Wizard Farming Guide

Chapter 62 Grain Harvest

After arranging the transport of the blacksmith from Mole Town, Rhodes paid no further attention.

There shouldn't be any major problems; his subordinates will handle it for him.

With so many people living in the territory, this is exactly the time they've been waiting to help him out.

But there were more important things waiting for him in Pingdingshan.

The high-quality barley in the Demon Field has ripened in its first season!

At noon, Rod hurriedly returned to the mountaintop.

More than two months have passed since he arrived in Pingdingshan and established his territory there.

As his wizard level reached the intermediate first tier, the daily conversion rate of his magic field increased to five acres, and the total area he could support reached two hundred acres.

Due to the time spent in the previous war, he has only converted a little over 100 acres of demon fields so far.

However, not all of them can grow high-quality barley.

Rhodes gazed at the demon field area before him, which was about twenty acres in size and filled with high-quality barley.

When the wheat ripens, the ears turn from greenish-yellow to golden.

Swaying gently in the breeze, it forms a golden wave.

As for the other areas of the Demon Field, apart from the areas where high-grade black goji berries are grown, they are all planted with ordinary highland barley.

Nourished by the magic field, the earliest planted crops have matured and are laden with fruit.

However, the ears of wheat are yellowish-brown and their appearance is far less dazzling than that of high-quality barley.

"We don't have enough seeds," Rod said regretfully, shaking his head.

Even with his years of accumulated experience, he only had enough seeds to plant twenty acres.

Now that the harvest is complete, there will be enough seeds left to fill the Demon Field area.

Rod summoned Luke and asked him to arrange for the villagers to harvest the ripe barley.

They were stored in a warehouse in Pingdingshan, while the next round of sowing was carried out simultaneously.

With the availability of high-quality barley, the training program for elite soldiers will officially commence.

Amid the residents' joy at the bountiful harvest, Rod squatted down beside a patch of ordinary barley, observing the situation.

Then, select the plumpest ears of wheat, transplant them into pots, and bring them into the room.

He entered his room and sat down at his usual research table.

In Rhodes' mind, all the wizarding knowledge about [Seed Modification] came to mind.

There are three main approaches to modifying plant seeds.

The first one is targeted enhancement of magic power.

This means understanding what specific substances are produced in the plant after the seed matures and what role they play.

Then, targeting this substance, use magic to enhance its effects during the plant's growth process.

Rhodes looked toward the research table, where dozens of white flowerpots were placed, only one of which had successfully sprouted.

The plant in the flowerpot is called Centella asiatica. It has round leaves and slender, creeping stems.

Triterpenoids such as asiatic acid and asiaticoside can be extracted from Centella asiatica.

Using this extract as a drug treatment can stimulate cellular pathways and promote the production of multi-type collagen, thereby promoting wound healing.

The first idea behind [Seed Modification] is to use these extracts as enhancement targets to generate more powerful advanced Centella asiatica.

The other higher plants in Rhodes's possession also came from this.

However, the problem with this method is that it is not stable enough.

Rhodes' inability to accurately control the target of his magical enhancements was largely due to luck.

It's almost like a genetic mutation caused by cosmic radiation.

If luck is on your side and your magic enhancement is successful, you will be able to cultivate excellent higher plants.

Unfortunately, after several years, not a single sprout emerged from the flowerpot; they all died.

From the time he awakened his memories until now, after six years of experimentation, including the recent success with the higher snow grass, he has only succeeded four times.

Now that we've exhausted our resources, the only way to continue is to grind it out over time.

Fortunately, there are other approaches to seed modification.

One of them, and the most classic, is hybridization, a method for cultivating superior crops.

Rod looked at the barley that had just been transplanted; it was a hybrid barley that he had pollinated with both high-quality and ordinary barley.

Under his magical care, the two successfully united and had offspring.

In Rhodes's vision, if it succeeds...

Hybrid barley will inherit the superior cold resistance of high-quality barley and grow in the snowy northern regions.

Furthermore, as an ordinary plant, it does not require the care of a magic field.

If he could achieve this, he could lead the residents to cultivate farmland and achieve true food freedom in the Coldwater Valley.

Rod removed the ears of hybrid barley and selected seeds to plant in an empty flowerpot.

Then, these flower pots were moved out of the room and placed on the cold, open ground, with labels attached to each one.

The outside temperature has already reached minus ten degrees Celsius and will continue to drop.

Rhodes stood outside, exhaled, and instantly a cloud of white mist appeared.

He gazed at the flowerpots, hoping that if any of the barley plants in them could sprout and grow safely, that would be the future of food he longed for.

In Pingdingshan, the harvest season is in full swing.

Rhodes suddenly received news that a major problem had occurred in Mole Town, which he had been monitoring.

"Has Mole Town been captured by barbarians?"

A week later, Rhodes stared speechlessly at the intelligence report in his hand, confirming that he wasn't seeing things.

He was hoping for chaos in Mole Town, but this chaos has gone a bit too far.

To the left of the area where Rhodes, Charles, and the other six Knights of the Round Table formed their alliance, lay the territory of another group of pioneering knights.

But their luck seems to be a bit bad.

They were unable to stop the barbarians from raiding during the cold winter.

In particular, the Knights of the Count Mark family, Fule, had their territory breached and were forced to flee back to the Dragonbreaker Fortress in a sorry state with their knightly order.

The enemy even advanced deep into the territory of the Duchy, capturing Mole Town.

The mole tribe has now occupied the iron mine there and shows no sign of leaving anytime soon.

The pioneering knights who are far enough away from Mole Town can feel sorry for him, or they can gloat and have fun watching him suffer.

But Rod felt a headache coming on; he was less than fifty kilometers from Mole Town.

Who knows if these barbarians might suddenly have a change of heart and come to attack him?

"Looking on the bright side, it's not all bad, is it?" Rhodes sat in front of the map, trying to think as optimistically as possible.

The bad news is that the enemies of Mole Town might come to attack him.

The good news is that he can now also attack Mole Town.

It's not just about gathering blacksmiths; we might even be able to take over the iron mine as well.

Danger and opportunity are always intertwined.

"Should we summon the other Knights of the Round Table from the Alliance?" Rhodes pondered, then suddenly shook his head.

Having just emerged from a major battle, if the enemy were to attack Hekou Town, we could summon them.

This is an agreement of mutual support within the alliance. As Knights of the Round Table who value honor, no one would refuse unless they wanted to leave the circle.

But starting a war is different; they might not be willing to come.

And now there are better options.

He looked toward the city behind Mole Town, Spiral City, which was his aunt Elena's territory.

As the governor of Hanshui County, she couldn't possibly remain silent when her territory on the border of the duchy was captured.

(End of this chapter)