Free Web NovelChapter 130: Buying the Harvest
Leaving Misha in the main hall to sort through magic arrays with Sarah and Griselda, Kane strolled out through the palace’s southern archways.
He left the quarreling over treasury ledgers behind, choosing instead to inspect the sprawling farmlands situated near the gates.
Dust swirled around his boots as he walked the boundary lines under the sun.
Up ahead, Greta stood among a group of weary Menual farmers.
She wore her leather bodice and a light linen skirt, gesturing toward the arid fields as she listened to the complaints of local workers.
"How is the place looking?" Kane asked
Turning to greet him, Greta offered a sigh that made her chest rise and fall noticeably.
"It’s bad, Kane. The soil has lost its fertility completely. Decades of careless farming without proper crop rotation stripped all the nutrients out of the ground."
"Any way to bring it back up to standard?" Kane inquired, squinting across the desolate acreage.
"We can, but it will take months or cost a fortune," Greta explained, crossing her arms over her busty figure.
"The eastern trade guilds sell enriching compounds, but the markets are far away from this province. Once those merchants hear we are buying supplies for a newly conquered empire, they will argue for double the usual price just to squeeze our pockets."
Kane nodded slowly, scanning the spoiled fields stretching out toward the horizon.
’Nothing useful grows out here right now,’ he observed internally.
’If we cannot feed the capital with our own harvest within a few weeks, we become hostage to external grain merchants before winter even hits.’
"How did Menual even steal from other empires consistently without collapsing from famine first?" he asked, puzzled by the regime’s survival tactics.
Greta let out.
"Morvak had that kind of influence. Instead of building proper agricultural infrastructure, he spent his reign reaching out to wealthy settlements across neighboring borders. He must have had affairs with half a dozen high-status women just to secure regular grain tributes and gold subsidies."
’I figure my style of leadership needs to be a lot more self-sufficient. Although I wouldn’t mind visiting them later.’
With a quick command, Kane opened his floating interface.
[System Interface: BloodFang Market]
[Current Treasury Balance: 14,500 Gold Coins]
"Is there anything in here specifically for crops?" Kane murmured under his breath, scrolling past weapons and armor upgrades to access the agricultural tab.
[Item: Sunburst Wheat Seeds]
[Cost: 500 Gold Coins]
[Effect: High-yield grain that matures in half the standard growing season. Naturally resistant to frost and blight.]
[Item: Vitality Loam Powder]
[Cost: 500 Gold Coins]
[Effect: Concentrated nutrient formula. Instantly restores biological fertility to depleted or spoiled terrain across a ten-acre radius.]
[Item: Ironroot Potato Tubers]
[Cost: 500 Gold Coins]
[Effect: Hardy root crops providing dense nutrition. Grows effortlessly in rocky, arid, or stubborn terrain.]
[Item: Aqua-Vein Irrigation Crystal]
[Cost: 500 Gold Coins]
[Effect: Automatically draws ambient moisture from deep underground aquifers, keeping surrounding crops hydrated without requiring constant rainfall.]
[Item: Moon-Blossom Corn] [Cost: 500 Gold Coins] [Effect: Sweet, energy-rich grain that absorbs moonlight to accelerate nighttime growth cycles.]
’Two thousand five hundred coins are nothing compared to what Sarah just looted from the noble vaults.’
’Greta will turn this barren wasteland into a thriving breadbasket before the season changes.’
[Purchase Confirmed: 5 Agricultural Packages Acquired]
[Total Cost: 2,500 Gold Coins]
[Remaining Balance: 12,000 Gold Coins]
Small wooden crates and sealed leather pouches materialized neatly on a wooden supply cart standing right beside them.
Kane pulled open the lid of the nearest crate, revealing blue crystals and rich, aromatic seed bags.
"Let’s test this out first," he instructed, gesturing toward the fresh inventory.
"Cover the fields at the front gate and see how fast the ground reacts to that nutrient powder."
Greta’s green eyes widened as she leaned over to inspect the magical quality radiating from the seeds.
Waving her village leaders over immediately, she barked clear instructions for them to distribute the pouches and begin tilling the front acreage before sunset.
Once the farmers hurried off with their crates, Greta turned back around and noticed the distant, calculating expression lingering on Kane’s scarred face.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, resting a hand on her hip.
"You’ve got that same brooding look you wore right before we stormed the palace courtyard."
"Have you ever heard of the Mountain Serpent?"
"Of course," Greta replied without hesitation.
"We witches have a sacred duty to perform a coming-of-age ritual once we turn eighteen at the base of Fog Mountain. Why do you ask about that monster?"
"I plan on fighting it."
Greta stared at him with a deadpan expression, her face flat with disbelief.
"You can’t."
"Yes, I can," Kane countered, unbothered by her immediate doubt.
"I just need more tactical information on its territory before I make the climb."
"Kane, that creature is a living disaster," Greta sighed, stepping closer so her voice wouldn’t carry across the fields.
"Even the grand elders of my coven never dared to approach the upper snow line. However, if you are truly stubborn enough to hunt it, you should know the serpent shifts into seasonal cycles. It will be at its weakest during the fall season, roughly a month from now. You can decide whether to throw your life away when that time comes."
’Fighting a slumbering legend during its weakest season sounds a whole lot smarter than climbing up there on a random day.’
"I will take that advice," Kane agreed with a decisive nod.
Turning back toward the city streets, he rolled his shoulders to loosen his muscles.
"Right now, I figure it’s time I address the common people directly and tell them what their new leader is building."
Riding his stallion back to the town hall, Kane found thousands of citizens blocking the plaza.
Gripping rocks, they sat defiantly on the pavement to protest his takeover.
Jumping down from his saddle, he faced the tense crowd.
"What is it?"
His stature usually made rebels flinch, yet one leader stood firm at the front.
Striking green eyes flashed beneath short brown hair, framing a stunningly beautiful, sun-tanned face. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Wearing men’s trousers and a fitted vest, she held her ground with confidence.
"We are not following a barbarian," she challenged directly.
