He Gradually Understood Everything

He Gradually Understood Everything

Lynn borrowed a quill from the tavern and drew a simple sketch of a two-wheeled Heavy Plow in the parchment notebook Old Albert carried with him.

Although the blacksmith Qi He had never seen such a thing before, he recognized the familiar shape of the plowshare at a glance.

"Could this be a plow, my lord?"

Old Albert leaned closer as well and muttered, "Judging by the outline, it does look like a plow, but it's two sizes larger than the ones we use now. Why does it have two wheels? Could this also be a new technique from Cold Wind Valley?"

"That's right. Cold Wind Valley began promoting this new Heavy Plow last year. Grain yields per acre increased by at least twenty percent over before, even on top of using Compost."

Lynn increasingly felt that the Cold Wind Family name was incredibly useful.

Any new technology could be attributed to the Cold Wind Family.

With transportation as it was, for an ordinary person to travel from White Bear Territory to Cold Wind Valley was about as difficult as traveling to the South Pole in later times. There was simply no way to verify it.

By the time someone actually checked whether it was true, the new technology would already have spread throughout White Bear Territory.

Who would care whether it was real or fake then?

As for why Lynn wrapped new technology in the guise of Cold Wind Valley, the reason was simple: to dispel the local residents' wariness toward unfamiliar things.

"The soil in White Bear Territory, and throughout the entire Northern Border, is extremely sticky and damp, with a thick layer of earth. The Light Plows currently in use can only turn over a shallow layer of soil. This new Heavy Plow, however, loosens farmland more than three times as efficiently as a Light Plow. It can bring nutrients from deep underground to the surface and promote the growth of wheat seedlings."

Using the simplest language possible, Lynn briefly explained the Heavy Plow's purpose.

Blacksmith Qi He was still completely confused.

Old Albert had clearly understood.

In the past, when it came to the many principles and techniques of farming, he had remained at the level of knowing how something worked but not why.

He knew that livestock manure could promote crop growth, and he knew plowing could help seeds sprout faster and increase crop yields.

But he had never truly understood the principles behind it.

After receiving Lynn's guidance and inspiration today, everything swiftly clicked into place. It felt as though a clear, shining road had appeared in his mind.

He felt that he was gradually beginning to understand everything.

"The wheels—those two wheels are the soul of the Heavy Plow!"

Old Albert slapped his forehead in frustration and blamed his former self. "I noticed it long ago. The plows the serfs used looked light and convenient, but they were actually cumbersome and ineffective. Someone had to lead the horse in front, while two people had to hold it steady from behind.

"This Heavy Plow my lord drew has two wheels. One person alone can operate the entire plow! It can even plow the fields deeply! Damn it, I should have realized this sooner!"

White Bear Territory had previously made widespread use of Light Plows brought from the Southern Border.

These plows were extremely simple to make, little more than several pieces of wood and an iron plate. They were sufficient for the loose soil of the Southern Border.

But in the Northern Border, where swamps were everywhere and the soil was heavy, these hand-held Light Plows were woefully inadequate.

The pitiful serfs of the Northern Border possessed the most fertile land on the Continent of Diavas, yet their yields per acre were at the bottom of the continent, simply because they continued using farming tools from the Southern Border.

In ancient times, many important inventions with far-reaching influence were actually very simple to make, and the techniques they used were often not advanced at all.

All that was needed was a flash of inspiration.

Yet in self-sufficient, isolated territorial manors, that very spark of inspiration was what they lacked most.

Although Old Albert had dealt with the land his entire life, he had clearly not been favored by heaven.

Now that Lynn had brought the two new techniques of Compost and the Heavy Plow, it was as though he had opened the door to a new world for him. He could fully imagine how abundant White Bear Territory would become after adopting these two techniques, and how happy the serfs' lives would be.

Lynn glanced at the nearly crazed Old Albert, then pushed the sketch in front of Blacksmith Qi He and asked, "So, can this be made?"

Qi He hesitated for a moment, then thumped his chest firmly. "I can definitely forge the iron parts,

but for the rest, my lord, you'll have to ask Torima."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Torima, the head Carpenter of the town, arrived at the tavern.

Unlike the rare blacksmiths, White Bear Territory did not lack Carpenters, largely thanks to the dense forests surrounding the territory.

Torima was the leading figure of the White Bear Town Carpenters' Guild, as well as Qi He's close brother-in-law.

"My lord, this thing isn't difficult to make. One experienced Carpenter with two apprentices could build one in three days—no, two days."

After examining the drawing and learning the Heavy Plow's specific purpose, Torima likewise patted his chest and gave his assurance.

For Carpenters who regularly made Light Plows, wheelbarrows, and horse-drawn carts, this so-called Heavy Plow involved no technical difficulty whatsoever.

It was merely a different arrangement of wood.

By then, Old Albert had returned from his fantasy to reality. He looked eagerly at Torima and asked, "If all the Carpenters in the territory were gathered together, how many could they make in a day?"

Torima lowered his head to think for a moment before replying, "If everyone is gathered, they should be able to make around ten to twelve a day."

Old Albert counted on his fingers. "There are less than four weeks until Spring Planting. That means we can make three hundred?"

"More or less. I'll go back and check our inventory. Some spare parts can probably be used directly. Also, we'll need plenty of wood. This is larger than a wheelbarrow, so it uses a lot of timber."

Torima did not particularly care. Either way, he was working for the Lord. Making Light Plows was work, and making Heavy Plows was work too. As long as there was money to be made, that was fine.

There also happened to be leftover Light Plow components in the warehouse from last year. With a few alterations, they should be usable.

Compared with blacksmiths, Carpenters had a much deeper relationship of dependence with the Lord.

First, Carpenters were relatively easy to train, so their status was naturally far lower than that of blacksmiths.

Second, the raw materials used by Carpenters all came from the Lord's forests, so they inherently had to depend on the Lord.

"Wood won't be a problem. If there isn't enough, go find Albert and have him organize people to cut down more trees."

Lynn was not stingy with the forests in his territory.

Unlike other Lords, he did not need to rely on the pitiful animal pelts in the forest to earn extra money, nor did he need to use "forest ownership" to torment poor serfs in exchange for so-called lordly authority and superiority.

After assigning the tasks of preparing Compost and building Heavy Plows, Lynn left the rest to them. He departed White Bear Town directly and returned to Riverside Castle.

As for how the Heavy Plows would be sold once they were made, and for how much, those were not matters he needed to worry about.

That was the benefit of persuading the Territory Steward.

As the local power in White Bear Territory, Old Albert had deeply entangled connections throughout the territory and had once been the superior of many stewards and Farm Managers.

Having gained Old Albert's loyalty, Lynn could devote his energy to more important matters.

Such as the territory's commerce.