With the experience from his first cooking attempt, William was more careful this time, reducing the boiling time so the noodles had a firmer texture.
However, the information displayed on the panel remained unchanged: Quality E, only suitable for satiating hunger...
William concluded that the problem must be the low quality of the dried noodles! Once he finished the last pack tomorrow, he definitely needed to go to the market and buy some rice!
Speaking of which, William took out the neat stack of paper bills from the sack.
"Altogether, that's one hundred and twenty-eight thousand Poké...?"
Poké, the universal currency of the Pokémon world. Even in a region like Almia, which wasn't under the official Pokémon League's jurisdiction, Poké was still accepted. This money was what remained after the original William, not wanting to be constantly reminded of his grandfather, sold the old house and used part of the proceeds to buy this ranch.
From his memories, the Mayor had given him the absolute lowest price. After all, even though the ranch was sizable, it had been abandoned for a long time and needed significant investment to repair the basic infrastructure.
"I remember the value of Poké is roughly similar to the Japanese Yen from my previous world. Converting that... it would be around... but that kind of conversion is pretty meaningless here."
He would be earning and spending Poké here. William figured the cost of living in the Pokémon world was something he'd have to judge based on actual prices.
"I'll get a better idea when I visit the village market tomorrow."
After dinner, darkness fell completely. The cabin had no electricity or appliances, so William lit a kerosene lamp, which brightened the interior considerably. However, in a cabin with no internet or phone, there weren't many ways to pass the time in the evening.
Bored, William tidied up the cabin a little. Noticing his two Pokémon yawning, he decided to call it a night.
"It's time for sleep."
After a long day's work, the two little ones were exhausted. William lay on the bed, which still smelled faintly of the sun from airing it out at noon. With Minccino curled up on his left and Turtwig on his right, the three of them quickly fell asleep.
...
Early the next morning, William was woken by a knocking sound.
Opening the door, he found the Mayor standing outside.
"You've tidied up nicely! Come on, I'll show you around the whole ranch. There are also a few things I need to go over with you."
William quickly washed up, changed his clothes, and followed the Mayor out, with Minccino and Turtwig trailing behind.
"This ranch of yours is actually quite large," the Mayor explained as they walked, stopping occasionally to point things out. "But you don't have a need to use all that space yet. Once the ranch gets going, remember to get yourself some transportation. Otherwise, just getting around the property will take you all day."
"See over there?" The Mayor pointed towards a grassy field near the village. "That whole area is pastureland. The part within the fence belongs to this ranch."
William looked where he was pointing. It was a sizable field; even just the fenced-in area was much larger than he had imagined—roughly the size of several sports fields.
"You can let cattle or other livestock graze here normally. And that Pokémon shed over there," the Mayor gestured to a cluster of dilapidated structures, "I suggest you get the carpenter to repair it once you've cleared the fields. Remember to mention my name; the price will be lower."
As the Mayor started walking again, William paused, staring at the sheds with their numerous holes. Woodworking—or 'Woodworking' as his ability called it—was one of the processing methods his golden finger could trigger.
"Mayor!" William jogged a few steps to catch up. "If I wanted to learn woodworking myself, could I pay the carpenter to teach me?"
The Mayor stopped abruptly, clearly surprised by the question, his eyes widening. "You mean... besides running the ranch and farming, you also want to learn woodworking? Do you think you'll have the time?"
William hadn't really considered that. In his mind, the ranch was just starting; how busy could he be every day?
"Mayor, didn't you say yesterday that I couldn't lose to my grandfather? I want to learn woodworking to surpass his skills."
Hearing this and seeing the determined look in William's eyes, the Mayor's expression softened with approval. "Good lad. You have the same look in your eyes as your grandfather. In that case, I'll have a word with the carpenter's shop. Finish up with the spring planting in the next few days, and remember to go see them."
"Okay, thank you, Mayor!"
Afterwards, the Mayor showed William several areas outside the main ranch boundaries, including the foothills, a pond, a forest, and a cave. Finally, after passing the orchard, the well, and the apiary site, they returned to the front of the cabin, where a large wooden box had appeared sometime during their walk.
"This is the shipping box. Any produce from the ranch goes in here. Starting in a few days, a truck from town will come by every morning to collect and pay for it."
"The fields are right next to the cabin," the Mayor continued, pointing towards the path they'd taken back from the orchard. "You can see the ridges from where the old fields were cultivated. If it's not enough, you can clear more land outward, but remember to put up a fence. Our village has few people and lots of land. If you have the ability, you can claim more, but if you claim it, you must farm it properly. Don't let it go to waste."
"Take the spring planting seriously. I left a few types of easy-to-grow crop seeds in the toolbag, along with a notebook my granddaughter wrote. Read it carefully."
With that, the Mayor walked over to his cart. William now got a clear look at the Pokémon pulling it: a sturdy, powerful-looking creature with a patient demeanor. It was a Mudsdale, a Pokémon originally from the Alola region, perfectly suited for transport over rough or muddy paths.
The cargo area at the back of the cart was covered with a cloth. The Mayor walked over and pulled it off.
"Mooooo—!"
It was a Miltank.
"This is the Pokémon I mentioned yesterday, for you to raise. It's a fine one, imported from the Johto region. The MooMoo Milk it produces fetches a good price from the market."
Although William didn't know exactly how much a Miltank was worth in this world, the Mayor's reluctant expression made it clear it wasn't cheap.
"I brought the milking machine that goes with it," the Mayor said, unloading the equipment. "This Miltank hasn't been milked yet today. Come with me, I'll show you how it's done."
The Mayor put a halter on the Miltank, which seemed a bit grumpy at being woken up, and led it to one of the less-damaged shed compartments. He began demonstrating the process.
"Watch closely. First, you need to sterilize all four teats. Then, hand-express a little from each one first to check everything's okay. After you've observed the flow, you attach these four suction cups."
The Mayor's skilled movements were a blur to William, who had never seen this done before. Squick, squick, squick, squick! After a quick manual check, the Mayor attached the milking machine. Over the next few minutes, he occasionally pumped a foot pedal connected to the machine.
A steady stream of milk flowed through the tubes into a prepared metal can. As the process continued, the Miltank's expression shifted from irritable discomfort to gradual relief.
The final yield of MooMoo Milk filled a 20-liter can!
"If this were milk from an ordinary cow, you'd have to send it to a processing plant in town immediately for pasteurization," the Mayor explained. "But Miltank's MooMoo Milk doesn't need that hassle."
The Mayor turned a tap on the can, filled a cup, and handed it to William. "You can drink this straight. Try it, it's very sweet."
William took a sniff; it had a rich, creamy aroma. He tilted his head back and drank half the cup in one go.
A smooth, sweet flavor slid down his throat, leaving a pleasant, lingering aftertaste.
"Not bad!"
William handed the remaining half to Minccino and Turtwig, who eagerly fought to drink it.
"Hey, no fighting, haha! There's plenty more!" The Mayor laughed, filling another cup to the brim. After the two Pokémon drank it, their reactions mirrored William's. The sweet, rich taste wasn't cloying like ordinary milk can be; it made you want to keep drinking!
"Miiil~!"
Seeing the three of them looking so happy, the now-relieved Miltank also smiled contentedly.
"A single healthy Miltank can produce 20 liters of MooMoo Milk a day," the Mayor instructed seriously. "Remember to feed them plenty of fresh, nutritious pasture grass. In winter, you'll use hay. It's crucial to milk her every morning without fail. If she becomes engorged, it affects her mood and health, and the quality of the milk she produces for the next few days will drop."
After imparting this most important task, the Mayor prepared to leave. Just before climbing onto his cart, he turned back to William with one final question.
"Oh, by the way, have you chosen a name for this ranch? I need to register it when I get back."
William thought for a moment, then gave the Mayor a name.
"Macaw Ranch. What do you think of that name?"