Chapter 27: Giving the Locals a Small Farming Shock!

The next morning, the players logged in early.

They followed Walter to the farmland that had been assigned to them.

On the way, Walter also mentioned the investigation into the robed figures. The players agreed eagerly, as they were currently short on Pokémon Dollars.

However, that task would have to wait for later. Right now, their minds were completely occupied with farming.

Walter wasn't in a hurry either. After all, investigating the robed figures was a long-term mission and couldn't be completed quickly.

But he was curious about one thing: Why were these visitors from the divine realm so obsessed with farming? The moment they saw the farmland, their eyes lit up, and they immediately rolled up their sleeves, ready to work hard.

This was actually a cultural difference.

Farming was engraved in the players' bones. Every person from their homeland had once felt the desire to grow something.

Unfortunately, most were constrained by reality and didn't have the conditions to farm.

They could only play farming games or watch farming-related variety shows.

But now, they had a large plot of farmland that looked just like real life, and they could farm on it freely. How could they not be overjoyed?

Walter, as a traditional aristocrat, naturally couldn't understand the players' passion for farming.

But being willing to farm was ultimately a good thing for the territory's development.

Thinking this, Walter stopped dwelling on it. After handing the Diglett over to the players, he turned to look for skilled farmers and respected locals.

The players, meanwhile, began farming enthusiastically.

By the time Leon woke up, it was almost noon.

He rubbed his temples.

He had slept for a long time, leaving him somewhat groggy.

These past few days, he had been busy handling all kinds of territory affairs while also guiding those players. He basically hadn't gotten a single good night's sleep.

Last night, Bounsweet saw how exhausted he was and refused to let him keep working, forcibly dragging him to bed to rest.

It even released a calming fragrance nearby, allowing Leon to sleep soundly.

"Mmm..."

Leon stretched comfortably, feeling much more refreshed.

He walked out of his bedroom and saw Walter waiting for him at the door.

"Sorry, Uncle Walter, I overslept. You've been waiting a long time."

"I should be the one apologizing. I took the liberty of telling the servants not to wake you. You've been working too hard these past few days and needed proper rest."

"Thank you for your concern. I really did rest well this time. Did you find all the people I asked for?"

"As you instructed, they've all been found. They're waiting for you in the reception hall."

"Take them straight outside the castle. I'll clean up and meet you there shortly."

Leon freshened up briefly, then led the locals to the players' farmland.

He pointed at the players working the fields and said to the locals:

"I brought you here so you can learn these refugees' farming methods and increase crop yields."

As soon as he finished speaking, the locals began murmuring among themselves.

"Why should we learn from them? What good farming methods could a bunch of refugees possibly have?"

"Exactly. I've been farming for decades. How could I be worse than a few youngsters?"

"These kids don't even have their feathers fully grown yet. They probably don't even know how to use farming tools properly."

They chattered endlessly, none of them believing the players could surpass them in farming.

"Enough!"

Leon raised his voice to silence their discussion. It seemed his authority wasn't strong enough yet—the locals dared to openly question his orders.

If Leon's father were here, they wouldn't have dared say a word. They'd just learn whatever they were told.

But this was understandable. Leon had only just become lord, so the locals didn't yet have full trust in him.

Besides, this concerned food production. Of course they wouldn't be willing to experiment lightly.

"First, watch how they farm. After seeing it, you can decide whether to learn or not. Don't worry, I won't force you."

Leon knew that no matter how much he explained, it wouldn't help. They needed to see it with their own eyes.

Soon, the locals were stunned by the players' methods.

"They're commanding Pokémon to plow the fields? And it's so fast! They've already plowed so much land in such a short time—it'd take me half a day to do that much!"

"Why are they burning those dead branches and leaves? And scattering the ashes on the soil?"

"What's that strange farming tool for?"

The more they watched, the more confused they became. Despite their decades of farming experience, they couldn't understand what these refugees were doing.

Could the lord actually be right? Did these refugees really have methods to increase crop yields?

Finally, one local couldn't hold back and asked:

"Lord, will doing this really increase crop yields?"

"Let them answer you. SilentTongue, come here. These people have questions for you."

Leon called Ethan Carter over to explain the locals' doubts.

Ethan naturally answered everything in detail. After all, he wanted to raise Leon's and the locals' favorability.

"Why can we command Pokémon? Oh, you mean the Diglett? The lord rented them to us. These little guys are experts at plowing and turning soil. Plus, their droppings make the soil more fertile."

"Of course, their droppings alone won't improve soil fertility much. So we made some wood ash and scattered it over the fields."

"What's wood ash? It's the ashes left after burning plants. It's rich in trace elements like potassium and phosphorus, which can..."

"You don't understand? Uh... Simply put, spreading wood ash makes the soil more fertile and kills germs in the dirt, helping crops grow better."

"That farming tool? It's called a seed drill, used for sowing. Since time was tight, I made a simple version. But it's still much better than hand-sowing—saves time and effort while spreading seeds more evenly, reducing waste."

Ethan answered each of the locals' questions one by one.

"Any more questions? No one's talking? Then I guess that's it. Lord, I'll get back to work now."

Seeing the locals staring at him dumbfounded without speaking, Ethan assumed they had no further questions. He bid Leon farewell and returned to farming.

Little did he know, his explanations had shocked the locals into silence.

After a long pause, the locals finally snapped out of it. They turned to Leon with excitement.

"Lord, is everything he said true?"

"Of course it's true. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to learn from them. Using their farming methods won't just save time and labor—it'll increase crop yields by at least 30%!"

Leon held up three fingers, waving them in front of the locals' eyes.

"30%?! You're not joking, are you?"

The locals couldn't believe it.

"Why would I joke about food production? Some of you have farmed for decades. Whether these methods can increase yields—you should be able to tell."

A few locals looked toward the veteran farmers, who huddled together briefly before nodding at the group.

They might not understand the principles behind these methods, but based on their years of experience, it really did seem possible to significantly boost yields this way.

Seeing the veteran farmers' approval, Leon continued:

"If you're still worried, I give you my family's word: If using these methods leads to reduced yields, I will compensate you."

"Now, the choice is yours. Are you willing to learn these refugees' farming methods?"

The locals exchanged glances before clamoring eagerly:

"I'll learn! I want to learn!"

"I said it first! You get in line!"

Watching the locals compete fervently, Leon smirked in satisfaction.

If they didn't get a small farming shock, it'd be a disservice to his homeland's millennia of agricultural history!

Take your time learning...

(End of Chapter)