Season 4: Chapter 178. Fertile Soil (1)
Beep.
[Cheese Official has uploaded a new video.]
[Cheese Craft Ep. 3: Fertile Soil]
[Premiering in five minutes!]
The long-awaited third episode was finally up. Even with five minutes left before the premiere, the chat was already exploding.
— I sprinted here like Donuts charging into the courtroom.
— Top speed, what the hell lmao
— 1
— 1
— Finally!
— Chef’s kiss
— So many ninjas today, must be because Uchiha Potato showed up earlier
— I arrived at Almond-neck-slashing-Paprika speed. Wait, I’m late?
The chat velocity hit absurd levels within a single second of the stream starting. No doubt, the previous trailer had stirred expectations.
Five minutes passed.
[Cheese Craft Ep. 3: Fertile Soil]
[Now premiering!]
Finally, the video began.
***
A bright blue sky appeared with soft white clouds drifting gently overhead. It was another peaceful day in Cheese Village.
The camera panned down to the short avatars wandering back and forth, busy with their routines. What once was empty land now had fences, homes, and freshly cultivated fields.
Someone plucked a single sprout from the soil and firmly tugged once.
Pop.
A cluster of potatoes came up with it.
“Hooo.”
The one harvesting them was Miho.
[Miho]
“So is this a healing game or a farming game?” She grumbled as she bent down for more potatoes.
Beside her, Bubblegum farmed alongside her and commented lazily, “Miho, why potatoes? They give me a bad feeling.”
“What are you talking about, oppa? Potatoes are skyrocketing right now. There’s even a Chef job now, and the first qualification test is potato soup.”
“Really? But not many people want to be chefs.”
“They will later~.”
Pop.
She calmly harvested another batch.
“Potato aura just feels unlucky.”
“You can’t judge crops by spiritual aura. They’re famine food, not horoscopes.”
— Potato face reading LMAO
— Bubblegum running on intuition only
— He’s picking farming stock based on vibes
— If we're going by face-reading, carrots win though
— I’m crying
The narration chimed in, “Bubblegum has good instincts, but he doesn’t know how to explain them. Which is why his rank stays permanent Bronze.”
— ???
— Sudden critical hit
— He’s not wrong
— What about Almond tho??
— This documentary tone is killing me
“Anyway, Cheese Village remains peaceful. Their biggest worry is farming. They have begun the transition from a hunting civilization to an agricultural one. But...”
“HEY! SAY SOMETHING!” someone suddenly shouted.
The avatar wore sunglasses, completely out of place for the setting, and stormed toward someone.
[Zelo]
“You said farming works here!”
The video paused as his profile card appeared.
==== ====
— Zelo!!
— ZEL~LO LET’S GO
— he’s here! he’s here!
— the streaming king has arrived
— so this arc is serious
Zelo’s appearance sent the premiere chat into overdrive. Many viewers who only watched the official uploads were seeing him here for the first time. Zelo’s presence alone confirmed that this wasn’t some throwaway side event. He was the top-ranked streamer with the most influence and the sun in this ecosystem.
“You sold me this land, saying it was good for crops!?” he screamed at the land-broker NPC Big Farm.
“Compassion to all beings.” Big Farm wavered, but stayed maddeningly serene.
His only response was a prayer.
— LMAOOO
— holy reflection damage
— Rainbow deflect verse unlocked
The narration resumed. “Zelo is furious because his purchased plot doesn’t function properly.”
Then, the video cut to an explanation screen.
[Farmland exists with different soil types, and quality varies.]
The scene returned to Zelo.
“L-Look! This isn’t soil. This is sand! Pure sand!” He squeezed a yellow block, and grains trickled between his fingers.
— that's garbage land LMFAO
— they scammed the king
— wow it really is sand
— yikes lmao
“This soil grants a twelve percent crop success rate. My statement contains no falsehoods.”
“Twelve percent? Are you kidding me?”
Whack!
Zelo started beating Big Farm. “Get your boss out here! You’re just an agent! Bring the real owner!”
Smack!
Big Farm’s head wobbled side to side, his calm beginning to crack. “Do not tempt me into sin.”
Shhhk.
He unsheathed an iron sword, a rare and expensive item in this era.
“With one swing, the chance of you dying instantly is around ten percent. How does that probability feel?”
“H-High! Very high!”
“Twelve percent is higher still.”
“O-Of course! By two percent! Incredible! Thanks, Big Farm. Haha~”
— I’M DEAD LMAO
— instant loyalty reversal
— violence meta era
— problem solved with swords = peak healing
— the power of primitive times
Zelo dropped to grovel mode within seconds. Static crackled, and the video cut to an interview segment.
Zelo sat stiffly in front of a plain white backdrop with his hands awkwardly in his lap. Text appeared above his head.
[What were you thinking when apologizing to Big Farm?]
“I swore revenge. Not on him, but on the land.”
— so he learned nothing
— he meant every syllable of murder
— technically he did act on that later... but failed
— proto-collaborator origins
A new question popped up.
[How did you plan to take revenge?]
“I was already thinking about mining. From the looks of it, iron would become more valuable eventually. And nobody was mining yet. If I monopolized the supply, I’d profit massively.”
— the foresight though??
— Zelo actually strategic??
— STAY STRONG MINER ARC
— “Why did you become a miner, Father?” flashback vibes
— he saw capitalism forming and sprinted
Viewers who hadn’t watched the stream thought Zelo sounded clever. Those who had watched it were collectively ready to time-travel just to stop him from making that decision.
The video moved on to the next question.
[What about Farmers?]
“Come on, how are you supposed to farm on literal sand?”
[Then, what soil success rate would be ideal in your opinion?]
“They say that legendary Fertile Soil can triple the harvest... I-I’m not asking for that much! I just want crops to grow when I plant them. That’s it. So, one hundred percent.”
— So the rumor was already out, huh?
— Fertile Soil namedropped!
— The devs did say it existed from day one lol
— Today’s main character is entering the stage
The narration returned as the scene transitioned. “Yes. Fertile Soil.”
An info cut showcased Fertile Soil. The black, cube-like block filled the frame as text appeared and described its features.
[Rumors of this legendary soil, which triples crop yield, had already spread throughout Cheese Village.]
The screen turned into static and cut.
Miho appeared back on the screen. “Oppa, I heard there’s something called Fertile Soil... It triples your harvest. If we had that, we wouldn’t have to work this hard, right?”
Bubblegum snorted. “Pfff, sure, and where’s that supposed to be? Miho, farming is simple. One thing only! Hard! Work!”
The scene switched to Black Tea and Lemon.
“Sis, did you hear? There’s a thing called Fertile Soil. They say it triples the yield.”
“Yeah, right. As if that exists,” Black Tea muttered while tilling the field. “If that were real, this place would be crawling with people worth killing for it...”
— goddamn
— and then they do kill over it later lol
— Bubblegum eventually becomes an All Black parrot
— lmao
— Black Tea’s insight is terrifying
Next up was ForeverAlone.
“Fertile Soil, huh?” He was, unsurprisingly, talking to the chat because he had no one else. “I mean... I don’t really need it. I just... like farming like this. Talking while I work.”
He wasn’t talking to anyone, but the scrolling chat box.
— oh no...
— Gi-Chan pls
— how did this guy become... you know...
— So he actually didn’t need Fertile Soil, I’m losing it
— ow, my heart!
The last one to appear was Acorn Jelly.
“Everyone, rumor says there’s a place in this world covered entirely in Fertile Soil.”
— ?
— that escalated quickly
— this is how rumors mutate
— we speedran from “it exists” to “there’s a whole continent of it”
By the time it reached him, the story had changed into something deranged.
“I’m going to find that dreamland.”
Chat windows floated up around him.
— he’s sick again
— Perfect Farm lol just do your chores
— Jelly, control your delusions
— ever since that Perfect Shot, he lost it
“No, really! It exists! I swear!”
Dun-dun.
The background music shifted, and the camera zoomed in on Acorn Jelly’s face.
“All Black!!”
Thump... thump...
A slow, heavy track kicked in as the scene cut to Almond.
[Paprika Village]
After wiping Paprika off the map with his dragon, Almond stared blankly at the ground beneath his feet. The music built up, layer by layer.
Boom...! Boom-boom...!
“What is this?”
He crouched to look at the dark blocks under his boots.
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
The music surged toward its climax.
[Fertile Soil]
It was the very thing that everyone wanted and was searching for.
— holy
— the savior who came to ruin the village...
— it was here all along
— Almond found it?? How??
— cause of all future wars, right there
— with Almond and Fertile Soil, you can ruin any town you want...
— chat spoilers not filtered rip
— there he is... the true protagonist of Cheese Village
Narration flowed over the image. “At that moment, Almond learned something very dangerous.”
Almond stood on the black ground and looked down. A faintly sinister shadow fell across his face.
“I think... people turn into this when you burn them.”
KRRRRRAAASH!
The track peaked in full, violent glory.
[How to create Fertile Soil.]
— EXCUSE ME
— huh???
— it’s real???
— they put this in a healing game??
— what the actual...
— I’m screaming
Static erupted again. The shot switched to the Cheese Village gates as a massive head bobbed closer.
Boop... boop... boop...
“Wow... he finally made it.”
It was Almond.
— finally
— the savior who came to ruin the village, round two
— Lord Almond has arrived~
— The king has entered the lobby
— why does everyone call him lord now? lol
“By chance, but by destiny as well, a fateful encounter occurred.”
— ?
— excuse me?
— fateful??
— oh no, I know where this is going
As Almond entered the village, someone stepped out.
“Oh, you must be Almond! The famous one.”
[Zelo]
Zelo was on his way to the mines with Choco Shroom.
“I’m Zelo.”
“Ah!” Almond bowed his oversized head and reached out for a handshake. “It’s a pleasure, Zelo.”
“O-Oh, the honor is mine. I don’t know what to do with myself, meeting the World Cup MVP like this! Hehehehe?!”
Their clasped hands filled the frame in a close-up. Static flickered, and another grainy clip full of noise forced its way in. It took place far in the future.
“Verdict: death.” Almond delivered a death sentence.
Bang, bang, bang!
He swung the gavel without a hint of hesitation.
Zelo shouted back at him, “I didn’t abandon my country! My country abandoned me!’
Whoooosh!
Zelo and Choco Shroom blasted off like rockets.
Static again before the video snapped back to the present timeline. Zelo and Almond smiled, shook hands, and laughed together. The camera zoomed in on Almond’s smiling face.
“If we had been comrades... what would it have been like?”
The line came in like Almond’s voiceover, but it wasn’t him.
— ???
— who is dubbing this?
— that’s not Almond’s voice lmao
— fake emotional narration
Then, Zelo’s face filled the screen.
“If I had turned back to look at you one more time here... could we have become friends?”
— WHAT IS THIS?
— please stop pretending it’s deep
— “what if we were comrades...” shonen rivals type of line
— they’re literally a miner and a farmer, please
— the two main characters of Cheese Village!
In any case, at this moment, their fates had crossed. And this was when Fertile Soil arrived in Cheese Village.