Became the Owner of a Poor Estate
Chapter 31
-Architecture Field Advice
- Finding appropriate materials in the Black Forest: Como trees, Tie stone.
-Agriculture Field Advice
- Land good for farming: Search near the Grace Lord’s castle. (Hint: What looks good isn’t necessarily good.)
- Edible fruits: Orange, fist-sized, bitter taste; must be cooked before eating. - Nado persimmon tree fruits must be blanched in boiling water to remove the astringent taste and then roasted over a fire to bring out the best flavor.
- Making good fertilizer: Grind dried Dural leaves and ferment them with Moh Moss. One week. Mix, mix into the soil.
“Huh? Is this all?”
The information was crude, far inferior to the Terrain Information she had purchased previously for the same number of points.
Donghee stared wide-eyed at the air, hoping something more would appear.
However, no further information manifested within the blue status window floating before her.
“Isn’t this a scam?”
If it made her suffer twice as much, it should have yielded twice as much knowledge. Had she known the information would be this brief, she never would have chosen forced acquisition.
Unable to shake the feeling that she’d been swindled, Donghee glared at the sapphire-blue status window as if she wanted to kill it. If she could, she wanted to grab it by the collar and shake it.
As if displeased by Donghee’s reaction, the status window flickered frantically before scribbling text at a rapid pace.
-User-nim, you are incredibly shameless for expecting so much after paying a mere few hundred points.
“A mere few hundred?! It was a whole 1,000 points!”
-Would you like to cancel your purchase?
“Is that possible?”
Donghee stopped shouting and asked in a soft, polite voice.
-Yes. However, upon cancellation, only half of the purchase points will be refunded, and the acquired information will be wiped clean from the User-nim’s mind.
Please be advised that as a side effect, previously acquired information may be corrupted or contain errors, and your memory capacity may decrease.
Would you like to cancel your purchase?
[Cancel Purchase] [Confirm Purchase] [Write Review]
After the status window poured out the sentences, the options appeared one by one at the very end.
I understand canceling and confirming, but what’s with ‘Write Review’?
Donghee couldn’t shake the feeling that the status window was constantly trying to imitate an online shopping mall.
“Do I get something if I write a review?”
-There is no such thing.
“Then why did you put that option there?”
-Because it looks professional. So, would you like to cancel your purchase? Refund points: 50%, side effect: memory loss.
Wow. This thing was a highway robber in everything but name.
“How is that any different from saying I can’t cancel?!”
-My, User-nim. Your literacy seems to be lacking. I clearly stated that while there may be minor side effects, cancellation is possible.
Donghee tried her best to calm her boiling heart as she glared at the status window, which possessed a distinct flair for fraud.
Regardless, the status window continued to repeatedly display the infuriating sentence that cancellation was possible and the useless ‘Write Review’ text.
“I won’t cancel.”
Even considering how she had trembled during the forced acquisition, she couldn’t bring herself to cancel.
There was no need to force a cancellation when she’d only get half her points back and risk corrupting her previous information.
Furthermore, her memory wasn’t that great to begin with; she was terrified that if it decreased any further, she might eventually forget who she was.
And who knew?
Perhaps some immense value was hidden within that short snippet of information.
Besides, judging by the changes in the status window, this was likely a gateway she had to pass through anyway to purchase the next stage of information.
-Hidden Points allow even User-nims with poor memories to acquire high-quality information with only minor side effects. We look forward to your continued patronage and will return soon with a discount event. Huhut.
Donghee waved her hand to scatter the status window, which had even kindly reminded her of her own poor intellect.
Waving her hand didn’t actually make the status window disappear, but she felt like her anger wouldn’t subside unless she did at least this much.
Once the status window vanished from her sight, Donghee lost her strength and slumped back into her chair.
As the soft fur touched her cheek, fatigue suddenly washed over her all at once.
She considered taking a nap right then and there, but she suddenly became curious about the value of the information she had been overcharged for.
Donghee forced her heavy body up, swung the carriage door wide open, and stepped outside.
As the cold wind hit her, the slight lingering nausea vanished refreshingly. It seemed coming outside was a good choice.
When Chloe emerged, the two knights who had been waiting stood up straight before her.
“Could you call Builder for me?”
Since Morta Village and the Black Forest weren’t far, she felt she should first look into the Como trees and Tie stone in detail.
At Donghee’s words, the younger-looking of the two knights bowed disciplinedly and ran toward where Builder was.
In the distance, she could see Builder loudly directing the workers. Even from afar, she could feel how diligently and faithfully he was working; he was giving his absolute best to the task at hand.
After a moment, Builder, his hair damp with sweat, came running breathlessly alongside the knight and stood before Chloe.
“My Lord, did you call for me?”
Perhaps because he had eaten the delicious ramen, Builder’s expression as he looked at Chloe was much brighter than it had been in the morning. He looked up at Chloe with eyes as clear as a child’s.
His fervent gaze was a bit burdensome, so Donghee cleared her throat and asked in a dignified voice.
“Do you happen to know anything about Como trees or Tie stone?”
Builder furrowed his brows as if thinking for a moment at Donghee’s question, then gave a bright smile and answered in a cheerful voice.
“If it’s Como trees…, aren’t they trees that grow in the Black Forest? As for Tie stone, it’s the most common thing rolling around in this vicinity. That gray rock next to you, My Lord, is also Tie stone.”
Builder looked very happy to be able to answer the Lord’s question.
“Where?”
Donghee quickly turned her head and scanned the ground to find the Tie stone.
On the ground, broken gray rocks were scattered about, rolling here and there.
“Huh? This is Tie stone?”
“Yes. But it’s a completely useless stone. It’s so weak that it would crumble even if an old man over ninety gripped it.”
Tie stone was a very troublesome existence.
On windy days, it kicked up gray dust, and on rainy days, it turned the entire ground into a quagmire. Furthermore, if Tie stone rolled into the fields and got rained on, the crops couldn’t grow properly, making it more annoying than weeds. Thus, during the farming season, the first thing people did upon waking up in the morning was pick out the Tie stone that had fallen near the crops.
Builder stomped hard on a piece of Tie stone beneath his feet as if it were a cockroach, looking annoyed just thinking about it.
“Is that so?”
Donghee picked up a piece of Tie stone from the ground, feeling skeptical.
It was quite large, but the weight in her hand was very light. It felt more like holding a lump of chalk than a stone.
“It’s light?”
“Yes. When the wind blows hard, the small ones even fly away.”
No matter how light it was, it was still a stone; imagining them flying in the wind felt threatening.
“People could get hurt.”
“If it hits a person, it’ll just turn into powder instantly. I’ve never seen anyone get injured from being hit by it.”
“Is Tie stone common in other regions as well?”
“No, it isn’t. It’s a rock mainly distributed in regions near the snowfields, but it’s only found in the villages connected to the Black Forest.”
“So, what you’re saying is that it’s a rock that can only be obtained in our territory?”
“Yes.”
Since it looked fairly solid on the outside, Donghee remained suspicious and squeezed the Tie stone she was holding.
Then, the fist-sized gray stone cracked apart and turned into powder along the broken surfaces, drifting away.
“Whoa.”
To think she could crush a stone with her bare hands.
Donghee felt as if she had become the Hulk. It seemed like it would be quite effective for stress relief.
However, because of the dust created as it shattered, Donghee coughed and waved her hands busily in front of her face.
Watching this, Builder also diligently fanned with his hands to blow away the Tie stone dust floating in front of Chloe. Fortunately, a timely breeze soon carried the dust far away.
“But that’s strange. If it breaks this easily, shouldn’t it all be in powder form?”
“That’s because it clumps back together when it gets wet from the rain.”
“Would it be difficult to use for building houses?”
“Yes. Even if you fill in the gaps while it’s soggy, it crumbles at the slightest impact once it dries, so it’s useless. In fact, the dust could make children and the elderly sick. It also interferes greatly with farming. If we could just clear out all the Tie stone, the crop harvest would increase significantly.”
Even as he answered, Builder picked up a piece of Tie stone and threw it far away from Chloe.
The Tie stone, flying in a parabola, turned into gray dust the moment it hit the ground, rising like a cloud before being instantly carried away by the wind.
Donghee fell into thought as she looked at the Tie stone that seemed as useless as Builder said.
The reason the status window informed her about Tie stone must be because it has a use.
In that case, she had no choice but to research it alongside the Como tree she was told about.
“Builder, do you know about Como trees as well?”
“I’ve heard that Como trees grow in the center of the Black Forest.”
There was a lack of conviction in Builder’s voice as he answered.
“Have you never seen one either?”
“Yes, everything I know is just from what I overheard when I was learning about wood from my father. Most people in the village probably don’t know about Como trees.”
“I should be grateful your family has been carpenters for generations.”
If it weren’t for Builder, it was certain that finding out about the Como tree would have taken much longer.
Donghee, feeling newly appreciative of Builder’s presence, tapped his broad shoulder a couple of times in encouragement.
Of course, Builder was much taller, so she had to raise her arm quite a bit, but the kind Builder immediately bent his waist when Chloe placed her hand on his shoulder.
He’s quick on the uptake, too. Donghee was liking Builder more and more.
“Do you know roughly where in the Black Forest they grow?”
At Donghee’s question, Builder’s face darkened instantly.
“I heard there is a Como tree colony in the center of the Black Forest. But I’m not sure how it is now.”
Builder became dejected, as if his inability to pinpoint the Como tree colony was a sin.
“If it’s the center, we’ll have to go deep into the forest.”
“Yes, that’s right. I heard they only grow in the shade where the forest is dense, as they dislike sunlight. Compared to other trees, they will be shorter with thicker trunks.”
While listening to Builder’s explanation, Donghee looked up and stared at the sky.
Lunchtime had just passed, so there was still a long time before the sun would set. However, if they went deep into the Black Forest, the people could be in danger.
While she was contemplating what to do, Red Bear, who had been watching the scene, spoke up first.
“My Lord, I and a few of my subordinates will enter the Black Forest and search for the Como tree habitat.”
