I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 41

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 41. Gate Botanical Garden (1)
“Wow! The air is so fresh!”
“Long ago, all the air felt like this. Master. The world you live in is the strange one.”
Even as Noir said this, he flared his nostrils, savoring the scent of the wind.
Of course, the moment I stepped off the express bus, I too was absorbed in breathing in the crisp, clean air.
Gongju City—once a place that could be called a city in its own right, but which had experienced utter devastation when the Plainland Gate opened nearby.
However, through the efforts of several first-generation Hunters, the Gate had vanished, and the government and Hunter Management Bureau had constructed a Research Complex here to manage and study the defunct Gate.
The Gongju City that was planned and built this way boasted a truly remarkable landscape.
“It’s really amazing how open and clear the view stretches all the way to the horizon.”
“Long ago, horizons like that existed everywhere. Master.”
“And the mountains standing like walls are magnificent too!”
“Long ago, those also….”
“Noir. I’m not particularly curious about your age, so stay quiet.”
“Meowwww!”
The vista that stretched all the way to the distant horizon in a single glance.
This was the result of the Gate’s opening.
When the Plainland Gate emerged, it had swept away everything around it, leaving behind flat terrain.
Because of this, Gongju City resembled a wide, flat plain nestled within a basin-like depression surrounded by mountains.
And while the Research Complex had been built in the space where the Gate had opened, its height wasn’t great enough to obstruct the horizon, which remained fully visible.
“In any case, it certainly seems like a suitable place for a farmer to work. Master.”
“It looks like they’re conducting the project in cooperation with the Research Complex.”
“Agriculture is one of the most vital endeavors for humans, so it’s only natural they would research it. Meow.”
Noir nodded at my words.
Of course, he probably didn’t fully understand and nod in complete comprehension.
In any case, when one hears “Research Complex,” one might imagine a bioexperimental facility teeming with monsters, but the reality was different.
It was literally a place to study the environment within the Gate and to clarify the nature of its existence.
In simple terms, it meant researching everything inside, and that included the unique plants that grew naturally there.
The place we had come to fell into this category as well.
“But I say, Master.”
“What?”
“I’ve been wondering since earlier—I am no criminal, so why must I be confined in this narrow prison?”
The creature muttered from inside a bag-like portable cage, poking only his head out.
There was only one answer I could give.
“Because you’re a cat. That’s proper etiquette in public places.”
“Meow! I am not a cat! I am a Familier who has served the Witch for generations!”
Watching him scratch frantically inside the cage in his anger, he was unmistakably a cat.
But I couldn’t let that slip out loud.
After fuming in anger for a while, Noir suddenly turned his head and spoke.
“Since you say it’s to make fresh fruit juice, I shall endure it. But never again! This must not happen again!”
“Understood. Understood.”
“If you understand, then simply treat me to fresh fruit juice first.”
To reiterate, the reason I came this far was to develop a fresh fruit juice menu.
To do that, I needed to cultivate crops, but I had no way of knowing how to cultivate Gate-sourced crops.
Was I supposed to give up then?
That was impossible.
My determination to make fresh fruit juice had never wavered from the beginning.
After all, bread pairs well with coffee, but it also goes wonderfully with refreshing, fresh fruit juice.
“And lately, I’ve noticed Haeryang seeming disappointed that she doesn’t have much work to do.”
“But all beverage menus are created through the Witch’s cauldron, so isn’t that unavoidable? What about creating general menus for humans?”
“Because they wouldn’t match the quality of beverages made using the Witch’s power.”
Haeryang was a part-time worker who handled beverages and various miscellaneous tasks, fitting her specialty.
Her particular skill was beverage preparation.
However, given the nature of my bakery, which utilized the Witch’s power, she rarely had opportunities to showcase her abilities.
“Since I’m already here, I’d like to solve that problem too. Our objective remains unchanged after all.”
“Meow. Understood. As long as the farmer here is a skilled one, that’s all that matters. Oh, there’s one more thing. The owner still has the problem of learning well.”
“Really… you never stop, do you.”
“Meow.”
Noir, who had criticized me with words until the very end, settled back into a loaf position inside the cage.
“Why aren’t we going? Owner?”
“It takes about 15 minutes on foot. Keep complaining like that and I’ll leave you behind.”
“Meow! How cruel! Owner!”
* * *
How far had we walked while exchanging such nonsense?
The 15 minutes passed faster than expected.
The time was short, but what really made the journey feel brief was how fascinating everything along the way was.
‘Meow! Owner! What is that!’
‘I wonder… it’s quite large.’
‘Magnificent!’
There was even a place where a colossal tree worthy of being called the World Tree stood….
‘Everything is floating! Could it be like zero gravity?’
‘Once you fully awaken the Witch’s power later, you’ll be able to use telekinesis like that too.’
There were also areas where various objects and buildings floated in the sky and flew about….
‘Ah… that one is a bit…. Ugh… it’s not pleasant to look at….’
‘Meow! What a delicacy! Owner! Give me that! Please give me that! Meooooow!’
A fish head the size of a house, caught from who knows where, hung from a crane.
Perhaps because it resembled a tuna, the fact that Noir drooled excessively and threw a tantrum inside the cage shall remain a secret.
And so we arrived at our destination.
“I think this is it?”
“It seems so.”
At the place I pointed to, an old sign was standing.
[Doo-sik’s Gate Botanical Garden]
The signage had an oddly combative feel to it.
As time passed and the faded lettering lost its color, it seemed to exude an even more formidable presence.
“Somehow, it’s the kind of name you’d see in an old gangster movie. Owner.”
“How would you know about that?”
“I see it a lot on video sites.”
What am I supposed to do with this dopamine-addicted cat?
I was about to call the owner I’d contacted earlier with a sigh when—
“Huh? Who in the world’s comin’ all the way out here at this hour? It’s dangerous, so you best be gettin’ along now.”
A rustic dialect drifted from behind me.
I couldn’t help but jump at the sound and turn around.
Standing there was a man in a worn sleeveless shirt and suspender pants, his beard and hair thick and unkempt.
And he had a massive pickaxe slung across his shoulder—one as tall as he was. Who wouldn’t be startled by such a sight?
“Goodness. Lookin’ at a person like you just saw some wild beast. Your guts are smaller than half a bean compared to your brother’s.”
“Ah… um… I apologize. Are you perhaps named Doo-sik…?”
“That there’s the name of the dog I’m raisin’. This here’s Doo-sik.”
“Grrrrrowl…”
And on top of that, he was holding the leash of a massive pit bull. Case closed.
The creature growled, drool dripping thickly as it glared at me.
Ha. That beast really does look like Doo-sik.
“This place is dangerous, so if you don’t want a near-death experience inside the Gate, you best be movin’ along.”
“I did contact you. I sent a text message rather than calling.”
We weren’t some delinquents from a drama going around collecting debts—I had at least shown the courtesy of reaching out first.
“Contact? Oh, oh wait a minute now.”
Upon hearing my words, the man set down his pickaxe and rummaged through his pockets.
With one hand casually controlling Doo-sik, who was about to act up, he fiddled with his phone a few times, then glanced at my face and spoke.
“Ah… so you’re… the one who made a reservation under the name Han Seung-hyun?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Oh my goodness!”
He let out a sharp exclamation, roughly shoved his phone back into his pocket, and cleared his throat.
Then, with both hands respectfully clasped together, the man opened his mouth.
“Well now. A valued customer, no less! I’ll serve you with all my might, even if it costs me every hair on my head! Mr. Han Seung-hyun! Please come this way.”
It was a terrifyingly swift change in demeanor, I must say.
* * *
To cut to the chase, Kim Nu-ri—the owner of Doo-sik—was quite an extraordinary person.
“These fellas here eat raw meat the moment you poke ’em, and they’ve got that wild nature! Ain’t they just precious?”
With a bright smile and an enthusiastically raised voice, he introduced the plants occupying one corner of the botanical garden.
Within an electrically charged fence, a flower bristling with teeth identical to those of a shark dripped yellow saliva profusely.
“Ugh…”
Unfortunately, lacking any resistance to such sights, I squeezed my eyes shut.
In contrast, Nuri, the owner of this place, began introducing the next space with a smile plastered on her face.
“Be careful here! If you’re not careful, you might touch the acidic sap and have your bones and flesh separate!”
“I… why would you even…”
“You’re wondering why I keep it?”
Nuri thrust her face forward before I could even finish my question.
That was exactly what I was about to ask.
Why on earth would she cultivate a plant whose sap separates bone from flesh upon contact?
But that question was obliterated by Nuri’s answer.
“Because it’s beautiful, of course!”
“Pardon?”
“You see, it’s a plant, but what evolutionary process could it have gone through for its sap to be acidic? What kind of mutation must occur in the cell walls to withstand such acidity? Just thinking about it makes my heart race! And looking at the nature of the sap, it doesn’t seem like it’s trying to consume others—it seems to be protecting itself. This is a question that demands we examine how the ecosystem inside the Gate actually functions. Which means, if we apply evolutionary ecology to this very spot…”
“Owner… please calm down…”
I was utterly overwhelmed by the torrent of Nuri’s explanation.
Glancing down at the cage, Noir had apparently lost consciousness, eyes closed while simply toasting like a slice of bread.
“And next is this one! This creature is remarkably interesting—it’s a plant that mimics the appearance of other beasts and eats them!”
“So that form right there…”
“Right now it looks like a child, but that’s actually a flower! Its true form is a pitcher shape, but currently it’s mimicking something else! Don’t you think it’s beautiful? Absolutely breathtaking, isn’t it? This creature’s charm overflows so much that I can’t even abandon this botanical garden and keep running it!”
“Owner. I’m telling you to calm down.”
“Ahem…”
I couldn’t tell if this tour course was truly for consumers or if it was something she’d created just to brag about herself—there was a palpable madness to it.
“I actually came here because I’m more interested in farming.”
“I understand! Then this way!”
Upon hearing my words, Nuri quickly changed direction.
Since the botanical garden was modest in size, we didn’t walk for long.
This time too, she pointed to the farmland situated in one corner and opened her mouth.
“How about this! This is the pride and joy of Doo-sik’s Gate botanical garden! A smart farm!”
Despite its small size, it was hardly a space to be dismissed.
Within a modern design structure, Gate-origin crops stacked in multiple layers grew in neat rows.
For creatures that preferred dark environments, panels created shade, while in the opposite cases, intense lighting poured down like fire.
Simultaneously, aquatic and terrestrial crops were supplied water through hoses suspended above.
“What do you think?”
“It’s remarkable.”
It was an honest assessment.
How much effort must have gone into operating a farm of this scale alone with such a system?
“How do you manage to grow all of this?”
“Hehe. That’s my trade secret, you see? We’re the only ones in Korea who’ve succeeded in cultivating aquatic plants. All of that know-how is unique to our family!”
“Aquatic plants, you say…”
“You don’t know about aquatic plants? The moment they leave the Gate, whether it’s seeds or the whole body, they all die, so it’s a Gate plant that researchers couldn’t even properly study! And this place is where they were first cultivated in the entire world!”
Aquatic plants.
Though the name came from the fact that water drips constantly even with the slightest cut, among scholars researching the Gate, aquatic plants were called by a different meaning.
A grass that dies within minutes of leaving the Gate.
Remarkably, it grows like weeds inside the Gate, but the moment it steps outside, it becomes a sunfish—and because of this peculiar characteristic of the grass, how many scholars have suffered through the years.
“And the person who ended all that suffering in one go? That’s me, Kim Nu-ri, understand?!”
Caught off guard by Nuri’s machine-gun-like barrage of words, I stepped back for a moment, but this settled it.
Now I knew exactly who I needed to learn farming techniques from.
“Ms. Nuri?”
“Yes? What can I do for you, customer?”
She was undoubtedly the person who matched my findings perfectly.
If that was the case, only one thing remained.
“I’ll compensate you for your losses—so would you teach me your farming techniques?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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