I Have A Damn Family Again - Chapter 184

Chapter 184: The Second Agent (5)

It was still early morning.

I went outside, stretched, and then headed towards a group of flowerpots placed on a large rock.

This was where the villagers had confronted me a few days ago.

-You’ve taken control of the land, but you can’t just order us around!

-We still don’t trust you! You’ll ruin our fields!

-Even if you have the authority…

They had been filled with suspicion and resentment.

I had silenced them with a single sentence.

-I won’t force you to change your farming methods. But if you refuse to cooperate… there will be consequences.

Their affinity boxes had flickered, but they couldn't argue. I wasn't asking them to do anything unreasonable. I was simply claiming a portion of their land, allowing them to continue their existing practices.

Their affinity and reputation levels had stagnated, allowing me to proceed with the episode.

“Maybe I should have been more forceful. They don’t trust me anyway.”

If they were going to criticize me no matter what I did, maybe it would have been better to exert my authority, to establish dominance. I didn't care about their insults anymore. They couldn't hurt me.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. This is more important.”

▶ Potatoes planted. Expected harvest grade: B+. ◀

▶ Carrots planted. Expected harvest grade: A-. ◀

▶ Cabbage planted. Expected harvest grade: ─── ◀

…

…

As I approached the flowerpots, the crop management window appeared.

This window displayed information about the planted crops.

This UI had been implemented because Shatrain was an agricultural territory.

I had first seen this window a few days ago, when the villagers had visited me. It displayed information about the crops in each field, and I had decided to conduct a test.

That test was these flowerpots.

I had planted the crops myself, to see how quickly they would grow.

“Hmm. Some are ready to be harvested. The rest will be ready in a few days.”

It was an unrealistically fast growth rate.

How could crops grow this quickly? It defied all logic.

But this accelerated growth rate was the very thing I was testing.

“This is a game mechanic.”

I confirmed my suspicions and glanced at the status window.

That other window still hadn’t appeared.

Even after three days.

I had been wondering about it since before the villagers had arrived.

The sub-episode window.

The main episode window.

The field UI.

The symposium status window.

The system messages, the progress bars… Everything else was working fine.

But that window was missing.

I had thought it would reappear eventually, but…

It hadn’t.

Not even after the meeting with the villagers, not even when I had arrived at the fields.

[ 1. Crops in this world grow several times faster than in reality. They can be harvested multiple times per year, despite the reduced yield. ]

[ 2. Some crops grow faster when infused with mana. Therefore, the fertility of the soil is determined by its mana content. ]

[ 3. Crops that require large amounts of mana have longer harvest cycles. ]

This information was completely useless from a player’s perspective.

It couldn't be used in choices, it didn't offer any helpful hints. It was usually skipped because of the game’s fast-paced progression.

Weeks and months would fly by in the game. The developers had intentionally implemented these unrealistic mechanics to accelerate the storyline.

But now…

This wasn’t a game anymore.

These weren’t just game mechanics, they were the rules of this world, the reality I had to live in. That’s why the game wasn’t giving me those hints anymore.

“Well, at least I figured it out. And I memorized all three points, even though it’s just three sentences…”

I shuddered, imagining what would have happened if I hadn’t realized this.

I had secured the necessary food supplies. Now, I had to observe the situation, to see how things developed.

“Haa… Brother…?”

“You’re awake?”

Ferdi, his eyes still sleepy, emerged from his room.

“Why are you up so early…? Don’t you ever sleep?”

“I just woke up.”

“What? It’s still early morning.”

“I slept for five hours.”

“…Only five hours?”

“Five whole hours.”

He was saying the same thing as Harnie? Five hours was a lot of sleep, considering the mountain of work I had to do.

“Brother, you’ll get sick if you don’t sleep…”

“Don’t worry. I don’t need that much sleep. And I want to fix your territory as quickly as possible.”

“…”

Sick? From lack of sleep?

If I was going to get sick, it would be because of those crazy women at the Duchy, not because of lack of sleep. I had never gotten sick from lack of sleep.

I needed to save every precious minute, to escape that house, that Duchy.

“So, what about her?”

“What?”

“The girl you brought here last night.”

“…!”

“I was doing some exercises, some mana training. I amplified my hearing, and I heard you.”

I had been doing some mana exercises, amplifying my hearing, and I had heard footsteps, someone entering Ferdi’s lodgings.

“Brother, I wasn’t trying to hide it, but…”

“We’ll talk about that later.”

“What?”

-Tap, tap.

The sound of footsteps, the distinct sound of guards’ boots, reached my ears, amplified by mana.

“We have a visitor.”

-Ding!

▶ Dyke has come to see you. ◀

▶ Agent-specific choices will appear. ◀

***

I hadn’t known anything about Dyke’s backstory, but the Memorial had revealed everything.

Helketa I, a rare disease. Dyke’s younger sister was suffering from it.

It was a painful, debilitating illness, and if left untreated, it could be fatal.

But there was a cure.

A special medicine, made with rare ingredients.

It could completely cure Helketa I.

But one of those ingredients was Shatrain strawberries.

And for a commoner like Dyke, obtaining those rare, expensive fruits was practically impossible. That’s why he had become a guard in Shatrain, hoping to increase his chances of buying some.

But even then, he hadn't been able to get any.

He had tried to save money, to make a reservation, but it wasn't enough.

For a year, he had been trying, and he hadn't even seen a Shatrain strawberry.

That was the content of the Memorial.

And even now, even in the present, there was no hope for him. According to the game’s script, Dyke wouldn't be able to obtain the strawberries on his own, no matter how hard he tried.

He would keep saving money, keep trying to make a reservation, but the price would keep rising, the reservation fees increasing exponentially. He would eventually realize that it was impossible, that he couldn't afford them.

It usually took several attempts, several conversations, several choices, to convince him to give up, to accept my help.

That usually happened towards the end of Week 3.

‘But now… it’s only Day 3.’

The groundwork I had laid, the notebook I had given him, the information I had revealed… It had all paid off.

He might still be in denial, he might still refuse to believe the truth, but…

Looking at his face, his expression… I knew he had accepted reality. He had seen the truth, the harsh, undeniable truth.

There was a choice I had never used in the game, a choice that appeared only in this specific situation. And now, it was the perfect choice.

[ 5. Do you understand now? ] ☑

“Do you understand now? Have you come to your senses?”

I deliberately used a harsher tone, to make sure he understood the gravity of the situation.

Dyke hesitated for a moment, and then, his head bowed, he replied,

“…Yes. The price… it’s absurd. It’s exactly what you predicted. And I… I overheard some conversations… The D-grade strawberries I need… they’re so expensive… only nobles can afford them.”

He had actually checked the price himself.

It must have been painful for him.

“But… You seem to know all of this… Does that mean… you have a solution…?”

Dyke, his fists clenched, finally revealed his true intentions.

He hadn't finished his sentence, but I knew what he was thinking.

He was grasping at straws.

That was enough.

“You shouldn’t be asking me that. I’m the one who caused Shatrain’s Shame.”

“…!”

“You should be questioning me. Asking me if I really have a solution, if I can really help you, if I’m not just lying to you again. Shouldn’t you?”

-Thud!

Dyke fell to his knees.

“I… I arrived after the blight… I don’t know much about what happened before… I was just focused on getting Shatrain strawberries…”

-Ding!

▶ Conditions met. ◀

▶ This NPC can now be recruited as an Agent. The recruitment will be determined by the player’s choice. ◀

“You might not believe me, but… I never listened to those rumors. Or rather, I never heard them. So, I’m not going to question you. I know your statistics are accurate.”

-Thump!

“Please… Please save my sister…!”

Dyke bowed his head, not questioning, but pleading.

It was a gesture of complete submission, of unwavering loyalty.

▶ How will you respond to Dyke’s plea?

“You know that I control one-third of Shatrain’s fields. I can’t use the larger fields to grow food crops, but I can cultivate Shatrain strawberries in the smaller plots.”

“Th-Then…!”

“I said I can cultivate them, not that I will. There’s no guarantee I’ll be able to produce the grade you need.”

“…It’s… It’s better than having no chance at all.”

He was a smart man.

This was the final choice.

[ 2. If you follow me, I promise to give you those strawberries, if I can produce a high enough grade. ] ☑

“Are you willing to follow me?”

There was no need for lengthy explanations.

Follow me, or not.

That was the only question.

“Yes…！ If there’s a way to save my sister… I’ll do anything!”

▶ Dyke recruited as an Agent! ◀

[ Shatrain Agent List ]

[ 1. Ferdi ]

[ 2. Dyke ] ☑

***

[ Dyke ]

[ Affinity: 0% ]

Dyke, now my Agent, no longer displayed a greyed-out affinity box.

It was a clear, white box.

0% affinity.

I could now use his Agent skill.

[ 2. Dyke ]

▶ Rank: B

▶ Skill: Controller

[ Can access Shatrain’s visitor logs. At higher ranks, can control and restrict access to the territory. ]

Dyke’s skill was Controller.

He could track everyone who entered and exited Shatrain, which meant I could finally identify the source of the external interference.

His rank wasn't high enough to control access for nobles, unless the villagers agreed, but he could restrict access for commoners, small-time merchants, and traveling peddlers.

That was enough for now.

I already had the evidence I needed to block the external interference.

‘First, I need to plant the strawberries.’

It was troublesome, having to physically plant the crops, but…

‘Should I use Ferdi’s Informant skill to gather more information?’

As I was pondering my next move…

The two of them arrived.

-Tadaaa!

“Hey, Trisha!”

“Brother! You’re planning on planting strawberries in the remaining fields, right? I can help!”

“What?”

Trisha, swallowing nervously, continued.

“Brother, you asked Ferdi about the market price of Shatrain strawberries and Shatrain grapes a few days ago, didn’t you?”

“…How did you know that?”

“I’m the one who gave him those prices!”

Finding out the market price of Shatrain strawberries and Shatrain grapes had been part of my plan to recruit Dyke.

I had used that information to create charts and graphs, to present him with undeniable evidence.

But Trisha was the one who had provided those prices?

‘Wait a minute.’

That actually made more sense.

How could Ferdi, a known thief in Shatrain, have access to that information?

Shatrain strawberries and Shatrain grapes were luxury items, reserved for the nobility. They weren’t sold in the regular marketplace. There was a separate, exclusive network for their distribution.

Even with his Informant skill, Ferdi wouldn’t have been able to overhear those conversations.

The answer was obvious.

…Trisha had given him those prices.

But how did she know?

She was an Informant as well, but her rank was lower than Ferdi’s. How had she obtained such detailed information?

Information wasn't easy to come by. Especially detailed, accurate information. It required effort, resources, connections. And someone with that level of access…

-Smirk.

‘I understand why Ferdi did that now.’

Trisha had always been friendly towards Carsein. She cared about Shatrain, about its people.

So, she hadn't been hiding from Ferdi.

She had come to me, willingly, offering her help.

“You’re Brem’s granddaughter, aren’t you, Trisha?”

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