Urban Roots: The Farming System

Kieran had officially entered the world of farm-to-table with all the grace of a toddler learning to walk. But unlike toddlers, who often fall flat on their faces, Kieran's business was actually standing on its own two feet—and now, thanks to the System Delivery Service, it had a snazzy delivery truck to go with it.

"All right, let's do this," Kieran muttered to himself, staring at his phone. It was an ordinary morning in the life of an aspiring urban farming mogul. His rooftop garden was a mix of leafy greens, tomatoes, and the newest additions—spinach, herbs, and strawberries. It was like a farmer's version of a five-star restaurant menu, minus the Michelin stars and plus a few hundred system points.

He opened the system panel, his eyes scanning the delivery options. The System Delivery Service was a godsend. For just 10 points per delivery, it would pick up his goods from the farm and drop them off wherever they needed to go. No more lugging crates of tomatoes and lettuce in his car. No more late-night deliveries that left him with a sore back. It was perfect.

"Let's test this out," Kieran said, pressing a few buttons on his phone. A delivery request popped up, and he saw that The Green Spoon wanted another batch of tomatoes, lettuce, and—oh, what a surprise—spinach. He had just harvested a batch the night before, and now it was ready to make its way into the restaurant's freshest dish.

Just as he was about to confirm the delivery, his phone buzzed.

It was Emily, one of his regular customers.

"Hey, Kieran! It's Emily from The Green Spoon," her voice rang out through the speaker. "I hope you're doing well. We're running low on your lettuce, and the tomatoes were a huge hit! Can you bring over, like, 20 heads of lettuce and maybe 10 pounds of tomatoes?"

"Sure thing, Emily! I've got you covered. And, uh, I've got spinach now too," Kieran added, trying to sound casual, like he wasn't secretly doing a little happy dance inside. His spinach was fresh, and he was eager to see how it would go over.

"You've got spinach?" Emily gasped in excitement. "Fantastic! Throw in a few pounds of that too! We've got a new salad on the menu, and I'm sure your spinach will be perfect for it."

"No problem. I'll have the delivery to you in an hour," Kieran said, already feeling like a well-oiled machine.

After hanging up, he quickly tapped the system panel. The System Delivery Service was ready to go, and within moments, the van appeared, as if conjured by magic. It was sleek, modern, and emblazoned with the words Kieran's Urban Farm on the side.

"Let's do this," he whispered, loading up the van with his carefully packaged crops. Tomatoes? Check. Lettuce? Check. Spinach? Check. And, just for fun, he tossed in a few herbs—because who wouldn't want basil on the side?

The delivery driver, a cheerful middle-aged man with a thick mustache, gave Kieran a thumbs-up as he climbed into the van.

"Ready to roll?" the driver asked.

"Yep! Let's make this a quick one," Kieran said, watching as the driver smoothly maneuvered the van out of the alley and onto the street.

With the delivery on its way, Kieran turned his attention to the next task—checking in with some of the other businesses he'd reached out to. Up until now, he had been relying mostly on word of mouth. But with the system doing the heavy lifting on logistics, it was time to get a little more proactive about expanding his clientele.

He pulled out his phone again and dialed the number of Café Mellow, a cozy little spot that had recently started experimenting with local produce. The phone rang twice before a tired but friendly voice answered.

"Café Mellow, this is Alex. How can I help you?"

"Hey, Alex! It's Kieran from the farm," Kieran greeted, trying to sound cool, like he didn't have his whole life on the line with this conversation. "I've got some fresh spinach, lettuce, and tomatoes ready for delivery. I know you guys are into the farm-to-table thing, so I figured I'd give you a call."

"Spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, huh?" Alex mused. "I've heard good things. What's the price on those?"

Kieran quickly checked the system panel for a price estimate, adjusting for a modest profit margin that didn't make him sound like a greedy city slicker. "How does $4.50 per head of lettuce, $4.00 per pound of tomatoes, and $3.50 per pound of spinach sound?"

"That sounds pretty reasonable. How soon can you deliver?" Alex asked, already crunching numbers in his head.

"Today," Kieran replied confidently. "I've got a system in place, so deliveries are fast and easy. I'll have it to you in a couple of hours."

"Perfect. We'll take 15 heads of lettuce, 10 pounds of tomatoes, and 5 pounds of spinach for now," Alex said, clearly impressed. "I'll be in touch for more once we run through this batch."

"Great! I'll be in touch soon," Kieran said with a smile, hanging up the phone.

Kieran couldn't help but marvel at how quickly things were moving. He had gone from being a broke college graduate with a few plants in his apartment to a local supplier of fresh, organic produce. Sure, it wasn't a huge empire yet, but he was getting there. And each delivery, each new contact, felt like a small victory.

By the end of the day, he had three successful deliveries under his belt—The Green Spoon, Café Mellow, and a local grocery store that had just started stocking local produce. All in all, he had earned about $663.5 from deliveries that day. Not bad for a Monday.

Kieran kicked back on his couch that evening, counting his earnings and checking his system balance.

Earnings Today: $663.5

System Points: 150

He had more than enough points to unlock a few more upgrades—maybe even get another round of Vertical Planters to expand his operation further. But for now, he was content. Business was booming, the system was working its magic, and he was officially living the dream.

Tomorrow, he would focus on expanding his farm even more. With the success of his deliveries and the steady flow of orders, Kieran was beginning to see how this could turn into something bigger than he ever imagined. Maybe he'd even consider getting into other crops—herbs, or maybe even a few exotic fruits. The world was his oyster, or rather, his hydroponic farm.

But for now, he was going to enjoy his success—for at least five minutes before checking his farm's production status again.

And, of course, the next day would be another round of deliveries, another set of phone calls, and another chance to prove that Kieran Vale was the hottest urban farmer in town.