Sprouting

Aresian Calendar, year 816, Frost Season, light rain.

Nord sat at his desk, silently watching the fine rain outside the window. The Norsen Continent used a common calendar system, said to have been established by the Aresian Empire, the last empire to unify the continent. Eight hundred and sixteen years had passed since then, and that once-mighty empire had vanished into the dust of history.

Only some of its former systems remained, and the Aresian Calendar was one of them. The Aresian Calendar divided the year into six seasons: New, Clear, Summer, Rain, Frost, and Cold. Depending on the geographical location, the length of each season varied. In the Amon Mountains, the Frost Season lasted four months.

More than half a month had passed since Nord arrived at Tami Village. During this time, Nord had accompanied the guard team on daily patrols through the mountains, but it hadn't gone as he'd hoped. He'd scoured the surrounding forests and hadn't had another bountiful harvest like the first one.

There had been some small gains, but relying on these sporadic experiences to level up quickly was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water. It would be better to save the experience for the new recruits in the guard team, helping them catch up in levels.

To Nord's relief, with daily training, the attribute points of Ryman and the others were slowly increasing. For example, Ryman's strength had gone up by two points, gradually pushing towards the limit of his troop template. The System surely played a part in this; normally, a person's body couldn't improve this much in half a month. Even Old Mor was now walking with a spring in his step.

And that wasn't the only good news. For example, the construction of the Manor was progressing at an astonishing pace. All the exterior work was complete, and most of the main building was done. It was estimated that it would be ready for occupancy in another ten to fifteen days.

Then there was the food issue. Now, the men were busy building the Manor every day, while the women were digging for yams in the safe areas of the surrounding mountains. Even the half-grown children were running all over the mountains. Nord had even specially assigned a part of the guard team to patrol the digging sites.

The villagers were living well now. Not only did they have yams, but Nord also distributed wheat. The villagers' faces were now beaming with happy smiles, and they no longer looked pale and gaunt as before.

However, Nord was still preparing for the future. Although there were many yams in the mountains, Nord was still researching how to cultivate them. There was currently a shortage of manpower; there were plenty of fighters, but when it came to researching problems, Nord had to take the lead himself. Nord now wished the System could provide a few more management or technical talents like Abel.

There was no other way. When he decided to do something, he did it. Nord had a basic understanding of yam cultivation; the most crucial step was getting them to sprout. So, over ten days ago, Nord had placed a batch of yams on the ground outside, covering them with a thin layer of fine soil. They were exposed to sunlight every day. Although it was the Frost Season and the sun didn't appear often, when Nord checked a few days ago, the yams hadn't changed. It had been raining lightly for the past few days, and Nord was a bit concerned about the yams outside.

Even with the light rain, it couldn't extinguish the villagers' enthusiasm. They knew who had brought hope into their lives today. They continued to work hard, enduring the misty rain. Nord had to instruct Abel to always have steaming hot food and water ready to prevent the villagers from getting sick. It was this attitude that greatly reduced the construction time.

Nord hadn't gone into the mountains these past few days. Instead, he had divided the guard team into three small teams. Ryman, Marco, and Old Mor each led a team to patrol and train in the Wild Boar Cave area and around Tami Village. The recent results were good, and several young men were already on the verge of promotion.

As Nord watched the rain outside the window, lost in thought, an unknown amount of time passed. Then, golden sunlight pierced through the gloomy clouds, the light rain outside the window gradually stopped, and the long-awaited sun hung in the sky, shining on Nord's face.

Seeing the rain clear and the sky turn vibrant, Nord couldn't help but step out of his room. The stuffiness that had accumulated in the room over the past few days vanished. He didn't know why, but whenever it rained, a strange melancholy would settle in Nord's heart, appearing from nowhere and disappearing just as silently. Looking at the clear sky now, Nord's mood became cheerful.

Seeing Nord come out, Reed, who had been bored downstairs, immediately followed. These past few days had nearly driven Reed crazy. With Nord not leaving the house for days, Reed could only stay with him, watching his brother and Marco wander through the mountains all day, which made Reed incredibly envious.

"Lord Nord, are you... going out? Where are we going today?"

Reed was a little excited, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at Nord, hoping to hear the good news he longed for.

"Let's go take a look. The weather's cleared up, so it's a good time for a walk."

"Really? Lord Nord, let's go quickly! Where are we going?"

"Let's go check on the yams first."

Reed was like a child who had been cooped up for too long, eager to get going. In his previous life, Nord had preferred quiet, so staying home for a few days hadn't bothered him. But this was torture for Reed, who seemed to have ADHD. His only amusement each day was playing with Art and Lysa. These past few days, Lysa would run whenever she saw her uncle. The two little ones knew that as long as they ran out of the house, their uncle couldn't do anything about them.

Nord stepped out of the small courtyard. Although the rain hadn't been heavy these past few days, the village paths had become muddy and difficult to walk on. It seemed that after the Manor was built, the next task would be to repair the roads.

He arrived at a hillside on the west side, where Nord was cultivating yam seedlings. From a distance, he could see a hint of green. Nord was overjoyed. Could the yams have sprouted already?

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed true. Every yam had sprouted, and tender green shoots emanated infinite vitality. This was the power of hope. Nord knew that from now on, he wouldn't have to worry about food.

Nord carefully inspected each yam. After the rain, all the yams had sprouted. Each yam had three or four sprouts, and each sprout would become a yam plant. Through digging, Nord knew that a single yam plant could produce eight or nine yams underground. This was why yam yields were so astonishing, almost like magic—one becoming three, three becoming nine, an endless supply. This was why Nord was so confident he wouldn't have to worry about food in the future. Moreover, the growth cycle of yams was at most three months.

This meant that if they were planted now, they could be harvested before the Cold Season arrived, eliminating the need to brave the severe cold to search for food in the mountains. It seemed they needed to arrange for the villagers to clear mountain land and plant yams as soon as possible.

Nord stood up and looked at the newly emerged, tender green shoots. It was as if he saw countless grains beckoning to him. Nord wanted to go to the construction site as soon as possible to tell Chief Colin the good news.

On his way to the Manor, Nord saw Marco approaching, looking rushed. Upon seeing Nord, he quickly ran up to him, panting as he reported the situation.

"Lord Nord... Ryman just... north of the Wild Boar Cave, found... found an injured... stranger. By their clothes, they seem to be... a Mountain Dweller from deep in the mountains."