Chapter 44: Heavenly Crown Academy's Julia
The Berry Exhibition Conference was held at the Central Plaza in Mi A Lei City. Because there was a lot of preparation to be done in advance, Bai Feng and Teacher Da Cun set off early, before the sky was even fully bright.
But even so, when they arrived at the Central Plaza, the Exhibition Booths throughout the entire square were already filled with Exhibitors.
It wasn't time yet, so outsiders couldn't enter. Only Exhibitors were allowed to enter early to prepare. These people had come so early, clearly just like Bai Feng, to get ready in advance.
Bai Feng's Exhibition Booth's Location was relatively out of the way, squeezed into a corner in the Southwest Corner of the Square, making it hard to attract attention. But that was because he had registered late. Those who registered early were more likely to be assigned a good Location.
Teacher Da Cun comforted him, saying, "As long as your Berries are good, a slightly remote Location doesn't matter."
Bai Feng said indifferently, "Whether it's remote or not doesn't matter to me. Anyway, I'm not here to attract Investment."
Teacher Da Cun thought about it and agreed. Since they weren't seeking Investment, a slightly remote Location indeed didn't have much Influence.
So the two began setting up the Exhibition Booth, erecting the stand, putting up the Signboard, arranging the Preservation Equipment, and so on. There was a lot of preparatory work to do. By the time they were almost finished, it was already late, and the Berry Exhibition Conference had officially begun.
The Venue began letting Visitors in. Other Exhibition Booths gradually had people coming to inquire about the Situation. Because Bai Feng's Location was relatively remote, no one had come to their booth yet.
Bai Feng wasn't in a hurry either. He and Teacher Da Cun sat quietly behind the Exhibition Booth and ate their Breakfast. They had been so Busy all morning that they hadn't even had Time to eat Breakfast.
When the Time was right, Bai Feng and Teacher Da Cun cut the Berries from their Exhibition Booth into Fruit Cubes, arranging them neatly on exquisite Plates, and included Bamboo Skewers for Visitors to easily sample them.
Most Exhibition Booths did this. After all, the Exhibition wasn't primarily about doing Business. To attract Investors, most of the Berries at the Exhibition Booths were available for free tasting.
Seeing that the Exhibition had been open for half an Hour and no one had come to their booth yet, Bai Feng said to Teacher Da Cun, "Teacher, why don't you go look around first? I can watch the booth by myself."
Teacher Da Cun thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll look around for a bit and come back to relieve you."
Bai Feng shook his head and didn't speak. The Exhibition Booth was his, and Teacher Da Cun was just helping out for free, so he didn't want to take up too much of the Teacher's Time.
However, what Bai Feng didn't expect was that not long after Teacher Da Cun left, a Visitor arrived at his Exhibition Booth.
"Um... that, hello."
A timid voice brought Bai Feng's wandering thoughts back. He looked up and saw a girl wearing Glasses standing in front of his Exhibition Booth. He hadn't noticed her arrive.
The girl was not tall, with long Dark Brown hair tied into two Braids hanging in front of her chest. Her personality seemed very introverted, and she was clearly not very good at interacting with Others.
Beside her was a beautiful and bold Roselia, which was curiously observing Bai Feng and the Berries on his Exhibition Booth.
"Hello!" Bai Feng greeted her kindly. "Miss, would you like to sample some Berries? You can try any of the ones on the Plates over there, please feel free."
"Tha... thank you..."
The girl smiled shyly, then picked up a Bamboo Skewer, skewered a piece of Berry from the Plate, and put it into her mouth. Then, she slightly widened her Glasses-covered eyes.
"This... this is too delicious, isn't it?" After she reacted, the girl's face instantly turned red. She looked at Bai Feng expectantly and asked, "Can I try another piece?"
Bai Feng smiled and nodded. "Of course, you can sample the Berries on the Plates freely."
The girl nodded, then sampled a piece of each type of Berry, not forgetting to feed a few bites to the Roselia beside her.
Roselia's personality was completely opposite to its Trainer's, but its reaction after eating the Berries was exactly the same as its Trainer's.
After being amazed by the taste of the Berries, it started winking at Bai Feng non-stop, as if winking a few more times would make Bai Feng offer it more Berries.
The girl was very careful when sampling the Berries, closing her eyes from time to time to carefully savor the Berries' Flavor. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was a gourmet.
After roughly sampling all the types of Berries, the girl walked up to Bai Feng and shyly introduced herself:
"Hello, my name is Julia. I'm from Heavenly Crown Academy in the Sinnoh Region, and I'm a Berry Farmer."
Bai Feng was a little surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected the girl in front of him to be a University Student from an Advanced Academy. He had thought she was at most a Senior Student (Female) from a Middle School a few grades above him.
At Advanced School, Majors were no longer broadly divided into just Breeding Major and Battle Major. Instead, they were specifically divided into many more detailed Majors, and Berry Farming was one of them.
However, Berry Farming was a relatively unpopular Major. Many Advanced Institutions didn't even offer such a Major.
In contrast, Majors related to Berries, such as Pharmacy and Pokémon Food Research, were more popular.
Bai Feng had also heard of Heavenly Crown Academy's great reputation. It was a renowned Higher Education Institution in the Pokémon World. Its Strength ranked at least among the top three in the entire Pokémon World, and its Location was at the Foothills of Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh.
Not every Region had such a Prestigious School. The more famous Higher Education Institution in the Kalos Region was Niderbelle Academy, located in Délisse City, the Royal Capital of the Azoth Kingdom. However, its reputation was far from comparable to Sinnoh's Heavenly Crown Academy.
The Azoth Kingdom was one of the few autonomous kingdoms under the Pokémon League's rule. Its Royal Capital, Délisse City, was a city with a very Developed Mechanical Industry, and Niderbelle Academy was founded by the Ancestors of the Azoth Kingdom's Royal Family, also considered a Higher Education Institution with a long history.
However, although Niderbelle Academy was quite famous in the Kalos Region, it was not so prominent when compared to the entire Pokémon World.
"Hello, my name is Bai Feng, and I am the Booth Owner of this Exhibition Booth." After the girl Julia finished introducing herself, Bai Feng also introduced himself.
Julia stammered, "Um... um... can I meet the Berry Farmer who cultivated these Berries?"
Bai Feng nodded and replied, "Of course, you already have."
Julia looked confused upon hearing this. She craned her neck to look behind Bai Feng. "Where? Where?" However, she didn't see a second person.
"What I mean is, I am the one who cultivated these Berries." Seeing Julia's stunned expression, Bai Feng couldn't help but laugh as he replied.
"Ah?" Julia immediately covered her mouth, looking at the Young Man in front of her, who wasn't even as tall as she was, in disbelief. After a long while, she asked, "Is that true?"
Bai Feng nodded. "Of course!"
Upon hearing this, Julia's eyes immediately sparkled, and she asked excitedly, "Then can I talk with you?" Julia's personality was quite simple; she didn't have a single shred of doubt about Bai Feng's words.
"Of course, I'd be delighted!" Bai Feng replied.
Being able to exchange Planting Insights with a Top Student from Heavenly Crown Academy was indeed a rare Opportunity for Bai Feng.
So Bai Feng called out Bai Ye to watch the Exhibition Booth, while he and Julia went to the side to exchange Cultivation Experience.
Because there were few Visitors coming to this side, no one came to disturb them. As they talked, they actually forgot the Time.
Julia was indeed worthy of being from Heavenly Crown Academy. Her Professional Knowledge was excellent, and she wasn't just a Theorist who only knew things on paper; she possessed very rich Berry Cultivation Experience.
According to her, the Berry Farming Major was a very unpopular Major at Heavenly Crown Academy, with fewer than ten Students enrolled. Therefore, these few people formed a Mutual Aid Group, and Julia was a Member of this group.
They specifically applied for a Plot on the Academy Grounds for Berry Tree Cultivation. This time, they came to participate in the Exhibition with the New Results they had cultivated.
The Cultivation of High-Quality Berries often required a large amount of Funds. However, the Family Finances of Julia and the other Mutual Aid Group Members were not wealthy. Although they had Research Funds allocated by the Academy, it was still far from enough. That was why they thought of participating in this Exhibition.
If they could attract enough Investment, their Berry Farming Business could reach a higher level.
Bai Feng couldn't compare to Julia in terms of Practical Experience in Berry Research, but he had read a large number of Planting Books collected by Grandpa Fu, so he was quite rich in theory. Therefore, when exchanging ideas with Julia, they hit it off very well, talking back and forth.
Upon learning that Bai Feng wanted to trade some of his Cultivated Berry Trees for Fruit Trees from other Regions, Julia said excitedly, "Bai Feng, you should also go see our Exhibition Booth! Go taste our Berries! If you're satisfied, trade with us, you absolutely must trade with us!"
Whenever Berry Farming-related Matters were mentioned, Julia seemed like a different person. Not only did she stop stammering, but her entire demeanor became exceptionally excited.
"Julia, you're here!"
Just as Bai Feng and Julia were talking animatedly, a voice interrupted their conversation. A tall, slightly plump girl ran over, panting, with several Sweat Beads on her face.
Behind the girl was Julia's Roselia. Clearly, Roselia knew its Trainer's habits and, seeing that Julia and Bai Feng had forgotten the Time while chatting, it specifically went to find Julia's companion.
And Julia, being so scatterbrained, didn't even Discover when her Pokémon had disappeared.
"Amy, why are you here!"
Seeing the slightly plump girl, Julia stood up in surprise and asked.
The slightly plump girl named Amy walked up to Julia, patted her, and said angrily, "You have the nerve to ask! How could you just disappear while walking? I thought you were lost and was searching everywhere! If Roselia hadn't brought me here, I don't know how long I would have been searching!"
"Hehe... I was just having too much fun chatting and forgot the Time." Julia smiled sheepishly. Then she suddenly pulled Amy in front of Bai Feng and said to Amy, "Amy, this is my new Friend, Bai Feng. He's also a Berry Farmer, and he can cultivate B-Grade Berries!"
Looking at the Young Man in front of her, who didn't even reach her shoulder, Amy didn't have any doubts. She knew Julia's personality and how persistent she was about Berry-related Matters. Since this Young Man could chat so well with Julia, it meant he truly had substance.
She was just slightly surprised that a Young Man who looked only twelve or thirteen could cultivate B-Grade Berries. It was unbelievable.
The Members of their Mutual Aid Group were all Top Students from a Higher Education Academy and had received the most Advanced Technology Studies. Yet, even so, among them, besides Julia, there were only a few who could definitively cultivate B-Grade Berries.
Different from Julia's straightforward personality, Amy was more worldly and sophisticated. She smiled and extended her hand to Bai Feng, saying:
"Hello, my name is Amy. I'm Julia's Classmate and Good Friend, studying at Sinnoh Heavenly Crown Academy. Julia has a simple personality, and I hope she didn't cause you any trouble just now. If she did, I apologize on her behalf."
"Hello, my name is Bai Feng. Julia and I hit it off very well. I'm very happy to meet her." Bai Feng extended his hand and shook hers.
Seeing that Bai Feng and Amy had introduced themselves, Julia excitedly said to Amy, "Not only can Bai Feng cultivate B-Grade Berries, but the Berries he cultivates also have a very Unique Flavor! I plan to trade some of our Cultivated Berry Trees for a batch from him..."
Julia chattered on about Bai Feng to Amy, but Amy didn't show the slightest hint of impatience. Instead, she responded to her from time to time, clearly indicating that the two were very used to this mode of interaction.
Under Julia's introduction, Amy also sampled the Berries cultivated by Bai Feng. She was instantly captivated by the Unique Flavor. When she looked at Bai Feng again, there was a hint of admiration and seriousness in her gaze.
What one heard was completely Different from the shock brought by Practical Experience. Only after truly tasting Bai Feng's Berries did Amy understand the terrifying aspect of this Young Man.
This kind of Unique Flavor Berry, if truly cultivated on a Large-Scale Cultivation, would definitely occupy a place in the Market in the future.
After learning that Julia wanted to exchange a batch of Fruit Trees with Bai Feng, Amy raised both hands in agreement. She felt that if their Mutual Aid Group could use Bai Feng's Fruit Trees to cultivate a Berry with their own unique style, they would definitely make a name for themselves in the future.
After exchanging Contact Information with Bai Feng and telling him the Location of their Exhibition Booth, Amy then took Julia and left.
"Bai Feng, I'll be waiting for you at our Exhibition Booth!" Before leaving, Julia turned back and shouted loudly at Bai Feng.
After Julia and the others left, a few more people came to Bai Feng's Exhibition Booth one after another. After tasting Bai Feng's Berries, they were all amazed by their Unique Flavor and very proactively offered to Invest in Bai Feng.
But Bai Feng refused them one by one. His purpose for participating in the Exhibition was not to attract Investment.
Although not many Visitors came to Bai Feng's booth, the Customer Feedback Rate was very high. Almost everyone who tasted his Berries expressed willingness to Invest.
The Situation at Bai Feng's Adjacent Booth was the exact opposite. Out of ten people who tasted his Berries, all ten shook their heads and waved their hands, indicating refusal.
The Owner of the Next Booth was a blond, blue-eyed Handsome Young Man, but the look of distress on his face completely ruined about ninety-nine percent of that handsomeness.
Seeing Bai Feng refuse another Investor, the other party said with an envious look, "That's great! I wish I had that many people willing to Invest over here!"
Seeing Bai Feng look over, the Young Man smiled awkwardly.
Bai Feng also smiled back at him kindly, then asked, "Would you like to try my Berries too?"
"Huh? Me?" the Young Man asked in surprise, pointing at himself. He didn't forget to look around, thinking Bai Feng was talking to Others.
Bai Feng nodded. "Yes."
"Alright, then I'll give them a try."
The Young Man hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement. He was truly curious why Bai Feng's Berries were so popular. Were they really that delicious? Or was the Berries' Energy Rating very high?
"Please sample." Bai Feng brought the Sliced Berries to the Young Man.
The Instant he ate the Berry, the Young Man understood everything. This kind of Unique Flavor Berry, even if its Energy Rating was only Grade E or F, could still stand out among Ordinary Berries and was indeed very much worth Investing in.
If the Energy Rating was a bit higher, the future prospects would be limitless.
The Young Man was, after all, a professional Berry Farmer. He could naturally taste that the Energy Rating of these Berries would definitely not be lower than C-Grade.
(End of Chapter)