Chapter 113: Evolution Flag!?

「We’ve arrived. This is my country, Arabia. 」

It was a Kingdom built in an oasis in the desert.

As we passed through the wide castle gates, we were greeted by a landscape completely different from the desert outside.

Stone buildings were seen everywhere.

The streets were crowded with various stalls and people passing by.

It was a sight that could be described as a central city in the desert.

「Oh, it’s a pretty nice town. 」

That’s what I thought as I walked down the main street while riding the Kobuda.

「Thank you. However, recently, due to the decrease in monsters, there is less food and processed goods than before, and production has declined. As a result, trade with the outside world has also become difficult recently. 」

From the looks of it, it didn’t seem like the people of this city were being affected that much, but I got the feeling that they were buying and selling things in a hurry.

「Then, we need to do something as soon as possible. 」

「Yes, Kyou-san. You’re the only one I can rely on. 」

I gave Shin a reassuring smile as he turned towards me with the most serious expression I had ever seen.

—

「This is the palace where I live. 」

Beyond the main street stood an Arabian-style palace, and we entered inside as guided by the guards.

As soon as I entered the palace’s grounds, the soil inside looked different from other places, and there was a small amount of nature and grass. I even saw a small lake.

After passing through the garden and arriving in front of the palace door, we all got off the Kobuda one after another, and we all followed Shin.

「Kyou-san and everyone else will be using the rooms on the third floor of this palace. Our maids will take care of you all, so if you need something, please let them know. 」

With that said, Shin introduced a woman wearing a long-skirt maid outfit in the desert, and she bowed politely when she saw us.

「Ah, no, I’m sorry, Shin. I can look after myself. But right now…」

Saying that, I lowered the baggage I was carrying on the Kobuda and took out something from inside.

「Let’s start cultivating monsters here. 」

After saying that, I took out the seeds of various monsters that I had cultivated up until now.

—

「Is this the right place, Kyou-san? 」

「Yes, it is. It will be difficult to grow in sandy soil, but on the other hand, I think there’s more room for it to grow in hard wasteland like this. 」

Saying that, I answered Shin, who was standing next to me, while grasping the rough, rocky soil in the wasteland.

After that, I immediately asked Shin questions about this place.

First of all, I asked about vegetables and which healthy soil was ideal for monsters to grow.

However, such luxury wasn’t available in a desert country.

In desert areas, the only places you could find were sandy or dry wastelands.

Although the soil near the palace where Shin was located was relatively healthy, it still required space to cultivate monsters.

Moreover, in this case, we had to cultivate in an amount large enough to be distributed to the people of this country.

There wasn’t enough space to cultivate that many monsters.

So I heard Shin’s story and came to this wasteland place.

「Well, for now, let’s just till this place lightly and then try to plant seeds right away. Sorry, Jack, please help me. 」

「Leave it to me, bro. 」

「Don’t be shy, Lord Kyou. I’ll help you too. 」

「Me too! 」

Jack, Fitis and Rock also loosened up the wasteland with hoe in their hands.

「Kyou-san, please let me help you too. 」

「Oh, really? I appreciate it. 」

With that said, I handed the hoe to Shin, who offered to help, and asked him to help soften the ground.

While I was doing this, Shin, who was wiping his sweat, suddenly asked me.

「I guess it will be difficult for even Kyou-san to raise monsters in this sandy soil. 」

「I don’t know. You can’t store water in sand, so I guess it’s difficult for normal monsters to grow. 」

I couldn’t say for sure, but it was highly likely.

I heard that it was difficult even on Earth to grow plants in the sandy soil of deserts.

If I could find monsters that grew in such a desert environment, then I may be able to cultivate them, but it seemed difficult to do so with the monsters I brought with me.

Of course, I was planning to sow some monster seeds in the sand to confirm later.

「For now, I’ll plant an improved Killer Plant that grows even in the wastelands. Also, I’ll plant Jewel Beans, which are monsters of the leguminous plant family, as well as Peanuts and Bahanero. I’ll also try to plant Weed Leaf, so let’s see which one grows best. 」

Saying that, I selected a few monsters that were relatively easy to grow even in a rough environment.

As for the Killer Plant, I had already proven it because I grew it in a wasteland.

That monster would probably show the most results in the monster cultivation of the desert.

Next up were Jewel Beans and Peanuts, which belong to the leguminous plant family, and surprisingly these were also the kind of monsters that could grow quickly even in a wasteland.

I heard that the leguminous plant family was strong even in the wastelands.

I hoped that Weed Leaf could contribute to the greening of the desert with its unique reproductive ability.

As for Bahanero, I felt like I should give it a try for now.

「Thank you, Kyou-san. There are no words to express my gratitude for your help. 」

「Well, I didn’t do anything that big. I was curious and wanted to try cultivating monsters in the desert. 」

I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as Shin bowed his head again.

「Hey! Bro! Why don’t you just plant some Jack O’ Lanterns? 」

Jack pointed to the Jack O’ Lantern seeds he had brought with him.

「Oh, nice. Yes, let’s give it a try, Jack. 」

Jack O’ Lantern raising a Jack O’ Lantern.

It was a bit weird, so I chose to do it without thinking too much about it.

—

「Hmm, so something like this has happened. 」

A few days later, I was feeling a bit frustrated as I checked the number of monsters I had successfully cultivated.

Just as I had initially expected, several Killer Plants had sprouted and were growing.

However, they were moving around in flop state.

It seemed that the cultivation of these monsters was not doing so well.

The Jewel Beans and the Peanuts, which belonged to the leguminous plant family, had also sprouted, but they were not very vigorous.

It was likely that the amount of fruit would be scarce.

Weed Leaf was also producing some fruit, but it seemed like it would take another year for them to proliferate.

As for the other monsters, they hadn’t even sprouted.

They were probably not suited to harsh environments.

Furthermore, the seeds planted in the sand didn’t appear to come out.

「For now, we will be able to harvest some fruit from the Killer Plant, but it won’t be enough of course… 」

I’d probably be able to secure several hundred fruits like this, but considering the amount that would be distributed to everyone in the Kingdom…I’d like to have thousands, or even tens of thousands of fruits.

I wanted a monster that could always bring that to fruition, and I felt that the current situation was still lacking.

This could be more arduous work than I thought.

While thinking about this, I wondered if I should cultivate new monsters, and when I was about to go back to the palace to capture the monsters in this area, I ran into an unexpected person.

「Hey, Kyou. It’s been a while since I last saw you, and I heard that you went to the desert, so I looked for you. What are you doing here? 」

「That’s what I should be saying, dad. 」

It was a reunion with my dad, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time since the cooking showdown with my mother.

Come to think of it, I wondered what this dad of mine had been up to.

He was literally useless in the decisive battle with the Emperor. No, he wasn’t helpful in the cooking showdown with my mom before that either, was he?

He was like a useless old man…

「So, seriously, what are you doing here? It looks like you’re doing something interesting. 」

The old man didn’t seem to notice the thoughts in my head and looked at the monsters being cultivated in the wasteland.

Well, after all, he was still my father, and he used to grow vegetables in this world, so it was not like he was completely incompetent, so I thought I’d ask him for some reference.

So I decided to give him a quick overview of the current situation.

「I see. It’s true that there aren’t many monsters that can be cultivated in the desert. As expected, you’re having a hard time as well. 」

「Yes. Is there anything I can do, dad? 」

I listened to his words without expecting much, but the answer I received was unexpected.

「Then it might be time for you to move on to the next stage. 」

「Next stage? 」

I couldn’t help but ask him what it was, and the old man replied with a look of “Oh no”.

「Hey, have you forgotten? This world was originally prepared for evolution to push humans to the next level. In other words, this is also a stage for humans to grow. 」

「I heard about that, but what do you mean? 」

「You’re a dull person, don’t you understand? 」

I looked at the old man with skepticism and asked him to give me an answer quickly.

「That means it’s time for your monster cultivation skills to go to the “next stage”. 」

「…?! Does that mean my abilities will grow? 」

The old man nodded at my answer.

That was a completely unexpected answer.

Until now, I had been thinking about cultivating new things using the current monsters I had and also the monsters that lived in this land.

However, the answer proposed by the old man went beyond all of that.

In the first place, I never thought of evolving my own skills.

「Well, that’s why we need to go back in order to prepare for that. 」

「Where are we going? 」

I couldn’t help but ask back, and the subsequent answer shocked me just as much as before, or maybe even more.

「Then, it’s decided. Let’s go to Earth. 」

「…What? 」

「Let’s go home for the first time in a while. 」

The old man said with simple words, as if he were taking a day trip by train.

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