Chapter 4 : Agriculture
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"I need information about agriculture."
John blurted out, as if it was the only lifeline he had. Immediately, the system responded.
["Of course Host, when you ready , Tell me then , the complete agricultural knowledge will be transferred to your mind In 8 hours. But keep in mind, Host, to access further information, your IQ level must be 125. Until then, you won't be able to access any other knowledge from the system."]
"Hmm... Alright, for now, agriculture information is the priority."
"It's getting really dark, and Uncle Tom must be worried. I need to get out of this valley and return to Oakville quickly," John said, beginning to climb up carefully.
After a while, he made it to the top and found the path. Despite the heavy rain, he began running towards Oakville.
It was around 2 AM when he finally reached Oakville, and the rain still hadn't stopped.
Within 5 minutes, he reached his dilapidated home, where rainwater was leaking inside. He found a corner where the water wasn't dripping and decided to sleep there.
"The house is leaking worse than before. I'll probably need to fix the roof tomorrow," he thought aloud. He moved to the dry spot, took off his wet clothes, and hung them on a makeshift wooden hanger.
Wearing only his underwear, he lay down on the floor, as he had no other clothes.
"Man, I'm so hungry, and I can't sleep."
"Umm... What do I do now? Do you have any solution for this?"
[Yes, Host. Since you've selected agricultural information, you are eligible for a daily LUCKY DRAW, where you can receive food items.]
"Seriously, is that even possible?"
[Yes, Host. Next to the Info option, there is a draw mark. If you click on it, the Lucky Draw will activate.]
| Info || Lucky Draw |
"Hmm... So I just need to touch this second option."
Looking at the screen, he touched the Lucky Draw option with his finger. The circle began to spin, lights flashing around it.
After a moment, the circle stopped.
[Considering the current food situation in this world, you have received 5 pieces of bread. The cost will be collected later when you grow wheat.]
John was happy to hear that he got some bread, but the mention of a cost confused him. He asked,
"What do you mean by 'the cost will be collected later'?"
[It means, Host, that this food has been provided to you on credit. Later, when you have grown wheat, the bread will be exchanged for it. Nothing is free, Host John.]
Understanding what the system meant, John thought,
"Yeah, nothing is free in this world; everything comes with a price."
"For now, I just need to fix my current situation. The future can wait," he said, then ate the five pieces of bread.
"Ah... Oh man, that hit the spot," he said, as tears began to well up in his eyes.
Since he had been wandering all day with an empty stomach looking for work, all he received in return was humiliation. People mistook him for a thief and a robber—things he wasn't—and he barely escaped a brutal beating. Remembering all this, as John ate the bread, tears began to fall from his eyes.
"There is no compassion left in people. If you want mercy, you have to buy it from someone more powerful than yourself."
Wiping away his tears, he promised himself, "I won't be afraid anymore. With this information, I'll never starve again, and I'll make sure no one like me ever goes hungry."
"Now, transfer the agricultural information," he said, lying down and closing his eyes.
["Of course, Host. You will wake up in 8 hours, and you'll have a restful sleep. Installing Agricultural Information: 1%... 2%... 3%... 4%..."]
Around 10 a.m., John began to wake up, and the system's voice announced,
["...98%... 99%... 100%. Congratulations, Host John. Your first knowledge list is now open. You can check it under 'Info.']
John, who had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes, yawned and then, surprised, said,
"Gasp... For the first time, I slept in so late, and that too without any worries. I haven't felt this good in a long time."
The system replied,
["That's because you used to sleep only 3 to 4 hours before, which caused your mind to feel stressed, and you wouldn't feel well. When the agricultural information began installing, your mind was put into sleep mode, and only then did the installation start."]
Hearing this, John was shocked and said,
"What... You can put me to sleep without my permission? That means my life is in your control then?"
["No, Host, you misunderstood. Sleep mode only activates when you give permission to install the information. The system would never harm its host in any way."]
John calmed down and asked, "Is it necessary to sleep while the information is being installed?"
["Yes, Host, it's very important. For the information to install, your mind needs to be calm, which is only possible when you're asleep."]
"And what if you install the information without me sleeping?"
["If the information is installed without your mind being at rest, it could lead to your mind being overwhelmed, causing severe headaches or even worse consequences,
And it could also result in losing your life."]
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"What... I could even die... So... If that's the case... Sleep mode granted always."
Saying this, John got up from his resting place and went outside to wash himself.
He collected water from a mud bowl that had gathered rainwater and used it to wash his face, drying himself with his tattered clothes. As he was doing this,
Uncle Tom was heading back to his house.
"Good morning, Uncle Tom. What's up? Aren't you going to work today?" John asked, surprised that Uncle Tom, who usually left for town at 5 AM, was still at home.
Uncle Tom responded softly,
"Good morning, John. You seem a bit different today."
"Yes, my mood is a bit better today," John said with a smile.
"Oh, really? Did you find some good work today?" Uncle Tom inquired, noticing John's improved demeanor.
John, now grown up, looked more cheerful than when Uncle Tom first met him as a child.
"No, Uncle Tom. Even though I try, no one gives me work. I'm happy for other reasons today,"John said, sitting on a broken table.
"Oh, and what might those reasons be? Did you make a new friend or something?"Uncle Tom joked, as he often did.
John quickly responded, " Stop Joking Uncle Tom, you know how it is. Finding a girl is impossible for someone in my situation."
Uncle Tom asked with concern,
"Why do you think it's impossible, young boy?"
"Uncle Tom, you know my situation. I have no home, no regular meals, and given these circumstances, who would come into this struggle-filled life of mine?"John explained, noticing Uncle Tom's worried expression.
" So, What Happened? " John asked
"I know your situation well, but it seems you've noticed my concern too,"
Uncle Tom admitted, his worry becoming more apparent.
"Who would know better than me? I noticed your worried face the first time I saw you," John said, moving closer and sitting beside Uncle Tom.
"It's nothing, son. I just quit my job yesterday and came back early this morning,"Uncle Tom said, looking up at the cloudy sky.
John, with concern, asked,
"Uncle Tom, how many years have you been working there? Why did you quit suddenly?"John knew that Uncle Tom was not someone who would quit a job easily, and finding another job at his age was not easy.
Uncle Tom replied,
"I've grown old, and I needed an excuse to leave. I got that opportunity yesterday when they started making false complaints about me and increasing my workload."
He added, "So, I had no choice but to quit. It's alright, son; I'll find another job."
But John was not calm after hearing Uncle Tom's words and said angrily,
"This is not fair! You worked so hard for so many years, and now they treat you like this? This isn't right. You shouldn't have to go through this."
John, angrily said, "I won't let those people get away with forcing you to quit your job."
Uncle Tom placed a hand on John's shoulder and said,
"John, there's no need to get worked up. We don't have the power to stand against them, and I need to find another job in Milltown. I have an old friend there who might help."
John responded,
"No, Uncle Tom. You won't have to work anymore. I have an idea that will ensure we never have to worry about food again, but it will take some time."
Seeing John's confident expression, Uncle Tom was reminded of his own younger days and asked, "Oh? What's this idea of yours?"
John replied,
"First, take a bath, then we can discuss it."
Uncle Tom agreed, saying, "Alright then."
He got up and went to his broken-down house, while John sat down at the damaged table and checked his screen.
|Information About Host |
| Name: John
| Age: 20 years and 6 months
| BP: 120/80
| Strength: 5.9
| IQ: 95, Level - Average
| Knowledge:
1- Agriculture Level 1
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John reviewed his profile and said,
"So this is my knowledge list—Agriculture Level 1."
He then asked,
"Um, what should I call you?" Feeling awkward about asking without knowing its name, he decided to find out.
[You can call me Information System, IMNS, or simply System and Info.]
John thought, "Information System is too long: Cancel.
IMNS sounds strange: Cancel.
System is okay but doesn't feel right: Cancel.
Info seems decent and short: Yes."
He said, "Alright, I'll call you Info from now on."
[Thank you, Host John, for choosing a name.]
John asked, "So, can I get a return gift, Info?"
[No, Host. You only get to choose a name. Nothing is free.]
John thought, "How stingy!"
He reflected,
"Now that I have the knowledge about agriculture, I need to decide which crop to grow."
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See.. ya ... Next Chapter [ Deciding Crop ]