NOVEL WEB Chapter 20: Plant Growth
Ice was patrolling the village in the early hours of what would be the third day since his master’s departure.
Strolling through the construction area, the wolf had a peaceful look on his face. His white fur was neatly combed, thanks to the care of one of the few women in the village who wasn’t afraid of him.
Ice wasn’t particularly fond of humans, but since entering his master’s domain, he had learned to coexist with them. He had witnessed the darker side of humanity in the past and harbored a dislike, even a fear, of them. But his master’s domain was different. He felt at peace in the Eternal Village.
He didn’t have as much food as he would have liked, but no one tried to dominate him. In fact, they respected him as one of the village’s guardians.
Unlike the animals confined near the greenhouses, he had the freedom to come and go, drawing looks of respect.
The cows and chickens were simple, servile creatures. But not him—he was revered. People nodded in his direction, believing he understood them. And Ice walked with his head held high, watching over his master’s vassals.
He didn’t understand a word the humans said to him. He only grasped his master’s intentions. But no one needed to know that.
Seeing his younger brother from afar, Ice nodded in approval.
He was now the leader of the White Wolves Pack!
Phantom was naturally his subordinate!
Suddenly, Ice heard something, and his ears perked up. The thought of an intruder approaching the Eternal Village put him on high alarm, his sharp teeth bared and claws extending from his paws.
He howled to signal Phantom to alert the others, while he himself went to investigate who dared enter his master’s domain.
His speed was as swift as a horse’s, and he prided himself on being the fastest among the White Wolves Pack before his previous leader made the grave mistake of opposing his current master.
But after three minutes of running, the white creature slowed, relaxing his battle-ready muscles.
His eyes lit up at the sight of three humans on horseback, especially the most majestic of them—a tall, strong boy, nearly 2 meters tall, with hair as white as Ice’s fur.
Ice barked in greeting at his master, welcoming the trio back to the village.
Eliot, Jonn, and Elia saw the wolf greeting them as they carried the items acquired from Acelin earlier.
Among the items on Elia’s list were sacks of grain that the village didn’t produce, feed for the animals, the meat given as a gift, and materials for the Village Elder’s projects.
“Ice…” Jonn called out to his wolf, realizing that nothing concerning had happened in the last few days.
He let Ice escort them back to the central area of the village, where Phantom had already alerted Petyr and Wy of the new arrivals.
Petyr holstered his weapon as he saw the three village members back with their purchases and calmed his heart.
“How was your trip?” he asked as Wy greeted Eliot with a handshake.
Asher also approached when he heard Ice and Phantom barking.
“Everything went well. We found out some relevant information and bought what we needed. Anyway, we’ll discuss it in more detail tomorrow. I want to rest from the trip during the remaining hours of the night,” Jonn said as he dismounted from his horse, then thanked Asher for helping him take the horse to its resting place.
Petyr and Wy told Elia and Eliot to rest, taking on the responsibility of storing the food.
By mid-morning, the village Council was fully assembled when Jonn joined his fellow villagers.
Elia and Eliot had already explained what they had purchased and the information Acelin had provided. Two things were particularly important to them now.
Firstly, the food trade had great potential to help them improve the situation in the village. It would take at least a year for them to develop a crop suitable for export, but Jonn and Arber were confident they could produce more than they consumed after a year of cultivating the soil with the Aether Tears.
Secondly, Jonn was concerned about armed groups passing through the Barren Hills of Deepshadow, heading toward the opportunities in Lost Treasures. He didn’t want to risk joining the exploration of that sovereign-less territory. His worry was that one of these groups might discover the village and shift their interests because of the village’s plantations.
At this point in the conversation, Tim couldn’t help but grimace. “That would be worrisome, Village Elder. The Barren Hills of Deepshadow was essentially one big forest 60 years ago. If we continue to thrive, we could eventually cultivate on over 70% of our region’s vast terrain.”
Arber added to Tim’s statement, “We’ll be in big trouble if anyone realizes the area’s agricultural potential.”
Even the usually simple Eliot narrowed his eyes, a bit worried, as he stood at the entrance to the Council building.
Jonn had been concerned about this very issue and said, “We can plant in specific locations and use our walls to conceal the village’s farmland.”
He looked from one side of the table to the other at the Councilors. “We can hide our resources to some extent. My immediate concern is that one of these groups might come to us. As long as they stay away from the village, we should be able to conceal our green areas in the short term. But if they come at us… problems.”
Petyr spoke up after Jonn’s remarks, “The watchtowers we’re building will help with that. We can monitor the terrain and mobilize men if a group approaches.”
“Yes, we should do that,” Lance said in agreement.
That’s not enough, but for now, it’s what we can do.
Jonn closed his eyes, contemplating in silence. He agreed it was the best course of action for now. “We’ll proceed with that plan. The most important thing is for Beri, Alise, and the village hunters to be more cautious in their movements from now on.”
Those involved agreed to hide if they saw groups passing by and to alert the village as soon as possible in such situations.
At the end of the meeting, some Councilors left the roofless bamboo building, discussing the dangers and opportunities.
Petyr walked alongside the guards, talking about how to handle unwanted visitors. Arber talked with her husband and some of the other Councilors about expanding the fields and what they should focus on producing.
Jonn followed Tim toward the Limonite mine.
“Old Tim, I analyzed some of that merchant’s weapons and compare them with our production. I’d like to talk to you later about how you produce our weapons. I think I can find a method to create better artifacts.”
The middle-aged man looked at Jonn with a doubtful expression. “I can guide you through the basics of forging, Village Elder. But improving artifacts without a technique is a blind shot. We risk wasting our materials.”
Tim’s skepticism did not bother Jonn. “Don’t worry. I’ll first familiarize myself with your method and your materials. If I’m not sure what we should try, I’ll leave that idea for the future.
Anyway, I found out that Acelin has books on medicine, alchemy, forging, and several other topics. I’ll get some of them for the village in the future.”
“Oh? That would be nice.” Unlike Elia and Eliot, Tim saw the same potential in the books as Jonn. “Old Elder Hewet helped me improve my forging skills a lot with a simple beginner’s book and some advice. If I can get a more advanced book, I’ll certainly be able to build more durable weapons.”
Tapping Tim on the shoulder, Jonn said, “We’ll work it out. We just need a bit of patience.”
Jonn returned to the village at the end of the day with a wheelbarrow full of crushed stones. He was dirty from head to toe. But he had a warm smile on his face as he passed through the village, heading for Tim’s house.
He greeted some locals along the way and stopped to chat with the wall builders, who were finishing their work for the day. The new village had made little progress in the last four days, but it was moving forward as planned.
Stopping at the old blacksmith’s house, Jonn left the crushed rocks there, promising to return to their forge talk after he rested.
He returned home, washed up, and ate something Elise had brought him. Fortunately, Acelin had given meat to the village, and today everyone had the chance to enjoy animal protein.
After filling his belly, he made his way to the greenhouses, visiting first the one his grandfather had created and then the one he had built around his plantation plot.
Jonn’s greenhouse was much larger than Hewet’s, but its construction was simpler, using less refined materials. It could contain up to 60 square meters, enough for the village to more than quintuple the black land under cultivation today.
Crouching down next to a tomato plant, Jonn analyzed it with the Celestial Magnifying Glass, just as he would later do with the other plants he had helped cultivate.
The smile on his face was hard to hide. He couldn’t help but be pleased to see the seeds he had planted developing so well. The tomato plant he had first planted, for example, had already reached a height of 1.5 meters (4’11’’), with 11 green tomatoes growing on it, each the size of a child’s hand.
We’ll be able to harvest the tomatoes in a few more weeks, and not long after that, the vegetables and fruits.
He looked at the ground, focusing on the mana crystals.
I’ll be able to cut them shortly after the harvest… Good. We’ll be able to double or triple this land soon.
He considered not only the situation of the black soil under cultivation but also Hewet’s greenhouse.
As he stood up and put away his Celestial Magnifying Glass, he observed his greenhouse for a moment in silence.
We’ll keep the crops focused on tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, strawberries, corn, onions, garlic, and lettuce. But we’ll need to buy wheat seeds and other plants for the future. I hope to have apples and watermelons here one day, too.
He made his way to Tim’s house with those plans in mind. He was excited about the future prospects, but aware of the time needed to achieve his plans, he tried not to get carried away.
Arriving at Tim’s house shortly after dark, Jonn was greeted by Molle, who had a cup of tea ready for him.
“Jonn, sit down for a while. He’s almost finished his last job of the day before he comes to talk to you,” said the white-haired lady, showing for him to sit down in a simple chair.
////Novaro////
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