Chapter 32: Sowing

Zhao Hai arrived at the upstairs study. This study had also been prepared by Green; it contained some books, though not many, along with various account books, but there was no shortage of paper and pens.

To Zhao Hai's surprise, the pens here were divided into several types: some were made of bird feathers, some of animal bone, some were metal and resembled fountain pens, there were also brushes, and even charcoal-based items similar to pencils. It was a blend of East and West, ancient and modern, which truly opened Zhao Hai's eyes.

However, Zhao Hai could not bring himself to praise the paper. It was not the white paper he had imagined, but rather a yellowish variety similar to the kraft paper he had seen as a child. The paper was very stiff and much coarser than kraft paper.

Seeing this, Zhao Hai was momentarily speechless. In Adam's memories, there were many tales of romance and debauchery, but there was absolutely no memory regarding things like pens and paper, which revealed what kind of person he had been before.

Zhao Hai picked up a charcoal pencil and drew a simple sketch of the shape of a stone mill and a roller, then handed it to An.

An glanced at the drawing and immediately said, "Young Master, I can make this. We used similar things when we were milling rice; although they aren't exactly the same, they are close enough."

Zhao Hai nodded in relief. "Good, as long as it can be made. Meg, arrange for forty men to follow An and learn how to make these two things. Make several of them; they are for milling rice and flour. We have many people here, and I'm afraid there won't be enough if we have too few."

Meg acknowledged the command. Zhao Hai continued, "The remaining ten men should go up the mountain to cut grass and gather all the dry hay. Then, have the women follow Ju to learn how to weave straw mats. We need to hang straw mats in all the houses in the shortest time possible. Oh, and if anyone knows any other crafts, you must tell me. Also, tell the slaves that if they find sleeping on the ground too cold, they can spread the corn stalks from outside on the floor. Our resources are too scarce right now to give them beds, but sleeping on the ground constantly will make them sick. Spreading several layers of corn stalks can serve as a bed."

Meg responded. He also knew that the slaves truly had nothing to do at the moment. Zhao Hai's land had not yet been properly improved, and the mines had been mostly cleared; there was currently very little work to be done.

After giving his instructions, Zhao Hai and the others left the study. Just as they reached the living room, they encountered Merlin. Breakfast was already prepared, and Merlin had come to call them to eat.

At the dining table, Zhao Hai briefed Merlin on his arrangements. Merlin did not object; tools for milling rice and flour were indeed necessary, and Zhao Hai's arrangement was optimal.

After breakfast, Meg immediately followed Zhao Hai's orders, allocating the manpower. He had Shitou lead An and the others to find suitable stones to make the rollers and millstones, while the women were placed under her management, all sitting together to weave straw mats.

The entire castle suddenly became a hive of activity. However, Zhao Hai and Meg were not in the castle; the two of them headed from the Mountain Lake toward the canyon. This time, it was just the two of them; since there was no danger, having Merlin bring only one person would make the trip easier.

Walking upon the waves, they soon reached the canyon. Zhao Hai went to inspect the land he had improved yesterday. Seeing no change, he proceeded to improve another patch of land adjacent to it, again covering ten acres.

Seeing that Zhao Hai had finished improving the land, Merlin turned to him and said, "Young Master, perhaps we should have the slaves come tomorrow to turn the soil so we can start planting."

Zhao Hai shook his head. He wanted to use this land for an experiment. He had not forgotten the prompt he received when he first touched the small shovel: the shovel could be used outside the space, and he could turn ten acres of land outside every day. Similarly, he wanted to know if the seeds and water from the space would still be under his control once brought out. If they were, he could plant ten acres himself every day.

Seeing Zhao Hai shake his head, Merlin knew he must have other plans and said no more, merely watching him, wondering what he intended to do next.

With a thought, the small shovel flew out of the space and began incessantly turning the soil. Zhao Hai immediately thought of sowing. Sure enough, corn seeds flew out of the space and landed on the freshly turned earth. Zhao Hai went over to check, feeling uneasy, and saw that the seeds had been buried. Only then did he feel at ease.

However, Zhao Hai also discovered a problem: the shovel, the seeds, and everything in the space could not leave the ten-acre area; they could only operate within this range. Furthermore, they could not perform complex tasks. The shovel could only turn soil and nothing else, and the seeds could only be planted in the ground. Zhao Hai wanted to test the space water, but he couldn't; the space water had already been used to improve the land, and he could not bring more out today.

Zhao Hai was actually somewhat dissatisfied. If the water in the space could truly change according to his will, it might become a weapon for him. Unfortunately, once the space water left the space, it could at most water the soil; it could do nothing else.

In contrast to Zhao Hai's dissatisfaction, Merlin was utterly shocked. She had never imagined that Zhao Hai could farm in such a way; it was simply divine.

Two hours later, the ten acres were planted. The small shovel automatically flew back into the space, and the seeds naturally ceased to appear. Although it was only ten acres, Zhao Hai was very satisfied. He could only improve ten acres a day, so planting ten acres was perfect.

Seeing the planting was done, Zhao Hai turned to Merlin. "Grandmother Merlin, could you use water magic to water this land?"

Merlin snapped out of her daze and nodded. She walked to the edge of the pond and began chanting a low incantation. This time, her chanting lasted longer. Before long, a mass of water vapor rose from the pond. As the vapor accumulated in the air, it slowly transformed into a light rain falling upon the land.

Zhao Hai once again felt the wonder of magic. This was essentially artificial rain; it was incredibly powerful.

In truth, Zhao Hai did not know that not all mages could do this. Only high-level mages like Merlin could achieve such a feat, and even then, it was merely a supportive spell rather than an offensive one, making it much simpler than combat magic.

Merlin's control over magic was beyond reproach. In a short while, the soil in the field became thoroughly moist, and she immediately ceased her magic.

Looking at the ten acres, Zhao Hai felt a profound sense of accomplishment. He turned to Merlin and said, "Grandmother Merlin, although this place cannot make plants mature as quickly as they do in the space, this is our true foundation for survival. I fear that the space might disappear one day, which is why I am in such a hurry to improve the land."

Hearing this, Merlin's expression changed, and she hurriedly said, "May the gods protect you. I hope your space does not vanish, Young Master."

Zhao Hai smiled slightly and turned away. "Alright, Grandmother Merlin. I can only improve ten acres a day. Let's head back." Merlin nodded and followed Zhao Hai back toward the cave.

Walking upon the waves was very peaceful, but Zhao Hai still hoped he could board a ship a day sooner. However, they had neither the materials to build a ship nor anyone who knew how to make one, so for now, it was merely a wish.

Just as they emerged from the cave, they heard rhythmic chanting coming from a small nearby cavern. Zhao Hai and Merlin followed the sound and saw Shitou leading An and the others, carrying a piece of mined stone out of the cave.

Zhao Hai hurried over. He first glanced at the stone; of course, he couldn't tell its quality, he just wanted to see if it was large enough.

Indeed, the stone was irregularly shaped, about 1.5 meters high, with a minimum diameter of about three meters and a maximum diameter of about five meters. It was clearly very heavy. Shitou and the others had used many ropes to bind the stone tightly and were inching it out of the cave.

Zhao Hai quickly said, "Alright, put the stone down. I'll take it back. You all go back to your work."

An and the others looked at Zhao Hai in confusion, but Shitou understood what was happening. Zhao Hai wanted to store the stone in his space to take it back. Without explaining to An and the others, Shitou immediately said, "Alright, everyone, put the stone down. Go back to mining in the cave; we don't need to worry about this one anymore."

Though confused, An and the others did not dare disobey Zhao Hai. They immediately placed the stone on the ground, and Shitou had them untie the ropes.

Once the ropes were removed, Zhao Hai waved his hand, and the stone was pulled into the space warehouse. An and the others watched, dumbfounded. They had never seen such a miraculous ability. Although spatial equipment existed on this continent, such things were typically reserved for high nobility; even minor nobles could not afford them. For slaves like An, they had never even heard of them, let alone seen someone use them.

However, they also knew the wonders of magic. They assumed Zhao Hai was using magic, and they were all incredibly excited, thinking to themselves, "So the Master is a powerful mage!"

Zhao Hai ignored them and followed Merlin back toward the castle. On the way, they saw several male slaves cutting dry grass on the mountain.

This time, Zhao Hai did not help them transport the grass. Grass was very light; he let the slaves carry it back themselves.

When the two returned to the castle, they found many women sitting in the castle plaza. Led by Meg and Ju, they were weaving straw mats, while other women were carrying corn stalks from outside the castle toward the houses where the slaves lived.

(End of Chapter)