6 – Farming
＜Chapter 6 – Farming＞
It was another week before Grandfather returned.
“Grandfather!”
A path through the woods.
More than a hundred people approached along that path.
The procession reached the entrance of the village,
and once again, I called out to Grandfather.
“Oh ho ho! Have you been waiting long?”
“Why were you so late? We were worried.”
Grandfather gestured to the people behind him.
My gaze followed his direction.
Shabby clothes.
Gloomy expressions.
They hardly seemed like laborers.
“They’re slaves.”
“Slaves? But we have money…”
We had considered buying slaves to work the fields.
However, the plan was canceled due to a lack of money.
But how…?
“Allensia helped.”
“Allensia, you say!?”
“Oh, come on! Why are you calling your fiancée like that? Just call her comfortably.”
“Did Allensia really help?”
Grandfather clenched his fist and wore a dignified expression.
It seems he doesn’t like the title.
“Well… Did Allensia really help?”
“hahahahaha! How wonderful. Yes, that’s right. While I was on the vampire dukedom for the first time in a long time, I went to see our lovely Allensia. So…”
Grandfather started telling stories about what he discussed with Allensia.
The incident where she provided a large sum of money.
The event of using that money to go to the continent and purchase slaves.
He told everything.
‘Allensia?’
The image of the composed Allensia came to mind.
The incident where she spoke of the dissolution with an emotionless voice.
The moment when she coldly rejected the request for support in farming.
‘But why did she help? No, more importantly…’
“Grandfather, haven’t you heard any other stories, by any chance?”
“What story are you talking about?”
“That pa…”
The word ‘divorce’ didn’t readily come to mind in the image of Grandfather’s fondness.
“Did you hurt your pride with the help of the woman you love?”
“What?”
“No need for that. After all, aren’t you getting married? Alencia helped you now, but later, there will be times when you help her. So, don’t feel burdened.”
Bang! Bang!
Grandfather slapped my back.
The impact brought me to my senses.
Whatever the reason, Alencia helped me, and thanks to that, I saved a year’s worth of time.
‘Good things are good. I’ll repay as Grandfather said, later.’
It’s a tough time now, but once the crops succeed, there will be room for leisure.
I’ll repay then.
“Grandfather! Gather people at the village hall! We’re officially starting farming!”
River Village. The village hall.
The village hall was packed.
Not just Grandfather and Uncle, but also the majority of adults in River Village had gathered.
Even among the slaves, several attended.
I sat in a chair and observed the people.
In particular, I focused on the relationship between the River people and the slaves.
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
The River people didn’t discriminate against the slaves.
Beyond that, they treated them as guests.
“Is it fascinating?”
“Yes?”
“Treating slaves is fascinating, isn’t it?”
“Well… a little.”
My grandfather ruffled my hair.
“Once you’re in River Village, there’s no difference from being a slave. They’re just comrades who protect each other.”
I vaguely understood the reason.
The Monster Island we live on is a changing region.
The center of humanity is the mainland, and Monster Island is an island northwest of the mainland.
River Village is also part of Monster Island.
It can be considered the frontline that faces the Monster region.
“Since there’s a formidable enemy, the rest are friends, I suppose?”
In the face of monsters, humanity’s enemy,
there was no room for division among themselves.
Especially, the people of River Town felt it even more.
When monsters attacked,
it was crucial to have someone to protect the family.
It didn’t matter if that person was an ordinary person or a slave.
‘One less worry.’
“Come on. Everyone, quiet! Quiet!”
Thunk. Thunk.
Grandfather organized the interior.
Then he raised one person.
“This person will be in charge of managing the farm from now on. Introduce yourself.”
A middle-aged man stood up.
More precisely, he looked to be between middle-aged and old.
“Hello. I am Isaac, a person who used to farm on the continent.”
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
People applauded loudly.
Isaac was taken aback by their reaction.
“Oh well! Settle down! Come on. Let’s hear the story we discussed.”
Isaac bowed his head to the grandfather and opened his mouth again.
“Generally, farming is divided into three stages.”
Isaac introduced the farming methods of the empire.
Divide the fields into three: the spring field, autumn field, and resting field.
The spring field is for cultivating crops in spring,
the autumn field is for autumn crops,
and finally, the resting field is for letting the land rest, just as the name suggests.
“The reason for this is to recover mental strength and prevent diseases and pests.”
“Diseases and pests?”
Isaac had a troubled expression at Grandfather’s question.
“I don’t know the details either. However, it’s just that if you rest enough and then cultivate, the crops won’t be affected by diseases.”
Isaac glanced around and continued the story.
“There are other advantages. It allows for the efficient use of manpower.”
“Well, I see.”
This time, Grandfather didn’t ask any further questions.
It was a common-sense story.
Since the timing of farming is different, a small number of people can cultivate two fields.
After the lengthy explanation,
Grandfather turned his head to me.
“How about it? Will this be okay as it is?”
Listening to Isaac’s explanation, I pondered.
Although I’ve never tried farming myself,
I’ve indirectly experienced it.
Right through the game.
A game set in the medieval era.
In this game, the ‘Three-field system’ appears.
It was almost identical to what Isaac had explained.
And as technology advances, the ‘Norfolk four-course rotation’ becomes available.
In short, the Norfolk four-course rotation was a more advanced method derived from the Three-field system.
First, should I go with the Three-field system?
Or should I start with the Norfolk four-course rotation from the beginning?
From Noble mtl dot com
And the conclusion was the Norfolk four-course rotation.
Because the advantages of this method were so clear.
After organizing his thoughts, he stood up from his seat.
“I would like to divide the farmland into four sections.”
He introduced the Norfolk four-course rotation method.
Unlike the Three-field system, the farmland is divided into four sections.
A section: Barley (spring to autumn)
B section: Clover, oatgrass
C section: Wheat (autumn to summer)
D section: Turnip
Unlike the Three-field system, there is no fallow land.
Instead, fodder crops are grown on two out of the four farmland sections.
The clover, a bean and plant, not only restores intellect but also aids in the recovery of strength through livestock excrement. It was a revolutionary method that eliminated fallow periods. In particular, the ability to raise a considerable amount of livestock is a significant advantage.
‘And this, in the future…’
I paused my thoughts.
If I take one step further, there is another enormous benefit.
However, since it is a matter of the future, I decided to conclude the explanation for now. Up to this point, it should be sufficient to persuade them.
Grandfather nodded vigorously.
Then, he turned his head to Isaac.
“Isaac, what do you think? Is it worth trying, according to your grandson’s opinion?”
“I cannot know the details, but… it is certain that livestock excrement is helpful for strength recovery.”
“Good! Then, let’s proceed as my grandson suggests!”
.
.
The land was divided into four sections.
And manpower was concentrated in one section.
The section for planting barley.
It needs to be planted quickly so that it can be harvested in the fall.
I, too, have become busy.
Kneeling on the ground, I used the Earth Restoration skill.
Because I needed to remove the magic before sowing the seeds.
***
Frontier Territory.
South Castle.
Frontier Lord’s Mansion, 3rd floor.
Today, I managed the affairs in place of Lord Brelida once again.
Frontier Lord was busy dealing with monsters.
“Do it like this. Put that on hold…”
While looking at the papers for a long time,
A maid entered.
She took out a piece of paper from her bosom and placed it on the desk.
The paper contained information about Elwin.
Arrival in River Town.
Contact with Grandfather Campbell.
Disposal of Campbell’s assets.
Purchase of land and slaves.
As Brelida read through the contents, her expression became more serious.
Purchase land and slaves?
It was strange.
Where does power come from?
There can be many opinions.
Among those opinions, there must be a common element.
That is, land and people.
“What is he thinking?”
Brylda’s eyes quickly scanned the paper.
As soon as she read the contents, she burst into laughter.
“Ha! Farming? You want to farm on Monster Island?”
He said he would build a blacksmith’s forge at one point.
And now he wants to farm.
“What could it mean?”
Farming is just a smokescreen.
There must be another plan hidden behind it.
“Whether it’s a blacksmith’s forge or farming, in the end, he wants to build his own power. But farming? Tsk tsk.”
I’d rather have the blacksmith’s forge.
There are battles every day on Monster Island.
So we need a lot of weapons.
But farming instead of a blacksmith’s forge?
“No, it’s strange. Is he simply farming to build his power? It’s a surefire way to fail.”
The Duke of Vampires, once hailed as a hero, couldn’t even compare to the likes of Elwin.
It seemed impossible for Elwin to do such a thing.
As the dilemma prolonged,
there was only one conclusion.
“He must be insane.”
Elwin died twice.
The moment he had this thought, Brellda bit her lip.
‘I’m sure I died.’
Six years ago.
Elwin died.
He confirmed it himself.
But then he came back to life.
And his personality changed.
This time too, it happened.
Elwin died at the hands of the Black Orc.
Wilson witnessed it. He confirmed it himself.
Yet, he came back to life.
And his personality changed.
The incident in the conference room flashed in his mind.
The image of Elwin vehemently opposing his own words.
The sight of Wilson pressing forward aggressively.
It wasn’t the usual gentle Elwin.
“His temperament wavered, and in the end, he’s gone mad.”
He held a paper containing information about Elwin.
And placed it on the candlelight.
The flames, starting from the end, engulfed the entire paper.
“Well, this isn’t so bad as it is.”
When Elwin dies, rumors will spread.
Arrows will be aimed at himself and his son, who enjoy the greatest benefits.
It was better if Lady Soyoung was insane,
And being driven out from the position due to that reason.
“I look forward to when the barley is fully grown. How to deal with magically contaminated crops.”
