Reinforced Seeds

A pavilion shaped like a tree suddenly appeared beside the threshing ground, immediately drawing the farmers working in the fields. Even the farmwife chasing her husband with a pitchfork stopped to watch.

Frederick sat quietly in the vine pavilion for a while, then asked Matthias, "Do you know which plants are the most profitable to grow?"

Matthias shook his head with an expression that said, "I knew you'd ask," and replied, "You can forget about expensive medicinal herbs. The active ingredients in many medicinal plants take years to accumulate. If you use magic to force them to grow, they're about as useful as firewood."

"For example, I can make a grape seed grow into a vine laden with fruit in half a day, but those grapes have no flavor at all. They're as bland as water. The grapes it bears the next year taste normal."

"Wheat is even less worth considering. Forced growth is done one stalk at a time, and even I can only manage two or three at once. I could work myself to death all day and still wouldn't grow enough to feed myself."

Frederick raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can the wheat you force to grow be used for seed?"

Matthias replied, "The roots of magically forced plants are many times more numerous than those of naturally grown ones. That's how they absorb enough nutrients in such a short time. If the soil isn't fertile enough, it's normal for the ears to be empty or shriveled. Very few grains are suitable for planting."

"I specialize in enhancing fruit. Magic gives the enhanced fruit a particular trait, but the seeds are often affected by a great deal of magical energy and lose their viability."

Frederick nodded. It seemed that using magic to force fruit to grow came with some drawbacks.

Matthias pointed to the Magic Array outside and continued, "The seeds used for this vine were enhanced with magic, too. The enhancement was aimed at making the vines stronger."

"Letting an enhanced seed grow naturally is different from using magic to force it. It can grow just like an ordinary crop."

Frederick had spotted a problem, so he asked, "If that's the case, why hasn't anyone else used this technique for magically enhancing seeds? No one can resist the temptation of increasing their food supply. If I were the King, I'd make you a Duke."

Matthias grew smug. After a long series of "heh-hehs," he said, "Because I invented this magic myself."

"The first plant I used it on was the grapevine I just told you about. I made its fruit bigger and sweeter."

"Unfortunately, before I could sell it, war broke out in Constantinople. Some bastard turned my estate into a battlefield. Now there's nothing left."

Frederick opened his mouth, unsure what to say to console him. He thought of a man in his previous life who couldn't graduate with his doctorate after someone stole the crops he'd been cultivating.

After a moment, he said, "I think that if this trial succeeds, you could make a fortune just selling seeds."

Matthias said seriously, "I think so too. I was planning to work with you in a few years, once I had some results."

Frederick naturally agreed. He said at once, "I have an estate east of Weissenburg. How about setting up a dedicated agricultural research and trading guild there? It'd make experiments easier."

Matthias didn't agree immediately. Instead, he said, "But according to my theory, seeds that have been enhanced once will weaken and revert to their original state after two or three generations."

Frederick's smile grew even brighter. He understood better than anyone how important a seed company like this could be. On a small scale, it would make money; on a large one, it could have everyone else by the throat.

"That's fine," he said. "That way, we can sell seeds every year and use the profits to research higher-yield crops."

Matthias thought it over and quickly grasped the principle of keeping people dependent by offering improvements in small increments.

"Then it's settled." The Plant Manipulator beamed, his eyes gleaming with gold coins. "Once you've finished settling the refugees, we'll discuss it in detail. I'll put together a plan in the meantime."

Frederick had no problem with that. He continued, "I happen to have a priority project for you. You can start thinking about it."

Matthias perked up at once.

Frederick pointed toward a distant field of lush green crops and said, "I've made a lot of money from Weissen Syrup, but there's a way to make even more."

"The Sweet Radishes growing in that field taste a little sweet. The sugar made from them is far sweeter than Weissen Syrup."

"But their roots contain too little sugar to extract any."

"See if you can find a way to increase the sugar content of their roots. If we can extract an even sweeter sugar from them, we'll make a fortune."

There was no plant taxonomy in this era. Sugar beets looked like radishes, and since they tasted a little sweet, people called them Sweet Radishes.

But the sugar content of sugar beets in this era was low, so they couldn't be used to make sugar. They were eaten as vegetables instead.

Frederick had made quite a bit from malt syrup, but it was nowhere near as sweet as white sugar. Once white sugar was mass-produced, he'd be bound to make a fortune.

Matthias thought for a moment, then said, "I'm not familiar with Sweet Radishes. Their roots are sweet, so I can start by working on magic to enhance the roots and design several different methods for comparison."

Frederick didn't understand the technical details, so he left them to the expert.

They chatted for a while about other crops that could be cultivated. Then Matthias went to inspect the Magic Array, while Frederick went to watch the workers near the pile of wheat seeds.

There was a reason Chestnut Village had been chosen for the experiment. Weissenburg University had signed an agreement with the villagers: if the harvest was lower than the previous year's, the university would compensate them; if it was higher, the villagers would benefit.

Since the university's president was Baron Weissen, the villagers agreed out of trust in the Young Master.

Frederick discussed the agreement with the village chief to reassure the villagers, while studying the wheat seeds in the baskets.

By noon, the Magic Array was finally ready.

At lunch, Frederick ate a bran bun mixed with chestnut flour, dipping it into pea and pig offal soup as he asked Matthias, "Aren't you worried someone will learn how to use the Magic Array if you leave it here?"

"It's fine." Matthias replied mysteriously, "This Magic Array is just a tool, like a wand. What really makes it work is how I use it."

Frederick looked as if he understood. He felt relieved, too.

He ate a few peas and pieces of pig offal. The taste wasn't too bad.

It was the busy farming season, and farmers only ate lunch and got to eat meat during this period.

Ever since Steam Bread had appeared, the people of Wessen Territory had started steaming just about everything. This steamed bun was something they'd come up with on their own.

People now sold steamers made to sit over soup pots. While the soup boiled below, buns could be steamed above. Any flavors that mingled were a small price to pay for saving firewood.

After lunch, the farmers began carrying the wheat seeds to the spots Matthias had designated inside the Magic Array.

Matthias stood nearby, chanting. Before long, he activated the Magic Array. Green magical energy gathered above it, engulfing the baskets of wheat seeds. Gradually, the energy churned more and more violently, like a raging sea with towering waves.

A few minutes later, the laymen could see nothing unusual. The Magic Array stopped running, and the magical energy quickly dissipated.

The baskets were soon brought out. The wheat seeds inside glowed a vivid green. After a while, the glow gradually faded.

The farmers looked at each other, wondering, Was that really enough to increase the yield?