When it came to farming, Zunzun was no stranger.
In his previous life—and the life before that—he was well-acquainted with the hoe.
In one life, he had farmed out of poverty. In another, it was because his stern grandfather believed that "a person who doesn't understand others' suffering will never understand the world." So, he was made to farm.
Long story short: Zunzun and farming had history. It was only that his current body was a bit weak, so opening up a new field from scratch was… a little much.
Still, he didn't mind. Just treat it as part of his physical training.
In the Crimson Demon Village, farming wasn't forbidden. But because the Demon King's army often raided the area, most fields ended up being trampled or burned. As a result, very few people chose to farm.
Zunzun's family certainly didn't.
After all, his parents were professional liars—er, fortune tellers. They made their living with their mouths, not their hands. Farming was a lot more work for less pay.
So Zunzun had no choice but to rely on himself.
One morning, he went to the village warehouse, grabbed a shovel, and headed into the woods with the silent determination of a man bound to fate.
Why a shovel, you ask?
Because shovel-wielding classes are awesome, that's why.
...It's not that there were no hoes in the warehouse. Don't be ridiculous.
Farming wasn't simple. First, he needed to find a good plot of land. But most of the fertile fields in Crimson Demon Village had already been claimed, so Zunzun was forced to run around the hills like a mountain monkey, scouring for a patch of soil to call his own.
Monkey God, start!
Before long, he wandered into the back mountain of the village… and promptly got lost.
Towering trees surrounded him. He had no idea which way he'd come or where the path under his feet would lead. It felt like walking through a dream—and dreams tend to drop you into strange places.
Eventually, that winding road brought him somewhere unexpected.
"Wait... where am I?" Zunzun muttered, blinking at the sight before him.
Steel towers. Metallic walkways. A jungle of gleaming pipes and strange machinery. In stark contrast, behind him lay a peaceful dirt trail that smelled of wildflowers and moss.
Primitive on one side. Industrial on the other.
Two clashing worlds stitched together at the seam.
Zunzun realized with a jolt—this was the forbidden zone.
Sister Soketto had once warned him, very seriously, never to enter the forbidden area. She said it housed a terrifying evil god powerful enough to destroy the world.
Of course, with the Crimson Demon Clan's chuunibyou tendencies, that kind of declaration was practically an invitation. If you tell a Crimson Demon "You must never go here," you might as well put up a sign saying, "Free legendary treasure inside."
Honestly, the way Sister Soketto said it made it sound like she wanted him to check it out.
Unfortunately, Zunzun was not a chuunibyou—he was a normal person. Also, a meteorite had fallen from the sky not long ago. Even without a warning sign, he had every reason to turn around and leave.
…And he did turn around.
…But then he turned back.
In the end, he chose to stay for two reasons.
First: the land here was incredible. Based on his twenty years of experience, this place was perfect for farming. The soil quality was superb, and the yield would be phenomenal. It would be a shame to pass it up.
Second: no one ever came here. Not even the chuunibyou Crimson Demons. And certainly not the Demon King's army, who couldn't even get past the village's front gates. So his crops would be safe.
Okay, yes, a meteorite had hit this area recently…
But so what?
High risk, high return. What were the odds of another meteorite hitting the same place?
He wasn't that unlucky.
The forbidden zone was massive. It was estimated to be about three-fifths the size of the entire village. The enormous steel structure behind him occupied nearly the whole back mountain. As long as he avoided the actual impact crater, he should be fine.
Soon, Zunzun found an ideal spot.
It was on the edge of an ancient, crumbling altar—clearly abandoned and eroded by time. It looked about as run-down as the village's own buildings.
His heart began to race.
Could this altar be the resting place of another evil god?
That definitely wasn't in the original plot!
But then he remembered: Sister Soketto had said only one evil god was sealed in the forbidden zone. And that guy had already been turned to cosmic dust by a meteorite.
No problem, then.
Besides, there was a river nearby. Perfect for irrigation.
"Alright then… for my stomach!" he shouted.
The shovel felt awkward in his hands, but Zunzun still swung it down with all his strength, digging into the earth with determination.
Primordial Spirit, start!
…And that's when he realized something.
In his previous lives, the fields he farmed had already been prepared. The soil was cultivated, tilled, and mostly ready. All he had to do was turn it over and apply fertilizer.
That was like the old saying: "The previous generation plants the tree, and the next enjoys the shade."
But now? Now he had to dig everything by hand, from scratch. The difficulty level had spiked dramatically.
Still, whenever he thought about how this field would feed him, keep him from burdening his family, and maybe even earn a bit of money… strength surged through his body.
A smile returned to his face.
O God, start!
The deeper he dug, the softer the ground became… until something unusual bubbled up from below.
A black liquid. Thick, with a strange, sweet smell. It seeped out like a spring.
"...Huh?"
Zunzun crouched down, dipped a finger into it, sniffed, and then slowly turned his head to look at the massive steel structure in the distance.
Then he fell silent.
He finally understood why the founder of the Crimson Demon Clan had chosen this land to build the village.
That's right.
Zunzun had hit oil.
In either of his past lives, this discovery would have made him an instant billionaire. Unfortunately, this was a medieval fantasy world.
Oil had no market here.
It was like sitting on a mountain of treasure while being completely broke. The irony was painful.
"Why don't you just invent the machines yourself?" you ask?
Please. He studied management and finance. Not engineering.
And besides—who would've thought he'd get reincarnated again? This is even less likely than winning the lottery twice in a row.
If Lady Luck wasn't just lifting her skirt for him, then she was flat-out—
...Actually, wait. Eris might be into that.
Staring at the oil spring, Zunzun sighed.
He stopped digging and went home.
The next day, he returned with a tricolor flag in hand.
A familiar one.
In the upper left corner: a blue square dotted with white stars.
He solemnly stuck the flag into the ground.
Then, without doing anything else, he sat cross-legged beside it and waited.
All day.
The sun rose. The sun fell.
At sunset, he finally stood up, dusted off his butt, and sighed with deep disappointment.
"…Looks like even America can't reach the other world."
-End Chapter-
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