Chapter 82: Crisis!
On the way, Kaiden asked the farmer about the problem with the crops. He didn't know much about farming, but he still knew the basics. He asked whether there were insects eating the leaves or roots, yellowing leaves, or wilting due to some other issue. The surprise was that the farmer just kept shaking his head, denying each one.
"So what's the problem then?" Kaiden wasn't in the mood for more guesswork, so he asked directly, demanding a clear answer from the farmer.
"My lord, the crops and tree saplings are all completely healthy... but they've stopped growing!" The farmer's initial panic eased with the Lord present — his mere arrival to solve the problem lifted the weight off his shoulders. To him, the Lord had always been capable of miracles.
So he answered with more detail: "We don't know why they stopped growing, and that's exactly the problem! The crops aren't lacking anything. The soil is good, watering is consistent, and there's no visible issue at all. At first we thought we were imagining it, but after watching more closely we confirmed it... everything planted has completely stopped growing!"
Kaiden nodded to show he understood, lost in thought. The three of them kept walking and soon reached the farmland.
Before them lay a large square field divided into three equal rectangular sections, for wheat, barley, and corn. Beside the large field sat a smaller rectangular one, separated from the first by a dirt path about two meters wide that had formed naturally under the farmers' footsteps. This field was planted with several types of fruit trees, spaced four meters apart from one another. The field looked a bit sparse, but the spacing was a necessary measure to keep the trees from growing into each other and affecting their growth.
Just as the farmer had said, there was no visible problem in the fields. The saplings' leaves were lush and full, without the slightest sign of fungal disease, insect damage, or anything similar. As for the crops, they were nearly ripe and only needed a small final push before harvest time.
Upon the Lord's arrival, the farmers found in him their source of confidence, and soon gathered around him spontaneously. One farmer, who'd been assigned to the first farming batch, stepped forward and spoke to Kaiden in a guilty tone:
"My lord, no matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find why the crops stopped growing. We had no choice but to inform you."
"It's alright, it's not your fault." Kaiden patted the farmer's shoulder reassuringly upon hearing his guilty tone — the man looked as though he was about to demand his own hanging to take responsibility.
Either way, after seeing the state of the crops, Kaiden already had a guess, but he turned to the mage he'd brought along for further confirmation.
"Zeidan, check the plants' condition and see if they're suffering from any issues."
"As you command, my lord." Zeidan stepped forward and extended both hands, spreading his mana out over the front rows of crops before him. He closed his eyes briefly to better sense the crops' condition, then opened them and returned to Kaiden's side to give his report.
"My lord, there's no problem with the crops at all. They're still drawing nutrients from the soil normally, and their growth isn't suffering from any disruption."
Zeidan thought for another second, then offered an additional piece of information: "The grain still needs a bit more nourishment before it fully ripens. The best time to harvest would be the day after tomorrow, around this same hour."
"Hmm... good work." Kaiden nodded. He'd expected something along these lines. Thinking it over, three days had already passed, and harvest should have started around this time. Everything confirmed his suspicion: the crops hadn't stopped growing at all — their growth had simply slowed down, which had tricked the farmers into thinking it had stopped entirely, since they were used to seeing rapid growth visible to the naked eye.
He didn't need to think much further to know why the growth had slowed. It had most likely started yesterday afternoon, when Novice Protection ended. The protective barrier vanished first, then the guaranteed chance of blueprint drops disappeared, then the soldiers got stripped of their gear, and now even the farming sector had been hit hard. Everything was connected. The culprit was clear: the end of the Novice Lord Support Program.
The moment Kaiden pieced together the cause and effect, a system notification appeared before him, confirming it.
[Quest "Explorer of Change" completed. Reward sent to the Lord's inventory: ×1 Black Iron Treasure Chest]
Unlike usual, Kaiden felt no happiness at all completing this quest. Quite the opposite — a deep frown spread across his face as he grasped the predicament he was in.
Before Support ended, the crops had only needed a few more hours until harvest. Then the Support Program ended, and those few hours turned into forty-eight hours. The time had multiplied several times over! He didn't even need to calculate it — he still had unplanted seeds in his storage to confirm it.
---
Name: Wheat Seed
Type: Plant/Crop
Description: A crop with high nutritional value.
Time to harvest after planting: 28 days.
Note: Germination and the exact harvest duration depend on soil fertility and consistent watering.
---
"Damn it!" Kaiden couldn't hold back an angry curse. Three days had turned into twenty-eight days! An increase of nearly tenfold. He hadn't expected it to take this long.
Now he understood just how ridiculous his dream of getting rich through farming had been. With the size of the Fertile Lands he currently owned... forget getting rich, feeding his Territory's own residents had become a problem in itself. After all, he had roughly three hundred fifty mouths to feed, and the number kept growing every day.
Fortunately, he'd had the foresight. He hadn't sold off the surplus vegetable harvest earlier, or else he'd have nowhere to turn now. On top of that, over three hundred beasts had provided a massive supply of meat. Add to that the fact that he'd taken advantage of the final wave of the Novice Lord Support Program, and there was only a little time left until the next harvest anyway.
So for now, he wasn't suffering from a food shortage. But that didn't mean he wouldn't suffer in the future. The food consumption of hundreds of people couldn't be taken lightly. In fact, at this rate, a day might come when Kaiden wouldn't even dare summon new residents!
That was the worst-case scenario if he didn't find a solution in the coming days. Thinking about solutions suddenly sharpened his focus. Kaiden turned to Zeidan and looked at him with blazing eyes.
Under the Lord's burning gaze, Zeidan felt a chill run through his entire body. He instinctively stepped back half a pace.
"You have a skill that lets you accelerate plant growth, don't you?" Kaiden asked in a direct tone that left no room for hesitation.
"Ah?... Yes... yes, my lord, I have that skill." Zeidan stammered for a moment before composing himself and answering.
End of Chapter 82.