Chapter 83: One Shock After Another!
Upon hearing Zeidan's confirmation, Kaiden felt a wave of joy — but before that joy could fully settle in, he heard Zeidan add: "But—" Kaiden immediately sensed that whatever followed that word usually wasn't going to be good news, so he listened carefully.
"My lord, I can accelerate plant growth, yes. But sir, at my current level, I can only speed up a small section at a time — roughly one meter of farmland."
Zeidan took a breath and continued with more detail.
"On top of that, my lord, I can't shorten the entire duration in one go. For example, if the targeted plant needs a month to reach harvest stage, I'd need to use the growth acceleration skill ten times to cut that down to three days. And my lord, each single acceleration completely drains my mana reserves."
Hearing this answer, Kaiden's hopes deflated. It seemed he wouldn't be watching a field ripen at the press of a button after all. True, he had plenty of mana recovery potions, but the number wasn't infinite, and such a small area wasn't worth that kind of investment. He even felt that the "Mana-Infused Soil" skill he'd learned was more valuable — no matter how small the improved patch of land, it was a one-time investment with a permanent effect, and across the vast stretches of the Fertile Lands, it would eventually solve all his problems.
But that didn't diminish Zeidan's skill — it was still extremely valuable. Once he'd calmed down, Kaiden remembered something important, and asked Zeidan to follow him. Before they left, he explained the situation to the farmers and told them not to worry, and to keep tending the crops as usual.
Near the farmland stood an opening in the ground leading down below — this was where the Dark Oxide Tree grew.
When they climbed down, Kaiden noticed the awe and excitement in Zeidan's eyes, fixed on the tree. He hadn't shown that kind of expression looking at the saplings up above. It seemed that through his plant affinity, he'd sensed this tree's uniqueness compared to the others. But it wasn't the time for that. Kaiden asked about the thing that mattered to him more than anything else.
"Zeidan, check for me how long this tree needs to mature."
At the Lord's words, Zeidan snapped out of his daze.
"Alright, sir." He did as he had before up on the surface, but this time it took longer. After several minutes passed, he finally opened his eyes and gave his answer.
"My lord, this tree needs another month before it reaches the fruit-budding stage, then another month and a half until the fruit ripens."
"Two and a half months, huh..." Even though he'd expected a similar result, Kaiden still felt a pang of dismay inside. That was genuinely a long time — one he couldn't afford to wait out right now. Most lords across the different races were still buried in the chaos left behind by the Beast Tide, on top of all the changes, but very soon they'd have their hands free. The temptation to invade and destroy someone else's land was something no one would be able to resist.
"Can you speed up this tree's growth?" He looked at Zeidan hopefully. He didn't want to leave his fate up to luck, but since this tree belonged to another world entirely, he honestly wasn't sure.
"Yes, my lord. Even though this tree is unique compared to other trees, in the end it still belongs to the plant family, so I can accelerate its growth. I can't calculate the exact time until the fruit ripens, but I guarantee, my lord, it won't exceed ten days!" Zeidan tapped his chest with confidence as he made the vow, reclaiming a mage's dignity for himself — he didn't want to be a useless person.
"Excellent!" Kaiden clapped his hands upon hearing the mage's confirmation. Compared to two and a half months, ten days was a great deal any way you looked at it! That was a wait he could handle.
"Alright then, Zeidan, this tree is yours to handle. I'll have someone bring you mana recovery potions."
"I won't disappoint you, sir." Zeidan nodded firmly, sealing his vow, then added one more note.
"My lord, there's no need to send too many potions. Either way, the tree needs a bit of rest after each growth boost to ensure healthy development — and that works well with my own natural mana recovery too."
"Alright, do whatever you think is best." Kaiden nodded. He had no expertise in this field, so it was better to leave the details to the expert.
He still had plenty of other matters to deal with. After entrusting the tree's care to the trusted plant mage, Kaiden left with a sense of relief. As for whether tending the tree would hinder Zeidan's own growth — the opposite was actually true.
Just like Nora, who carried an affinity not suited for combat and gained experience through supporting and healing soldiers instead, Zeidan was the same. He didn't carry a combat-oriented affinity, and gained experience through supporting and boosting plant growth — especially for a distinguished tree like the one he'd just taken charge of, which would actually provide him double the experience.
Stepping back out into the light, Kaiden let out a tired but accepting sigh. So many changes had happened today, and it had worn him out. He had a feeling there were likely still more to come.
"The best way to catch every change is to open the Global Chat," Kaiden murmured, taking a deep breath to brace himself, then opened the Global Chat once more.
The first thing he noticed was that only around 500 million human lords remained alive — half the number that had originally arrived. Kaiden let out a heavy sigh, wishing peace upon their souls. The surviving lords had their own problems too, and as he'd expected, the Global Chat was buzzing with commotion. Beyond the things he already knew about — the blueprint shortage, soldiers stripped of their gear, and the crop delays — there were other major problems as well.
[Lord of the Black Swan Territory: On top of everything you've all mentioned, the time needed for animal breeding has increased too. My chickens used to take three days after hatching to start laying eggs. Now they need 15 days to reach egg-laying stage!]
Kaiden had already had a hunch about something like that, so it wasn't entirely unexpected. But what genuinely caught him off guard was a change he hadn't thought about at all.
[Lord of the Shield Kingdom Territory: Damn it! Did you guys see the World Market?! A new clause has been added to transactions! This clause requires paying an Origin Point transfer tax for every unit moved! That's for global trade — as for transactions within the same Territory, it's less: one Origin Point tax for every ten units transferred.]
Seeing this devastating news, Kaiden staggered and nearly collapsed. This was even worse than the change to farming.
What did this mean? It meant he could no longer buy the massive quantities of water he used to, the way he was accustomed to!
It also meant that the lords hit hardest by this change were exactly the ones like him — those stuck in a barren Territory!
End of Chapter 83.
Author’s note: Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that next week we’ll be screening an exclusive short film for Patreon subscribers. I can’t give away any details, but judging by the footage I’ve worked so hard to create, it’s going to be amazing!