Aunt Lily's Orphanage.
"Being a mortal is very tough in this world," Michael said, watching the children play before him.
Jenny looked at the kids with pity. Most of the children in the orphanage lacked mage talent.
"Yes, it's very tough. The nobles have a monopoly over all the major businesses related to magic. Besides low-tier jobs like guards and servants, there's not much a mortal can do.
Most mortals rely on farming to meet ends, but the output is just enough to sustain them. But thanks to you, at least they will find a good workplace."
Today, Michael discussed sponsorship plans with Aunt Lily and promised to hire older children above 14 to work in his new restaurant. Aunt Lily was so happy that she hugged him tightly.
You have to know that Aunt Lily was a goblin, and her build was slightly bigger than humans, so she almost crushed him out of happiness when she hugged him. Michael still felt chill when he remembered that moment.
As they talked, Michael saw a young man approaching the orphanage.
The man wore a brown woolen shirt and long grey trousers. He was accompanied by a boy in similar clothes but with a round red hat. Both carried wooden boxes.
As they reached the orphanage gate, the boy shouted, "Aunt Lily, we are here to deliver today's groceries!"
Surprisingly, both were orcs. Since arriving in this world, it was Michael's first time seeing an orc.
He stood and approached them, noticing that the young man was slightly taller and muscular.
"Ah, Miss Jenny! How are you?" the young orc said, looking flustered when he saw Jenny.
"I am fine, Kobe. You're quite early today," Jenny replied, not noticing Kobe's blushing face. Before Kobe could answer, the boy accompanying him spoke up.
"Sister Jenny, we got a good batch of red tomatoes yesterday, so Dad asked us to deliver them to the orphanage along with some other groceries."
At that moment, Aunt Lily came outside the orphanage. "Thank you, Hiro. Tell your dad we're grateful. We were just about to have breakfast; why don't you join us?"
Hiro was about to agree when Kobe gently pulled him back. "No, thanks, Aunt Lily. We already had breakfast," Kobe said, aware of the orphanage's financial struggles and not wanting to add to their burden.
But Aunt Lily still insisted, saying that Michael had brought enough food for everyone, so they didn't have to worry.
During breakfast, Michael learned a lot about farming from Kobe. Kobe's father had been a farmer, but as the farm's yields declined, he became a vendor, selling others' produce.
Michael discovered that farming techniques in this world heavily relied on magic. Nobles used array formations to collect and concentrate mana in their fields.
"So, they replaced fertilizers with magic formations. A great idea, but not affordable for most farmers," Michael mused.
Even the lowest-tier formation costs 100 Gold Coins, equivalent to two years' expenses for most mortals. As Kobe talked about farmers abandoning their farms, Michael got an idea.
After breakfast, he and Jenny went with Kobe and his brother Hiro to meet their father, Jiro.
At the Farmer's Market:
"Jiro, I already told you not to poach farmers in my area. You still dared to defy me?" said an orc standing with three goblins.
"Mike, you can't blame me for your greed. You're trying to take advantage of those poor farmers by offering them less money than they deserve. That's why they came to me." Jiro said nervously.
"Enough with the chit-chat, Mike. Tell me, can we beat him?" said one goblin, looking at Jiro sinisterly.
Mike and the three goblins have done this many times. They always beat vendors and take over their businesses. Unless someone is killed, the authorities don't pay much attention; in fact, Mike has even bribed some guards so that they won't interfere with his work.
Mike looked at him with a mocked smile and said, "Jiro, I am giving you one last chance. Take your business and go somewhere else."
Jiro didn't say anything. He grabbed a stick in his hand and looked at Mike with determination.
"Okay, so I'll take that as a no. Boys, beat him," Mike commanded.
One of the goblins raised a club to strike, but before he could move, a gust of wind spell knocked all three goblins into a nearby stone wall.
Mike, who had been confidently watching Jiro, suddenly became afraid. Turning, he saw Jenny tucking her wand into her belt as she approached.
"Mage…" he stammered, wanting to flee.
"If you try to run, you'll suffer the same fate as those three," Michael warned.
Mike looked at the unconscious goblins, then at Michael and Jenny.
"Dad!" Hiro and Kobe rushed to Jiro to check if he was okay and then glared at Mike.
Michael asked Jiro about the situation and learned everything.
"So, how do you want to deal with him? If you want, I can call the authorities and put him in a cell. I can also beat him black and blue; just tell me how you want to handle this," Jenny asked Jiro, her voice filled with disdain for those who prey on the innocent.
Michael was taken aback by Jenny's behavior.
"I never thought such a sweet-looking girl could be this violent. I'd better be careful around her," Michael thought, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
Meanwhile, Mike was terrified.
"Jiro, I am sorry. I will leave this market and never come back to disturb you," he pleaded, directing his plea toward Jenny.
Feeling a twinge of pity, Jiro decided to pardon Mike and let him go.
"Stay away from this market," Michael warned. As a mortal, Mike knew better than to defy them further and fled immediately.
Jiro thanked Jenny and Michael. After everything was settled, Kobe informed Jiro about Michael's visit. Although Kobe was confused, he still welcomed Michael and Jenny to his home.
When they went there, they were greeted by a large, barren plot of land with a big house in the middle. The house was made of bricks and had clay tiles on the roof.
Michael walked into the courtyard and was greeted by Jiro's wife. Once everyone was settled, Michael said, "Jiro, what do you think about farming again?"
Jiro looked confused. "Young Master, I don't have any land."
"Oh, but you do. Look," Michael pointed to the land before Jiro's house.
"Young Master, this land is already barren. We can't farm on it," Jiro sighed.
"What if I told you I can turn this land fertile? Not only that, but I will also provide everything necessary for farming.
You just need to supply the yield, and I'll buy it for more than the market price," Michael said with a smile.
Jiro was skeptical. Judging by Michael's rich attire, he thought Michael might know those magic techniques that can turn barren land fertile.
"Young Master, do you want to use magic to turn our land fertile?" he asked, still doubting.
"Yes and no. I am going to turn your land fertile, but not with magic. I know some farming techniques that will make your land fertile, but I want you to grow the crops I specify. Don't worry, I will compensate you well. You'll earn more than you currently do as a vendor."
Michael planned to use modern farming techniques to grow the ingredients needed for his restaurant.
He knew he couldn't keep buying ingredients from the system and wanted a reliable source for the ingredients, machines, and other items he planned to sell.
By doing this, he could save many SPs, as manufacturing blueprints were much cheaper than finished products.
Additionally, he wanted to employ people like Jiro and help them transform their lives, which would aid his cultivation efforts. It was like killing multiple birds with one stone.
Jiro was quiet for a moment. He knew he couldn't sustain his family by being a vendor. "Young Master, I will trust you," Jiro said with difficulty.
Michael smiled. "Don't worry, you won't regret it. By the way, I want to open more farms. Can you suggest someone?"
"Young Master, how many farmlands do you need?" Jiro asked.
"The more, the better. I plan to open more restaurants throughout the kingdom, so the ingredients required will be huge."
Jiro introduced Michael to a few of his friends who were struggling like him. They were excited to join when they learned that Michael would help them with farming.
Many, like Jiro, were struggling to find good work, and the chance to farm again made them more than happy.
Michael knew that farming wouldn't produce immediate results, so to help those farmers with their current problems, he offered them 10 gold coins each as an advance. This gesture further strengthened their belief in him.
That day, Michael recruited around ten farmers and signed contracts outlining crop prices and other terms.
Knowing he had little knowledge of farming, he asked them to meet him the next day, when he would provide all the details regarding the farming techniques and other requirements.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Michael remembered the Duke's party. Realizing the time, he hurried back home.