Chapter 11: The Calamity of the Grain-Eating Birds!

Above the public fields of Valley City, amidst the low-hanging clouds and mist, a [Floating Cloud Flying Boat] hovered. A robust man stood at the bow of the ship, dressed in a light green official uniform embroidered with clouds and wheat stalks. A copper-printed silver thread was tied around his waist, and a bamboo basket lay at his feet. The basket seemed no larger than a square meter, yet black birds continuously flew out from it, heading straight for the farmland below.

Beside the basket stood two middle-aged men in similar official attire, distinguished only by the copper-printed blue thread around their waists. These three were Chen Shijie, the chief officer of the Valley City Department of Agriculture, holding the rank of Ninth Grade, and his deputies, Gao Linong and Tang Wanchun, both of the subordinate Ninth Grade.

Behind these three stood another person, with an iron ruler at his waist, sent by the county magistrate Li Wenzheng as a clerk responsible for recording the monthly evaluations, a mere tool of the bureaucracy.

Once the black birds had all flown out of the basket, the county clerk began his official duties, clasping his hands and asking, "May I ask, Great Chen, what species are these black birds?"

Chen Shijie turned around, clasping his hands in return, "These birds are called 'Grain-Eating Birds,' also known as 'Raven Birds.' They are commonly found in the north and were specially transported from my hometown for the purpose of evaluating the local farmers."

The clerk asked again, "What is the content of this evaluation during the Lesser Heat?"

Chen Shijie replied, "During the Lesser Heat, the rice is nearing maturity, and the Grain-Eating Birds love rice the most. This evaluation is to see how the farmers deal with agricultural pests."

The clerk, seemingly unfamiliar with these Grain-Eating Birds, cautiously asked, "Is it similar to a locust plague?"

"It won't be that exaggerated, after all, it's just a routine evaluation," Chen Shijie reassured.

The clerk took out a pen and paper from his waist and asked, "Please, Great Chen, provide detailed scoring criteria."

Chen Shijie pointed to the basket and said, "The public fields of Valley City have been adjusted to the Great Heat climate, which is unbearably hot and will quickly deplete the farmers' energy. After an hour, the Grain-Eating Birds will return to the basket, and I, along with Gao and Tang, will evaluate the farmers below."

"The evaluation will be based on the damage to each farmer's field."

"If the rice damage is less than ten percent, it will be rated as excellent."

"Damage less than twenty percent will be rated as good."

"Damage less than fifty percent will be rated as fair."

"If the damage exceeds fifty percent, there will be no score for this evaluation, and they will be penalized to replant, using cultivation techniques to accelerate growth. If they can recover, they may receive a fair rating."

The clerk quickly noted down the details and then clasped his hands, "Thank you, Great Chen, for your answers. I shall not disturb the three of you any longer."

With that, he turned and entered the cabin, waiting for the results to be reviewed by Chen Shijie and reported back to the county magistrate.

Below the public fields of Valley City, chaos had already erupted. No one expected the test to come from the sky, and so suddenly!

A dense flock of birds circled above each farmer's field. However, these birds were only circling for now, not yet taking action, giving the farmers time to respond.

Some reacted swiftly, already beginning to implement methods. [Cloud Walking], [Rising Wind], [Thunder Striking], [Rain Spreading], all in a flurry of activity. Everyone wanted to drive away these unwelcome guests as quickly as possible.

"Heavens, I recognize these as northern Raven Birds, which specialize in eating grains and are extremely difficult to drive away!"

"Damn the examiners, we in the south don't even have these birds, and they use them as a test question?"

"Chen Shijie is a Northerner, could he have brought them here on purpose?!"

"The Lesser Heat evaluation is about natural disasters, how can Raven Birds not count as a natural disaster?"

"Ah! My freshly harvested rice! Get away, you filthy birds!"

Hands busy, feet in disarray, curses and cries filled the once peaceful examination fields, turning them into a scene of chaos.

Zhao Xing was the first to recognize these as Grain-Eating Birds, as he was all too familiar with them! During his previous tenure as a farmer, he had encountered this problem, and his territory often experienced various 'natural disasters,' which were considered calamities.

Of course, compared to the 'locust plague,' it was still far less severe, as locusts could completely devastate crops, eating them down to the roots.

"What kind of birds are these, unaffected by wind, rain, or even thunder? Brother Zhao, Qian Dong, how should we respond... Brother Zhao?"

Chen Ziyu looked down to find Zhao Xing's figure, only to see that Zhao Xing had already run to the straw pile area.

Only his voice came from the wind, "Don't just stand there, hurry back to your respective fields and think of a way. If nothing else works, drive them away yourself, protect as much as you can!"

Hearing Zhao Xing's voice, Qian Dong and Chen Ziyu quickly took action. At this moment, there was no time to worry about anything else; it was a race against time.

At this moment, Zhao Xing was very grateful that he hadn't slacked off in practicing the Scarecrow Technique these past few days. Because right now, scarecrows were the most effective method to deal with the situation.

[You have crafted a Scarecrow (replica)]

[Scarecrow (replica)]

[Proficiency: 854/9999]

[Effect: Commands to act, cycles to restart.]

[Grass and Trees as Soldiers proficiency +1]

[You have crafted a Scarecrow (replica)]

[Scarecrow (replica)]

[Proficiency: 864/9999]

[Effect: Commands to act, cycles to restart.]

[Grass and Trees as Soldiers proficiency +2]

The proficiency of initial Magic Arts reaches 9999, with each 1000 proficiency increasing a level, marking a 'Magic Arts Transition,' signifying a new level of power.

Since Zhao Xing studied the 'Liu's Compilation Method,' his scarecrow proficiency was quite high, but not yet at the 'first transition' level.

However, what was needed now was quantity, not quality.

"Faster, faster, faster..."

Zhao Xing's hands moved almost too fast to see. Since taking the 'Dao Embryo Pill,' his energy and stamina had increased, and his physical condition had improved significantly. In no time, the straw pile in front of him visibly shrank, while scarecrows began to run towards their targets.

One, two, ten, fifteen...

A moment passed, and the circling black birds descended, starting to devour the rice.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing's expression changed. His field was five mu, about the size of half a soccer field, and the number of scarecrows was still insufficient.

"Cloud Walking!"

His fingers emitted a golden light, rushing towards his farmland, the clouds and mist lowering to cover it.

At this moment, Zhao Xing was no longer the person he was a month ago. The range of his Cloud Walking almost covered half of the five mu field.

The effect of the clouds and mist slightly hindered the Grain-Eating Birds, but only slightly.

"Thunder Striking!"

Zhao Xing cast another Magic Art, the cloud layer turning from white to gray, with thunder booming and purple lightning flashing.

"Caw~"

The descending Grain-Eating Birds scattered again, rising back up. However, they still refused to leave, circling above, seemingly looking for an opening, or waiting for the thunder to stop.

Zhao Xing no longer hesitated, immediately speeding up his actions, knowing this could only delay them temporarily, not stop them entirely.

The Lesser Heat evaluation aimed to select outstanding individuals from over five hundred people, and the duration would not be short.

Only about twenty people could achieve the highest scores.

"My best score before was just below good, mostly fair or just passing. The upcoming evaluations are crucial for me."

Zhao Xing thought to himself, his palm reaching out, only to find it empty. The straw pile in front of him was already gone.

He immediately rushed to another straw pile, pulling and weaving, and just then, several figures also ran to his straw pile, competing for 'materials.'

Mastering the Scarecrow Technique, Zhao Xing found it useful, and he wasn't the only one. Many others had also responded.

"Get lost, I saw this first!"

"What do you mean it's yours, this is public property..."

"Aren't you leaving?!"

Zhao Xing picked up a stone and fiercely threw it at the person opposite him. His face showed ferocity, his eyes fierce, revealing the deeply ingrained player nature of his past life.

"You, you are unreasonable..."

The person was startled, quickly retreating. Just as he was about to curse, seeing Zhao Xing's fierce face and the machete in his hand, he realized this was not someone to provoke and had to run away.

Seeing this, others dared not approach, as there were still many straw piles, and it wasn't worth fighting with someone who would resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

Zhao Xing resumed making scarecrows.

(End of Chapter)