupiko, it's not a root but a fruit and it goes above ground not under it. It made me pause and reconfirm that yeah its a totally different world, I have really isekai'd.

"When it becomes red it's ready to eat, please try one"

I go ahead and pick one. It even feels like a carrot in my hand. As the merchant watches me expectantly, I take a bite.

It's quite tasty, like a slightly sour cherry. I eat it all and then go on to take another one. Fruits are such a delicacy, I have sorely missed them.

"It has a good taste, I think it will sell well"

"You think so? Thank you"

While we were chatting I noticed that it was already evening and the sun was almost going to set. I tell the merchant that we will meet early tomorrow morning and bid him farewell.

On my way back I enjoy the sights of the rural village, everything feels so slow, so peaceful. I don't remember how long ago was the last time I went to a village. Living here in peace is not such a bad life.

As I go inside the village head's house he tells me that the Dinner will be ready soon. I go inside my assigned room and lie down on the wooden plank.

[Farmer Level1

Effect: Increase Strength (slight)

Skill: None]

I got my 4th job so easily, I just had to harvest a fruit or a vegetable even if I did it by hand. I did consider getting the job a bit early, but I didn't have that many bonus points to keep a 4th job active so there was no point. I still don't, so for now it will stay in the inactive pile.

<Farmer: Level1 reward< p>

Accept: Yes No >

Yes, my level up system reward. Honestly I am not that excited, as Farmer is like one of the lowest and easiest jobs to get, so its reward would most likely be lackluster. I mentally click accept.

<Basic Farmer Pack acquired>

A tingle passed through my brain, unlocking memories I never knew I had. This time I didn't even flinch and just started grasping what I got.

Okay so I am now proficient in plowing, sowing, watering and harvesting different types of plants and vegetables. Good I guess, like I don't think this would be helpful in the near future.

And it's weird like I still don't know much about the different plants, vegetables or fruits themselves, but if they are in front of me then I think I will still be able to take care of them efficiently.

What should I say, as expected. Maybe the higher level rewards of the farmer category would be good, but I doubt it.

Just then the Village head came to tell me that Dinner is prepared. Good I have been waiting for this the whole day.

Dinner was a stew made from rabbits meat, with some kind of stir fry made with fish as the main ingredient.

It was delicious, I ate until my stomach hurt. Both the village head and his wife, seeing my enthusiasm, were extremely happy and kept telling me to eat more.

Even after I ate my meal I was imagining when I will be able to eat such dishes again. I am so glad that the food in this world tastes good.

Lying on my hard as wood bed, I still feel as if this is all a dream. Like if I try really hard, I can still hear the beeping sounds of machines and the smell of medicine.

Shaking myself out of dangerous thoughts I try and think about the future, going through the story in my mind again, making sure I didn't miss a thing.

But try as I might, my mind still goes back to the hospital bed. It feels like I spent a lifetime on it, but objectively it was just some months, in contrast to my years of memory, it should just be a small part of my life.

My parents, how would they have felt when they knew I was not with them anymore, did they feel relief that now they can move on with their regular life. That they don't have to waste so much time and money on a hopeless case.

I wished that was what they felt, that would make it easier for me. Because I know they must have felt extremely sad, they must have cried so much, and they don't even know that their son is still alive in another world. All these thoughts make my eyes wet, but I don't cry, just keep staring in the darkness.

There is not even a mobile phone to distract me, no one to call, no one to message, no one to talk, just me and my thoughts.

I have never ever felt so alone, the wooden bed feels so cold. It's slowly sinking into me that this is a totally foreign world where no one knows me, not even my real name, maybe after some time even I will forget it.

My eyelids feel heavy, before sleep took me my last thoughts were that tomorrow at least I won't be this lonely anymore.