Chapter 134
After taking stock of the things Samuel brought back from his voyage, Cyrus began to think about the current planting matters.
It's currently springtime, from late March to late April, which is just the right time for spring planting.
Potato, Sweet Potato, Corn, Cotton, peppers, and tomatoes are among the six crops he is considering, and he plans to select and plant them soon.
Different crops have different requirements for ambient temperature.
For example, chili peppers prefer warm climates, so spring and early summer are the most suitable seasons for planting, with March being the optimal time.
However, chili peppers need to be planted in advance, starting in January or February.
Planting chili peppers now is indeed a bit late, but it's not a big problem, since chili peppers are a crop that can be grown in greenhouses.
As for tomatoes, they are usually planted in February or March.
Starting to plant now is a bit late in terms of timing.
But tomatoes don't keep well. If the seeds aren't treated now, this box of precious crops that we finally managed to bring back will quickly rot and spoil.
Tomatoes are not very cold-resistant.
In some colder regions, sowing will wait until April when temperatures gradually warm up. If daytime temperatures cannot be maintained, it will affect the growth of tomatoes...
Because of the limited conditions imposed by the lack of seeds, this also requires extra attention.
Especially when planting peppers and tomatoes, it is essential to treat the seeds in advance.
Otherwise, seeds that have not been soaked or disinfected with chemicals are prone to viral diseases after planting, which can lead to defects in leaves, flowers, and fruits, poor growth, and inedibility.
Tomato and pepper seeds need to be soaked and disinfected with chemicals beforehand.
Cyrus nestled in the alchemy lab and the next day produced a special potion for soaking seeds.
--After the seeds are soaked in the pesticide, they are taken out and rinsed with clean water. Then they can be prepared for germination and planting.
In addition, he also had to keep a close eye on the seed cultivation of Potato, Sweet Potato, Corn, and Cotton.
These are all items that are used up and then gone; they are scarce.
He wouldn't feel at ease unless he personally oversaw the operation.
Therefore, Cyrus has been so busy lately that he rarely even visits the furry friends, let alone think about the slight "discomfort" between him and His Holiness the Pope.
[Honestly, I've been using this app to follow my favorite books lately. It has multiple reading sources, various voice options, and works on both Android Apple.]
On one occasion, Cyrus was carrying a solution for soaking tomato seeds, her mind and eyes completely occupied by the tray and glass bottle in her hands...
He walked past His Holiness the Pope without even glancing at him, not even uttering a word of greeting...
Even at night, Cyrus had no free time.
He especially needs to review the agricultural planting knowledge he learned earlier.
Although there are experienced servants in the castle responsible for planting.
However, Potato and Sweet Potato are new varieties, and soil and temperature conditions need to be adjusted according to different planting methods.
Early cultivation and planting are crucial.
Only after planting the seeds in the ground did Cyrus relax a little.
He listed the requirements for watering, fertilizing, and regulating irrigation, and then handed them over to the commoners and servants to carry out.
During this period, Cyrus had Qing Tuan deliver a letter to Bana.
--The letter inquired about the situation in the city of Kunseci and the progress of the campaign to eliminate the bandits deep in the Lifens Mountains.
After arriving in Kunseci, Bana quickly led his soldiers into the Lifens Mountains and set up camp there.
He refused to believe that a thorough, daily search wouldn't uncover any trace of the bandits.
Strangely, many days passed, and Bana still hadn't seen a single bandit.
He received the letter from the lord, delivered by Qing Tuan, and replied quickly.
In his reply, he wrote that he had observed the situation in Kunse City upon his arrival.
Indeed, as the official who attended the meeting said, the recovery is progressing well.
As for suppressing the bandits...
In his letter, Bana expressed his apology and shame for failing to handle the matter properly, given the lord's trust in him.
If they still can't find any trace of the bandits, Bana can't linger in the Lifens Mountains any longer.
About four or five days later, he would lead his soldiers back to the port to set up camp.
Cyrus stared at the letter in deep thought.
At night, the Qing Tuan flew out of the castle, its snow-white form quickly disappearing into the darkness.
The Lifens Mountains.
Bana led his soldiers to camp deep in the mountains. The camp was surrounded by tents, with a fire burning in the center, and soldiers were keeping watch.
Suddenly, a fairly distinct eagle's cry was heard in the sky.
A soldier looked up at the seemingly normal night sky, then alertly reported to Commander Bana.
After a while, Bana came out of the tent and looked up to wait.
Under the night sky where only the moon and stars were visible, a white dot suddenly appeared, gradually growing larger. It approached from afar and landed on the tree trunk closest to the commander's tent, causing the branches and leaves to sway.
"Chirp."
The Qing Tuan called out to Bana.
Bana went over, took the letter, unfolded it, and after reading it, said to Qing Tuan, "I understand."
The lord wrote in his letter that there was no need to reply.
He immediately turned and threw the short letter into the fire; the white paper quickly burned to ashes.
The Qing Tuan cried out again, then spread its wings and flew away.
Three days later, Bana led his soldiers away from the Lifens Mountains.
This time, he returned empty-handed once again. He declined the banquet invitation from Kunse City Vernon and soon took his leave to return home.
Kunseci.
This border city had experienced the outbreak of the Black Death and was subsequently plundered by bandits, making the already impoverished city even more desolate.
Although the weather is gradually warming up, there are still hardly any people on the street. It takes a long time before a few people walk by, but they are walking in a hurry.
Because it is a border city, its development is slower than that of the surrounding cities such as Komoy Fort, Niramo, and Kaies.
Only after cement concrete pavement appeared did Kunseci begin to build roads and implement related policies in the city.
The cement road surface was smooth and clean at this time.
The road is marked with trash cans and directional signs, and there are green plants and flower beds on both sides. The road is divided into pedestrian walkways and vehicle lanes.
A carriage pulled up and stopped in front of a tavern.
Three people got off the carriage and went into the tavern. It was daytime, almost evening, and the tavern was open, but there weren't many people inside.
The tables and chairs in the tavern were not arranged neatly, and they didn't look very clean, with the kind of grime that couldn't be removed even after wiping.
The dim light from the kerosene lamps burning on the mottled walls made the tavern's atmosphere gloomy.
On the far right wall of the tavern hung a ferocious bear head with bared teeth, below which were several stacked wooden barrels.
A quick glance around the tavern reveals that there aren't many people there.
They drank their wine in silence, paying little attention to the three men who had just entered. Only the tavern waiter went up to them and handed the simple menu to the knight who was clearly the leader.
Walker took the drink menu, casually ordered three glasses of rye, and then waved for the bartender to leave.
These three were Cyrus, Walker, and Taylor.
To avoid attracting attention, Taylor disguised himself as a merchant, Cyrus wore commoner's clothes, and Walker was a mercenary knight responsible for protecting the merchant.
Commoner knights are not necessarily vassals of nobles.
Sometimes they choose to travel alone, accepting commissions and jobs.
Like Light Green, who continued his travels across the continent, he became a mercenary knight.
After receiving the letter from Bana, Cyrus had a feeling something was wrong.
--Bana brought a considerable number of soldiers, especially since they had ventured deep into the Lifens Mountains. It was impossible that after so many days of encampment, they hadn't even caught a glimpse of a single bandit or found a trace of them.
Most importantly, the mayor of Kunseci Vernon, never reported to him about the bandits entering the city and looting.
No specific documents were submitted regarding the subsequent arrangements.
--Just one sentence: The city has recovered very well.
Cyrus wouldn't believe everything she said.
He accepted Bana's request to go to the Lifens Mountains to wipe out the bandits, also to ascertain the situation within the city of Kunseci.
However, the description in Bana's reply also indicated a good recovery.
At first glance, it seems like nothing, but upon closer inspection, how could it possibly be?
This made Cyrus wonder if the mayor of Kunseci Vernon, was deliberately only showing Bana the "good" side while concealing the other side.
Therefore, Cyrus relieved Bana of the need to search for the bandits.
Instead, he was ordered to lead his soldiers directly away from Kunseci, and then send men disguised to infiltrate the city to gather information.
The years of peace and tranquility in the Desinia Territory had instilled in Bana a ingrained mindset—no one would dare to deceive the bewildered lord.
But a comfortable life can also breed corruption.
Especially after the Black Death swept through, leaving behind only desolation and despair, the lives of nobles, commoners, and slaves... would probably never return to normal.
Cyrus's plan was that if the information obtained by Bana after he sent people to disguise themselves and enter Kunseci City was not problematic, then he was being paranoid and had misjudged the situation.
But what if Mayor Vernon is hiding something...?
Later, news came from Bana that the mayor had indeed been concealing something.
Bana's disguised scouts initially toured around Kunseci.
The man noticed something strange about the missing persons and followed the clues all the way to a village on the very edge of Kunseci.
The area is guarded, and people check people coming in and out.
The scouts, finding the situation suspicious, reported it to Bana.
Qing Tuan has been relaying messages to Cyrus.
After receiving another letter from Bana, Cyrus decided to have Bana find a place to wait, and then personally led a group to Kunseci.
On his way to Kunseci, Bana did not rest, but sent soldiers disguised to continue scouting around the village.
He finally got his chance—someone dragged a corpse out of the village and was going to bury it in a pit dug in the back of the mountain.
The soldier secretly followed them and overheard their casual conversation.
--It turns out that many of the poor people who had become orphans and were left destitute due to the Black Death had all been driven by Vernon to the outskirts of Kunseci.
Vernon gave a plausible reason: to focus on providing assistance.
The poor people believed Vernon's story.
They were then taken to a dilapidated and desolate village...
This group of people was completely imprisoned and restricted by Vernon.
They were guarded in the village; if they didn't work, they wouldn't get food, sleep, or escape.
Those who disobeyed or resisted would be whipped, and in severe cases, they would be killed on the spot... By making an example of them, these people gradually dared not resist.
Vernon forced them to dig through mountains.
--Behind this village lies the Lifens Mountains.