Chapter 74: Druid Chainmail
The lid of the splicer flew open as Tulland dumped the seed out into his hand, grinning ear to ear. Even while he knew he should, he found it hard to care about the fact he had just taken a giant risk to develop a yet-useless plant. But this just felt right, somehow.
He rushed over to his farm and planted the seed immediately, clearing some nearly useless bushes out of the way to give it room. The seed itself didn’t seem to want anything particular beyond moist, nutritious soil, which he had tons of.
“How do you get so excited about plants?” Necia propped herself up on her elbow and watched as Tulland took his hoe to the soil. “I mean I get they help you survive, but even so.”
“I don’t know. Honestly, back home, I wouldn’t have cared. Not a bit. But here, somehow, it’s more important,” Tulland said.
“It’s the class.” Ley sat up, rubbing his eyes. “You’re a Farmer. That goes further than skin deep, you know. I wasn’t born absolutely loving learning little details about people’s tactical implications. It was a hobby at best. And now, after a lifetime in the class out there and months of reinforcing it in here, I can’t even see someone’s shoes without understanding what kind of traction they give. It’s insidious.”
“I still don’t get how that’s okay. It feels like mind control.”
“It’s… I mean, it’s boring. It’s just that you are getting soaked in the essence of being a Farmer at all times, and that has the same effect any new experience would. I think whatever authority in charge of every System just decided it would be weirder if that didn’t make a difference.”
“Well, I’m in it now anyway. It’s not like hating farming will help me any.”
“What about your plans for the day? Just more farming?”