The pig farmer gave Alexander a strange look, shaking his head as he began walking toward the butcher's shop.
Seeing the farmer departing, Alexander quickly followed. "Wait! Where are you going?"
The farmer didn't slow his pace when he heard the boy pursuing him. "I've got no time for you, lad. This blasted pig has already caused me enough trouble today."
"Just wait a moment!" Alexander persisted, hurrying to match the man's stride. "You seem to know about potatoes. Do you have more of them?"
The farmer's brow furrowed at the unfamiliar term. What's this boy babbling about?
Alexander noticed the confusion immediately. Right, he doesn't know what 'potatoes' means. Maybe people in this world don't even have a proper name for them. The realization struck him: From what he said earlier, potatoes are considered cursed food fit only for pigs. This world is just as superstitious as medieval Europe was in my previous life.
Thinking quickly, he corrected himself. "I mean... those things you call 'pig slop' or 'fodder.' That 'cursed food' you mentioned. I want to learn more about it, and perhaps... do you have more of those things?"
The words felt like blasphemy on his tongue. In his previous life, potatoes had been one of his favorite foods, so calling them cursed felt deeply wrong.
Initially, he had been disappointed to find himself in a medieval European-equivalent world. He knew from history that potatoes were native to the Andes mountains of South America and hadn't reached Europe until Spanish explorers brought them back in the 16th century.
Even then, Europeans had viewed them with suspicion for decades, considering them suitable only for animal feed or desperate peasants. Many believed they caused disease or were somehow evil because they grew underground, associating them with darkness and the devil.
So he'd had little hope of finding potatoes in this world. Discovering one here in Graybrook Village was an unexpected stroke of fortune.
However, it seemed the same cultural misunderstandings about potatoes plagued this world as well.
While Alexander pondered this situation, the farmer studied him with increasingly suspicious eyes. This strange boy is actually interested in that cursed root? Is he touched in the head?
Even the pig in his arms tilted its head, appearing as confused as its owner.
"Why would you want to know about such evil fare?" the farmer asked warily.
"Oink?" the pig seemed to echo the question.
Alexander felt his mind racing as he searched for a believable response. How do I explain this without sounding insane? I can't exactly say 'I'm from another world where potatoes are a staple food.' Maybe I could claim curiosity about why it's considered evil? Or perhaps say I'm studying different plants? No, that might make me sound like some kind of scholar or nobleman, which could draw unwanted attention. What about claiming I want to understand what makes food 'cursed' so I can avoid it? That might work... but then he might just tell me to stay away rather than show me more. Maybe I could say I'm worried about accidentally eating cursed food and want to recognize it?
The farmer stood there with his pig in his arms, waiting for a response. After ten seconds passed without an answer, his patience wore thin. "You're wasting my time, boy." With that, he headed toward his destination—a timber-framed building with hanging meat hooks visible through its open doorway and the distinct smell of fresh blood and salt wafting from within. Near it sat his cart, containing three other pigs.
Alexander rushed after him. "Wait! I genuinely want to learn about this cursed food! I need to understand what makes it evil so I can avoid it. Please, sir, would you be kind enough to educate me?"
The farmer felt a small surge of pride at being addressed as 'sir,' but he'd had enough of the persistent boy. "Listen, lad, all I can tell you is to stay away from that cursed root if you value your health."
Alexander had anticipated this response. "That's exactly why I'm asking! I'm worried about eating it by accident. If you could explain it clearly, maybe I'd be able to recognize and avoid it more effectively."
The farmer sighed heavily. He was tired of this conversation. "Fine, if you insist, I'll explain this cursed fare properly."
Alexander could barely contain his excitement. The farmer stopped beside his cart in front of the meat seller's establishment, and Alexander followed, watching intently.
After placing his pig with the others in the cart, the farmer turned to Alexander.
"Boy, I don't have much time, so I'll be brief." He opened a large burlap sack containing what appeared to be several kilograms of potatoes. "This cursed food grows in riverbank plots that flood easily—land that's useless for proper grain. Some villagers also planted it at the forest's edge years back, so you might find more of this pig fodder there. If you value your life, avoid wandering those areas and certainly don't eat anything that grows there. The cursed ground taints everything."
Alexander ignored most of the farmer's warnings, his eyes fixated on the contents of the sack as if mesmerized. My beloved potatoes! There are so many of them!
Oblivious to Alexander's distraction, the farmer continued enthusiastically. "These cursed roots are poison to humans, but the church permits feeding them to swine. You see, this foul food actually makes pigs fatter and helps them grow faster!" He chuckled. "Which makes perfect sense, since Father Hensfried teaches us that pigs are inherently evil creatures. But as long as a farmer like myself prays regularly and maintains faith while raising these beasts, the evil is cleansed from their meat. Even so, the church only allows this cursed food to be consumed by pigs..."
The farmer seemed to enjoy his own explanation, completely unaware that Alexander wasn't listening to a word.
Alexander's mind raced with possibilities as he stared at the precious tubers. Look at all these beautiful potatoes! They're larger than I expected, and there are so many varieties here. With proper preparation, these could revolutionize the food situation in this entire region. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato bread, even vodka if I can figure out distillation... The possibilities are endless! And they're growing them already but only feeding them to pigs! This is like finding buried treasure that everyone thinks is cursed dirt. I need to get my hands on some of these immediately. If I can convince people that they're not only safe but nutritious, I could help solve the food shortage problems plaguing this barony. This could be the key to everything!
Real excitement coursed through his veins. He could barely contain himself. I must get these potatoes no matter what and establish a proper farm for them! His mind raced with future possibilities—the potential was limitless!
Just then, something caught his eye near the potatoes. Slightly above them, a strange transparent interface materialized out of nowhere.
"What is that?" he whispered, leaning closer to examine it.
[You have finally met the requirements for the 'Survival System' to activate.]
[Requirement: Successfully discover an overlooked resource of great value.]
[Mission Assigned: Create a potato-based dish suitable for human consumption.]
[Reward: 3 Health Points | 2 System Points.]
Everything happened so suddenly that Alexander couldn't properly process it all. Wait, what? Confusion struck him first, followed immediately by tremendous excitement. I... I actually have a system like those novels from my previous life!
This was beyond thrilling. His mind raced to understand the interface before him.
The system had activated because he'd discovered potatoes, and it had given him a mission to create potato-based dishes—something he would have done anyway. But what truly intrigued him were these "Health Points" and "System Points."
He experimented with the interface until he found the explanation:
[Survival System: To survive in this medieval world and maintain a healthy, strong body, you must thrive through helping others thrive. The system has detected your future role as lord of Eisenfurt Barony and knight, adapting to support these careers.]
[This system operates on reciprocal energy—give life, receive life. Uplift others, be uplifted. To survive and prosper, develop your territory and improve your subjects' lives. In return, you will be rewarded with health, wealth, and fulfillment.]
[Health Points: Use these to enhance your health or that of others. Boosts immunity, physical strength, and overall vitality.]
[System Points: Spend these in the System Store to access modern Earth knowledge relevant to lordship, or acquire skills and arts from this world beneficial to knighthood.]
Alexander read through everything quickly, his mouth falling open in shock. This system... it can actually improve my health!
This was incredible news. He'd been desperately worried about his frail constitution and the possibility of dying young, but the system could potentially solve that problem entirely!
Beyond that, he could access modern Earth information—invaluable knowledge that his memory alone couldn't provide. Even though he retained much from his previous life about history and technology, it wasn't comprehensive enough for the challenges ahead.
With this system, that limitation could finally be overcome!