Chapter 274 - 272: A Bountiful Harvest

Chapter 274: Chapter 272: A Bountiful Harvest

The ship slowly docked at Black Forest Port, bringing their forty-day journey to a successful end.

With a light leap, Duane landed steadily on the pier.

Behind him, Lune and the other followers disembarked one after another, all of them sizing up their surroundings with a mixture of seriousness and curiosity.

Although there wasn’t a soul on the dock, the sturdy pier, wide road, and solid, level foundations were a refreshing sight.

The group couldn’t help but exclaim, "Everyone says Black Forest Island is barren and dangerous. I never thought it would look like this!"

Owington chimed in with flattery from the side, "This is all thanks to the Lord! He invested a great deal of manpower and Gold Coins to build this road!"

"You have to pay the subjects you conscript?" Lune asked, confused.

On the Holmes Clan’s lands, they’d just conscript subjects for labor service, whether for road building or farming, and never had to pay them a thing.

"The Lord is benevolent!"

Owington enthusiastically extolled Duane’s noble character. "He reduced the labor service for each household to three days, and those who perform the service even receive a pound of dried rice!"

This was the first thing Lune heard after disembarking, and it left him clicking his tongue in wonder. He couldn’t understand how a Lord could possibly make money with such policies.

But seeing the large ships moored at the port and the numerous people and horses, he felt all the more puzzled.

Duane heard Owington’s boasting behind him, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.

Just then, the sound of hoofbeats rang out. It was Raymond, arriving with a squad of Guards.

"Lord, you’ve finally returned!"

Raymond and his men dismounted, thumped their chests in a salute, and at the same time, curiously sized up the group of people behind Duane.

"How have things been in the territory recently?"

"A few days ago, some Demon Beasts appeared near the mines, but Simone took a team and has already cleared them out. Things have been quiet over in Thorn Valley, though."

Constance’s head snapped up. Hearing the familiar name, her heart suddenly began to race.

Knowing she was anxious, Duane decided not to delay.

"The trip to the Royal Capital was very fruitful. These are all rare talents."

Duane gave his instructions, "Raymond, you’ll be in charge of familiarizing them with Black Forest Island, then take them to Forest Castle. Also, send someone to inform Kaelon, Julian, and the others. We need to have a gathering tonight."

"Owington, you and Captain Heck will be in charge of unloading the cargo. Send all of the Fertile Soil to Broken Wave Bay for storage."

They had brought back a considerable amount of cargo this time. Besides four hundred pounds of Fertile Soil, there were also the ingredients for making Qingming Wine, Intoxicating Honey Wine, and Deep Blue Enlightenment Wine.

In addition, the ship was also loaded with wax, various spices, dyes, and so on.

Although these were all low-grade goods to be sold to the subjects and weren’t worth much, they would liven up Black Forest Island a bit and improve the people’s quality of life.

After giving out these instructions, Duane had Jasmine fetch a carriage from the stables in Dawn Town to take Constance back to Forest Castle.

As for himself, he summoned his warhorse and departed ahead of them.

"What kind of ability is that?" Lune and the others were shocked.

Constance was surprised. As a Level 4 Mage, she could, of course, tell that Duane had used Magic.

She couldn’t help but ask, "The Lord is a Mage as well?"

"Yes, there are so many things the Lord is good at!" Jasmine exclaimed, holding Natalia’s hand.

One of them was a noble lady and the other a personal maid; normally, they wouldn’t have such a close relationship.

But Constance had long since stopped thinking of herself as a noble lady. During this time, she had often pestered Jasmine to tell her stories about Black Forest Island, especially about Simone and Vera.

As time went on, the two of them ended up getting along very well.

Duane galloped along, observing the changes in his territory as he rode.

It was late July, and Black Forest Island had entered the season of hurried harvesting and planting. The rice paddies were a sea of gold, and farmers were bent over, reaping the stalks. In some fields, threshing machines were BUZZING nonstop.

Duane breathed in the scent of rice and watched the diligently working people. He couldn’t help but think, ’It’s another bountiful harvest this year!’

Last year, Haien had led the farmers in seed selection. This year, they had added new methods like fertilizer and using wood ash as a pesticide, so the harvest should be a little better than last year’s.

No wonder the people who were sitting down to rest and chat with each other had smiles on their faces.

Perhaps because Duane was such a conspicuous figure, many people in the fields on either side of the road noticed him.

The people immediately began shouting for the Lord and hurried over as if to pay homage.

Not wanting to disturb their work, Duane just smiled, waved, offered a few words of encouragement, and quickly rode away.

The road to Broken Wave City was currently less than two thousand meters long, and it soon became rough and uneven.

However, the Magic Warhorse was steady and swift, moving as if on level ground.

News of the Lord’s return to the territory spread quickly, soon reaching the ears of Julian, Ralph, and the others.

They seemed to have developed a custom: whenever the Lord returned from a trip, they would put aside their work and go to the castle to report on their recent progress.

Duane had just walked into the castle and hadn’t even had a chance to sit down before Haien, who was the closest, hurried over.

After the two exchanged some pleasantries, the Agricultural Officer began to report on the state of agriculture in the territory.

"This year, we’ve reclaimed over three thousand acres of wasteland, half of which are now paddy fields. Added to the thirty thousand acres of early rice paddies, we have a total of thirty-three thousand acres of rice under cultivation."

"In addition, the yield has increased slightly this year. I estimate that each acre can produce 380 pounds of rice."

Duane listened and did the math in his head.

"So, you’re saying Black Forest Island can harvest over twelve million pounds of grain this time, and the Lord’s Mansion will be able to collect four million pounds?"

"Yes, Lord. The wheat and barley are also growing well. It’s another bountiful year!"

"Excellent!"

Duane was very pleased. With grain in the stores, there was no need to panic.

"How much of last year’s grain is left?"

Haien shook his head. "Only my father knows the exact amount, but I’ve heard him worrying recently. He says your granaries are too small, and he doesn’t know where to store all the grain coming in this year!"

He scratched his head and guessed, "There might even be three or four million pounds left."

"Perfect. September is coming up, and Viscount Freddy will send his men to pick up three million pounds of grain. Have last year’s old stock ready to be sold."

Haien’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. "That’s a great idea!"

Duane nodded slowly. "Still, we need to build more granaries. Remember to remind Ralph about this. We need more, smaller granaries, and they should be as spread out as possible to reduce the risk from a single point of disaster."

Haien took a small notebook from his pocket and jotted this down. Seeing this, Duane found it amusing.

’I often take notes, and now my subordinates have picked up the habit. Is this what they call leading by example?’

"Lord, the Jade Demon Vines you planted have all bloomed, and I’ve harvested them."

Haien began to report on the second matter. "Based on my observations, this plant forms flower buds a little over three months after being planted, and they fully bloom within a month."

"So, a harvest every four months?"

"Yes, Lord!"

Haien added, "However, it seems you can only plant it once in the same patch of land."

"What do you mean?" Duane asked.

Haien explained, "Please forgive me for using some of the seeds for an experiment. It won’t sprout new shoots in the same plot of ground. But if you put it in fresh soil, it sprouts."

Duane nodded slowly. The seeds weren’t an issue; he could get plenty from the Secret Realm anyway.

Haien’s discovery, however, indicated that the Jade Demon Vine had completely drained the nutrients from the soil.

If he wanted to continue planting in the same spot, he would have to replenish the nutrients.

And what those nutrients were was the crucial question.

’The Jade Demon Vine is essential for making Qingming Medicine Wine. I have to figure this out!’

Without Qingming Medicine Wine, he wouldn’t be able to properly exploit the resources in the Secret Realm, and the territory’s development would be severely restricted.

Duane glanced at his [Basic Planting] Skill, which was still at the Skilled Level.

Perhaps he needed to raise this skill’s proficiency to Perfection. Only then would he unlock the Magic Plants Planting section and gain more information on how to cultivate the Jade Demon Vine.

"I understand."

Duane said thoughtfully, "There is something I need you to get started on right away."

Haien’s expression turned serious as he listened intently. "Please give me your orders!"

"I’m preparing to develop the great plain south of Thorn Valley. I need you to gather subjects skilled in agriculture and have them scout the area ahead of time."

"A shipment of slaves will be arriving on the island soon. When they do, you and these subjects will lead them in clearing the land."

Haien’s eyes shone. "Although it’s a very challenging task, I’m confident I can handle it well!"