Late morning sunlight came through the trees, casting the earth path with golden streaks as Sylas paced in front of his coop, lips working in mangled mutterings.
"Buy… seed… buy… no, not see-ed, sehd. Gods, why is the word for 'vegetable' longer than a dragon's tail?"
> [Linguistic Absorption: 34%]
Status: Functional for basic trade-level speech. Reading: 12%
He rubbed his head. "So I can request seeds and not by mistake order poison?"
Sylas had immersed himself in the language for the past week as if his life hung in the balance. He mouthed words while splitting wood, made marks in the ground, and even got a particularly bemused chicken to obey the command "food."
Some terms flowed readily—basic nouns, salutations, and numerals. But syntax remained a muddle in his mind. Sentences were puzzles with half the pieces lacking.
> [System Notice: Progress acceptable. Think of diversifying into agriculture to be more sustainable.]
Recommended Quest: Purchase Seeds at Town Market
Reward: Farming Skill (Locked) + Basic Crop Knowledge
Advice: You now have the bare minimum of language skills for trade.
Sylas gazed at the glowing message, then at the newly tilled area of dirt next to his hut. He'd tilled it the day before nothing elaborate, just rows of black dirt in waiting for something to grow.
"Okay," he said. "Let's go try town again. But this time… no attempting to flirt with the guards by mistake."
He washed as best he could brushed off his tattered tunic, pulled back his hair, and even washed his face in the bucket without wincing. Captain Beak, realizing Sylas was off again, clucked in disgust.
"I'll return with corn," Sylas vowed, gesturing at the rooster. "You behave."
Beak replied by depositing a present on the doorstep.
The walk to town seemed shorter this time. Perhaps it was because he wasn't so anxious, or perhaps because every step now had meaning.
When the stone gate of the town came into sight, Sylas straightened his shoulders. The same two guards were present. One looked up as he walked towards him, but this time Sylas bowed a little and spoke first.
"Come… trade. Purchase seed," he said cautiously.
The guards looked at each other.
The older one, the one with the bushy eyebrows, grunted and nodded. "No trouble?"
"No," Sylas said hastily. "Only seed. I buy. I go."
After a moment's pause, the guard stepped aside.
Sylas blinked. "Really? That… worked?"
The guard muttered something that sounded like "gods help us" and waved him in.
The market was smaller than he had envisioned, but alive. Wooden stands edged the central square, with vendors calling out their wares in loud, boisterous voices. He smelled bread, spices, and something that could have been roasted meat—or possibly just someone's damp dog.
Sylas browsed the stalls. Vegetable baskets. Tool racks of low-grade tools. Clay pots. Then he saw a cart piled high with cloth sacks—each of them marked in curling lettering and with a rough picture. Some of them had leaf drawings, others root or bean drawings.
He moved slowly.
The woman selling at the cart was short and had hair that resembled a bird's nest and a wide-toothed smile. "Yes?" she asked, cocking her head.
Sylas swallowed hard. "Buy… seed. Plant. Food."
The woman laughed and nodded. "Ah, yes. Farmer boy. New?"
He paused. "Yes. New."
She pointed to the bags. "Ten copper per. Choose."
Sylas knelt down and examined the bags. He saw the drawing of a carrot, and what appeared to be beans. He touched the drawing of a leafy vegetable.
"This," he said. "Good?"
"Very," the woman said. "Grow easy. Tasty."
> [New Item: Leaf Cabbage Seeds x1]
Cost: 10 Copper
Funds Remaining: 17 Copper
Sylas dug coins out of his pouch and counted them gingerly into her hand.
"Thanks," he said, attempting a smile.
"Thanks you," she said, not ungraciously. "Try market stew. Less dirt in it today."
He wandered through the market a bit further, but didn't dare risk another complicated conversation. Instead, he purchased a small loaf of coarse bread—mostly gestures and coin—and departed before he tempted fate.
The return walk was silent once more, but this time it wasn't retreat. He'd accomplished it. He'd traveled to town, communicated in a language other than his own, and purchased what he required.
It wasn't much—but it was his.
At his own plot, he laid out the seeds and examined them: pale green pellets, light as dust.
He knelt before the tilled rows and let the wind settle over him.
"Let's see if I've got a green thumb," he said. Then hesitated. "Wait. System, do I get a farming stat?"
> [Farming Skill: Locked]
Unlock Condition: Grow first crop to harvest.
Sylas snorted. "So I need proof of effort. Figures."
He planted the seeds meticulously, leaving space between them as Mira had explained when they discussed root vegetables. Then he covered them with earth, and went to get water from the stream close by and poured it over the rows gently.
After finishing, he sat on his heels, wiping sweat from his forehead.
> [New Objective: Wait for Crop Growth – Estimated Time: 7–10 Days]
Tip: Adequate weeding and watering will enhance yield.
He gazed at the earth. It wasn't impressive. Just fields of dirt. But it was somehow magical.
"Guess I'm a farmer now," he grumbled. "From dying in a hospital bed to planting cabbage in another world."
That evening, while the stars twinkled overhead and the coop hushed gently in the distance, Sylas sat on his porch and gazed up at the moon.
His fingers were dirty with dirt. His head was filled with strange words and half-sentences. But there was a heat in his chest that wasn't there before.
Hope.
> [Daily Progress Report]
Language Mastery: 36% (+2%)
Reputation: Neutral
Skills:
Linguistic Absorption (F)
Basic Survival (F)
Notable Actions:
Finished Trade in Foreign Town
Planted First Crop
Emotional Stability: Improving
Motivation: Increasing
Sylas sat back and let the night breeze wash over him.
"Next up," he whispered, "potatoes."