Planting sunflowers

After landing, the magic crystals sprouted roots like Magic Plants, extending from within the crystals and spreading outward in all directions.

Their crystalline blue light shone even in the sunlight.

It was the glow of mana.

They soon spread evenly across the clearing, which measured roughly thirty square meters. They intertwined, and although they resembled roots, their growth was remarkably orderly.

They looked like furrows in cultivated farmland.

Kroya, who had been watching them all along, breathed a small sigh of relief. "Three should be enough for now..."

This spell was essential for mages farming barren land, since such land tended to lack mana to some degree, which was highly detrimental to the growth of Magic Plants.

With this spell, however, the "mana roots" spreading from the magic crystals could supply Magic Plants with mana, ensuring they had enough to grow.

And this was only the first step of the Magic Field Method.

The mana released by the magic crystals would gradually transform the soil. Once it had thoroughly permeated the soil, the second stage of modification could begin.

For example, special potions such as flame potions or frost potions could be added to alter the soil's mana composition, making it more suitable for the corresponding Magic Plants.

The limitations of the land were hardly limitations to a mage. A competent mage could farm and uncover resources anywhere.

As Rob the butler watched Kroya cast his spell and saw the happy smile on his face, he suddenly felt that being far from the Royal Capital might not be so bad.

At least his master could now do whatever he wanted.

While the knights and Batos were occupied elsewhere, he asked, "Master, what do you intend to do with those servants?"

"Send them all back. Rob, you can select a new batch."

Rob was not particularly surprised. When Kroya had not even spared those servants a glance earlier, he had known that Kroya did not think much of them.

In truth, neither did he.

Compared with the servants jointly trained by the Mage Association and the Imperial Household Department in the Royal Capital, these servants were utterly unpresentable.

"Rest assured, I will do my utmost to train a suitable group of servants." Rob nodded.

"I'll leave that to you, then... We've only just arrived, so we're still unfamiliar with the place. I'll need you to put some thought into the particulars as well, Rob." Kroya smiled and continued:

"The lord has an army responsible for keeping the territory safe. We must keep a firm grip on it. Let Joshua and Ate handle that."

"How about this? Rob, select some suitable people and let their children come to the castle as mage apprentices and knight apprentices.

"Let Chris and Norman take care of that."

He had already thought this approach through.

Once they entered the castle, he would decide what they actually studied anyway. Working for a dozen years or so before learning magic was perfectly normal, and whatever they ended up studying would be perfectly normal too.

Here, his word was absolute.

When he started farming in the future, he would have to constantly monitor the conditions and data of all sorts of Magic Plants. He could hardly do everything himself.

That was when he would need some obedient, well-behaved students.

Raising them from childhood would ensure their loyalty and give him a hold over their soldier parents. Apart from anything else, their physical fitness should at least differ noticeably from that of other people.

After all, different earnings meant different standards of living, which naturally led to differences in physique.

When the time came, those with some talent could help him farm, while those without talent but with strong bodies could become knight apprentices. Failing that, they could serve as servants and do manual labor.

To be honest, he would not have needed to resort to this if he had brought more people. But there was no other choice. For now, this was the only way to quickly gain leverage and take control.

It was an entirely open scheme. Anyone with a little intelligence could see through it, but who could refuse mages and knights from the Royal Capital?

Especially when he was already their lord.

The farm serfs of the territory were born to submit to him and work for him.

If anyone truly proved stubborn and unreasonable, he would have to trouble the four knights to pay them a visit, one by one.

He trusted that they would make the "rational" choice.

Rob the butler looked at his master in surprise, wondering whether this exile had suddenly brought him to his senses. He felt immensely gratified.

"Rest assured. Just leave it to me!"

He gave his assurance.

"With you handling it, Rob, I couldn't be more at ease."

Kroya said nothing more about other matters, such as surveying the island or conducting a census... Rob had already planned those out.

Kroya was very pleased to have such a reliable butler.

Time soon passed.

Each of the knights returned with a dark-skinned man following behind him, carrying a large basket.

The baskets were filled to the brim with sandy loam, one of the best soils for growing sunflowers.

"My lord, these men said they were skilled at growing crops, so we brought them here," Rob's son Joshua said respectfully.

"Good. Do your work well, and I'll reward you."

Kroya pointed at the ground covered in mana roots and said, "Spread the soil evenly over the roots. Leave enough space between the mounds covering them..."

Magic Plants were both more troublesome and easier to grow than ordinary crops.

As long as they had enough mana and nutrients, they could grow without trouble and rarely suffered from pests or disease-but if they did, it would become an enormous problem.

These men really did know how to farm, and they were careful too. They soon spread the soil evenly and formed furrows following the pattern of the mana roots.

Buried beneath the soil, the mana roots would not only release mana but also kill any hidden insect eggs and the like.

"Well done. Here's your reward. You may go!"

Satisfied with their work, Kroya generously rewarded each man with a copper coin, then ordered them to withdraw.

Naturally, the serfs were overjoyed. A soldier stationed at the castle only earned thirty copper coins a month, yet they had received a whole copper coin for this little bit of work.

It was an incredible stroke of luck.

Unable to contain their delight as they left, the men decided to spread the word about their new lord's generosity.

Kroya, of course, paid no attention to what they were thinking.

He had already taken out the crystal bottle and carefully planted the sunflower seeds he had personally inscribed with Sunflare Ray.

Only after planting all twelve precious seeds did his heart finally settle, after the excitement that had gripped him ever since he discovered his cheat ability.

Now all he needed to do was wait patiently for them to grow.

He needed to grow Magic Plants, find places to plant Sea God Water Wheat and olive trees, and see whether there were any undiscovered Magic Plants hidden here.

Of course, he could not neglect his own studies either.

A mage's exalted status was rooted in all kinds of knowledge and spells. Strength came first, and he absolutely could not approach it halfheartedly.

There's quite a lot to do...

While he gazed at the ground in thought, Joshua suddenly gathered his courage and brought out the two large coconuts he had picked with his companions earlier.

"My lord, these are coconuts we picked. Would you like some to fill your stomach?"

Only then did Kroya come back to his senses. Looking at the two enormous coconuts, he suddenly realized that he really was both thirsty and hungry.

He smiled. "Sure. Tell the cook to prepare a meal. I'd like to find out whether Reef Island has anything good to eat."

With that, he walked down the steps, his stride light.