Farmer Mage

Chapter 42: Named

He pulled another sack of mulch off the stack—the last one needed—and ripped it open as he returned to the dirt patch.

It only took six of these to cover the dirt patch. I’m getting the sinking feeling that I will need to redo these steps. It’s possible to overestimate the necessary supplies. Still, I highly doubt someone like Drex could miss the mark to this extent.

Cal emptied the last bit of mulch onto the dirt patch before throwing the empty sack along with the others to the side. He pulled the rake off his back strap and started to lightly even out the mulch into a uniform layer.

He made quick work of it before he stepped out of the patch and looked it over. Everything seemed in order. There was a last step to be done, and then all of Drex’s steps would be complete.

Cal’s mana had recovered fully recovered several minutes ago, not that he would have had a problem even if it hadn’t. He planned to use a quarter of his capacity since Drex made it a point to mention it should be watered lightly after the mulch was applied.

Stormy clouds quickly formed over the patch before rain fell. The mulch soaked it up and darkened ever so slightly. Not long after, the rain stopped, and the clouds disappeared.

He waited, willing the mulch to ‘have a stronger glow.’ Those were Drex’s words, which would signify the completion of the steps.

One round isn’t enough. I’ll have to restart—

Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level.

Cal saw the interface light up before noticing that the mulch started to emit an unmistakable glow. It looked like his little patch had been covered with tiny, brilliantly-cut, black gemstones with the way it sparkled.

But it was mulch. Just organic waste products.

“You really like pretty things, don’t you, boss?”

He didn’t react to Seris’s voice. He had heard her walking up to him when [Rainfall] ended.

I like things that don’t annoy me to the point of distraction.

“I don’t mind them, no.” Cal kept staring at the patch, surprised that it continued to glow. Drex didn’t say how long it would last, but he was starting to think it would be a while before it went back to normal. “So, are you finished with—”

He stopped when he turned to see Seris standing there with the broadest smile he had seen yet. She held the little beast in her hands, her arms outstretched toward him as if presenting to him.

“What are you doing?” Cal asked warily. The little beast looked to be near the end of her patience. If it wasn’t for his request to be kind to Seris, it was obvious she wouldn’t be so docile.

“This is Nibbles!” Seris lifted the newly named Nibbles as if declaring it to the world.

I regret giving Seris a chance.

Cal let out a small sigh and looked away from Seris’s proud expression to… Nibbles. “What do you think? You like this name?”

The little beast—Nibbles—was unimpressed, but she didn’t seem to mind. With the slight shrug it gave him, maybe it was better described that she didn’t care one bit.

“Why Nibbles?” Cal had to ask. He wanted something more regal for a beast that understood the human language. Especially since it was a wild beast. That deserved recognition.

“I saw it nibbling on dirt, so I decided Nibbles is a perfect name!”

… That’s actually fitting. Half the time I see the little beast, she’s always eating something.

“Nibbles,” Cal tested the name again. He was quickly warming up to it.

“You said I could name her after I finish mapping the field,” Seris pulled Nibbles toward her into a hug.

He made sure the little beast was fine with her new designation before nodding. “That’s true. She is Nibbles. Now, go to Orrin and give him the field dimensions.”

“Can I take Nibbles with me?” This time, Nibbles cared. She tilted her head so she could stare at Series and give her a silent warning, not that Seris noticed. “I’ll bring her back tomorrow morning.”

That’s not a bad idea. If this can be a habit formed early, Nibbles would become used to accompanying Seris. Maybe it could be extended to others in the future… but why does she look like she would revolt—oh.

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“Nibbles,” Cal didn’t miss how she responded immediately to the new name, “you can have some powdered crystal before going with Seris. What do you say?”

Nibbles tilted her head cutely as she considered what he said. She pointed at the ground and made digging motions, which would have looked ridiculous in a regular situation but even more so since Seris held her up.

“There’s no rush to complete the tunnels. You can continue when you return.” Cal hid a smile at the worried look on Nibbles.

She took a few seconds to consider it before agreeing with a small nod.

Seris didn’t miss that. She pulled Nibbles into an even closer hug. “It’ll be awesome, Nibbles! I bet you had to stay in this boring place for way too long. Just wait until you see the town! And the ships! And—”

“Seris,” Cal interrupted. “Thank you for letting me know how boring my home is, but you’re irritating Nibbles.”

“Oh,” Seris realized she had lost herself and flushed a bright pink. She let Nibbles go before saying, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I’m sure,” Cal said drily before addressing the little beast. He waved his hand at the containers of powdered crystals and said, “Have your fill.”

With how little I’ve seen it eat of the things I worked on, I’m guessing that Nibbles can barely consume the powdered crystals. It is far more concentrated in mana—

Cal watched with wide eyes when Nibbles tipped a half-filled contained into her mouth—which should really be called a gaping maw—and then did the same thing again with the last container, which was completely full.

Nibbles dropped the empty container before flopping onto her back with a dopey smile. Before Cal could escape his shock, Nibbles opened her mouth and let out one of the most impressive sounds he had ever heard.

A burp erupted from the depths of her stomach. It wasn’t normal, nor something a beast the size of Nibble should be capable of, but the very ground trembled from the deep sound that left her mouth.

Cal stumbled back from the surprise of feeling a gust of wind that was able to nudge him from his spot, and he swore he heard a scream that quickly grew faint. But he was too busy staring at Nibbles.

Her fur had gained a luster that didn’t exist before, making her look even more precious than before. At least, it would have made Nibbles more precious if the sound she let out didn’t belong to an ancient demon from the depths of the underworld.

“That’s so awesome!” Seris yelled, but her voice came from a distance.

Cal turned and blinked when he saw Seris on the other side of the field. She ran back, unharmed by the wind from Nibbles’s burp blowing her so far away. Strangely, all of his supplies didn’t move an inch. He suspected this was done on purpose.

“What else can she do?” Seris asked immediately when she returned to stand beside him.

“… I’m still learning myself,” Cal muttered as he stared at Nibbles relaxing.

A few minutes later, he watched Seris carrying Nibbles on her shoulder as she left for the town.

He glanced at the patch and saw it still glowing ridiculously bright.

This will last a while.

He pulled up [Tier Boost] on his interface to check the time remaining.

[Tier Boost] - All actions that contribute to increasing your tier level will automatically be counted as double the normal increase. (13 hours remaining)

Cal dismissed the interface and stared at the part of the field he had dug up but purposely avoided. He planned on letting the hard surface layer grow back just to see how that happened. However, he could cultivate the rest of the dug-up field with the patch he was cultivating already repaired and barely any supplies used.

It would also contribute to my [Tier] and give me more space to plant the Sunfire Grains.

A temporary boost that doubled growth didn’t sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was invaluable to Cal.

At this rate, there was a real chance he would reach the next [Tier] rank by the end of the month. It would put him on equal terms with a Journeyman. At that point, if the guild didn’t value his presence to the point they let him be, it would be easy to pick up and leave the Celestial Order’s territory.

Though, I’m getting attached to this place.

Cal looked around what he was building. It was still in its infancy, but he saw a promising future.

I’ll start the repair process on the rest of the dug-up field.

***

He emptied the last tub of loam to the ground and looked at what remained. The loam ran out far earlier than expected. Around five hundred square feet of ground remained bare.

It slipped my mind how much loam had been used up the first time. The powdered crystals and mulch were barely used, which made me complacent.

Cal shrugged. It wasn’t that big of an issue. He would just need to wait for another delivery of loam.

He used the rake to mix in the loam before stepping back. He cast [Rainfall], this time double the size, and he supplied it with all of his mana to cover the entire thousand square feet he needed to water.

Cal had a slight smile on his lips as the rain watered the patch.

I still can’t get over how easy it is to use the water element.

After the spell ran out of mana, he went to the storage room, hung up the rake on the wall, and picked up three spare pickaxes.

Cal pulled up the interface and saw twelve hours remained of the [Tier Boost]. There was no real work to do on the field, but he had plenty of surface layer that could be dug up. He would do that for the rest of the time and hope that was enough to get another [Tier] level up.

He went to the back of the field where Nibbles had already created the tunnels underneath. He would start here.

Even with my recent [Tier] level increase, I fully expect to be exhausted by the end. I look forward to it.

Cal tossed two pickaxes to the side and left himself with one. He raised it high before bringing it down to the ground.

You have gained [Uncommon Pickaxe] as equipment. It will be designated as your alternate.

The sharp metallic clink and pieces of the broken ground flying from the impact brought a smile to his face.

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