I'm here. This is my country, Arabian.

　It was a kingdom built in a desert oasis.
　Passing through the wide gates, you will see a landscape that is completely different from the desert outside.
　Stone buildings here and there.
　There, which seems to be the central street, was crowded with various stalls and people on the street.
　It was a scene that could be called a true city in the heart of the desert.

"Well, it's a pretty nice city.

　Walking down Chuo Street on the cobbler, I let out my opinion.

Thank you. But these days, the production of food and processed goods is lower than before due to the decrease in demons. As a result, trade with the outside world is also suffering these days.

　It didn't seem to affect the people of the city that much, but it did make me feel that they were in a hurry to buy and sell things.

Then we have to do something about it as soon as possible.

"Please, Mr. Keough. You're my only hope.

　I smile at Shin, who looks back at me with an unprecedentedly serious expression, to reassure him.






"This is the palace I live in.

　At the end of the central street, there is a palace in the very Arabian style, and we are guided by Singh into it.
　As soon as you enter the grounds, the soil inside is different from the rest, and there is a little nature and grass, and in front of the palace there is also a small lake.
　When we passed through the garden and arrived at the door of the palace, Shin was the first to dismount from the cobbler, and I followed his example and climbed down from the cobbler.

I'll let you and your friends use the rooms on the third floor of the palace. Our maids will take care of you all. If you would like to check your rooms immediately, just let us know.

　So, Shin introduced a female body in a maid's uniform with a long skirt in the desert, who bowed politely when she saw us.

Oh, no, now that you mention it, Shin. I'll check out the room later. But for now--

　With that, I dropped the bag on the cobbler and pulled out something from it.

I'm going to start the demon cultivation in here.

　What I took out were the seeds of the various demons I had been cultivating.






Is this the right place?　Kyou-san.

"Yeah. I think it would be difficult to grow in too much sand, and conversely, I think there's more room to grow in a hard wasteland like this one.

　So I grabbed the rocky soil in the wasteland and answered Singh's question next to me.

　After that, I immediately asked Shin some questions about the land.
　Like vegetables, healthy soil is ideal for demons to grow.
　But such luxuries wouldn't be available in a desert country.
　In the desert, the only places available are the sandy soil and the dry wasteland.

　The soil near Shin's palace was relatively healthy, but even so, cultivating a demon would require space.
　Moreover, in this case, an amount that could be shared among the people of a country.
　Then there isn't enough space to grow that many monsters there.

　So I listened to Shin's story and came to this wasteland.

Well, let's just work the place out lightly and then plant some seeds. I'm sorry, Jack, but I need your help.

"I'll take care of it, brother.

Kyou-sama. I will help you too.

"Me too!

　and Jack, followed by Phytis and Locke, loosening the wasteland with mulberry in hand.

Let me help you, Mr. Keough.

"Oh, yeah?　Okay, please.

　Then I handed the hoe to Shin, who offered to help me with that, and asked him to help me acclimate the ground.
　As I was doing this work, Shin, who was wiping sweat from his face next to me, asked me, "Is it difficult for you to raise demons on the sandy soil, Kyou-san?

"Is it still difficult for you to raise a demon in the sand?

I don't know. The sand can't hold water, so it would be difficult for a normal demon to grow, I guess.

　I can't say for sure, but it's probably more likely.
　I've heard that it's difficult to grow plants in the sand in the desert, even on Earth.
　If I can find such a monster that grows under such a desert environment here, I may be able to grow them, but with the ones I've brought with me, it's going to be difficult.
　Of course, I'm going to plant some demon seeds in the sand later to make sure.

"For now, I've modified the killer plant to grow in the wasteland. I'm going to plant some legume jewel beans, peanut butter, and bahanero. I'm going to plant some weedleaf as well, so we'll see which one grows best.

　With that said, I'm going to choose a demon that is relatively easy to grow even in a rough environment and plant it in the wasteland where the ground is acclimated.
　As for the killer plant, I've grown it in the wasteland before.
　I'm sure this one will show the best results in growing demons in the desert.

　The following jewelbeans and peanuts are legumes, which are also surprisingly easy to grow in the wasteland.
　I've heard that the legumes are hardy in the wastelands, and that's exactly what they are.

　Weedleaf will contribute to the greening of the desert with its unique fertility.
　As for bahanero, I'm just going to try it as a bonus.

Thank you, Mr. Keough. I can't thank you enough for your help here.

No, I didn't do much of anything. It's just that I was curious about growing demons in the desert.

　I can't help but feel embarrassed as Shin once again bows his head to me.

"Hey!　Brother!　Why don't you plant a jack-o-lantern, too?

　Saying that, Jack turned to me with the seeds of a jack-o'-lantern that he had brought with him.



Oh, yeah. Let's give it a try, Jack.

　Jack O'Lantern Growing Jack O'Lantern.
　The picture was so interesting that I decided to use it.






Hmmm, that's about it.

　A few days later, I was groaning as I checked the number of demons I had successfully cultivated.
　As I had expected, the killer plant had sprouted and grown a number of times.
　They were now wiggling around in little patches.
　But the other demons are not growing so well.

　Jewel beans and peanut butterflies have also sprouted, but they are not so healthy.
　The amount of fruit they can produce is probably only half of what they usually produce.
　There are a few weedleafs growing, but it will take a few more years for them to multiply.
　Other monsters haven't even sprouted yet.
　I guess many of them are not suitable for the harsh environment.

　The seeds we planted in the sand didn't seem to sprout.

In the meantime, we should be able to harvest some killer plant seeds, but it's still not enough: ......

　I can probably secure a few hundred berries, but if I think about the amount of berries available to everyone in the kingdom, I'd like to have a thousand or even tens of thousands of them.
　You want a demon that can always produce them, and I can feel that this is still not enough at present.
　This may be more painstaking work than I thought.

　With that in mind, I was still thinking about whether I should cultivate new monsters, and as I was going back to the palace to try to capture the local monsters, I ran into an unexpected person.

"Hey, Keogh. I haven't seen you in a while, but I heard you went to the desert and I looked for you. What are you doing here, man?

"That's our line, Dad.

　It was a reunion with my dad, who hadn't been around since the cooking competition with my mom.
　Come to think of it, I wonder what my old man has been up to now.
　I'm literally useless in the battle against the emperor. No, he wasn't even useful in the cook-off with Mom before that.
　It's like a deadbeat dad: ...... This guy's got a Madao candidate on his hands.

So, seriously, what are you doing here?　It sounds like something interesting to do.

　My father didn't even seem to notice the thoughts in my head as he watched the monster growing in the wasteland.
　Well, it's not like he's completely incompetent, since he's my parent and he used to grow vegetables in this world, so let's ask him about it for reference.
　I'll just tell you what's going on.

I see. It's true that there aren't many demons that can be grown in the desert. So you're going to have a hard time with it?

"That's the way it is. What do you think?　Dad.

　I asked that line without much expectation, but the answer I got was something I didn't expect.

Then maybe it's time for you to go to the next level.

"The next step?

　I asked him back without thinking what it was, and he replied with a sense of relief.

"Hey, hey, hey, did you forget?　This world was originally intended to be an evolutionary world that pushes man to the next level. So it's also a stage for people to grow.

I hear that, but what does it matter?

Don't you get it, dumbass?

　I'm going to poke at the old man, who is putting too much stock in it, and tell him to get an answer out of me.

I'm just saying. It's time for you to move on to the next stage of your demon cultivation skills," he said.

?　Does that mean my abilities will grow?

　The old man nodded at my answer.
　That was indeed an unexpected answer.
　I've been thinking about growing new plants with the current monsters and the ones here.
　But the answer my father proposed was exactly the path above them.
　I hadn't even thought of evolving my skills in the first place.

Well, that's why I'm going to come back for a little while to prepare for that.

"Back to where?

　You'll be shocked by the answer, which is the same as, or even more so than, the previous one.

It's obvious. It's Earth.

".................. yes?

"Let's go with a homecoming after a long absence.

　Dad simply said it off as if he was going to take a day trip by train.