"Mr. Denzel, would it be possible for me to install another delivery box next to your ranch?"
Denzelhad heard the entire conversation and understood Gario's intention.
He laughed heartily and agreed without hesitation.
"Of course, no problem at all."
"What about you, Hayato ?"
"I'm fine with it too. If anything, I'm the one taking advantage of you, Denzel ."
The function of a delivery box was simple.
Ranch owners would place the items they wished to sell inside it. In the evening, someone would come to collect the goods and leave the corresponding amount of Poké Dollars based on that day's market price.
It was convenient for both sides—truly a brilliant invention.
With all three parties in agreement, Gario immediately stated that someone would come the next day to install the new delivery box.
"Oh right, Hayato —did you come today to sell something?"
"Oh! I almost forgot."
Hayato hurriedly removed a basket from Mudbray 's back and revealed the mushrooms inside.
"Wow, that's a lot of morel mushrooms and chanterelles. Where did you find so many?"
"Back Mountain," Hayato said, pointing at the Chatot circling in the sky. "It helped me find them."
"Mr. Gario, how much are these worth?"
"Hold on a moment while I calculate."
Gario crouched down, took out a calculator, and began counting them one by one.
While he was busy, Hayato pulled out another small bag of mushrooms .
"Denzel , these are for you."
"I can't take them." Denzelonly glanced once before understanding their value. For a newly established ranch, gathering something like this wasn't easy.
"We're neighbors. Exchanging a few local specialties is perfectly normal."
Hayato didn't give Denzelanother chance to refuse. He stuffed the bag into his hands. Whether he sold them or ate them was entirely up to him.
"Fifteen pounds of morels. The price is 250 Poké Dollars per pounds, totaling 3,750 Poké Dollars."
"Twenty-one pounds of chanterelles. At 300 Poké Dollars per pounds, that's 6,300 Poké Dollars."
"That makes 10,050 Poké Dollars. Hayato , here you go."
Receiving over ten thousand Poké Dollars at once far exceeded Hayato 's expectations.
He looked at Gario in surprise.
"Didn't know, did you?" Gario explained. "Shalour City is about to hold its Beach Festival. Ingredients like mushrooms that enhance soup flavor are going up in price."
"Hayato , Denzel—you two should gather more mushrooms from Back Mountain. They'll sell for a high price right now."
"I see."
Hayato nodded in understanding and accepted the 10,050 Poké Dollars without hesitation.
After chatting for a while longer, Hayato noticed it was getting late and said goodbye.
The saddlebags on Mudbray 's sides were now filled with various seasonal vegetables—Denzel's return gift.
When he returned to the ranch, the Kangaskhan that had stayed behind immediately gathered around him, circling him excitedly.
Hayato comforted them for a moment before letting them go play.
He then went into the kitchen and started preparing dinner.
There were still plenty of mushrooms left at home, so he planned to make a mushrooms feast.
Before cooking, he washed the white truffle and placed it on the windowsill to dry. Turning it into dried mushrooms would prevent it from spoiling.
The rest of the mushrooms would be eaten today, so there was no need to dry them.
Standing by the stove, Hayato looked at the cleaned morels and chanterelles, thinking about what to cook.
Got it!
Old hen stewed with morels—a double layer of umami. It would definitely be delicious.
Now that the soup was decided, he needed a stir-fry.
His eyes fell on the fresh vegetables nearby, still dotted with droplets of dew.
Chanterelles stir-fried with vegetables shouldn't be bad either.
Once the idea formed, Hayato got to work.
He first chopped the old hen into pieces and blanched them in boiling water to remove impurities. Then he transferred the meat into a clay pot, adding scallion segments, ginger slices, red dates, and cooking wine before bringing it to a boil.
Once the water boiled, he lowered the heat to simmer.
While the soup slowly cooked, Hayato prepared the vegetables.
A broccoli head larger than a washbasin was cut into small florets, and carrots were sliced into thin rounds.
The side ingredients were ready, but Hayato didn't rush to cook.
If he stir-fried them now, they'd be cold by the time dinner started.
He walked to the window and glanced at the fading glow of the sunset in the west.
Then Hayato called the Kangaskhan back inside. The air outside was gradually turning cold—it was better to stay indoors.
The Mudbray had already returned to their Mudbray Stable. Having finished their dinner, the three of them were lying together, yawning one after another.
Not wanting to disturb them, Hayato went back to the cabin.
Inside, Kangaskhan and Cinccino stared at him eagerly, their noses twitching as they sniffed the air.
Hayato lightly tapped them with mock annoyance.
"Hang in there a bit longer. The hen needs to stew for quite a while before it gets tender."
"Rooongga~"
"Lili!"
While it wasn't completely dark yet, Hayato took out his notebook and recorded today's earnings.
League Calendar — Spring, Year 198
January 17
Income: 10,050 Poké Dollars
Remaining funds: 20,060 Poké Dollars
He had taken a big step toward his goal of saving 100,000 Poké Dollars.
When Hayato lifted the pot lid, a rich aroma burst out.
The umami of the morels blended perfectly with the richness of the hen. Just smelling it was enough to make one drool.
Two figures instantly appeared beside him.
Cinccino and Kangaskhan swallowed hard, staring at the pot without blinking.
After simmering for over an hour, the golden chicken broth shimmered with small droplets of oil floating on the surface, gleaming like amber.
"Rooong~"
Kangaskhan whined impatiently, eager to eat.
"Easy, easy." Hayato looked at the gluttonous Kangaskhan helplessly. When it came to his Pokémon, he had only one policy—spoil them.
Without even checking the cooking effects first, Hayato served a bowl of chicken soup for Kangaskhan and Cinccino.
"Eat slowly. It's still a little hot."
After reminding them, Hayato carried a large bowl and quickly headed to the Mudbray Stable.
Mudbray didn't eat meat, but drinking soup was no problem. Their bowls contained broth along with the morel mushrooms .
"mud~" ×3
Mudbray : ♡(｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡
"Glad you like it. Take your time eating—I'll head back."
After patting each of them, Hayato returned to the cabin.
He also brought Chatot along—after all, the little scout deserved a reward.
Looking at the Pokémon around the table burying their heads in food, Hayato finally had time to open his system interface and check the dish's effect.
[Morel Hen Soup (B+)]
A remarkable collision of savory flavors and umami—every sip is pure enjoyment. One of the ingredients used to create the legendary Ancient Soup.
Cooking Effect:
Ancient Soup • Umami
"Huh? Ancient Soup?!"
Wait… something's wrong here.
Wasn't this supposed to be Harvest Ranch Life?
Why does this suddenly feel like Toriko's Gourmet World?
Curious, Hayato opened the cooking effect description.
[Ancient Soup • Umami]
An unparalleled depth of flavor. One of the dishes used in the creation of Ancient Soup.
Pokémon who consume it will experience a journey of umami during which they gain a unique enhancement to their abilities.
"I see… so it's basically a customized Pokémon power-up service."
Just from this effect alone, Hayato became even more curious about the true Ancient Soup. If this ingredient was already B+ quality, the completed dish had to be at least S-rank.
Compared with the Chanterelle Stir-Fried Vegetables, the soup completely overshadowed it. The stir-fry's effect was simply Stamina Recovery (Large).
Even though the effect wasn't impressive, the taste certainly was. Hayato ended up eating two full bowls of rice.
Not a single crumb remained from dinner that night. Kangaskhan even hugged the clay soup pot and licked it clean.
After eating their fill, Hayato urged the Pokémon to go to bed.
After a quick wash, he lay down on the bed with Cinccino in his arms.
In the blink of an eye, the sounds within the ranch faded away, leaving everything in peaceful silence.
As the Pokémon slept, the effect of Ancient Soup • Umami quietly began to activate, subtly strengthening their bodies and abilities throughout the night.
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