'It's not difficult, but it's not easy to finish everything at the same time either...'

First, I did what seemed easier. Using one instant harvest, I collected five corns, then sowed carrot in its place, which take 9 hours to harvest. Then, I bought cucumber, lettuce and pumpkin seeds. Now there are four tasks left. I tried to put one pen inside the storage, but this system didn't accept it.

"Sigh... what do you want?" I said exasperated, before remembering to not look like I'm crazy to the world and began talking with it in my mind.

'Isn't it a product?'

The word 'new' began to shine in red. I narrowed my eyes and looked around, there was an ice cream shop nearby. I walked and bought two, one to eat and another ice cream in styrofoam to go, putting it in my backpack and moving it in the storage with my mind. This time, it worked.

Where to barter, haggle and sell is the problem... I walked to my car and drove to a nearby marketplace.

There I took out my tomatoes from inside the storage, to try to use them...

"Wow, such perfect tomatoes... It must be yummy, right?" I could feel my belly protesting.

"I should test before giving, no, trading it with someone… The better seller is the one that uses his own products, since he will have confidence they're good."

Telling myself I wasn't just being greedy, I took a bite. It was delicious, sweet and with a bit of an acid taste on top, just the right proportions. They are big, so I was stuffed after finishing it. I cleaned my hands with a tissue and put fourteen tomatoes in a bag, got down and headed to an old woman who was looking at vegetables in a stall.

"Hello, madam. Do you want tomatoes? I have some from my vegetable garden that I want to sell."

She looked at me and seemed ready to give me a negative answer, but she changed her words when she looked at my bag that I opened to show.

"I don’t really need tomatoes... but yours are really nice, maybe some? how much is it?" She frowned with uncertainty.

"I don't have a way to weigh it, but I'm selling them for fifty cents each. Look, they are big, you can choose too." I smiled at her, confidently, sure that this price is nice enough, I have tasted its sweetness after all. I got my first fall there, always put your price with room to haggle.

She began to haggle with me.

"I'm not sure… how many are there?" She counted them and looked at each one, before continuing, "I could take all of them for six bucks, if you want to sell…?"

"Look, they are the best tasting and sweetest tomatoes you can find here, I'm sure of it! Just look how fresh they are... besides it's totally natural, without pesticides..."

"You don’t even have a stall here… I'm not sure about what you're telling me, it's a bit risky…"

I looked at her and at my tomatoes, I'm sure they are worth way more and I'm a bit unwilling to have their price go down, like this. But I have to bite the bullet this time, there was no need to continue reasoning because of a dollar.

"There is no risk ma’am, you just need to look at them… but it's a deal."

We finished the trade and the old woman walked away happy. Back to my car, I brought out my five corns this time, they look great too.

I walked around in the market and observed many buyers haggling, choosing the seller that seemed more open to it and said with a smile.

"Hi, how much are those bananas?"

"U$1,60 per kilogram, miss."

"Humm... I want four kilograms, but I only have six bucks, can you sell it?"

He sized me up, discreetly. I complemented with a troubled face:

"Otherwise, I will keep looking around, 'cause I need the four kilograms..."

"Alright, miss, I can let it be that much for you!"

He soon agreed. I paid and now I have more than thirty bananas that I don't really need, but with that I didn’t spend a cent of my own money.

Maybe I can achieve self-sufficiency with this?

I imagined a bright future, before snapping back.

Forget that for now, there is still the bartering left.

I'm troubled.

'Should I just reach out and ask if any of them would want corn or what? And for a merchant, not more, not less...'

I walked for one hour, before seeing an old man closing his stall, putting away some lettuce and cucumber to take back. I walked his way, thinking that maybe since he didn't sell it, he could trade it somehow.

"Hi, sir, is everything alright? I just saw you couldn't sell everything and are going back..."

"Yeah, are you interested in anything?"

"Would you like to make a deal? I have some corn here and wanted to trade for other things, if you would?"

I showed him the five corns and he seemed to be weighing his options. He picked one corn and checked on all sides.

"I can trade it for two lettuce and two cucumbers."

He said, but didn't put the corn back. I looked at the time, there was fifteen minutes left. But I still looked at him troubled and raised my hand as if to take back the corn. He then said:

"Okay, three cucumbers. Take it or leave."

"Alright, let's do it like that."

I finished the deal, anyway, I just need the points. Besides, I didn't have any trouble growing the vegetables, I kept telling myself it wasn't a pity to sell them like that.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Back in my car, I asked the system to open the shop farm for me.

There were four tabs, one for machines, one for products, one for seeds and one for special items with how many points I have in the top, right side.

"Eh? Wait… I wasn't counting before, but I think I should have less points? Maybe…"

I picked my phone and began counting…

"Yeah, there is more, right? System, where did those points come from?"

There were 200 points, but shouldn’t it be 180? I waited for an answer. After a long 'silence', I called again:

"System? I know you're there, answer me."

No answer.

'Okay, since you want to act as if you're not here, I will too. I won't continue doing the tutorial.'

There was a fast answer this time.

Producing gives you points, be it harvesting or finishing a product in the facilities of this system.

"Hehehe… why didn't you say that earlier? At least I just got this farm in the morning…"

Only then I observed the many squares in the shop, but most of them had only question marks on the image, name and price. I can't even begin to imagine what it can let me make. The only machines I could buy were a mill, a feed mill and a bakery.

'With the points I have, I can only buy the mill for 150 points, what a mean system, if I didn't accept the bonus quests, I wouldn't have enough to buy it now, just 100 points. Should I find wheat seeds to make wheat flour later?' I deviated thinking about flour, but left that question for later and continued.

'Feed mill, 200 points, I don't even have animals, so there is no need. Bakery is 250, should I wait…?'

I looked at the other tabs, the one with products only had the vegetables I can plant, the chocolate I bought before and the ice cream to sell, everything a bit too expensive, the seeds to sell were the same kind as the ones I already put inside.

Seeing that, I think I should test later if I put more things inside, they will appear at the shop to sell.

Looking at the special products tab, I saw there is the instant harvest and 50% time harvest and how expensive they are...

'Gosh... 50 points for that... when the mill is 150... I will never use my points to buy it... It feels like a waste to use too...'

Should I buy the mill? But if I wait, I probably should be able to buy the bakery tomorrow, right? Since I will continue sowing and harvesting? Yeah, let's go home for now.

After that I got home and took out the ice cream I bought before, thinking about putting it in the freezer to eat later, but it was like I just bought and I was sure that even with the styrofoam it shouldn’t be like that, so, to my happiness, I found out another function of my storage, it keeps things fresh or maybe just the way they’re put inside.

Should I buy some things in the wholesale market and save my money?! I put that in my bucket list for later, especially the things with a low shelf life that I like but I avoid buying because I think it’s too expensive. I could spend less buying lunch if I do it at home and keep it ready inside too… I was inspired and immediately began preparing lunchboxes of different types. When it was time to harvest, I did and immediately sowed again. I finished using my ingredients at home and got ready for bed. I was happy to finally see some use for this system.

That night, I slept satisfied.

《☆》

I woke up with the ringing of the alarm clock, it was time to harvest and sow again. Since the daily task was to harvest, I finished it as soon as I woke up. The weekly task was still to walk and I would do it during the day. Then I would have more than enough to buy the bakery. I was already daydreaming about getting fresh bread and maybe others everyday…

‘Focus!’

I ate, got ready for class and drove. The day was like any other before the system, I was adapting to it occupying part of my field of vision and even if I got distracted by it, I would focus again in a moment. So I was able to drive and watch class without hassle. For lunch I stayed in my car and chose from my stock a lunchbox containing firecracker chicken with rice and leaf salad, it was the first time I made this dish, but, modesty aside, it was great. I ate the food with gusto, there was a sweet and spicy taste, its temperature was as if it was just cooked.

Then, I walked around to finish the weekly task of today and to help me digest. The first one is the real reason, though. Walking back to the next class, I was disappointed to find there was still 8 meters left to finish it. I put that sentiment aside and focused.

《☆》

Back home, I finished the weekly task and bought my own (system) bakery. Concluding my mission, I looked at my storage and was surprised to find what it read as "antidote".

"What's it?"

Insufficient right of access.

"What u mean insufficient right? How can you give me a prize I don't know how I can use and don’t even want to explain?"

The system just ignored me. I pursued my lips and asked:

"System, how can I have more rights of access?"

Time, evolution of merchant or meeting conditions.

At least it was answering and, in short, it was to wait and do missions, right? So I decided to move on, looking at the next tutorial mission.

Tutorial Mission 6: As a traveling merchant, you need to travel in any kind of adversities, for that you need to protect yourself. As such, find and equip five protective items, one for your head, upper body, hands, lower body and feet. Prize: Armory. Type: Mandatory. Done: 0/5.

"Armory? What kind of game are you playing? Can’t you stick with one genre? Now you want to change to a kind of rpg or what?"

I looked at the mission doubtful, it's getting expensive too. My wallet cried just one day after I thought I could use this system to pay for its own missions.

‘It's an investment… INVESTMENT…’

I repeated to myself thinking about its benefits.

"What now? Will solar protection shirts and pants do? Or maybe leather ones... Gloves and boots are easier to get... an PPE helmet or cyclist or motocyclist's helmets... let's look around..."

I searched around my closet.

‘I’m sure there are solar protection clothes and leather boots, somewhere…’

I wanted to try my luck with them.

Equip, it said... I dressed myself with them and looked at the mission.

"Only one, huh... seems like the clothes aren't enough protection..."

I tried a cap too, to make sure.

As I thought, it wasn't enough for this system.

I remember hearing about sports clothing made with carbon fiber, so I searched online where I could buy it.

Lucky me, there is one store that sells those and I was going to buy a helmet at a store that sells building supplies, both are near here.

I successfully found and bought the clothing and gloves made with carbon fiber, besides a PPE helmet.

Back to my house, I held myself, trying to not feel ridiculous and 'equipped' everything, the mission was concluded. Opening said armory, it was just like the equipment tab for games, there were more than five squares to put things, like armor, glasses, weapon, etc… And there was an option to show or not, curious as to what that was, I activated it to not show.

“... SHIT!”

That wasn’t smart, THANK GOD I WAS HOME. There was only my lingerie and boots showing, at least now I knew I didn't need to look ridiculous walking around with those in the day, if I ever needed to wear them, that is. Besides, my normal clothing wouldn’t get hidden because of it, since it doesn’t recognise it as armor.

I got back to my everyday clothes. Thought a bit and put the carbon fiber ones, gloves and helmet above and chose to not show, looking normal again, not even feeling it weighing. I decided to keep it, who knows.

'Next mission...'