Food Ripens in the Swampland

"Is it possible to mass-produce this kind of thing?"

Ryan was most curious about whether this fuel could replace firewood.

"It's difficult. Those Thick-feathered Birds are not easy to catch normally, but because of the recent Northlands, they have to descend to lower their flight altitude to fight the snow on their feathers, which is why they can be caught."

"The quantity is very small, and without a sufficient scale, this thing is a non-renewable resource."

"And those sawdust, sawdust from Nidhogg trees is more suitable for these honeycomb briquettes, perhaps because they have been exposed to the Magic Power radiation of Dragons for many years and require large-scale transplanting and maintenance."

"It will take time to settle the coal and replace firewood. It will be difficult to do so in a short period of time unless a large number of Thick-feathered Birds can be found."

Taking it one step at a time is enough.

Currently, the Frozen Earth Territory are still able to support the daily needs of their citizens.

Firstly, they have been logging firewood from the Forest Otherworld for the past few years; secondly, Nidhogg has been making preparations in an orderly manner; and finally, the Frozen Earth Territory itself contains a vast amount of land resources.

The pressure of fuel is indeed critical, but it's not to the point where people will freeze to death if we don't have it tomorrow.

"Setting aside a piece of land to plant trees, while also raising birds in the woods, also solves the employment and livelihood problems of a large number of people, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop."

The development plan for the Frozen Earth Territory has never been static; for example, the production of coal will change various current projects in the Frozen Earth Territory.

It even includes the most important the Swamp.

Food has always been a crucial project for Ryan to develop; he cannot rely on the South lands to provide him with food, as that is his lifeline.

Without new fuels like coal, the Frozen Earth Territory won't collapse tomorrow, but if their food Frozen Earth Territory are cut off tomorrow, they will collapse tonight.

Last winter, Ryan began developing the Swamp.

In spring, the seeds were planted, and after tireless efforts, the wide, flat, frozen the Swamp began to sprout crops.

For those who have been watching this place, it is Miracle; there is no other answer.

Throughout the warm summer, these people spent almost day and night tending to the wheat in the cultivated fields developed from the Swamp, watching them grow and turn golden.

The long process was naturally fraught with unexpected events, and the production of food here was fraught with difficulties.

First, when the seeds were sown in the spring, a large number of them died, and the surviving seeds were all withered and weak. If Ryan hadn't insisted that these seeds mature so that the nobles of the Northwind Province could see that they could also fight against Meyers with his help, and thus used some extraordinary means, very few wheat seedlings would have been able to grow.

Secondly, in the summer, the seeds' vitality was ensured under the warm sunlight, and Ryan never praised the light more devoutly than at that time.

However, the warmth of the sun also brought another problem.

That is the Swamp itself.

When Ryan developed this area, he used a lot of hard soil and rocks to solidify the foundation, but in the summer, the soil remained moist and flowing, beginning to exhibit the characteristics of a the Swamp landscape.

The deep soil is fluid, and the extensive melting of ice in the Swamp has brought a lot of water.

Ryan wasn't planting rice; wheat doesn't need that much water. In the case of too much water, some wheat seedlings started to die.

The only temporary solution was to rely on Mages. In this process, Eteria had to ask Lady Avril for Gold Coin in exchange for the help of those Earth Mage. At that time, Ryan was in the Calais Province fighting alongside Count Clayton in Nidhogg.

Magic is not a long-term solution; the only way to stabilize the land is to plant trees, which can hold the deep soil in place and absorb excess water from the Swamp.

Planting trees has also become a new job for the group of former Northwind refugees who were eagerly awaiting food.

They worked diligently and tirelessly, planting the saplings they had brought from the Otherworld bit by bit. So now, as winter was about to arrive once again, the Swamp was no longer an endless expanse of flat land.

Ryan's arrival ignited a frenzied excitement among the serfs who were unwilling to leave.

"Lord Ryan is here. He must be here to see if we've planted the trees properly."

"What tree planting? Why would the noble lord care about your tree planting? He's probably here to see if we've properly tied the vines to the trunks of those trees. That's what Lord Ryan instructed us to do."

"What vines and all that? You yourselves don't even know what those peeled vines are for when they're tied to trees."

"If you ask me..."

Ryan's arrival caused a great commotion in the Swamp. He did not join in the festivities, which would have frightened many people, but instead Dispel the serfs and began to observe the sparse golden foliage on the land.

In the distance, many people are planting saplings on newly reclaimed wasteland. These are not so much saplings as they are transplanting trees from Nidhogg that are two or three meters tall.

Because of the appearance of honeycomb briquettes, a large number of trees were transported here. Looking at the broad trees that gradually stood up and remained majestic in the cold wind, Ryan was somewhat surprised.

"Mr. Roth, are you referring to these ginkgo trees?"

Ginkgo trees also grow in the Frozen Earth Territory. Ryan loves this tree because it doesn't wither in winter; instead, its golden leaves exude a unique vitality. In the vast, snowy Northlands, this color is a symbol of hope.

Unexpectedly, the Rose mentioned came from these trees.

Thinking about it, there's no problem. The Alchemist first tried the materials available in the Frozen Earth Territory before experimenting with the unique materials of Nidhogg, and only through comparison could they draw conclusions.

The most obvious example is the same species that exists in both places but differs due to the different worlds.

Previously, the most abundant precious timber in the Frozen Earth Territory was pine and birch, but now ginkgo is probably going to be on the list as well.

"That's... suitable."

Ryan thought of his golden ambition: perhaps in the future, this the Swamp will be transformed into a golden landscape.

In autumn, the golden wheat ears on the earth represent a bountiful harvest, and in winter, the ginkgo leaves also reach their most glorious time, ensuring that this the Swamp does not become desolate after the wheat harvest.

"This wheat should be ripe by now, right?"

Ryan asked, not really understanding, but looking at the vast expanse of golden yellow in front of him, he felt a sense of satisfaction from farming.

The serfs beside him carefully plucked a few ears of wheat, then pinched the dark grains with their withered hands and whispered something to the government official next to them.

A moment later, the words reached Ryan's ears.

"Some of them are already ripe; the rest need to be the Sun- dried for a few more days to fully ripen."

Ryan waited patiently in Zero Crossing City. As time passed and the wheat fully ripened, thousands of people began to cultivate the fields again, like wolves, and then treated each ear of wheat with the tenderness of a woman.

In just a few days, as all the golden yellow turned into Ash from the burning earth and scattered across the vast sky, Ryan finally got the answer he wanted.

"Sixty thousand catties."

Yes, this is the amount of grain that finally grew in the Swamp he had cultivated after spending a great deal of time, energy, and money.

Compared to the large amount of farmland cleared at the beginning of the year, this final number is obviously not satisfactory. However, after a brief moment of disappointment, Ryan still showed a smile that put those around him at ease.

"Very good, 60,000 catties of grain. If I had bought it from the Blade Rose Merchant Guild, it would have cost me hundreds of Gold Coin."

The amount of Gold Coin lost over the course of a year far exceeds this figure, but now is not the time to dwell on gains and losses.

"I remember that there were quite a few people from the three towns around Zero Crossing City who came with me after the war ended."

Standing beside him was Chief Administrator Eteria, the younger sister of the artisan siblings, who was now almost a full-fledged government official.

"Currently, the total population of the three towns is 1,100 households."

"Then give each household 100 catties of grain as a reward for Ryan's work this year."

They receive no payment, so it's easy to accept if it's described as a reward.

Someone nearby did some calculations, then looked at Ryan but didn't dare to speak.

"Sixty thousand catties is not enough, but they don't know that, do they? Tell them that every grain of rice given to them grew in the Swamp, and if next year's grain is less than this year's, I will take back the favor I have given them."

Ryan said with an air of authority.

Although the serfs did not know the total number or how much grain the Swamp had produced, as people who depended on the land for their livelihood, they were certainly familiar with the land they managed and how much grain was produced in each acre of cultivated land this year.

They don't need to focus on the total for a year; that's a level they can't reach. They only need to focus on their own small plot of land.

"In addition, I will take out 20,000 catties of wheat and send it to the nobles of the Northwind."

In the past, Ryan was a stingy miser every winter, and he had to find ways to get food from other nobles to support his Frozen Earth Territory.

In the wars he participated in, the gains from food always outweighed those from other resources.

But this year, the roles have reversed. Lord Ryan is going to distribute grain to the nobles of the entire Northwind Province.

Let the nobles of this land see Lord Ryan's power.

Moreover, the Swamp's food was Ryan's last resort to crush the discontented thoughts of the nobles of the Northwind Province, a way to make a final decision. If he didn't tell them how delicious the Swamp's food was now, would he want them to boast about how successful their marriage to Meyers was this year during the Divine Grace Festival?

Food is always the most vital thing. No matter what kind of marriage alliance, political alliance, or South land, nothing can compare to the sustenance that food provides.

Even regarding faith, when the Church of Dawn first began its missionary work, it generously provided bread and eggs.

The human instinct for survival is the source of all courage.

"My esteemed Marquis of Northwind, may the light endure with you in this new winter. Your arrival brings glory to the province. Ryan also brings you good news: food can indeed grow on the lands of the Northlands."

"The frozen land possesses its own vitality, and praising the light allows us to find an opportunity to resonate with this land."

"This the Swamp once thrived as a paradise for crocodiles, who had an endless supply of food and were at the top of the food chain. The arrival of the Northlands caused these wild beasts, who never had to worry about food, to become extinct."

"They swore there was no food in this land, but today, thanks to human courage, the Swamp has produced food for the Northwind."

"Perhaps it's not just the Swamp; in the frozen Northlands, beneath the snow, lies a land that harbors seeds of longing for growth, and we will eventually discover their existence."

"We will succeed in the end."

"Also, please give my regards to your mother. Ryan fondly remembers our first meeting, a symbol of friendship. I witnessed your vibrant life before your Marquis, Your Excellency."

On Thundercloud Mountain, this letter addressed to Marquis of Northwind was naturally not read by the one-year-old Marquis of Northwind. His Marquis's Mother, Shaya Meyers, was furious as she read the letter.

Unsurprisingly, the Northern Baron, who was trying to take control of the Northwind Province, once again tried to undermine Meyers.

However, when she saw the bags of food that arrived with the letter, Shaya couldn't help but be shocked.

"That the Swamp actually grows food?"

She was somewhat shocked by the result; Ryan had actually managed to make food grow in the Swamp.

If the Swamp can produce crops, what about other places? The Northwind Province has a large amount of land with an environment even better than the Swamp.

Ryan told all the nobles that he had done it.

The nobles were naturally willing to believe him.

Shaya was already aware of the immense trouble Ryan was causing, and now the appearance of food left her somewhat bewildered; she didn't know what to do.

Even if she didn't understand, Shaya, as a woman who had been in the supernatural world for many years, would not be unaware of the importance of food.

In those extinct worlds Northern Lands, not only ordinary people, but even noble Mages would grovel for food.

What should she do in the face of this letter?

Shaya's eyes were blank. The Marquis of Northwind in her arms grabbed the letter, seemingly instinctively feeling that it was hers. As the letter was played with and torn to pieces, the flattened golden ginkgo leaves fell down and were caught in Shaya's palm.

This is a small mark of the Frozen Earth Territory. Such letters were not sent to the Marquis of Northwind alone; every noble in the entire Northwind Province received Ryan's letters.

Crushing the crunchy ginkgo leaves into powder, Count Winter looked somewhat angry as he read the description in the letter. He was still unwilling to let the power of the Northwind slip from his hands.

"That smug Ryan, does he have so many quills to waste? Look at his handwriting, it's uglier than Orcs's!"

"He didn't write it with a pen."

Beside her, Countess Winter picked up the gift Ryan had given her: a slender charcoal stick encased in precious wood, transformed into a pencil.

"There are dragon bones, dragon blood, and even some other precious things that I don't know about."

This pen, though priceless, also proves Ryan's wealth and power.

Hearing Countess Winter's words, Count Winter also lost his spirit and said somewhat dejectedly:

"His Majesty the Emperor should elevate his Noble Title."

The moment Ryan killed the Werewolf Monarch, all the nobles thought Ryan's Noble Title would be elevated, but it wasn't. This puzzled and surprised the nobles, and even caused some dissatisfaction with the emperor.

If someone as meritorious as Ryan didn't Noble Title promotion, what about them?

Count Winter also cared about this, but he didn't care about himself, since he could never become a Grand Duke.

What he was concerned about was that the fact that Ryan's Noble Title had not been promoted had led to the fact that the power in the Northwind Province was now in the hands of a Baron, which made him, a count and nobleman, feel extremely awkward.

Even Ryan himself probably didn't expect that the nobles of the Northwind Province cared more about his enormous contribution to the fight against the Silvermoon Royal Court of the Orcs than he did.

Ryan was just used to it; after all, he had experienced something like this when he first came into this world.

It's just an old tradition of the empire; a nobleman like Count Winter can't grasp the political essence of the Imperial Capital.

Ryan sent grain to every noble in the Northwind. The wheat came from the Swamp, and whether it was psychological or not, the nobles always felt that it tasted better than other foods.

This isn't a feeling; it's a fact.

Only the Frozen Earth Territory and the Fragrant Mountain Plains know the answer.

As the viscount who was most supportive of Ryan under pressure from Meyers, Ryan provided Viscount Landa with great assistance, including the production of spices on the Fragrant Mountain Plains.

The wheat given to the nobles was not the freshest wheat from the Swamp, but wheat grains that had been roasted with spices from the Fragrant Mountain Plains.

Ryan taught the Alchemist precise control over the heat, profoundly Alchemist to them that there is no such thing as useless alchemy, only useless alchemists.

"When the Divine Grace Festival arrives, the Northern Territory Merchant Guild will send spices from the Fragrant Mountain Plains to the Imperial Capital and the West Coast. Merchants and nobles from all over the world will be there. If even one percent of them discover the uniqueness of your spices, your family will rise again."

"The Fragrant Mountain Plains will bestow upon you immeasurable wealth and a future even more glorious than that of Viscount Miles."

Ryan told Viscount Landa this, and the latter, having already made his choice, had no room for regret and did his utmost to supervise production in the Fragrant Mountain Plains.

(End of this chapter)