Farmer or Cultivator? Why not both?-Chapter 48: Child of trade

The previous day’s turnout for his milk had been even better than he expected, and because of that, he was far more prepared today. He had his wineskins, and he had ten bottles of milk to sell. Ren was certain he would sell every last one — a shame his cows did not produce more.

There was produce back on the farm, ripe watermelons and carrots lying on the soil, ready and prime for harvest, but Ren wanted to focus solely on the milk today. As long as the fountain of elaxis was still running, he could leave the crops as long as he pleased. Not to mention the simple fact that milk sold for considerably more than fruits and vegetables ever would.

The day before, he had also delivered a fresh supply of berries and apples to the wine factory, and Ren’s purse was quickly growing heavier.

Rokku had fully healed. Ren spotted the spirit animal perched on a tall tree branch some meters from his house, seated still and clearly deep in meditation.

He packed ten bottles into his crate, made his way down into the village, walked into the market square, and set up his stall. There were more sellers open than there had been yesterday — seeing Ren do so well had motivated others to come out. He even spotted two stalls selling milk. But in his mind, he already knew: there was no real competition. He was dominant. Unlike them, he had something new, something of exceptional quality, and the village already knew it.

Not long after he set up, his first customer arrived. A young man — barely a teenager — with an empty tankard in hand. From the way he staggered and swayed, he was unmistakably drunk.

"Aren’t you a little too young to be drunk at this hour?" The day had only just begun. A man his age ought to be heading to work, and instead he was thoroughly inebriated.

"How much is that?" The boy pointed at the bottle of milk and nearly slumped onto Ren’s table in the process.

Ren, of course, gave no response. The boy hated this, and screamed at him, moving right up into his face, hurling vulgar insults in a slurred, furious mess.

Ren let out a slow sigh. His days of being overly careful were long behind him. He landed a swift, clean punch to the boy’s face. The boy dropped immediately, out cold before he even hit the ground. He was still breathing — Ren hadn’t hit him that hard — but a body lying in front of one’s stall was deeply unappealing. It would put customers off. He picked the young man up, carried him over, and propped him seated against a nearby hut, leaning naturally against the wall. Anyone passing by would assume he was sleeping, and that was only if they noticed him at all.

Ren turned back to his stall and found a fairly old man already waiting, leaning on a cane, looking to be somewhere in his sixties.

The man extended three copper coins without a word. Ren collected them and handed over a wineskin of milk in return.

The old man smiled, visibly pleased to finally have some in his hands.

"I stood on the line yesterday and still couldn’t get any. It had better be as sweet as they say." He gave a light, teasing look, and then left. Another customer took his place. Then another. Then another and another after that.

The other milk stalls had not a single person approach them, just as Ren had expected. Every last one of them was coming to him.

He began to feel a quiet pang of guilt watching them stand idle — they needed this more than he did. And that was when the idea struck him.

’ I could buy milk from them, add it to mine, and make more blue milk to sell.’

[The god of intelligence and trade likes your market instincts and wit. You have received +3 favour points.]

[You have received a new quest.]

[Quest: Child of Trade.]

[Sell all produce in thirty minutes.]

[Rewards: +3 universal coins.]

[Time remaining: 29 minutes, 45 seconds.]

"Ohh!" By their nature, quests were always sudden and impromptu. This one carried no consequences if he failed — he could ignore it entirely if he chose — but where else was he going to get three universal coins?

"You there!" He pointed to a blonde teenage girl standing in the middle of the queue.

"Me?!" she startled. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Yes, you. Come here. What do you say to earning five copper coins in thirty minutes?" he asked, his tone bright and direct.

The girl’s expression shifted rapidly from surprise to something very close to delight. It was a remarkable deal, and she knew it. The wine factory — the highest-paying employer in the village — paid its workers five coppers only after a full day’s labour. The tavern paid two coppers for the same. What Ren was offering was easy money, practically handed to her, and she seized it without hesitation.

"Yes!" she cried, practically jumping at the opportunity.

"Good. Sell the wineskins to the people in the queue. You know the price, don’t you? Three copper coins. Not a single coin less." He gave the instruction, then stepped away from the table.

The girl was sharp. The moment Ren stepped off, she got straight to work — handing out wineskins and collecting coins with brisk, confident movements, dropping them carefully into the coin jar beneath the table.

"Come and get your delicious milk , blue milk, and sweeter than anything you’ve tasted! Come to the market square and get yours!" he called out as he jogged down the main path of the market, his voice carrying through the village. He intended to spread the word far and wide enough to complete the quest before the timer ran out. He only needed roughly one-sixth of the village to show up within the window. He was confident he could manage that.

"Delicious milk!"

"Isn’t that Sir Ren? Milk? Is he talking about that milk people were going on about yesterday? The blue one? He’s selling today?"

"I heard it tastes like the heavens poured into a cup."

"I must have some before it’s all gone."

Ren’s strategy was straightforward — advertise loudly and let the word do the rest. He ran a wide loop across the village and was already heading back when the message came.

[Quest achieved.]

[You have earned +3 universal coins.]

[You have earned the title: Child of Trade.]