The saline-alkali land surrounding Newborn Town had become an endless sea of green.
The earthy smell of soil mingled with the fresh scent of plants, creating a sweetness unique to harvest time.
"Yeah!!"
Someone let out the first shout, and then earthshaking cheers erupted between the rows.
Tumo dropped his tools, his knees buckling as he sank into the still somewhat alkaline soil.
He scooped up a handful of earth, clenched it tightly, then let it trickle out a little at a time.
He lifted a freshly dug, mud-covered salt potato to his lips and kissed it. Cloudy tears streamed down the creases of his face.
This land really could grow food!
When Veylin had used his Bloodline Gift to ripen crops before, they had been grateful, but deep down, it had felt like a gift from their lord, a miracle-nothing they could truly count on.
But this time was different. This was something he, Tumo, had dug out alongside everyone else, one stroke of the hoe at a time!
This was their harvest, a future they could see and touch.
Veylin stood at the end of a row, with Caroline beside him.
As the young lord watched his people cheering, crying, and embracing in the fields, he felt pressure alongside his joy.
The harvest was only the first step.
How to distribute its fruits, and how to manage the desires that would swell because of it, would be the true test of a ruler.
He stepped forward and raised his voice, letting his words carry clearly across the fields.
"Quiet!"
The noise stopped abruptly. Everyone froze and turned their eyes toward their lord.
Veylin picked up a Special Round-Headed Shovel from beside his feet, then a sea-salt potato.
"When harvesting, push the shovel in from the side and dig