The next morning, the mist over Dawnlight City had yet to clear, but the castle's side hall was already as warm as spring.
At Veylin's request, Diana had summoned her vassals that day for a small agricultural salon.
The long tables had been removed and replaced with dozens of individual chairs with backrests.
Rather than sitting in separate factions, the nobles gathered in a loose circle.
Veylin sat near the center, speaking confidently to the gathering.
"The key isn't planting more, but rotating crops. Plant oats in one field, alfalfa in another, and leave the third fallow. The nodules on alfalfa roots fix nutrients from the air in the soil. Plant wheat there the following year, and your yield will increase by thirty percent."
The elderly Baron Ansel sat in the front row, scribbling rapidly in a notebook.
The knight beside him was more concerned about livestock.
"Baron, can we feed the harvested alfalfa directly to cattle and sheep?"
"Yes. Dry it and store it, and you'll have the best fodder for winter. Far better than that sand-laced hay you buy from Count Philip."
A low murmur spread through the gathering.
Several minor nobles who had attached themselves to Philip and made their money reselling grain turned pale.
"My land has clay soil and serious waterlogging. What should I do?"
"Dig drainage ditches and mix in sand and wood ash. Alternatively, plant water celery and reed root. Those vegetables fetch higher prices than grain."
Veylin answered without hesitation, offering a readily actionable solution to every question.
He seemed more like an experienced old farmer or a shrewd estate steward.
Whatever their previous allegiances, all the nobles present were now listening intently.
Their wealth was rooted in the land, and the knowledge Veylin possessed had a direct bearing on the weight