Chapter 73 – Now is the Time!

Stranded Day 245.

When Se-jun was harvesting cherry tomatoes,

[The Seed Shop opened.]

[Park Se-jun’s grade was Common.]

[Four types of seeds to be sold today were randomly displayed.]

[At the current grade, you could purchase as many seeds as you wanted within 5 tower coins.]

The Seed Shop opened, and the seeds that could be purchased today appeared.

[50 Black Bean Seeds – 5 tower coins]

[100 Radish Seeds – 1 tower coin]

[25 Sweet Pumpkin Seeds – 5 tower coins]

[500 Onion Seeds – 5 tower coins]

“Huh?!”

Compared to what he had seen before, the prices of the seeds had risen significantly.

Previously, 100 radish seeds were clearly 0.1 tower coin, but now the price had risen ten times to 1 tower coin per 100.

“Is this also because the food prices rose?”

The wolves brought various news of the tower while moving back and forth between the 67th floor of the tower. One of them was that due to the Red Locusts, the food prices of the tower were rising dreadfully.

At first, he thought it made no sense. What did it mean when food was overflowing due to the Red Locusts?

However, it made sense if one thought about a few months later instead of now. Even if plants began to grow from now, it would take several months before they could be eaten.

But currently, the 67th floor of the tower was practically a wasteland. In other words, it meant that an entire floor of the tower had completely stopped food production.

In addition, the other floors of the tower that experienced the great famine 100 years ago were hoarding food in large quantities at the news of the Red Locust outbreak, and Grid, the great landlord of the 55th floor of the tower, which was the largest granary zone of the Black Tower, was not releasing food, so the food prices were reportedly soaring rapidly.

At the same time, he remembered that the wolves had wagged their tails and looked at him with eyes of respect, making his shoulders rise with pride.

“But what should I buy?”

Se-jun pondered while looking at the seeds. The prices were ambiguous. If he bought two, it would unconditionally exceed 5 tower coins, so he could only buy one.

“Hmm…”

After much contemplation, Se-jun decided to buy onions. Onions removed the fishy smell and provided a sweet taste, so they went well with most dishes.

And these days, because of the limited ingredients, the rabbits were getting tired of his cooking, but with these onions, he felt he could restore his pride.

“Hehehe. You rabbits, I will show you a proper taste.”

Se-jun said like a villain and bought the onions.

[You purchased 500 Onion Seeds.]

[A total of 5 tower coins was deducted from Seed Bank Park Se-jun’s account.]

[50 Seed Shop mileage points were accumulated.]

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

Clink.

A small leather pouch containing onion seeds appeared in Se-jun’s hand.

[Thank you for using the Seed Shop.]

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

Se-jun planted 500 onion seeds in the remaining field of the cave and started harvesting cherry tomatoes again.

At that moment,

[The administrator of the tower asked what your grandfather and dad talked about.]

For the first time since the Blue Moon, Aileen spoke to him.

***

“Kraaa! I slept well!”

Aileen, who had suffered while shouting hard during the Blue Moon, woke up after sleeping soundly for a few days and stretching widely. Aileen had slept deeply due to the aftereffects of the Dragon Heart rampage.

“I slept too much. What is the commendable human doing? Summon Crystal Ball.”

Aileen summoned the crystal ball to see Se-jun.

[Unread notifications exceeded 1,000.]

[Please organize notifications.]

“It’s doing that again.”

The crystal ball’s notifications accumulated over several days obstructed Aileen’s view.

Aileen skipped the notifications quickly. She saw several red notifications, but thought they were notifications of the 67th floor of the tower.

Clearing the notifications, Aileen examined the farm through the clean crystal ball to find Se-jun. The farm had grown so wide that she had to search like this now.

“It became wider in just a few days.”

While Aileen was looking around the farm searching for Se-jun like that,

“Huh?!”

She saw the appearance of Cuengi wielding a branch. The size shrinking and growing made it clear that it was not a general branch.

“What is that?”

When Aileen asked Cuengi,

[The Crimson Giant Honey Bear said that it is a branch of the Corrupted Ent that absorbed the energy of the Blue Moon.]

“A Corrupted Ent that absorbed the energy of the Blue Moon?! That is an incredibly strong guy. Where did you get that?”

[The Crimson Giant Honey Bear boasted that his dad gave it to him.]

“The commendable human did?”

Something must have happened while she was asleep.

Aileen asked the mother Crimson Giant Bear for more details,

“Krueng? The statue at the fountain moved?!”

“They said they were my grandfather and dad?!”

She came to know that her grandfather and dad had conversed with Se-jun through the black dragon statue.

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

[The Tower Farmer Park Se-jun said 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?!”

At Se-jun’s words, Aileen was greatly surprised. Asking him to take good care of her?!

“Am I allowed to get married?”

[The Tower Farmer Park Se-jun strongly denied it while waving his hands.]

[The Tower Farmer Park Se-jun hurriedly corrected his words, saying that taking good care of you meant helping with the treatment of Aileen’s Dragon Heart in the future.]

However,

“Hehehe. Then wait for just 300 years.”

Aileen was not looking at Se-jun’s messages because she was spreading the wings of her imagination alone.

***

When they arrived at the 75th floor of the tower following Theo, Oren remembered his father saying before he left Granier Village that in five days, the entire Black Wolf tribe would stay in the village for about a month to hunt something.

‘They said it was because of the Mage Association’s request.’

The Black Wolf tribe mercenaries were existences of the 89th floor of the tower. They were wolves stronger than the Silver Wolf tribe of the 85th floor. That was why he asked Theo to go to Granier Village.

Oren thought that even if he hired only three of the Black Wolf tribe, he could sufficiently subdue Theo and the Silver Wolf tribe wolves and snatch the contract.

‘And as long as I snatch the contract…’

He intended to invalidate the contract using the contract invalidation potion at home.

‘When that time comes, Theo, I won’t leave you alone!’

While Oren was resolving on revenge like that, Theo and his group arrived at the entrance of Granier Village.

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

“Good, meow!”

At Oren’s words that he would prepare to welcome him, Theo accepted with a good mood.

Grr.

Elka growled quietly as he watched Oren run home. Theo did not seem to have noticed yet, but in Elka’s eyes, Oren’s trick was clearly visible.

Theo was even more amazing for not noticing it despite Oren staring at the back of Theo’s head like that all the way to Granier Village.

However, Elka stayed still. Rather, it was welcome if Oren played tricks.

‘Because then we can extract more of the price of his life.’

Influenced by Se-jun and Theo, Elka was connecting everything with money.

Only,

“Kyut, kyut, kyut.”

Elka became a little anxious because of Iona, who hummed next to him looking at the receding Oren.

At that moment,

“Let’s go, meow!”

Theo entered the village proudly. It was Theo returning home in glory almost a year after fleeing the village in the middle of the night.

However, unlike when he left the village, Theo was embarrassed to see the lifeless village.

“Why is everyone like this, meow?”

The cats were gaunt and looked lifeless as if they had starved for several days. Most of them reacted lukewarmly or ignored Theo even when they saw him. At this rate, he could not announce his splendid return to the village.

“What is it, meow? Why do the cats have no energy, meow? Intern Jeff, what happened to Granier Village, meow?!”

Theo grabbed Jeff by the collar and demanded answers.

“Th… that is, it wasn’t like this even when I left…”

Looking at the expressions of Jeff and the other cats, they also seemed to have no idea. Rather, anxiety and worry were visible in their eyes. It was because of their families.

“Go home and find out what is going on, meow!”

Theo, whose heart softened, sent the interns home.

“Representative Theo, thank you!”

“If you run away, I will double your contract period, meow!”

“Yes!”

“And take this too, meow.”

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

“Thank you!”

At Theo’s consideration, the cats were grateful and rushed home.

And Theo entered his favorite grilled fish shop.

“Welco… Theo, meow?”

“Boss, it’s been a long time, meow. But why is the village like this, meow?”

Theo asked the grilled fish shop owner. Sending the interns to find out what was going on was just an excuse. Theo was a tsundere cat.

“Lately, frog-like monsters have appeared in Lake Zenka, so we haven’t seen a single fish, meow.”

“Did you say frog-like monsters, meow?”

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

According to the grilled fish shop owner, at Lake Zenka, which was responsible for about 70% of the fish the cats of Granier Village ate, frog-like monsters called Frogs suddenly appeared a week ago, and fish were not being caught.

“For now, eat this at least, meow.”

Since he had received free fish a few times when he had no money from the grilled fish shop owner, Theo handed over 50 grilled fish wishing to pay back his debt, and came outside.

“First, let’s go to Oren’s house, meow!”

Theo led the remaining group and headed to Oren’s house.

***

“Father!”

“Oren! Why are you so late?!”

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

“That is…”

To hide his mistake, Oren slightly altered the story of being swindled by Scaram, saying that he was blackmailed by Theo, had all his money taken away, and ended up stamping his print on a contract to work under Theo for 10,000 days.

“What?! Theo hired a Silver Wolf tribe free mercenary to threaten you and make you stamp the contract?!”

“Yes. Theo will arrive shortly. Please ask the Black Wolf tribe to snatch the contract from Theo.”

“Oh! Trust only in me! Even without that, we are hosting Lord Hegel, the chieftain of the Black Wolf tribe, in our house. If I ask, he will do it.”

Israel boasted and took Oren to find the room where Hegel was staying.

“Very well. About three of the Silver Wolf tribe, even I alone can sufficiently subdue them.”

Hegel, for whom staying here and receiving hospitality was not a small burden, readily accepted Israel’s request.

At that moment,

“Oren! Where are you, meow?!”

Theo arrived at Oren’s house.

“I have a good idea. If you move after I take action, Lord Hegel will be able to subdue those guys more easily.”

“There is no need for that… very well.”

Hegel felt a bit uncomfortable at the words of the confident Oren, but since he was the landlord’s son, he accepted for now.

“Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Hegel followed Israel and Oren to the place where Theo’s group was.

And

“No one move! Otherwise, this hamster dies! Lord Hegel, now is the time!”

Oren, who approached Theo, suddenly snatched Iona, who was on Elka’s head, aimed his claws at her neck, and shouted to Hegel.

‘Hey! You crazy guy!’

Hegel was shocked to see Oren aiming his claws at the neck of Iona, the president of his employer, the Mage Association.