"Are you ready to see your farm, Mr Raiden?" Agent Smith, who was standing at the door, looking smooth as ever in his black suit, asked with a smile on his face.
"Yes, I've been ready for a while now!! Thank you, Agent Smith." Raiden bowed in reply before calling out Sylvia, who came running with Woolie as her tail.
"Very well, let's not waste any time. I'll take you kids to see it." Smith chuckled after seeing their excitement, nervousness and anticipation on their faces.
After locking the door behind them, all 3 made their way towards the beige coloured car parked in front of the house. Looking at the massive, shining car, Raiden felt envious.
"Is that the latest Band Grover top model?! It must have cost a fortune!"
"Ahem... It's not that impressive. Just has that latest nuclear sub-atomic engine. And bespoke leatherette interior made up of Platinum Tier Terran Skin. But enough about the car, let's go see your new farm instead. I am sure you guys are very eager to see it." Even though he said it otherwise, from his tone, Raiden could tell Agent Smith felt pretty proud of his new car, wanting to show it off.
Raiden nearly froze in his tracks when he heard the car was nuclear powered, wanting to take Sylvia and run as far away as possible from its radiation. But then he remembered he was in a different world, where the tech tree was pretty skewed, so he slowly let it go and approached the car with hesitant steps, earning weird looks from the other two people.
Sylvia felt it was all pretty normal, as she didn't know much about the car brands, nor did she care. Soon, all of them found themselves seated inside the car as it came to life with a roar, zooming through the traffic despite its large size.
"Agent Smith, I remember you telling me there is a surprise waiting for us at the farm. Can you tell us what is it?" Raiden initiated the conversation as he held Woolie in place, who seemed to be really curious about all the buttons on the console, waiting to press them.
"If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it? Don't worry, it's a good thing, something your parents left behind." Hearing his words, Raiden felt even more curious. Something his parents left behind? What could it possibly be?
"Forget the surprise, you will see it when you get there. Let me tell you about the farm once again." Agent Smith started speaking once again.
"As you know, your parents bought the farm just outside of the city, that spans 1,000 sq. kilometres. While around 95% of it is unclaimed land, being home to wildlife of all kinds of Terra Beasts, so you've got to be careful with it. The only usable part of land is 50 sq. kilometres, but I think it will be enough for your initial needs."
Hearing the details, Raiden felt speechless. Why call it a farm? Why not just call it a jungle instead? His parents brought a large part of the land, with most of it being jungle. Great, just great.
This prompted Raiden to think about his own safety. With so many wild Terra Beasts near him, how is he supposed to protect himself??
Seeing his face go pale, Agent Smith could guess what he was thinking, but he didn't say anything, instead continuing to speak about the farmland as he turned on road leading outside the city.
"As you have guessed, since it's a farmland, it also has plenty of cultivation space and buildings in place already, for both domestic Terrans to live and to plant valuable food items. On top of it, it includes 20 Berry Trees, 5 at D Grade, 12 C Grade, and 3 B Grade ones. You are pretty lucky."
"Berry Trees?" Raiden asked in confusion. From what it sounds like, it felt like a good thing to him.
"Yes. As you know, being a Battle Master is a hard job. So when both trainers and their partner Terrans push themselves and their limits, they require high-grade food to fulfil their energy requirements. That's where Berry Trees come in. You can make special Terra food out of them to meet the requirements. The higher the grade, the better."
Raiden understood it. No wonder he felt hungry as he trained more. Just one bottle of Milkos wasn't enough; he needed to consume special food too.
"Alright, I think that is pretty much all the information you need to know. We are about to reach there."
Both Sylvia and Raiden became quiet and started to feel nervous at his words. This is it.
Their future depended on it. Both of them lost a great amount of sleep, stressing over it, and finally, they were about to see the farm for themselves.
They soon passed through the thick jungle that covered their vision before emerging into the vast open expanse, which left both of the siblings stunned.
The world opened up before them like a painting come to life.
Rolling emerald meadows stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with wildflowers that swayed in the gentle breeze like a sea of colours—violet, gold, crimson, and white. The grasslands rippled in waves under the afternoon sun, creating patterns of light and shadow that danced across the landscape.
A crystal-clear river carved through the heart of the valley, its waters so pure they reflected the azure sky like a mirror. The river wound lazily through the meadows before cascading down a cliff face in a magnificent waterfall, its thunderous roar audible even from their distance. The falling water caught the sunlight, creating dozens of rainbows that shimmered in the mist, as if the air itself was made of scattered gems.
Near the waterfall, several lakes of varying sizes nestled among the terrain like sapphires set in green velvet. The largest one sprawled at the base of the waterfall, its surface rippling with the constant spray. Smaller ponds dotted the landscape, their shores lined with reeds and wildflowers, where various Terra Beasts could be seen drinking peacefully.
In the distance, the untamed jungle rose like a green wall, ancient trees towering hundreds of feet into the sky, their canopies so thick they formed a second horizon. Mist clung to the treetops, giving the forest an mysterious, primordial quality, as if it held secrets from the dawn of time itself.
Between the meadows and the jungle, clusters of berry trees stood proud, their branches heavy with colourful fruit that gleamed like jewels. Even from here, Raiden could make out the different grades; some glowing faintly with energy, others pulsing with a subtle light.
Near the edge of it all, a collection of weathered but sturdy buildings formed a small compound. Barns, storage facilities, and what appeared to be two modest houses, all constructed from timber and stone, their architecture simple but solid. They looked like they'd weathered many seasons but were built to last many more.
The air itself felt different here—cleaner, richer, alive with energy. In the meadows, he could see distant shapes moving, wild Terrans going about their lives, grazing, playing, hunting.
It felt beautiful. It felt dangerous. It felt overwhelming.
"This..." Sylvia's voice came out as barely a whisper, her eyes wide with wonder. "This is ours?"
Woolie, sensing the importance of the moment, stopped trying to press buttons and stared out the window, his little mouth forming an 'o' of surprise.
"Woolie..." (◉_◉)
Agent Smith smiled at their reactions, clearly pleased. "Welcome to Ashford Farm, kids. Your parents had quite the vision when they purchased this land. They saw what it could become."
Raiden couldn't speak. All the scheming he had done, all his shamelessness, all his desperate calculations, suddenly they all felt worth it. This place, this impossible, beautiful, terrifying place, was his.
And for once in his life, Raiden didn't feel afraid of the challenge.
He felt ready.