Rising from the Slum City of Reincarnation in Another World ~ Gathering, Hunting, and Living a Slow Life by Eating

Chapter 120 Sturmir village and tomatoes

Before the winter arrives, there was a village I wanted to visit and check on.

“Ciel, I’m thinking of going to Sturmir Village.”

“Yes, I’m prepared for it.”

It’s Ciel’s hometown. I heard that the tomato harvest has been decreasing year by year. The likely cause is probably what I’m thinking.

I can’t just rely on letters; it’s better for Ciel to meet her parents at least once. After all, she ran away from being sold. Even though We’ve already sent money to pay for her freedom, there might still be some lingering resentment.

Besides, she’s only six years old. Occasionally, she’d want to see her parents.

Come to think of it, I wonder how my own mother is doing. Fortunately, being a reincarnated individual, I’m emotionally an adult, so I don’t feel much longing for her.

“Departure!”

There is a regular carriage service running between the capital and Trieste City. While it can carry some luggage, its main purpose is to transport passengers. Of course, it passes through Eldania, so I paid the fare and got a ride on the carriage.

The people on this regular carriage are grateful since Eldania has been revived, allowing them to stay at the Lord’s Manor Hotel. This time, Mark is also coming along as a bonus. He seems to enjoy traveling quite a bit.

The Rapunzel triplets also wanted to come, but the carriage is already full, so they had to stay behind. We passed through Barrel Town on the way and embarked on a four-day journey to Trieste City.

“Yay! We’re in Trieste!”

Minya is excitedly looking ahead from the carriage’s loading platform. She’s adorable. After staying at my house for one night and checking on Café Elfir and its staff, we arranged for a rental carriage to take us to Sturmir Village.

This is our first time using the West Gate of Trieste City. If we continue on this road, we’ll pass through Draxia Town and reach the Kingdom of Madold.

However, we quickly made a right turn to follow the route towards the Western Fort of Helhorn Mountain.

This Western Fort route is a kind of hidden path, and it’s quite a mountainous road with very little traffic. Just before entering the mountains, we arrived at Sturmir Village.

“Today’s soup is delicious as always.”

“It’s so tasty.”

“Yummy, meow-meow!”

So, we had our meals, set up camp, and managed to continue with the carriage for three days. The night watch duty was taken care of by the kids, with Mark helping out too, of course. We had to rely on him for half of the time, but there was no other choice.

Finally, we arrived at Sturmir Village. The village was situated as if dividing the highway, surrounded by wooden fences. While wood might not provide the best defense, it was better than nothing. This area was known for its goblins and wolves, so it was essential to have some protection. The surrounding area was referred to as the “Western Forest.”

There was a gatekeeper at the entrance of the village, so we greeted him.

“Oh, it’s you, Ciel.”

“Hello, Ridal and everyone.”

“You ran away, didn’t you? Why did you come back?”

“Well, you see, when I mentioned that the tomato harvest is decreasing, I thought there might be some clues here.”

“Is that so? That’s helpful then. Please, come inside.”

Ciel was familiar with the gatekeeper. In a small village like this, everyone knew each other.

We parked the carriage in front of the largest house in the village. Although, if we exclude houses, the nearby building that combined the church and Seven-Seven Trading Company was even larger. This was Ciel’s house, and I heard it was also the home of the village chief.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, Ciel-chan! Father, Ciel-chan has come back. Father!”

A man, probably her father, came out from inside. Since Ciel seemed to be the firstborn, her father had a relatively youthful appearance as the village chief.

“I’m sorry to bother you.”

“Oh, not at all. Having Ciel here has been quite helpful.”

They were constantly facing a labor shortage, so having even young Ciel around was more than welcome.

“Shall we start by showing me the fields?”

“Of course, please follow me.”

The harvest had already been completed, leaving the fields empty. Some withered tomato branches remained as they were.

In this state, it’s hard to determine the overall situation. Let’s see…

“In recent years, the harvest has been decreasing.”

“Yes, after realizing that tomatoes were profitable, we changed 80% of the wheat fields to tomato fields over the past decade.”

“And then?”

“At first, it was good, but gradually, the harvest started decreasing, and now you see the current state.”

“I see, I see.”

“We’ve already run out of money. We had to sell Ciel because of that.”

“I understand.”

I glanced at Ciel, and she seemed to be a little downcast, perhaps recalling that time.

“Although we couldn’t receive the money since Ciel ran away, I was surprised when the funds were sent under her name.”

“Well, that’s understandable. I didn’t intend to buy Ciel with that money, just to be clear.”

“I see. Could you still keep Ciel with you and take care of her? We can’t afford to support her here.”

“I’ll be with Ciel. That part is taken care of.”

“Ed-kun…”

Ciel was moved to tears. It’s alright. Ciel-chan is already part of our family.

“Let me be clear then. It’s likely due to continuous cropping. Tomatoes have a characteristic of reducing the yield when planted in the same soil every year.”

“What? I had no idea.”

It seemed that they were unaware of this issue after all.

“Having 80% of the fields as tomato fields is indeed excessive. I suggest splitting it in half and alternating between tomato and wheat fields.”

“Alternating, you say? I see.”

“If possible, it’s better to leave them fallow for about four years.”

“Mm, mm, mm.”

The village chief’s uncle had a bright expression.

“While the total tomato harvest may decrease, risk management is essential. The increased yield from the tomato fields can support the income from the remaining wheat fields. Even if tomatoes are wiped out due to summer rains or such, the wheat will still remain.”

“Indeed, that makes sense.”

The village had become overly reliant on tomatoes. I advised them to consider planting a variety of crops.

We stayed overnight at Ciel’s parents’ house, which also served as the village chief’s residence. The dishes made with dried tomatoes were delicious, and the tomato soup, with added autumn mushrooms, was flavorful.

Although it was a modest meal, it was the best they could offer.

The next day, as we had accomplished our purpose, we decided to return. While I would have been fine staying a few more days for Ciel’s sake, she seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable, perhaps feeling estranged. After all, Ciel had already prepared herself to live separately, even though she was part of our family.

“Papa, Mama, I’m going now.”

“Take care, Ciel. Um… I’m sorry for trying to sell you as a slave.”

“No, it’s all right now. I’m happy.”

“Alright, see you later.”

“Yes, bye-bye, meow.”

This time, we properly bid farewell to Ciel’s parents, and we returned to Eldania.

With this, one task was ticked off my remaining to-do list. It feels good.