The road to town was a long, sun-baked path of cracked dirt and bad decisions.
Eren walked it with a sack of oddly-shaped vegetables, a slightly aggressive cabbage under his arm, and the mental stability of a man who'd been whispered at by his own well.
He hadn't left the farm since transmigrating into this cursed hentai simulator. Not once. Partially because he was broke, partially because he had trauma from discovering his turnips could flirt.
But today was different.
Today, he had silver in his pouch and a goal in his heart.
"I'm going to market. I'm going to sell produce. I'm going to get filthy rich," he muttered, mostly to hype himself up and partially to drown out the cabbage softly growling.
[System Notice]
[Main Quest: Seed to Empire]
Objective: Sell produce in Tarenfall Town
Reward: Town Access, Market Reputation +10, Unlock New Buyer NPCs
Note: Do not flirt with the mayor's wife. No, seriously.
"Noted," Eren said grimly. "I don't flirt. I farm."
Lira's voice buzzed through his system interface.
"Statistically, you're more likely to be flirted at."
"I'll wear a hat. Hats repel people."
"That's not how hats work."
"It is in my world."
Welcome to Tarenfall
Tarenfall Town sat at the edge of a lazy river, all wooden signs, thatched roofs, and suspiciously well-dressed goats. It was the kind of place where the local drunk and the mayor were probably the same person.
As Eren walked through the front gate, townsfolk gave him the usual fantasy-RPG treatment: quick glances, whispers, one old lady crossing herself dramatically.
He probably looked like a crazy hermit with his potato-sack cloak, a half-limping cabbage, and resting do-not-talk-to-me face.
Perfect.
He hit the open-air market by noon.
Colorful stalls lined the square, hawking apples, cheeses, live chickens, and possibly illegal mushrooms. A few adventurers milled around looking lost. A bard played lute like he was being held at knifepoint.
Eren spotted an empty stall with a crooked sign that read "Open Use."
He dumped his sack of cursed crops onto the table like he was unloading evidence.
[System Active: Sales Mode Engaged]
[Tip: Smile. People trust handsome faces.]
He tried. It came out like a man trying not to fart in public.
A short, round merchant woman waddled over, squinting at his goods.
"What in the divine titmilk is that?" she asked, pointing at a fruit that looked suspiciously like a blushing peach with lips.
"Peach," Eren said. "Ignore the...details. It's juicy. Not sentient."
She picked it up. It giggled.
She dropped it like it bit her.
"Two silver a piece," Eren offered.
"I'll give you ten silver for the lot if you swear they don't bite."
"They only purr."
"Close enough."
[System Update]
+10 Silver
+3 Market Reputation
[Merchant Grilda: Mildly Traumatized, Mildly Interested]
"Next!" Eren called, suddenly full of confidence and only slightly worried about fruit ethics.
Three transactions later, he noticed a goat staring at him.
Not just standing around. Staring.
It had a monocle.
And a tiny satchel.
"…Lira, is that goat evaluating my business strategy?"
"Negative. That's Lord Hergel. He owns most of the livestock trade."
"The goat owns the livestock trade?"
"This world is deeply unstable. Adjust expectations."
Lord Hergel bleated once and wandered off, unimpressed.
Eren felt judged. Deeply.
Late afternoon sun cast golden lines across the market when she appeared: a tall woman in dark noblewear, boots polished to a mirror shine, and eyes sharp enough to slice bread.
She moved like a cutscene.
Everyone stared. Even the goat.
"New face," she said coolly, stopping at Eren's stall. "New crops. Unusual energy."
He bowed slightly. "Just a humble farmer with juicy produce and no ulterior motives."
She raised an eyebrow at the seductive-looking tomato on his table.
"I see."
She picked it up. The tomato blushed. Literally.
Eren tried not to die inside.
"Do they… always react like this?"
"Only when they like you," he said with a deadpan face.
Her lips twitched. "Interesting."
[System Alert: Potential High-Value NPC Detected]
[Lady Ciel: Noble of House Marethon, Governor of Tarenfall]
[Status: Curious. Dangerous. Possible Quest Giver.]
"I run this market," she said, eyes scanning his stand. "And I like novelty. But I despise chaos. Where do you source your produce?"
"Private farm. Off-grid. No magic. Just... weird soil."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You have ten seconds to convince me you're not a danger to my town."
Eren straightened. "I'm just a guy trying to get rich without getting groped by my lettuce."
Beat.
"…Accepted."
[System Update]
[Lady Ciel Relationship: Neutral (Watching You)]
[New Questline Unlocked: Tarenfall Growth Initiative]
Objective: Expand your market presence
Reward: Farm Expansion Rights, Land Title, 1 Favor from Lady Ciel
She left without another word.
Eren exhaled like he'd just defused a bomb.
"Lira," he whispered. "I think I just passed a boss-level charisma check."
"And you didn't even flirt once. I'm proud."
End of Day Sales:
6 Blushing Peaches
3 Foot Carrots
1 Sultry Lettuce (discounted after it tried to hug a child)
Eren packed up what was left and returned home richer, slightly more respected, and only mildly emotionally scarred.
That Night
Sitting at the edge of his field, silver in his hand, he finally smiled for real.
He hadn't just survived the town.
He'd conquered it. A little.
Next step?
Expand. Build. Get that land. Make a fortune. Slowly, stubbornly, and without falling into any of the game's lewd traps.
Probably.
Maybe.
Okay, 50/50.