Chapter 51

With the sudden increase in page views, I thought it might be something and checked, only to find out that we had ranked in the top 300 of the daily fantasy isekai reincarnation/transfer rankings. Thank you to everyone who has read and evaluated it.

...I don’t know if it’s because the ranking is low, but we didn’t receive any notifications for this. Hello from the seminar, it’s still February 11th. I’m Herman, and the seminar is still in full swing. Well, now that our stomachs are a bit full, let’s continue, shall we? ...Although it’s quite a difficult topic. I can only nod along with the talk about flood control, as there’s too much I don’t understand. The tea that Serena made is delicious, but that’s about all I can grasp. Well, I’ll just participate in the parts I understand, especially the talk about food. This part is easier to understand.

"The sweet potatoes we are growing now have the property of enriching the soil. However, if we plant them continuously, they will yield a good harvest, but the soil will become too depleted. Therefore, when growing these sweet potatoes, we need to plant other crops in between. This way, the soil will be enriched, and other vegetables will yield a good harvest. We need to repeat the process of enriching the soil and getting a good harvest from other crops. I want to try this in some field. Is there any village that is currently unoccupied?"

"Since it’s part of the royal domain, it’s not that easy to get. Does it not affect wheat?"

"Unfortunately, it doesn’t affect wheat. As you might have heard, this is a variety that will definitely yield a good harvest if the soil is above a certain level. It’s actually harder to make the soil below that level. If you don’t leave the fast-growing grass unattended during the sprouting period, it will yield a good harvest. You can’t make this wheat yield a better harvest."

"If that’s the case, I wonder if an application would be approved. The current king seems to undervalue agriculture and alchemy, focusing more on the magic academy. It would be difficult to borrow land from the royal domain."

"When an incompetent person becomes king, the lower ranks suffer. ...Can’t we assassinate him?"

"Don’t say such dangerous things. The current king is still better than the one from two generations ago."

"Wasn’t he the one who promoted the nobility-first policy? Why did the seven dukes choose such an incompetent person? ...It’s because he had the talent to rule, right? I know that. If he doesn’t have the talent to rule, the land will become depleted. Moreover, he only recognizes the kingdom, which is really mysterious."

"Well, can’t we somehow manage it in the Ormond domain?"

"Our family’s domain will soon be focused on seed oil production, and it will take more effort to choose the experimental fields?"

"Three or four fields would be fine. You’ll mainly be growing vegetables. Come to think of it, why don’t you also grow herbs and spices? It will enrich the food culture, not just Herman."

"There’s also the issue of wheat distribution. It’s quite difficult to adjust. You can’t suddenly tell farmers to grow other crops. Asking them to grow vegetables as well is too much."

"As long as the supply of wheat doesn’t run out, why don’t we have more merchants? If we can exchange wheat for vegetables in each village, some villages might start growing vegetables. After all, there’s a surplus of wheat."

"Even if there’s a surplus of wheat, farmers won’t suddenly be told to grow other vegetables. There will be resistance."

"Then, increase the number of villages involved. Divide the farmers in the village into those who grow wheat and those who grow vegetables. This way, the cycle will work within the village. Just involve the farmers who agree. This way, it should be manageable with about nine villages."

"That would compromise the secrecy. The exclusive period would be shorter. Considering the value of seed oil, it might be better not to monopolize it..."

"Why don’t we try growing seed oil in all the villages within the domain? It’s not the growing season for wheat during winter, so we might be able to get a lot of seed oil during that time. Even if it’s not a full-time job, they might be willing to do it."

"Secrecy would be lost. Seed oil isn’t free, you know."

"No, we can let the commoners use it. If the customers aren’t just nobles, can’t we make it profitable?"

"Let commoners use oil?! ...Do common women want to make their hair shiny?"

"If they can, they would. It just costs money and effort."

"True. If it makes them beautiful, they’ll buy it if it’s cheap."

"Can’t you make alchemical items? Alchemical items that can clean hair using seed oil."

"That’s a good idea. It’s better to clean the hair rather than apply oil. There might be a way to produce it in large quantities. If the hair shines, it’s better to clean it rather than apply oil."

"Are you going to make it now? It won’t be done immediately."

"I have a rough idea. I was thinking that alchemical items to clean hair could be made using seed oil and either water flow grass or water bubble mushrooms. Is it impossible?"

"Wait, if you specify the materials, I might understand. Bruce, do you have any ideas?"

"...I’m not sure if it will work, but I think there are a few ways to do it. I think water bubble mushrooms would be better."

"Right. I think we can make it with seed oil and water bubble mushrooms. I’d like to wait a day to see the effects. It’s impossible to process all the ideas at once."

"If Serena can do it, there shouldn’t be a problem. Even if it’s impossible with nine stars, it’s a good idea, Herman. Let’s start by filtering the seed oil. How many bottles do we have?"

"We have enough for five bottles. Water bubble mushrooms can be obtained from the Uze Salt Lake, so there shouldn’t be a problem. How about we divide it among five people and see the results in two days? I’ll take one bottle."

"Then, let’s assign it to those with more stars. Serena, Kevin, Gabriella, and Melanie. If we make it today, let’s use it tomorrow and the day after and gather in room 0304. Serena, Gabriella, and Melanie, please use it and share your thoughts. Especially Melanie, since you’re from a noble family, I want it to succeed."

"I can do it if the materials are specified. ...It might be uneven since it’s my first alchemy, and I might need to make adjustments, but it’s not impossible. I have a rough idea of the final form."

"If it can be made with water bubble mushrooms and seed oil, it should trade for about three silver coins per bottle. This is cheaper than orc oil. It would be very helpful if it’s possible. This way, even commoners can afford it."

"If it has no smell, there would be demand from beastwomen too. The scent of orc oil is too strong for them. If it doesn’t have a smell during the alchemical process, the demand could expand. I’ve always wanted to use it."

"Right. If the oil has no smell, it can be used by beastwomen. I want to use it too."

Well, my idea has taken us in a different direction. We started with the discussion about sweet potatoes that enrich the soil, then moved to the topic of experimental fields, vegetables, whether we can experiment in the Ormond domain, seed oil production, and my bombshell idea of an alchemical item that commoners can use. The people who thought it was possible decided to conduct an experiment, and the discussion ended with the idea that beastwomen might want to use it. The final decision was to make an alchemical item to clean hair. How did we end up here?

"Then, let’s meet here at 2 AM on the 13th. That’s all for this discussion."

"Hehe. This is getting interesting. New people really liven things up."

"Indeed, it was a good idea to invite you. After all, you’re the one who brought a new wind to the Genkaku school."

"Really, that discovery was made by Herman!"

"It was partly luck."

"Luck is important for alchemists. What materials and substances you encounter is a matter of luck."

"Then, if there are other topics, please announce them."

"Then, I’ll go first. The vegetable experiment I was working on is finished. The taste is stable, and I’ve adjusted it to grow year-round. I just need fields and farmers. I want to try it in the Ormond domain, even as a side project."

"You’re giving me more work... Fine. We’ll discuss this after the alchemical item is successful in two days. If it succeeds, I’ll lend you all the fields for other crops. If the domain becomes prosperous, you can take it all."

"Wow, the Ormond domain might develop greatly. ...By the way, does the Ormond domain have a water elemental spirit land or a place where water bubble mushrooms can be obtained?"

"Yes, we have both a water elemental spirit land and a place where water bubble mushrooms can be obtained. Don’t worry. I plan to make a lot of money from this business."

"Then, why don’t we also establish a logistics network? We can make the merchants vassals of the domain and have them transport wheat and vegetables to various places within the domain. We can operate a large trading company under the lord’s name."

"What’s that? I understand making the merchants vassals of the domain, but what do you mean by a logistics network?"

"In villages, people rarely eat meat. So, we can encourage them to buy meat with the money they earn from selling wheat and vegetables. Since spices are more expensive to transport than wheat, we can sell rat meat, chicken, and rabbit meat to the villages. This will improve the farmers’ diet."

"Speaking of which, people in the villages hardly ever ate meat. Only occasionally when hunters shared some."

"Right. They mostly ate wheat porridge and roasted vegetables."

"In that case, I’ve recently set up a mill and plan to spread it to the villages. By improving the villagers’ diet, the village will have more leeway, and more children will be born. ...Then, the lord can issue a notice to teach the commoners how to read and write. This will reduce the number of low-level adventurers, increase the population, and make everyone happy."

"Wait, wait. You’re stirring up too much in our domain. ...But, it’s interesting. If the population increases, more talented people will be born. This means more knights and mages will come from our domain’s magic realms. Teaching reading and writing in villages is usually done by the church. So, we can also encourage them to pray. This will improve the quality of adventurers, and no one will lose. ...But, what about the odd jobs in town? There will be fewer low-cost adventurers."

"I think some people will still not study, so we can assign those jobs to them. ...And, if there are wealthy adventurers, the town’s prices might rise, but there will be more wealthy adventurers willing to pay. After all, it’s better to have money coming in than going out."

"I’m starting to understand your mind. You’re planning something incredible. Ultimately, you want to treat adventurers as employed and change the tax system to be similar to the price of merchants. This logistics network is for that. If there are more usable adventurers, they can be hired as guards or merchants. The capital might even expand. ...We might even be able to create new towns between villages in the future. But first, let’s focus on turning villages into towns. ...What’s going on in your head? It’s fascinating. I don’t think everything will go as planned, but let’s discuss it. Some of it might be implementable."

"I don’t think this dream will all come true. If part of it works, it will still create a significant impact."

"Indeed, it’s a dream. ...Let’s discuss it. It’s a fascinating idea. If our domain grows, that’s all that matters."

While we were discussing this dream, the older members were quietly talking among themselves.

"Hmm, is Herman really a commoner? His thinking seems more like that of a noble lord."

"Occasionally, there are people who stand out in areas other than talent. Herman is one of those who was drawn to the moon instead of the stars. They are almost non-existent among long-lived species, only among humans. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone whose thinking goes beyond talent."

"...I see, drawn to the moon instead of the stars. Then, Herman might also be drawn to the moon of cooking."

"Hehe. Things drawn to the moon are fascinating. They are different from ordinary people, as significant as ten stars. Whether they bring good or bad luck depends on the recipient. They are drawn to something invisible and often live a tumultuous life. If they can catch it, they might gain immense wealth or advanced civilization. They are such beings."

"Hmm. ...So, you’re saying there might be someone who was given stars by a god other than the Sun God?"

"That’s not an exaggeration. However, we don’t know which god gave them how many stars, so we express it as being drawn to the moon. Humans are truly fascinating."

"Why are they rare among long-lived species?"

"Long-lived species can also be drawn to the moon, but they don’t live as urgently as humans, so there’s no turbulent flow. We long-lived species don’t have the sense of urgency. ...But, there are some who