Chapter 62

Ange happily gathered all the crops, which was his first large-scale harvest since leaving the Palace of Rest.

While harvesting, he summarized a few issues. First, the soil was severely compacted, seemingly having lost much of its fertility.

Second, water conservation. During these three hours, he had been watering non-stop, but compared to the entire planting season, the amount of water used was probably less than one-fiftieth of what it used to be.

It was estimated that the accelerated growth time and the efficient use of water, with less natural evaporation, led to this result.

Third, poor pollination. The growth period was only three hours, and the flowering period was less than ten minutes. Pollinating within such a short flowering period using the Pollination Spell had a shockingly low success rate, with at least 20% of the plants not being properly pollinated.

Fourth, the grains grew much larger. Previously, a grain might have been only 5-6 millimeters, but now they were about 20 millimeters, growing four times as large, resembling small sticks.

This also meant that despite 20% of the plants not being properly pollinated, the yield per acre was still three times higher than before.

Overall, the effects of the Rapid Death Aura were superlative. The issue of soil compaction and loss of fertility could be addressed with crop rotation. The farm had 3,000 acres of farmland, and planting 300 acres at a time allowed for nine rotations.

If that didn't work, other crops could be rotated, or fertilizer could be used. If all else failed, there were still other options.

After quickly planting the 3,000 acres of farmland within the Palace of Rest, Ange carried the seeds and buckets outside.

Beyond the sinkhole, an endless wasteland stretched out. As soon as the Wind of Rest had passed, Ange eagerly ran out, scattering the seeds from his bag. The wind vortex distributed them evenly.

Under meticulous cultivation, Ange would dig trenches, raise ridges, bury bone meal and wood ash, sow seeds, and cover them with soil. For crops with longer growth cycles, he would start seedlings early or cover them with straw for warmth.

However, now, before him was an endless, flat wasteland that had not been cultivated for over a thousand years, making it very fertile.

With the accelerated growth time being short, there was no need to cover the seeds with soil; the roots could still grow deep and the stalks stand firm. Without wind during the day, the crops would not fall over.

In the air, Negris flew forward, holding a bag with its hind legs. The bag had a few small holes, and as it flew, seeds continuously leaked out, forming seed trails.

"Why do I have to sow seeds for you? Show some respect, I am the God of Knowledge, not the God of Agriculture," Negris complained as it flew.

On the other side, the angelic skeleton flew quietly with a bag, without a single complaint. Occasionally, when Ange looked over, it would pat the bag, indicating it was working hard.

The small zombie was digging holes, large holes. With the handle of the hoe removed, the remaining part was worn on its hands, and it quickly dug into the ground, shoveling large amounts of soil out from between its legs.

After sowing the seeds, Ange began watering. Since his Purification Spell had been upgraded, other spells had also improved.

Now, using first-level mana, he could cast Purification, Rain, and other spells with third-level effects, and spells for burning, pollination, and soil loosening with second-level effects, while still using only first-level mana.

Regarding this, Negris responded, "What's so strange? It's just a matter of increased proficiency. The mana is optimized during casting, achieving maximum effect. All genius mages can do this."

After that, it grumbled, "You're just stacking up numbers, spit."

The proficient Rain Spell evolved Ange's sprinkler into a water gun, thoroughly soaking the ground.

On the thoroughly moistened earth, seeds either lay exposed or were half-covered by soil. Then, Ange stepped firmly on the ground where he had sown the seeds, and instantly, all life was accelerated.

Lightning stayed far away. Among Ange's companions, it was the only one still alive. Upon hearing about the Rapid Death Aura, it immediately fled as far as possible.

From its distance, the transformation was even more clearly visible, like a divine miracle.

Large areas of land sprouted green shoots, like a vast grassland. The sprouts grew stronger, the stalks stood tall, adding a touch of green to the grayish world.

Unicorns are naturally close to nature. Lightning, having stayed in this world for a long time, found it quite uncomfortable, so it usually hid in the sinkhole, secretly nibbling on beet leaves with the minotaur family.

This miraculous transformation had the greatest impact on it.

The entire growth process lasted three hours, and Ange was very busy, especially during pollination, when others couldn't help.

He used the Pollination Spell to lift the pollen into the air and then left it to fall freely, sticking wherever it landed. The air above the crops was filled with a large amount of powder. If someone with pollen allergies stood in the field, they would surely be choked to death.

Despite this, Ange still felt overwhelmed. The flowering period was too short, and for the first time, he felt his mana couldn't recover fast enough. He was casting spells at a rate of three per second, like a woodpecker, making Negris turn away, unable to watch: "Can't look, too depressing."

The crops matured and turned yellow, the heavy ears bending the stalks. Ange stopped the aura and ran through the field with the Scythe of Death.

In the human world, goblin engineers had invented a harvesting machine, but compared to Ange's method of swinging the scythe, it was much slower.

After harvesting the crops, the sky gradually darkened, and it was soon evening.

The stalks were bundled and carried by Lightning to the large pit dug by the small zombie.

The wind gradually picked up, and Ange had to gather all the crops into the pit before the Wind of Rest blew, or they would turn to powder overnight.

There was no time to thresh the grains. Ange cut the ears directly, dropping them into the pit to cover the bottom.

After all the ears were cut, everyone jumped into the pit and lay on top of the ears as the Wind of Rest finally blew, howling past.

Negris dug a hollow in the ears, lying comfortably like a dragon on a pile of treasure, and sighed, "You really did it. Completing sowing and harvesting in a day, turning this vast wasteland into fertile farmland, you've changed the world."

Ange tilted his head, not speaking, and Lightning said dismissively, "What change? You worked hard for a day and only managed 200 acres. There are 300 days in a year, not counting winter. That's only 60,000 acres. What can 60,000 acres of grain change?"

"In the human world, they plant millions of acres at a time, with various cash crops and wild flowers and trees covering billions of hectares. This world is too barren, even lacking wood. Living here is so difficult, it might be better to become undead."

Negris gave it a disdainful look, "Ange can plant 200 acres a day by himself, but if others help with sowing, watering, and harvesting, and Ange only handles the aura, how many acres do you think he could plant in a day?"

Lightning opened its mouth but couldn't speak. Indeed, with help, Ange could cast the aura at least three times a day, and each time, he could accelerate 300-400 acres, totaling over 1,000 acres a day, nearly 300,000 acres a year.

"Besides, don't you think the yield of these crops is very high? At least three times that of ordinary crops. But you're right, this world is too barren, and even more grain won't change much."

Lightning was amazed. 300,000 acres, with a threefold increase in yield, would be equivalent to nearly one million acres of grain, more than many medium-sized principalities could produce.

And all of this was done by Ange alone, truly changing the world.

Lightning stubbornly said, "It's impossible to plant that much. The aura has no cost? It can't be used every day."

Negris had overlooked this issue and asked Ange, "What does it cost to activate the aura?"

"Two thousand soul flames," Ange replied.

Activating the aura for three hours required over 2,000 soul flames, which was actually more than transferring an equal weight of grain from the Palace of Rest. However, transferring was just transportation, while the aura was production.

Moreover, Ange was happy. The soul flames finally had a use. With more believers, he received 1,000-2,000 soul flames daily, not knowing what to do with them. Even if he activated the aura once a day, he could maintain a balance.

Using only the faith of believers to produce grain continuously was truly a highly profitable business. Lightning's sharp tongue couldn't find a way to argue, angrily biting the ear of grain beneath it.

After chewing a bit, it was puzzled, then chewed a bit more, and its eyes lit up, exclaiming, "Delicious, super delicious, super delicious grain."

Three "delicious" in a row made Negris curious, but it couldn't eat, so it asked, "How is it delicious?"

"Sweet, fragrant, and glutinous, bursting with flavor, each grain distinct, even better than the best moon grain of the elves." Lightning was very excited, wanting to take another bite but was pushed away by the small zombie, who headbutted it.

The angelic skeleton also pounced, spreading its arms and legs over the ears, staring at Lightning with a "all mine" expression.

"Ow!" Ange called, bringing the two back. Only Lightning ate in the pit, and Ange wouldn't be stingy with a bit of grain.

Lying on a pile of sweet and fragrant ears, just opening your mouth to eat to your heart's content, wasn't this the life he dreamed of? If only his horn could grow back.

Lightning daydreamed until a sudden urge to urinate woke him up, "Not good, I need to pee."

"No!" Negris shouted first. The pit was full of grain, and even a fart would ruin it.

"But... but... I can't hold it," Lightning's face turned sour, looking at the grain beneath it and the howling Wind of Rest outside the pit. If it dared to climb out, it would surely be turned into a zombie.

Ange crawled over, grabbed its leg, and dragged it into the Palace of Rest. He dug a hole in an open area of the farm, let it finish, and then released it.

"You weigh a thousand pounds, right? Transferring in and out costs soul flames. This pee is expensive. Why not cut it off?" Negris mocked.

"You don't need to use it, so why keep it? Why not cut it off?" Lightning retorted, not afraid of a verbal sparring match.

While the two were bickering, Ange suddenly sensed a voice: "My Lord Ange... save me..."

Ange was puzzled. This was the first time he had received such a distant belief. Usually, in the temple, he could hear some voices when receiving soul flames from nearby believers, but now there were no believers or soul flames around.

Following the voice, Ange extended his consciousness and soon entered a mind, immediately recognizing who was calling him—it was the goblin Silver Coin.

At that moment, Silver Coin's neck had just been snapped by a Black Knight, and his soul was about to be sucked out for memory extraction.

The residual consciousness sensed Ange's presence and urgently said, "Lord Ange, I will worship you with the same devotion I have for money, aiming to spread your glory. Save me..." Before he could finish, a force began to pull his soul.

A ball of soul flame emerged from Silver Coin's consciousness and was caught by Ange, who was still puzzled.

Honestly, Silver Coin had called the wrong person. Ange was not a qualified deity and didn't know what to do in such a situation, but he still tried. Instinctively, he struggled against the force pulling Silver Coin's soul, managing to save at least half of it.

Then what? Not knowing what to do, Ange stared at Silver Coin's body being thrown to the ground and the Black Knights disappearing. After some thought, he decided to return Silver Coin's soul to its original place.

So he put it back, but with only half a soul, it couldn't return. What to do? He decided to supplement it. Ange subconsciously mobilized his soul energy to try to repair Silver Coin's damaged soul.

As he did so, a flame of soul energy ignited in Ange's mind, and a large amount of soul energy crossed the planes to Silver Coin's damaged soul.

A soul flame, which Ange could usually create easily, this time required dozens of times more energy to barely repair Silver Coin's soul.

After placing it back, Ange could no longer support it and his consciousness quickly returned to his body.

Regaining consciousness, he saw the concerned looks of the small zombie, the angelic skeleton, and Negris: "What happened? Why did your soul energy suddenly overflow?"

Ange described what had happened, and Negris's face showed a strange expression: "You mean you just performed a planar projection? And it was in response to a believer's call?"

Two chapters combined.