Urban Roots: The Farming System

Kieran had entered the world of urban farming with modest expectations. A few heads of lettuce here, some tomatoes there, and maybe, just maybe, a small but steady income to pay his rent. But little did he know, his green thumb was rapidly turning into the entrepreneurial equivalent of a golden ticket.

The morning sun was barely peeking through the buildings of the city when Kieran received his first order of the day. His phone buzzed noisily on the kitchen counter, and he scrambled to answer it.

"Hello, Kieran?" the voice on the other end sounded familiar, but it took him a second to place it.

"Hey, it's Sara from The Green Spoon," she continued. "We're going to need another batch of those tomatoes and lettuce—maybe double the order this time? Also, we've got a new chef, and he's obsessed with your spinach. Can you send us five pounds of that too?"

Kieran's heart skipped a beat. Double the order? That was fantastic news. Clearly, the spinach was as much of a hit as his tomatoes.

"Of course! I'll get that ready for you," Kieran replied with his best professional voice, though inside he was doing a little happy dance.

"Awesome. And hey, we'll be paying you a little extra today for the spinach. We've been getting some great feedback, and you're helping us stay ahead of the competition in the city."

"Thanks, Sara, I really appreciate it," Kieran said, trying to keep his voice steady even as his excitement threatened to leak out. He had a good feeling about this. Things were beginning to snowball in the best way possible.

His system panel flashed with updates as he confirmed the order. The Green Spoon would get its delivery in an hour, and the drone would handle the transportation. But before Kieran could get back to work, his phone buzzed again.

This time, it was from Mike, a local grocery store owner he'd met a few days ago when he'd dropped off some fresh tomatoes. They'd chatted briefly, and Mike had seemed interested in stocking some of Kieran's produce. Kieran hadn't expected much to come of the conversation, but here was Mike, calling him up.

"Hey, Kieran! It's Mike from the market. We've been getting requests for fresh, local veggies lately, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in supplying us with some lettuce and tomatoes. We've got a steady flow of customers looking for organic produce."

Kieran blinked. A local grocery store wanted to buy his stuff? This was bigger than he'd imagined.

"I'd be happy to supply you with lettuce and tomatoes. I've got the fresh produce ready to go. How much are you looking for?" Kieran asked, trying to sound confident, even though his mind was racing.

"Let's start with a small order—maybe 50 heads of lettuce and 20 pounds of tomatoes. We'll see how it goes from there. If it sells well, we could start making regular orders."

Kieran's brain was already calculating the potential earnings. He'd be making £4.50 per head of lettuce and £4.00 per pound of tomatoes. At those rates, this was looking like another solid contract in the making.

"Sounds good, Mike. I'll get that ready for you. I've also got some spinach if you're interested. It's been flying off the shelves at other places."

Mike sounded intrigued. "Spinach, huh? Alright, I'll take a few pounds for the store. Let's see how it sells."

Kieran couldn't help but smile. Things were finally picking up, and he had no intention of slowing down now.

By the time the sun had fully risen, Kieran had already confirmed a handful of orders. His drone had just taken off with the first batch of tomatoes and lettuce for The Green Spoon, and now he was preparing fresh spinach and more tomatoes for Mike's Grocery. He'd also received a text from Emily at the restaurant, requesting another batch of tomatoes and lettuce for a special event they were hosting later in the week.

The orders were starting to feel like second nature, and while Kieran was still getting used to the hustle and bustle of being a full-time farmer in the middle of a city, he was also starting to see the fruits of his labor. Literally.

He had more contacts now than he could keep track of. Local restaurants, grocery stores, and even cafes were reaching out to him for fresh, organic produce. Kieran had become something of a local celebrity in the world of sustainable, city-grown food.

And every time he made a delivery, whether it was through his trusty drone or a personal drop-off, he felt a little more like a professional farmer—and a little less like the broke college graduate he used to be.

The drone buzzed around the city, making its rounds. Kieran watched as it soared through the sky, the small but mighty machine carrying his produce to its various destinations. The system had made deliveries easy, and the real work came with maintaining the farm, growing more crops, and keeping the customers happy.

Over the next few days, the orders continued to roll in. The Green Spoon doubled their usual order, Mike's Grocery had placed another bulk order for lettuce and tomatoes, and even a small cafe called Café Basil was requesting fresh basil and herbs for their sandwiches.

Kieran was becoming a regular fixture in the local food scene, and his reputation as a reliable, organic farmer was quickly growing. As his orders increased, so did his system points. He was racking up points with every delivery, which meant he could unlock more farm upgrades, new systems, and—most importantly—more crops to grow.

One evening, after a particularly busy day, Kieran sat down to check his system panel. The numbers were starting to look pretty good.

Current Balance: £2,500

System Points: 1,200

The money was great, but it was the system points that had him most excited. He'd been thinking about expanding his farm. Perhaps it was time to install more vertical planters, or maybe even add a few hydroponic systems to really up his game. And he had his eye on a new type of crop: arugula. It was gaining popularity in local restaurants, and he knew he could grow it in his vertical planters without much hassle.

Kieran grinned as he tapped away at his phone, selecting new upgrades for his farm. The growth of his business was accelerating, and he could feel the momentum building.

"I'm going to be the green king of this city," he muttered to himself, already picturing his future farm empire.

Later that night, his system notified him of the drone delivery updates. The deliveries had all gone smoothly, and his customers were already placing new orders for the following day.

Kieran leaned back in his chair and took a moment to appreciate how far he'd come. A few weeks ago, he was just some guy with a couple of plants on his rooftop, and now he was running a legitimate farming operation with drone deliveries, loyal customers, and a growing bank balance.

But he wasn't done yet. There were still more crops to grow, more drones to send, and more restaurants to work with. Kieran wasn't just a farmer anymore—he was on his way to becoming an urban farming mogul.

And he couldn't wait to see where this wild ride would take him next.