Chapter 80: My Own World
My first attempt at creating rich, black earth resulted in something that looked more like tar – a sticky, dense mass that would have suffocated any plant unfortunate enough to try growing in it.
"Perhaps analyze the components separately?" Azure suggested as I dispersed the failed attempt. "Soil isn't just one material."
Right. I remembered Senior Sister Chen explaining soil composition during one of her lectures. "Good soil needs organic matter, minerals, proper texture..." I muttered, trying to recall the details.
I started again, this time focusing on creating the individual components first. The mineral base came easily enough – fine particles of rock and clay that would form the soil's foundation. But when I tried adding what I thought would be organic material, plants created by wood qi, it turned into a strange, crystalline substance that definitely wasn't going to support any life.
"That's...unique.”
"It's awful," I corrected, dissolving the bizarre crystal-dirt hybrid. "I'm thinking about this wrong. Instead of trying to create organic matter directly, maybe I should focus on creating something that could eventually hold organic material?"
The third attempt went better. I managed to create a dark, rich-looking soil by carefully balancing different mineral particles and leaving tiny spaces throughout the structure. It wasn't perfect – real topsoil would need actual organic matter – but it would serve as a framework for future growth.
Moving on to clay soil proved equally challenging. My first try produced something closer to ceramic – hard, brittle chunks that would have been great for pottery but useless for growing plants. The second attempt went too far in the opposite direction, creating a slimy mud that refused to hold any shape.
"Clay needs a specific balance of minerals," Azure reminded me. "And the particle size matters."