Chapter 29

Finally, the day had come to accomplish the feat of planting seeds in the Land of Death—a feat that would make others worry about one's sanity if they heard about it.

This wasn't just about coming to the Land of Death, holding seeds, and planting them casually. I dug wells, built enclosures with rocks, and made fertilizer. I had put in a lot of effort to reach this point.

Moreover, these seeds were brought here with great effort by Bell and Rain. I was deeply moved right now.

"Hey, Yuta. Why are you suddenly standing there like a statue? Weren't you going to plant the seeds?"

"Ah, sorry, Sylph. I just felt a bit emotional thinking about all the hard work it took to get to the point of planting the seeds."

"Is that so? That's true. Yuta did work hard. But this is just the beginning, right? We have to plant the seeds, grow them, and eat them. Right?"

Why does Sylph look doubtful while saying something good? Well, it's fine. What Sylph said is correct. The real challenge is yet to come.

"That's right. We have to eat them. Only by growing and eating them will our hard work be rewarded."

"Right, rewarded."

"Rewarded—"

"Quack"

"Alright. Let's plant the seeds. Nomos, Tulu, give me some instructions."

"Good grief. You really put on a show. I thought the sun would set before we got started. Here, Tulu. Make four ridges and just plant them randomly."

Oh no. The temperature difference between Nomos and me is widening. When Tulu stepped forward and waved his hand, the earth moved and four ridges were formed.

"Tulu, how should we plant the seeds?"

"Plant one seed at a depth of about the first joint of your finger. Then just cover it lightly with soil."

"I see. Thanks. Let's plant the seeds, everyone."

Since we were all here, we decided to plant the seeds together. Me, Sylph, Dine, Bell, Rain, Nomos, and Tulu. Each of us planted seeds. I'm glad we didn't get told that only those with a contract could plant seeds.

Bell and Rain were incredibly excited, staring intently at the spots where they had planted their seeds.

"Hey, Bell, Rain. Just staring at them won't make them sprout immediately. There are still a lot of seeds left. Help me out."

"Okay."

"Quack"

"Hey, Yuta, when will they sprout?"

"Hmm? I'm not sure. Nomos, do you know?"

"Hmm. I'm not an expert, but the seeds we just planted should sprout in about four to five days. If it were a better location, it might be a bit faster, but this land will make it a bit slower."

Of course, a better location would be better. But let's be happy that we've reached the point where we can plant seeds.

"Hey, Bell. The seeds should sprout in about four to five days. It's going to be exciting."

"Exciting!"

We all planted the seeds one by one, putting our hearts into it. Each package contained about a hundred seeds, and there were four types, so we planted about four hundred seeds in total. To finish, I asked Rain to sprinkle water to moisten the soil.

"Alright. Today is a special day. Let's eat some sweets from another world, even if they're not luxurious."

"Is that okay, Yuta? They're precious food, right?"

"Hehe. Thanks to all of you, we've reached the point of planting seeds. We'll share, so we won't get much, but please bear with it."

"Sweets!"

"Quack"

"Sweets from another world. I'm a bit curious."

What should I bring out this time? Let's go with the small chocolate sticks. Since there are a lot, I'll be a bit stingy and save half for later.

I brought out a large rock table, boiled water, and poured it into a large bowl. I added a tea bag. I never thought I'd be making tea before coffee in this world. However, making tea with a tea bag in another world is quite a challenge.

I took out seven mugs and poured the tea. It's hard to pour from a large bowl. Next time, I'll try to make a teapot, even if it's made of wood.

I'll store the tea bag for later use since it can be reused. How many times can it be reused? I'll keep using it until it loses its aroma.

"Oh, there's tea in this world too?"

"Tea exists in this world. This is a simple way to make it, so it might not be as good as the real thing, but please bear with it."

I've never had tea made the proper way, so I don't know how it compares. But it's good to know that tea exists. If I can enjoy tea freely, I can use tea bags more casually.

Now, let's get to the main event—the chocolate. I saved half, so we'll enjoy a little.

"Is this a sweet from another world? Can we eat it?"

"Ah, Bell, wait a moment."

Before I could answer Sylph's question, Bell tried to put the whole package in her mouth.

"Bell, wait. This is the bag, so you can't eat it. You need to open it and eat the contents. I'll open one for you. Rain, wait a moment too."

"Here. ...Yuta, can we eat this? It looks like a black stick."

"There's no chocolate in this world. In my hometown, it's a popular sweet. Try it. I think you'll like it."

If there's no chocolate, it might take some courage to eat it. Sylph and Dine are hesitant. I'm sure they'll love it once they try it, but it's a bit difficult if they don't.

"Yuta, is this sweet?"

Bell is holding the sweet and tilting her head.

"I love it, but if you don't want to try, that's okay."

"If Yuta likes it, I like it too."

With that, Bell put the chocolate in her mouth. I'm grateful for her courage. We all watched as Bell's mouth moved.

"Sweet! Yuta, it's delicious!"

Bell shouted with a big smile. She seems to like it. I'm glad. I trusted the quality of Japanese sweets, but I didn't consider the appearance. The first one, shaped like small sticks, might have been a bit challenging.

"Quack quack quack"

"Ah, sorry, Rain. I'll open it for you now. Here you go."

I opened the chocolate package and held it in my palm in front of Rain, who eagerly bit into it.

"Quack quack. Quack quack"

"Hehe. Did you like it?"

Rain nodded happily. She seems to like it.

"Bell, Rain, is it that delicious?"

"Delicious. I love it."

"Okay. I'll try it too."

Dine took a deep breath and put the chocolate in her mouth. She ate it with a crunch, and her face showed a mix of fear and excitement.

"Wow. This is delicious. It's crispy and has a rich sweetness with a slight bitterness. It's irresistible."

Dine's worried expression quickly turned into a smile. She put the rest in her mouth and smiled happily. She looks so beautiful when she's happy.

"Really. It's very delicious."

Sylph had already started eating. She seems to like it. Ah, Tulu is also nodding and eating. He seems to like it too.

"Hmm. It's not bad, but I'm not a fan."

"Ah, Nomos doesn't like sweet things. Sorry."

"Don't worry. I'm grateful to have tried something new."

"Nomos, if you don't want to eat it, I'll have it."

"Let me eat it!"

"Quack quack"

As Sylph tried to eat Nomos's leftovers, Bell and Rain joined in.

"Children should have priority with these things."

Nomos threw the remaining three pieces to Bell, Rain, and Tulu. What a cool solution. Nomos is impressive.

Now, I should eat too. As I put the chocolate in my mouth and savored it, the long-awaited sweetness flooded my body. I hadn't eaten any sweets for a while, so the chocolate was intense.

As I enjoyed the aftertaste, Rain tugged at me, wanting me to open another package.

"I'll open it right away."

I opened the package and gave it to Rain, who immediately bit into it. Seeing Rain enjoy it made me think, is chocolate okay for dolphins? ...Well, they're not dolphins but spirits, so it should be fine.

"Delicious!"

"Right. It's very delicious."

Dine and Sylph smiled happily. Everyone except Nomos seems happy, so I'm glad I brought it out. I still have some of my favorite sweets, so I'll bring them out on special occasions.

"I'm sorry, Nomos. Do you like alcohol?"

Since he seems like a dwarf, he might like alcohol.

"Alcohol! Is there alcohol in this world?"

"Alcohol!"

"Alcohol!"

Not only Nomos, but Sylph and Dine also showed interest. Do spirits like alcohol?

"Right. My current biggest goal is to make a contract with Sylph. Once I can make a contract, I'll bring out some alcohol from my hometown as a celebration."

"Hmm. I look forward to it. Yuta, work hard."

"Yuta, can I drink too?"

"Yuta, since I'll make a contract with you, can I drink too?"

"It's a small bottle, so we won't have much, but let's all share."

If I release all the alcohol without being stingy, they might be happy, but since I plan to live a long time, I want to save as much as possible. I want to keep some as a talisman.

The three great spirits are whispering to each other. The words I can hear are a bit ominous. The content is something like this:

Sylph: Don't bring any more spirits, or the share will decrease. I've already talked to Dolly. What? ...We'll be five. Yuta is also interested in the spirit of life. Hmm. It will be a while before that one comes. The fire spirit might come too. We have to stop it.

It seems that the visit of other spirits, which I was hoping for, might be rejected because of the alcohol. If I say that I won't give alcohol if they do that, they say it's a joke, but I'm worried.

Thank you for reading.