Chapter 122 - 121: Magic in the Demon Core

The Lord’s vegetable gardens were massive. Often, a single type of vegetable would be planted across tens or even hundreds of acres and left in the care of the Peasant Slaves.

After inspecting the fertilizer base, Ronin arrived at the cabbage patch.

At that moment, he was like a leader conducting a field inspection. Behind him followed a large, sprawling crowd: Chahar, Wilson, the chiefs and group leaders of the four villages, and the farmers responsible for this patch of land.

Rad, the chief of Qianjin Village, was extremely nervous. The patch of land currently under inspection was his village’s responsibility. If anything failed to meet the Lord’s expectations, he would be in deep trouble.

"Lord, our village is currently cultivating eighty acres of cabbage. The plot you are inspecting now is about ten acres, all planted using the Ridge Cultivation Method as you instructed."

Ronin nodded. He looked up and saw a vibrant, thriving cabbage patch.

Bathed in the morning sun, the green leaves glistened with a healthy sheen. They were tightly curled together, forming plump, round heads.

Thanks to the division of ridges and furrows, the cabbages in the patch were neatly arranged, like a troop of well-trained soldiers standing for inspection.

"It’s much more pleasing to the eye compared to the previous chaotic mess."

Wilson added from the side, "My Lord, your method is truly ingenious. Now when we need to weed a plot, we don’t have to walk through the vegetable patch like before. We can reach everything perfectly by standing in the furrows."

"Mm, well done."

Ronin squatted down, pushed aside the leaves of a cabbage head, and examined the soil. "It hasn’t rained in Mountain Forest Town recently, has it? The soil looks rather dry. Make sure to water it appropriately."

Wilson shot a look at Village Chief Rad, as if to say, ’I told you yesterday the Lord was coming for an inspection. Why didn’t you water the fields?’

The latter tensed up immediately. "My Lord, I’ll arrange for watering today."

"Water in moderation. Just enough to keep the soil moist is fine."

Ronin said with a smile, "Also, the fertilizer base now has its first batch of fully decomposed organic fertilizer. You can use furrow application to top-dress the vegetable patch."

The crowd looked bewildered. Wilson asked in a low voice, "My Lord, what is furrow application?"

Ronin dug a small trench at the base of a cabbage plant and explained patiently, "It’s like this. You add some fertilizer into this small trench and then pour some water on it."

"Oh, right. Chahar." Ronin looked at the castle steward.

"Master, your orders."

"How are the toilets coming along?"

Ronin asked, "Besides the ones in the castle, how many toilets have been built in the town?"

Chahar scratched his head. "My Lord, right now, each village has built one large toilet. I’ve already had the village chiefs notify everyone that they should use these toilets when needed. Sometimes long lines form..."

’It’d be strange if there weren’t lines with four or five hundred people sharing one toilet.’

"Tell them that manure can be used as fertilizer for the crops to increase their yield. Those who can afford it can build their own toilets at home, and the fertilizer they collect will belong to them; they won’t have to hand it over to the fertilizer base. Also, there aren’t enough public toilets. We need to build more."

Ronin said, "The village chiefs and group leaders must make sure this is communicated clearly. Tell the farmers that when using liquid manure, they must let it sit for a few days and then dilute it with water before it can be used as fertilizer. Otherwise, there’s a high chance it will burn the seedlings."

Ronin didn’t know much, but in front of this group, he could still show off a little.

For years, the Peasant Slaves hadn’t used fertilizer, partly because improper application had burned their seedlings, leading them to believe manure was useless.

Now that Ronin was teaching them how to use it, the problem of excrement littering the streets would be solved.

’In ancient times, collecting night soil was actually a good business. There were even territories drawn up for every street and alley. Collecting across the line could easily lead to conflict.’

Next, Ronin gave instructions to the village chiefs and group leaders in the entourage regarding the planting of wheat for next year’s spring plowing.

The production of Curved Plows was now catching up, and each village would be allocated some for use. The ownership of these farming tools belonged to Ronin, and they would be used to increase the depth of plowing.

At the same time, by next March, the fertilizer base would have a large batch of fully decomposed organic fertilizer. This could all be distributed in advance, so the fertilizer could be applied during plowing.

Although Ronin had funded and organized the production of all this, and it should technically be sold, expecting these farmers to pay for fertilizer was practically impossible.

Based on the principle that the bulk of any increased yield would belong to the Lord, Ronin didn’t hesitate to provide these things for free.

After inspecting the fertilizer base and the vegetable patches, Ronin concluded his morning tour.

Back at the castle, Black Tiger had been brought into the courtyard to sunbathe, while Erin sat nearby, practicing her meditation.

Seeing Ronin return, Erin stopped meditating. "Brother, you’re back! Black Tiger still hasn’t opened his eyes."

"Brown said it should be in the next day or two. It should be soon."

Ronin sat down in a nearby chair and looked at the young girl beside him, suddenly remembering something.

"Erin, I have a task for you."

Erin paused, then looked both surprised and flattered. She had been so idle since coming to the castle, with almost nothing she could do to help.

When she heard Ronin had a task for her, she quickly imitated how the others spoke, "Please give me your command, my Lord!"

Ronin couldn’t help but smile, seeing that she had nailed the attitude and expression.

"Your mother, Jenny, did an excellent job educating you; you learned to read and write at such a young age. Now, I want you to be the teacher for Mountain Forest Castle and teach David and the others the letters you know."

Erin blinked her big eyes. "Me? A teacher?"

Her face flushed red in an instant. A thirteen-year-old girl like her was going to be the teacher for people who were seventeen, eighteen, or even older.

"What, you don’t have confidence?"

"No, no, I can do it!"

Erin quickly puffed out her small chest. "I can definitely teach them to read and write!"

"If you need any sheepskin parchment or ink, you can request them from the castle."

Ronin leaned in and whispered, "If any Knight disobeys your teaching, I give you permission to rap their palms with a ruler. If anyone dares to resist, tell me, and I’ll take care of them for you!"

"Okay!"

With Ronin’s support, the little girl was full of motivation.

"Bella, you all should learn as well," Ronin ordered.

’The monopoly on knowledge in this world is too severe. It’s difficult to raise the literacy level of the entire population. All I can do is start with the people around me and then slowly expand from there.’

"Master, Mrs. Bandele asked me to give something to you." A male servant hurried in from outside.

Ronin was a bit surprised. ’What could the head cook have for me?’

"What is it?"

Gallon took out a bluish-black sphere about the size of a marble from his clothes and handed it to Ronin. "It’s said that Doraron, the kitchen butcher, found this while processing the Storm Demon Wolf. He suspected it might be a Demon Core, so he asked Mrs. Bandele to pass it on to you."

’A Demon Core?’

Ronin’s heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten about that.

"Distribute the meat of the Storm Demon Wolf to those who participated in yesterday’s battle."

Ronin said as he took the sphere, "Especially David. Although he can walk now, he won’t be able to swing a sword for at least ten to fifteen days. Give him an extra portion."

"Yes, Master." After receiving the order, Gallon quickly ran off to make the arrangements.

Ronin held the bluish-black sphere up to his eyes to examine it. The item, which was just like a marble, was exceptionally clear and crystalline, giving off an air of high quality.

’Back on Earth, when he was a kid, this "marble" could have definitely been traded for ten regular ones.’

’Hook from the Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce said that Mages can use their Spiritual Power to touch a Demon Core and perceive the Magic Patterns inside.’

He slowly closed his eyes. As his Spiritual Power touched the Demon Core through his fingers, he was instantly drawn inside.

Three Magic Patterns immediately appeared in Ronin’s mind.

Two of the Magic Patterns were cyan, representing the Wind Attribute. The remaining one was black, representing the Dark Attribute.

Ronin touched the black Magic Pattern with his Spiritual Power and immediately received feedback: Concealment, a Third-level Dark Magic.

"This must be the key to how that Storm Demon Wolf was able to turn invisible."

Ronin’s Spiritual Power turned to the other two Magic Patterns, receiving information from each in turn:

Rapid Speed: a Third-level Wind Magic.

Tearing: a Fourth-level Wind Magic.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face. "Two Wind Attribute Magic spells I don’t have, and one of them is even Fourth-level!"

The books Lurans had given Ronin were quite comprehensive when it came to Combat Skills, which made sense since he was a Knight.

In comparison, however, they covered less about Magic. For Third-level Magic, he only had Wind of Inquiry and didn’t have a Magic Book for Rapid Speed.

Recalling yesterday’s battle with the Storm Demon Wolf, this Rapid Speed must have been the main reason for its sudden acceleration.

As for Tearing, could that have been what tore through the three rays of light from his first move?

’In that case, its power is a bit underwhelming.’

"But this Fourth-level Magic’s Pattern is much more complex. It not only has 26 Magic Nodes, but also a curved line."

Putting aside his research on the Tearing Magic, Ronin turned his attention to the Swift Magic.

He could learn this one.

The acceleration from Swift Magic was definitely better than the effect of the Light Body Skill. With the assistance of this Magic, Ronin’s close-combat abilities would reach a whole new level. At that point, it truly wouldn’t be impossible to challenge those of a higher level.