Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 299 Agricultural Technological Revolution

The spring sun shines on the valley. The snow line has only recently receded, and the frozen ground underfoot still feels damp and cool.

The air was filled with a mixture of scents: the turned-up black soil carried the moist aroma of grass, the slightly sour smell of sorghum stalks wafted on the wind, and the warmth of cooking smoke mingled with the aroma of cooking fires.

The carriage wheels crunched over the gravel, making a slight creaking sound, and slowly came to a stop beside the main road.

After the meeting, Louis did not rush back to Red Tide City, but chose to stay and use his own eyes to confirm whether the figures he had heard at the meeting were true.

Some things cannot be understood by a few pages of ledgers and a single meeting.

The importance of Wheatfield Territory has now surpassed that of any territory within Red Tide Territory. It is the future granary of the North and the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people.

Therefore, he took Green with him early the next morning and personally embarked on the inspection journey.

Whether it's new farming techniques, monster breeding, or those experimental fields that are still in the early stages, only seeing them with his own eyes can put his mind at ease.

Louis stepped down from the carriage and squinted at the scene.

Thousands of farmers worked between the ridges of the fields, their shouts rising and falling, the clanging of plows and shovels never ceasing.

Green walked beside Louis, carrying a thick sheepskin ledger, with Mick following behind, a proud smile on his face.

"My lord, this area is the core farmland. Most of the new varieties we tested last year were here," Green reported in a low voice as he walked. "Geothermal irrigation pipelines have been laid in 30% of the fields here, and the germination rate is 12 percentage points higher than expected."

"Hmm." Louis nodded slightly, bent down and parted a clump of seedlings at his feet. The black soil was moist, and the roots were very deep.

The farmers working nearby had already noticed the arrival of the great lord.

They didn't immediately surround him, after all, no one dared to disturb the young Crimson Tide Lord.

But the hoeing man, who was already moving very fast, suddenly began to turn the soil with almost three times the force, performing a six-hoeing-per-second motion.

The boy carrying water ran incredibly fast, as if the wind was blowing beneath his feet, even speeding up the rhythm of the shouts from afar.

Of course, people still couldn't help but look up at Louis from time to time, their eyes filled with fanatical light, as if they were looking at a savior.

"Is that...is that the lord?" a new farmer asked his companion in a low voice, without stopping his plow.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense! Stand up straight and do your job well," the old farmer next to him whispered, but his eyes couldn't help but steal glances at them.

Louis noticed their gazes, smiled slightly, and strode toward the nearest furrow.

“The land has been turned over well,” he said in a low voice.

The farmer's hand, which was gripping the shovel, tightened suddenly. His face turned bright red, and he stammered for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out, "Thank you, Lord!"

“Keep trying.” Louis patted his calloused shoulder and then turned and left.

The farmer stood frozen in place until Louis was far away, then suddenly raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes.

"We can't let the lord down." He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and swung the shovel with even more force.

At the end of the field, a newly built geothermal irrigation well stands quietly, its opening covered by a heavy metal disc, with a thin layer of water mist on its surface and faint steam rising from it.

Louis approached slowly, his boots sinking gently into the soft, damp black soil. He squinted slightly, his fingertips touching the metal disc, feeling subtle temperature fluctuations.

Green stood to the side, holding a thick sheepskin ledger, and introduced it with a hint of pride in his voice:

"My lord, this is the geothermal pipe concept you proposed back then, and it is now the third generation system."

Shallow geothermal water is introduced into the fields through double-layered pipes to keep the surface temperature stable at three degrees Celsius, so that frost is no longer a threat.

Moreover, the craftsmen will rework the process twice, rearranging the pipes to make the heat distribution more controllable... so that it won't 'cook' half a seedling to death like it did in the early stages.

Now we can even artificially adjust the water temperature to warm the fields in advance when needed, thus accelerating the ripening of grains.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the first batch of green wheat on the gentle slopes of the north bank will be harvested two weeks earlier than usual this year.

Louis listened quietly, then bent down and parted a small patch of damp black soil to reveal a tender green sprout just emerging.

"It's maturing much faster than I expected..."

He recalled that his initial idea was merely a rudimentary reference to "geothermal heating," at most introducing heat into the soil to avoid frost damage and promote early hatching.

Unexpectedly, in just a few years, these craftsmen and farmers worked together to refine their initial idea into a complete system: heat zoning, temperature control valves, and deep and shallow double-layer conduits, which were far more sophisticated than he had imagined.

They were no longer simply following Louis's orders; they were creating agricultural technology for the North.

However, Louis quickly regained his composure, his gaze sweeping over the well opening, and he frowned slightly: "But, Green."

Green immediately straightened up: "Sir, please give your orders."

“The wellhead metal plates and valves need to be maintained more frequently,” Louis said, pointing to the well rim.

"Although the heat can be regulated, if too much mineral deposits accumulate in the pipes or the sealing rings age and fail, it will lead to local soil compaction. Once large areas of hardening occur, the entire area will be ruined."

Green nodded solemnly: "Understood, sir."

He turned around and instructed the accompanying farm recorder: "From today onwards, wellhead inspections and pipeline maintenance will be given top priority. Patrol and inspect them every day, and no mistakes are allowed."

"Yes!" the recorders responded almost immediately.

The inspection team then walked slowly along the field ridges in the southeast of the valley.

The air was humid and warm, accompanied by a sour, slightly fishy-sweet smell, like the smell of snow-covered soil mixed with some strange medicinal liquid.

After turning past a gentle hilly slope, a unique piece of farmland came into view.

The soil here is a darker color than in other fields, and a thin, grayish-white mist hangs between the turned furrows.

Several craftsmen wearing leather masks and protective gloves were using long-handled wooden ladles to evenly pour milky white bone slurry into the ditch.

Occasionally, one or two drops would splash up, gleaming with a faint blue-white luster in the sunlight.

“My lord.” Green stopped and stepped forward, holding the ledger. “This is the pilot area for fertilization after your approval. It has now been extended to all tertiary cultivated land in the entire territory.”

Louis approached, squatted down, and reached out to brush away a small clump of soil covered in bone sap.

He could feel a slight warmth, as if the soil itself was breathing.

"These bone fertilizers are made from the bones of frost giants. We mix the bone marrow with grass ash and caramel powder to make a milky white bone paste... The nutrient concentration is three times that of ordinary fertilizers, which can significantly improve the root strength and grain plumpness of crops."

As Green spoke, several craftsmen were carrying large barrels filled with bone slurry in the distance, moving carefully so as not to waste even a single drop.

An agricultural alchemist stood to the side, his tone tinged with emotion: "Initially... it was just an accidental experiment in the alchemy workshop. We originally just wanted to try whether the bone marrow of the Frost Giants could be extracted for medicinal purposes."

He paused, his gaze turning to the mountain of skeletons beside him with a complex expression. "Who would have thought that these giants who once roamed the snowfields would become the best nourishment for the land's revival?"

Louis turned his head, and the barn sheds in the distance came into view.

That was a temporary workshop specifically for processing giant skeletons. The skeletons, towering like small mountains, were neatly stacked. The ribs and arm bones had already been cut and the remaining ice crystals removed by the craftsmen, awaiting transport to the alchemical refining pools for further processing. Sunlight shone on the bones, which gleamed with a pale blue light, bringing an indescribable chill and awe.

Louis watched silently, a bittersweet feeling rising within him: "Thanks to Titus..."

Titus forcibly drove all the frost giants south, attempting to crush the North in one fell swoop.

Unexpectedly, this disaster, which left the land littered with the corpses of frost giants, turned out to be the most precious treasure of Wheat Wave Territory.

Taking advantage of his position as the Lord of the Crimson Tide, he managed to collect almost all the giant corpses and bring them under his control, enough to last him for ten years.

Bone marrow can be made into fertilizer to revive wastelands, and bone meal mixed with feed can be used to enhance monster feed...

It's like turning waste into treasure.

“Continue to expand the use of bone sap,” Louis slowly exhaled and instructed in a low voice, “but remember to mark the boundaries between the bone sap irrigation area and the ordinary area, and don’t confuse them.”

Green nodded immediately and wrote down the order.

Meanwhile, Mick was already whispering with several agricultural alchemists, clearly considering how to further increase production.

After inspecting the territory for a while, Louis and Green continued along the main road toward the experimental field.

Unlike the bustling, mature farmland that followed, this area was quiet and cautious, as it was used to test artifacts, which were usually not very successful.

Several young alchemy apprentices were squatting on the muddy ground, holding wooden rulers and earthenware pots, carefully sprinkling a layer of fine white powder while gesturing.

A faint, slightly pungent smell of lime filled the air.

Green stopped, opened the ledger, and explained softly to Louis: "This is the test field for the Magic Lime Soil Improvement Method. You mentioned before that the acidity of the high-altitude wetland is too high, which is not conducive to the growth of grain roots. So the craftsmen fired lime powder to adjust the soil acid-base balance."

Louis nodded, his gaze falling on a wheat seedling that looked normal but had scorched edges on its leaves.

Green shook his head slightly and sighed, "It's just that... if the amount of ash is not controlled properly, the seedlings will be 'burned' to death, so we need to make further changes."

A young alchemy apprentice nearby had obviously heard this and stammered, "My lord, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Louis smiled, offering no criticism, but instead gently patted the apprentice on the shoulder: "Failure is part of the journey, you've done very well."

Upon hearing this, the young craftsman's eyes immediately welled up with tears, as if he had been given a mental boost: "We... will try a hundred more times! Until we can no longer... burn the seedlings to death!"

Louis thought to himself: Are you Edison?

But outwardly, he still smiled and encouraged, "Keep it up."

Further west, there is a wide expanse of hilly terrain, with the wind howling.

Several craftsmen were adjusting a tall wooden windmill, its gears creaking.

“This is the third-generation circulating wind turbine pump.” Green looked up at the windmill blades. “The principle is to combine water power and wind power, using the monsoon to drive the pumping of water for irrigation. It was made based on your original design.”

"Oh?" Louis paused for a moment before remembering.

Two years ago, before the Red Tide Territory established the Wheat Wave Territory, he casually drew many things on parchment based on his memories from his previous life, and this windmill was naturally one of them.

In his hazy memories of his past life, he could even vaguely recall the rotating wind vanes and the scene of water being poured back from a high position.

But he didn't understand the real technical details, such as the meshing ratio of gears, the conversion of torque, and the force angle of the blades, after all, he wasn't a professional engineer.

So he simply drew a few seemingly reasonable cross-sectional diagrams based on his memory, labeled them with conceptual terms such as "borrowing wind to drive water" and "following the trend to recharge," and then handed the parchment to the artisans in the district to invent and improve it.

As for whether he could actually build it... he didn't have high hopes.

But now a wooden windmill, as tall as a two-story building, stands right in front of him, its blades slowly rotating, and the faint sound of water coming from the pipes—it still feels somewhat unreal.

Just then, a gust of wind swept by, the huge wind vanes turned, and the water in the pipes at the bottom rushed out with a loud thud.

The craftsmen immediately cheered, "We did it! We did it!"

But a moment later, the wind shifted, the wind vanes stopped, and the sound of water quickly faded away.

The young craftsmen's smiles froze on their faces.

Green shook his head and whispered to Louis, "The efficiency is still inconsistent, and it's too dependent on wind power. We're looking at alternative propulsion systems."

Louis simply looked at the sweat-drenched young faces, a smile playing on his lips: "Very good, keep thinking of ways, and remember to reward the craftsman who built this windmill."

“Yes!” Green immediately wrote it down.

In fact, these are not the only strange inventions and creations.

Under Louis's planning, the Red Tide Territory's artisan district and alchemy institute could be considered the most promising "technological melting pot" in the North, or even the world.

A large number of outstanding craftsmen were recruited with high salaries, while ordinary craftsmen were trained through an apprenticeship system, with each apprentice being taught by a senior mentor.

As time went by, the Crimson Tide Territory acquired a large number of excellent craftsmen and alchemists.

More importantly, Louis had an almost extravagant policy: anyone who came up with a new concept or completed a prototype had the opportunity to receive a gold coin reward, ranging from three gold coins to no limit.

In this atmosphere, the craftsmen pursued invention and creation with almost fanatical enthusiasm.

In addition to the technologies already showcased, the research institute also displays countless bizarre prototypes.

Examples include self-heating combat boots in the snow, tillage tools that mimic animal hooves, a semi-finished prototype of a wind turbine, and dozens of other strange devices yet to be named.

Some succeeded, some failed.

There were also some that were destined to be crazy attempts from the start, but Louis never stopped them, and even encouraged such creations.

Agricultural technology is of paramount importance.

Lewis's bonuses were extremely biased; for any idea related to planting, irrigation, or increasing production, as long as there was even the slightest possibility of success, the rewards would be almost insanely generous.

For example, the young alchemy apprentice who accidentally discovered the frost giant's bone fertilizer took away two hundred gold coins after just one experiment, and almost fainted from joy.

Since then, Red Tide's artisans and alchemists have been drawn to Wheat Wave Territory like hounds smelling blood.

Alchemists braved the wind and snow from Red Tide City to come, and some craftsmen simply moved their entire families to Wheat Wave Valley, just to join this "agricultural technology craze".

It was this permissive encouragement that made the entire Red Tide, especially the Mai Lang Territory, like a fountain of inspiration, with new things emerging one after another in just one year.

It's as if anyone can come up with a radical idea here, and then someone is actually willing to help them make it happen.

Some people are designing new bone fertilizer distillation methods, some are researching wind-powered water pumps, and some have even proposed using the heat energy from monster corpses to warm greenhouses.

Some were proven feasible, some were ridiculed as alchemical madness, and others are still waiting for a miracle on the experimental tables piled high with drafts in the artisan district.

Ideas and sweat intertwined, driving a small technological revolution that slowly unfolded in Louis's territory.

(End of this chapter)