Like most of the commoners in this era (according to the nobles, they were all untouchables), Norris had a natural fear and trepidation toward the nobles. Although the current Viscount Cecil and Gawain, who had just become the new lord a few days ago, were friendly enough, it was not easy to change the habits that had accumulated over decades. It took Norris a lot of effort to communicate with Heidi normally just now. When Gawain arrived, the farmer could not help but feel nervous again.
But apart from the nervousness and humility on Norris' face, Gawain saw something different in Norris' eyes. At first, he did not realize what it was. It took him half a minute to realize that he did not see the numbness on Norris' face that most of the poor people had.
He was nervous, timid, humble, and fearful, but not numb. In his sunken eye sockets, which were full of wrinkles due to years of hard work, there was still a light of life.
No wonder Heti would find such a farmer to discuss the reclamation of the wasteland. Norris did have the ability to "discuss".
"What do you think of this land?" Gwen asked in a gentle tone.
Norris stretched out three fingers in front of his chest and made a prayer gesture. "Eve, the Goddess of Harvest, blesses this place. I never thought that I would see land that could be used for farming in the Gloom Mountains. The terrain here is flat, water is easy, and the soil is fertile. There are not many stones in the soil. There is no better place for reclamation than here. Now that the month of harvest is half over, it is too late to plant rice, but we can plant sweetwood roots and fire-leaved vegetables. The sweetwood roots can survive the winter in the soil, and there will be a good harvest next spring. The fire-leaved vegetables can be planted next to the sweetwood roots, and it will grow quickly with the help of the fertility of the sweetwood roots. Before the month of fog this year, the roots of the fire-leaved vegetables and the vines of the sweetwood roots will rot in the soil as fertilizer, and then we can plant grains. As long as the rain keeps up, everyone will be able to eat their fill. "
The sweetwood roots and fire-leaved vegetables mentioned by Norris were crops in this world. In fact, most of the animals and plants that Gwen had seen in this world were very different from those in his native world. Even if the names were the same, the nature was completely different. He could only use the "ancient memories" stored in his mind to help him understand these things. From Norris's answer, he could confirm that the agricultural technology of this world wasn't as inferior as he had initially thought. At the very least, this farmer before him knew how to plant a mixture of specific crops in order to increase the yield, compost the roots and leaves of the crops into fertilizer, and reasonably utilize the fertility of the land. Although this knowledge was very likely limited by his own experience, fragmentary and not systematic, it was enough to prove that the people of this era weren't people who just wait for the rain to fall, or rely on the wind to make a living.
Unfortunately, the memories in his mind from Gwen Cecil were not omnipotent. Even the fiercest pioneers were not proficient in everything. In the field of agriculture, Gwen found that he could not completely rely on his own memory, so he could only rely on the expert in front of him.
He roughly understood the expected yield of a few crops, and Norris answered one by one. At the end, the old farmer added another sentence. "These are the yields obtained by relying on the fertility of the land and some fertilizers of the plants. And this kind of farming consumes a lot of land. No matter how good the land is, it still has to be fallow for a cycle of two to three years. Actually, it is not that high …"
Gawain frowned. He knew that there was no concept of "fertilizer" in this world, and he had not found the possibility of using local raw materials to produce fertilizer. The periodic table of the elements did not even match. So he asked, "How do you usually increase the output and maintain the soil fertility?"
The one who answered was Heti. "It would be best if we could get in touch with the churches of the three goddesses of fertility — Eve, the Goddess of Harvest, Flora, the Goddess of Spring, and Gaia, the Mother Goddess of Earth and the Goddess of Life. Their priests have mastered many divine spells related to the earth and plants. But the south is desolate, and has never been an important food-producing area. So the main temples of the gods of fertility are concentrated in the central region of the Sacred Plains. And with the current state of our territory … I'm afraid it will be difficult to attract the attention of the priests."
At this time, Knight Philip suddenly spoke. "There is a small church of the Mother Goddess of Earth in Tanzania Town. Maybe the priests there can help? I remember that the territory used to send people to Tanzania Town every three to five years to invite the priest to bless the land. "
"The priest will return to the headquarters of the Mother Goddess of Earth in the Sacred Plains this year to receive a 'revelation.' He will come back a year later." Heti shook her head. "We can't count on him."
Gwen frowned slightly. He did not expect the question to be about the gods.
There were many gods and churches in this world. He knew this. Even when he was hanging in the sky, he had seen more than one religious war. Although he was watching silent movies at that time, he knew what was going on with the various religious symbols and the many churches and temples. Although the continent had gone through many changes, and there was even a disaster like the Dark Tide, which was close to a reshuffling of civilizations, religion had always been accompanied by the mortal race like entangled vines.
Gods were a part of the civilization system of this world.
However, as a time-traveler, and a time-traveler who had been hanging in the sky for many years, Gwen had an innate reverence for the gods.
It was not that he was stubborn enough to deny the existence of the gods in such a fantasy world. This world even had magic. His two great-great-granddaughters could make big fireballs with their hands, and the priests also mastered real magic. He could not deny the existence of the gods even if he wanted to.
He just instinctively did not want to deal with something beyond cognition, experience, and logic.
He had been hanging in the sky for many years. During this period, he had seen countless people fighting and killing in the name of the gods. Gwen Cecil had lived for 35 years. During this period, he had seen the priests perform magic up close. It was a power that was completely different from magic. There was no need to practice incantations and magic skills. Instead, it was replaced by a devout heart and a strict lifestyle of various rules and precepts. With this behavior, which was more similar to "self-restraint" and some specific "spiritual talents," humans could perform the supernatural power of the gods.
It was said that all the magic and knowledge about the gods in the world came from the ancient "Eternal Slate," and that legendary slate had been broken and lost after the first development. Now, only a few large churches called "core sects" in the world had fragments of the slate in their headquarters. Although the slate was broken, the knowledge and power of the gods were still effective today.
But Gwen had never seen a real god.
At least not on this continent. In the sky … He did not know if there was a god in the sky. After all, he did not succeed in backstroke. Naturally, he was not sure if there was a white-bearded old man standing in space with a spotlight.
But no matter where the gods lived, Gwen kept 30% awe and 70% distance from this power that was difficult to explain with logic.
The power of magic could still be studied and interpreted through calculation and reasoning. Although it was supernatural, it was actually a natural power that could be analyzed. However, divine spells required one to wholeheartedly believe in and devote oneself to the divine. One would even need to be infinitely close to the "Spirit of God" in order to catch a glimpse of the divine. This meant that if one wanted to study the divine, one would first need to become a believer and hold infinite reverence for the divine. And once one entered this state … how would one be able to study the divine?
Gwen shook his head and threw these questions aside. In any case, it was difficult to attract the attention of the church in this barren land. He looked at Heti and continued to ask about crop production. "If we can't count on the three goddesses of fertility, is there any other way to solve the problem of crop production?"
"The problem of crop production … To be honest, with the situation of the land and the first year's food provided by His Majesty, we are not short of food." Heti frowned. "There are only 800 people in the territory now. We can afford to feed them."
"But we can't always have 800 people. In fact, I have planned to increase the population by buying serfs and introducing pioneers." Gwen shook his head. Heti obviously still did not understand the value of people. "The problem of food is fundamental. We will have to face it sooner or later."
Heti did not understand the value of people, but Norris understood the importance of food. He pondered for a moment and bravely said, "Other than divine spells, the other way is to ask for help from Druil. The alchemy potions made by Druil can effectively increase crop production. Although their potions are less effective than divine spells, they are better at protecting the land. Plus, they usually have some plant-related spells, which are very helpful for the growth of crops. "
Gwen listened and his eyes lit up. He liked this idea!
And he heard that Druil could make alchemy potions to increase the fertility of the land … Could the so-called alchemy potions be the 'fertilizer' of this world? Or something similar?
In any case, they could be made by a fixed method (and possibly could be mass-produced), they could be easily applied, and they could produce a relatively stable increase in crop production. With these conditions, no matter what the nature of the alchemy potions was, Gwen decided to call them fertilizer!
What's more, this' fertilizer 'could even protect the land!
He couldn't wait to ask, "Where can we find Druil?"
Norris looked at Heti with some difficulty, and Heti frowned slightly. "This is another problem … There are not many Druil in human society, and they are usually concentrated in the west near the moss forest. In the south … they can almost be described as rare creatures. Cecil's territory has almost never dealt with Druil, and I don't know where to find them. "
Gwen showed a disappointed expression, and Knight Philip said thoughtfully, "But because of their heritage, Druil and the elves are very close. Almost every Druil's heritage can be traced back to the elves, including the gray elves and silver elves …"
The gazes of several people present involuntarily landed on Hu Po, who was standing behind Gawain. Hu Po's pointy ears immediately trembled.
Gwen's face suddenly fell. "Don't mess around, how can she be considered an elf? Which Druil would sneak around with her … "
Before Gwen could finish, Amber's voice rang out. "Speaking of which … I do seem to know a Druil!"
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