Chapter 31
: The Mountain-Eating King Can Really Eat Trainers Out of House!
The farmers usually go to town to buy things in the afternoon, and then they will set aside an hour or two to rest before dinner.
After having lunch prepared by Sofia's mother, Xia Ming and Sofia briefly parted ways.
He first went back to his farm, took the three hundred prepared Ash Crystals with him, and then prepared to pay the remaining balance.
After the final payment is completed, he will need to prepare for the official farming tomorrow in the afternoon. At the very least, he needs to dig holes for planting the plants and go to the beach to find two Pokémon to help control the amount of water.
But maybe not now. He can directly hire the Pokémon from Sofia's farm. As long as the food is there, they won't refuse to do an extra job.
Upon returning to the town, Xia Ming first handed over two hundred Holy Ash Crystals to Pierre before taking Young Gilas to Clint's hut.
"Hey Xia, you've come at the right time. I collected almost everything you wanted last time I went down the mine, and I even had the granite delivered. The only problem is that I can only give you ten tons of silver ore. The rest was reserved by a big boss a long time ago. Don't worry, I only mine high-quality ore with a purity of around 80%!"
"It's alright, Uncle Clint. How many Holy Ash Crystals do we need in total?"
"I've done the math for you. Including the granite, you'll need a total of 47 Holy Ash Crystals. I'm calculating this at the black market price, so I'm definitely not ripping you off."
The black market price of Holy Ash Crystals generally fluctuates between 2 and 10 times the official price, depending on the buyer and seller, but it is usually 2 to 4 times the official price. In other words, Klint settles accounts based on more than 100,000 Alliance Coins for one Holy Ash Crystal.
As for how much profit he can make in the end, that's up to his skill; all I can say is that he definitely didn't cheat Xia Ming.
In other words, the items Xia Ming ordered last time totaled at least five million Alliance Coins, with Sand Rock, Rock Gem, and Silver Ore making up the majority.
Even the most expensive granite only costs around 1,500 yuan per ton.
This is only enough food for young Gilas for one year. As he grows taller, this amount will at least double in the next order.
By the time they reach the Shakiras stage, this number could easily triple.
Of course, Xia Ming trained Tyranitar to be a top-tier Tyranitar. He spent two years researching how to train Tyranitar when he was in school.
Normally, raising an ordinary baby Tyranitar into a Tyranitar would cost around ten million League Coins.
Pokémon that achieve great things later in life are like this; replacing them with other Pokémon wouldn't have been much more advantageous.
Even for the youngest and most famous Duraludon, the composite metal required for its evolution is only around this price. Moreover, due to the special structure of its body, the resource consumption for its future development can rival that of Dragapult.
Thinking it over carefully, Xia Mingzhen felt that his team training plan was a bit difficult to achieve. He would have to become a farmer like his grandfather to be able to support them.
Not to mention the second team of six Gardevoirs, the money spent on eggs alone would be enough for his net income for the next year or even a quarter.
"Thank you, Uncle Clint. Here are one hundred Holy Ash Crystals. I'd like to pre-order some rare rocks, ground-attribute resources, star fragments, and Struggle Sand needed to craft Struggle items from you."
Xia Ming handed over a hundred Holy Ash Crystals directly. Some good things are hard to buy outside, and right in front of him was an expert who was capable of purchasing these items!
Holy Ash Crystals are definitely "top-tier currency." Considering their rarity and Xia Ming's generosity, Clint will surely agree to give him a slightly larger share of the big bosses' quotas.
Big bosses may be rich, but they won't easily give away something that can bring their partners back from the brink of death.
Clint agreed immediately:
"No problem, Xia! Perfect timing! I found a rare star fragment while mining this time, which is perfect for helping Young Giras grow."
After saying that, Clint took out a four-cornered fragment that emitted a red glow from his collection and handed it to Xia Ming.
Star Shards are beautiful and high-priced items in games, but in reality, they are magical minerals with incredible power. They can be polished into star dust that makes Pokémon look beautiful, and they can also give Rock, Ground, and Steel-type Pokémon potential growth. They are also one of the raw materials for making Rare Candies!
After carefully collecting the star fragments, Xia Ming chatted briefly with Clint before getting up to say goodbye.
As for the items? Clint will arrange for Pokémon to be delivered to the farm, complete with free packaging.
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While Xia Ming was negotiating the deal, Sophia was also working hard to prepare dinner for the evening.
Sofia had a persistent smile on her face all day, which surprised many of the townspeople who knew her, but more than anything, it showed their heartfelt concern for her.
"Hey darling, your smile is so sweet today. I'm also going to Mani's to buy fresh meat and milk, want to come along?"
Approaching Sofia was a mature woman with long, curly purple hair. A pure white Cecilia flower was pinned above her left ear. Her delicate features were as well-maintained as those of a twenty-four or twenty-five-year-old woman, with a beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
In particular, her fashion sense was very impressive. She was covered up in an autumn-colored plaid coat, leaving only a section of her tall leather boots exposed. She had a brown bag hanging on her left arm. She didn't look like she was going grocery shopping at all, but rather like a Victorian lady going out for a stroll.
"Miss Olivia! Thank you for the compliment."
Sofia greeted Olivia warmly the moment she saw her:
"Of course, let's do it together."
"Hoo hoo~ Am I preparing dinner for some important little one tonight?"
"Huh? How did Miss Olivia find out?"
Sofia stared at Olivia in surprise, then a faint blush spread across her face.
In response, Olivia replied to Sofia with the air of someone who had been through it all, while an irrepressible smile graced her face:
"Oh~ I was young once too, Sophia. Of course I understand what love feels like. Let me guess, is it that little Xia Ming is back? You two just confirmed your relationship these past two days?"
"Um... Miss Olivia..."
Sofia turned her head away somewhat awkwardly. This feeling of being completely seen through was terrible. Was this the power of a mature woman?
After calming herself down a bit, she nodded and replied:
"It's Xia Ming. He's planning to come back and take over Grandpa's farm. He helped me a lot this morning, and I'd like to prepare a big dinner for him tonight."
She neither denied nor admitted it.
But Olivia was already in her thirties, and she had experienced too much, so she just smiled and looked at Sofia without saying a word.
Soon, the two arrived at the shop in the town owned by the Mani family.