Is this cheat code from Bika? Just do it!

Upon hearing Link's words, as expected, Sarah and the orphans beside her stared at Link with undisguised admiration in their eyes.

Brainwashing is a simple tactic; who can't master it?

The poisonous chicken soup I was given before I transmigrated was far more potent than this.

......

After touring the construction progress of the houses in the slums, Link, Raymond, and Agnes strolled to the North Gate.

At that moment, Link could see from afar that on the vast fields outside the North Gate, a group of farmers were clasping their hands together, looking devout, and muttering incantations, as if they were praying for something.

"What are they doing?" Link asked curiously, his gaze sweeping over the figures.

“My lord, it’s autumn now. They must be praying fervently to the goddess of harvest, hoping for a bountiful harvest next year,” Raymond quickly explained upon seeing this.

"Crops...?"

To be honest, since I came into this world, I have been busy with territory construction and many other miscellaneous tasks, and I have never set foot on the farmland of my territory.

This is the very foundation of the territory's prosperity.

After all, food is the most important thing for a person.

“Raymond, take me to see the farmland of Winterfell.”

“Yes, sir,” Raymond replied respectfully, and then led the way.

Led by Raymond, Link arrived at the edge of the farmland.

This farmland is located next to the northern wall of Winterfell. It was originally a barren land, but now it has been reclaimed. However, the land looks very barren, with dry soil that doesn't seem to have any fertility at all.

The news of the lord's personal visit to the fields spread like wildfire, and the surrounding farmers gathered around, their eyes filled with awe and anticipation.

Raymond pointed to the land before him and reported to Link, "My lord, this is our territory's farmland, totaling 154 acres. Now, the seeds for next year have been sown, and we only hope that the goddess of harvest will have mercy and bless us so that next year's harvest will be plentiful, unlike this year when we only harvested a tiny bit."

"Yes, this year's grain harvest is pitifully small. It must be because our prayers to the goddess of harvest were not sincere enough," a farmer said with a worried expression.

"I prayed for a full ten hours this year. The goddess of harvest must have felt my piety and will surely bestow even more grain next year," another farmer said, puffing out his chest with certainty.

Listening to the pious words of the farmers and Raymond around him, Link was speechless, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly involuntarily.

The level of grain yield is closely related to the fertility of the soil. This is a very simple truth. What does it have to do with that ethereal goddess of harvest?

He remembered that in the game's storyline, he had never seen those so-called gods appear to relieve the suffering of the world's creatures or help with the harvest.

Does it mean that by sincerely praying to these fictitious gods, the land will become fertile and the crops will grow like bamboo shoots after a spring rain?

It's an utterly absurd joke!

Link didn't believe in that at all. In his view, instead of pinning his hopes on the gods, it was better to explore practical ways to increase production.

He slowly squatted down, reached out and grabbed a handful of soil from the farmland, examining it closely in his palm.

The soil was coarse-grained, dull in color, and showed no signs of fertility; it was clearly extremely barren.

Even if the weather is favorable and there are no disasters in the coming year, such land will never have a good harvest, let alone produce a large amount of grain.

29. Fertilizing (Bonus chapter for 100 monthly votes)

"Didn't you ever think about fertilizing the land?" Link couldn't help but ask.

It is important to understand that even the most fertile land will lose its fertility as crops grow over several years.

If fertilizer is not applied in time, the nutrients will eventually be completely lost, and the land will become increasingly barren.

"Fertilizer? What's that?"

Raymond looked bewildered, scratching his head with confusion in his eyes, as if Link was talking about some kind of fantasy.

“Fertilizing is about adding nutrients to the land, improving soil fertility, and making it more fertile. In this way, crops can grow strong and produce more food.”

Link patiently explained, a hint of urgency in his eyes, hoping they would understand as soon as possible: "Fertilization means burying human and animal excrement, as well as decaying plants, into the soil. This will improve the soil's fertility. The reason I asked you to build public toilets is to collect these excrements more properly."

"Human and animal excrement, and rotting plants? How can such filthy things be mixed with clean grain? How can we eat grain grown like this?"

Raymond's eyes widened in astonishment. Even though he had always held Link in high esteem, he now found Link's words utterly absurd.

In his mind, how could something as filthy as excrement be worthy of stepping onto the clean and sacred land of the farmland?

In the past, when ordinary people were planting crops, they would carefully pick out any dirty things they found in the fields, let alone disgusting things like excrement.

If the fields are full of such filth, who would dare to eat the grain that grows there?

Thinking of this, Raymond felt a churning in his stomach and a faint sense of nausea rose in his heart.

"Can't eat it? That's utterly ridiculous." Link almost burst out laughing in anger.

These people don't even understand basic things like fertilization.

Even medieval Europeans should have known this principle, right? It seems we really can't simply apply medieval European cultural understanding to the world.

Link pondered to himself, and then inquired in detail with Raymond and the others about how food was grown in this world.

After understanding the specific procedures, Link was speechless.

In this world, the process of growing food is so simple it's almost child's play.

When it's planting season, farmers simply scatter seeds on the ground and then leave them to their own devices, as if the land will magically produce abundant fruit.

Yes, you heard right, it means washing your hands of it and never asking about it again.

They would only return to the fields when the harvest season arrived to harvest the ripe grain and take it home.

There was no weeding or pest control, let alone fertilizing the land.

The only thing the farmers did was pray to the goddess of harvest day and night, hoping for a good harvest in the coming year.

Without weeding, fertilizing, or pest control, it would be a miracle if such land could even yield a harvest; how could it possibly produce a bountiful harvest?

Unless the soil itself is extremely fertile and it happens to be a lucky year without pests or rampant weeds, there will probably be no harvest.

The farmers attributed all of this to the blessing of the goddess of harvest, completely unaware that it was merely a coincidence.

"Raymond, immediately issue the order for all idle citizens within the territory to collect the excrement and transport it outside the city. Find a spacious, well-drained area for composting. When composting, first lay a layer of fallen leaves or straw at the bottom, then cover it with a layer of excrement, followed by another layer of fallen leaves and weeds, and so on, layering them until they are about one meter high. During the composting process, you can add a suitable amount of wood ash between the layers..."

"My lord, may I ask what this wood ash is...?" Raymond asked cautiously, looking puzzled.

"That's the ash left after the plants have burned completely. But remember, you must be very careful when burning wood ash, so as not to ignite the nearby forest and cause a disaster."

Composting is for decomposition, but if this manure is poured directly into the field, it can be harmful, causing root burn, seedling burn, and in severe cases, direct crop death.

The main component of wood ash is potassium carbonate, which can appropriately increase potassium fertilizer and also has a certain bactericidal and disinfecting effect.

These are basic common sense things; you can learn them by doing things like gardening, so Link knows a bit about them.

It's not too late to start composting and fertilizing now.

If the fields are carefully tended next year, a bountiful harvest may indeed be achieved.

"My lord, are you making fun of us?"

The people standing nearby were stunned and incredulous upon hearing Link's order.

In their eyes, the lord had simply gone mad, dumping excrement into the fields and ashes from burning plants—how could such things possibly be of any use?

If we really dump these filthy things into the fields, how will we eat the grain that grows there in the future?

30. Subtle Changes

The surrounding people looked at each other, their faces full of hesitation.

They were convinced that Link had made an utterly absurd decision this time.

However, Link will not be swayed by their doubts.

The fact that these people are ignorant does not mean that he should follow the crowd and make foolish mistakes.

"Raymond, do as I say. Proclaim to the people this is my strict order. Anyone who dares to disobey will receive thirty lashes!"

Link's tone was firm and his expression was cold, so he had to emphasize his point.

He knew that the only way to convince these people that excrement could fertilize the land was to show them tangible results.

Before that, he had to use strong measures to resolutely implement the order.

Upon hearing Link's order, Raymond felt helpless but had no choice but to obey and go down to convey this shocking instruction.

Strictly speaking, every tree, every brick, and every tile in Winterfell, including its vast fields, belongs to Link's private property.

Since he has spoken, no one has the right to object or disobey.

As expected, as soon as Raymond announced Link's orders, Winterfell erupted in chaos, with its citizens in an uproar and discussing the matter at length.

In their minds, their lord must have lost his mind.

If such filthy things as excrement are sown in the fields, how can the crops grown there be eaten?

"This is blasphemy against the goddess of harvest! I doubt that any seedlings will even be able to sprout from those defiled fields." Someone in the crowd muttered under their breath, their voice filled with fear and unease.

However, despite the many complaints from the people, they knew that it was Link's order and they had no power to resist.

Especially after Raymond emphasized the severe punishment of thirty lashes, the previously noisy citizens instantly fell silent, and no one dared to utter a word of complaint.

Just now, three thugs were dragged to the city center and given a hundred lashes. They died after about seventy lashes. After the beating, their backs were covered in blood and flesh, and their spines were exposed. The sight terrified many people.

Although it's only thirty lashes now, no one wants to try it even if it's just one lash.

Moreover, Link had done many practical things for the people in the territory a few days ago, and they all remembered them.

Therefore, the people of Winterfell firmly believe that even if their lord's "experiment failed" this time, resulting in a poor harvest, he would never let them go hungry.

In the end, everyone obediently followed Link's orders.

Buckets of foul-smelling fertilizer were carried by the villagers on their shoulders and in their hands to the outskirts of the city.

Following Link's instructions, they then began composting and fertilizing in an orderly manner.

Link stood at a distance, watching this scene, a slight smile of satisfaction on his lips.

He knew that time would give him the most satisfactory answer in the end.

......

As autumn deepens, the evening breeze tonight carries a bone-chilling cold.

After dinner, Link returned to his room early, ready to continue his 'intimate' time with Olivia.

The nightlife in this world is far inferior to that of the 21st century before he traveled there. Entertainment is extremely scarce, and the only thing that can bring joy and relaxation is the tender affairs between men and women.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Link felt that after this period of "careful refinement," Olivia's figure seemed to have become even more alluring.

She already possessed the unique charm of a mature wife, like a ripe peach, and now she is even more voluptuous and desirable.

No, this is no illusion!

Because she was confined to this room all day and unable to go out, her activity level was greatly reduced, and Link could clearly feel that Olivia's fleshy body was becoming more and more obvious.

But these extra pieces of flesh seemed to have a spirit of their own, growing precisely where they were supposed to grow.

Her proud breasts became even fuller and firmer, and her round and perky buttocks became even softer and more elastic, as if you could squeeze water out of them with a gentle pinch.

"Snapped!"

Link raised his hand and slapped Olivia's plump buttocks hard, then hugged her increasingly beautiful body tightly from behind, and they stood together in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in the bedroom.

"Look at you, Olivia, you've become even more beautiful and captivating!"

Link whispered in her ear, his hot breath spraying on her cheeks, causing her delicate body to tremble slightly, and an indescribable heat and tingling sensation to surge in her lower abdomen.

Olivia felt as if she had become more sensitive; this man's flirting always made her easily fall into desire.

“Come here, Olivia, look at yourself.”

At Link's prompting, Olivia slowly raised her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror.

The huge floor-length mirror displayed her figure without reservation.

Oh my god, is that woman in the mirror really me?

She was naked, her full, large breasts standing proudly, swaying gently with her movements. She twisted her waist incessantly, her hips swaying gracefully, her face full of seductive allure, flirting with the man behind her. And her right hand, surprisingly, actively grasped the man's thick, massive member, stroking it up and down with practiced yet wanton movements.

How could the person in the mirror have become so wanton and unrestrained, turning into a complete harlot?