Chapter 298: Right Track and Good News

According to Gao De's order, Grant has recruited a group of people from the tribe and is working hard to reclaim the first batch of 300,000 mu of farmland.

But before the birth of "Northwest Barley No. 1," the Enduring Zhenbing Tribe could not invest too much manpower in reclaiming land.

Because before having a stable food source, the labor force in the tribe still has to take obtaining food as the main work, and cannot invest in land reclamation that cannot see benefits for the time being.

Storing food has always been a difficult thing for the people of the northern realm—it's hard enough to eat enough, how to store it?

This also leads to their poor risk resistance.

Even if the Enduring Zhenbing Tribe is the largest tribe in the northern realm, it is not much better in this regard, not to mention that the Enduring Zhenbing Tribe has just experienced a "squandering" of sending troops to the Ice Plain Sanctuary, and the food reserves that were not rich can be said to have bottomed out at once.

So even if Gao De has 99% confidence in the success of hybrid barley in his heart, he cannot rashly make this decision that will lead to many tribesmen starving to death once the 1% failure occurs.

Naturally, under the condition of less investment in manpower and material resources, the area of farmland reclaimed in Phoenix at present is still far from the target of 300,000 mu.

The snowfield on one side outside the Phoenix ice city wall is the starting point of the 300,000 mu of farmland that Gao De plans to reclaim in the first batch.

A group of people brought Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds to here.

Nearly a hundred Enduring Zhenbing tribesmen have been waiting here for a long time according to the order.

They are the manpower responsible for reclaiming land during this period.

According to Gao De's instructions, under the guidance of Fu Luo La, these nearly a hundred Enduring Zhenbing tribesmen took the Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds and began to sow Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds at the most suitable distance and density.

The dozen or so apprentices of the Ministry of Agriculture were responsible for recording on the side.

After the Enduring Zhenbing tribesmen planted all the Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds brought, Gao De nodded

Su Nai immediately understood and selected a row of planting pits already covered with soil, casting the Nature Art.

At this moment, Gao De was also somewhat excited; he was not worried about the growth of the Northwest Barley No. 1, and he had immense confidence in the cross-breeding experiment.

What he cared about was that this was destined to be a great moment.

From today on, barley would officially appear on the permafrost, and the transformation of the northern realm would also begin from this moment.

Under Su Nai's "Nature Art" and the gaze of the crowd, over a hundred barley seedlings rapidly broke through the soil and grew quickly.

Although they had not yet seen the harvest of these seedlings, seeing the barley seeds—which clearly could only be harvested from Jin Hui Barley that grew on volcanic land—sprouting on the snowfield, everyone in the Enduring Zhenbing Tribe had their mouths agape.

Those Enduring Zhenbing tribespeople who had come to perform the sowing work according to orders were even more stunned and dumbfounded.

The subsequent steps were actually consistent with the cultivation process of the native cold-resistant barley.

Except for needing to stop during the flowering period for artificial pollination, everything else was spurred to growth in one go by Su Nai casting the "Nature Art."

Everything went smoothly, and success followed naturally.

Over a hundred tall and lush Northwest Barley No. 1 plants, hung with heavy, golden, and brilliant ears of grain, appeared before everyone, looking so "vibrant."

With just a rough glance, Gao De knew that this yield per mu would definitely meet his required "120 kilograms."

As the cold wind blew gently, a rich fragrance of wheat had already wafted out, making people feel refreshed and relaxed.

Gao De cast Mage Hand, casually plucked a handful of wheat ears from a barley plant, and rubbed them gently in his hand.

The hard outer husk fell off, revealing the golden wheat grains with tiny transparent vertical stripes.

They resembled Jin Hui Barley, but the differences were clearly visible.

Gao De stuffed this handful of wheat grains into his mouth and began to chew them carefully—this was the best way to eat Jin Hui Barley.

The texture was crispy and fragrant, with a hint of sweetness.

Of course, while the taste was important, it was not the focus of Gao De's concern.

After he chewed the barley grains and swallowed them, a warm current instantly rose from his abdomen and spread throughout his body, making him feel much warmer in an instant.

This was the cold-repelling property possessed by Jin Hui Barley, and it was also the aspect Gao De valued most.

Warmth and food had always been the greatest survival challenges for the people of the northern realm.

And the Northwest Barley No. 1 seed provided a solution to both of these major problems simultaneously.

"You all should try some too," Gao De said to the crowd with a smile.

Grant, as the Deputy Minister of the Agricultural Force, swallowed his saliva, was the first to pluck a handful of wheat ears, rubbed off the husks, and somewhat nervously stuffed the grains into his mouth to chew.

The next instant, Grant's slightly cloudy eyes suddenly shone with brilliance.

Seeing his reaction, the others could no longer hold back and followed suit, plucking handfuls of wheat ears to taste.

Following that, there was a flash of brilliance in everyone's eyes, and their bodies also began to tremble slightly due to excitement.

"My King, if such barley can grow without volcanic land, Phoenix will never have children starving to death again. Can it really be planted in large quantities on the snowfield?" Grant's voice was somewhat dry and trembling, still unable to believe it.

"As you can see, Deputy Minister Grant," Gao De spread his hands and said, "The snowfield is precisely the most suitable growth environment for Northwest Barley No. 1; conversely, if it were planted on volcanic land, it would actually be unable to grow normally."

"However, the area of suitable snowfield land we have reclaimed so far is not yet enough," Gao De changed the subject, pointing out the current problem.

He paused, turned to Su Nai, and said, "Next, on the premise of ensuring that food supply does not become a problem, we must shift the tribe's focus of work to land reclamation."

"It shall be so, my King," Su Nai said.

"The breeding work for Northwest Barley No. 1 still needs your help," Gao De added.

To quickly obtain Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds with stable and ideal traits, one cannot do without the rapid growth-spurring method of the "Nature Art" in the short term.

Thinking of this, Gao De couldn't help but secretly feel fortunate.

If not for the "Nature Art," it would have taken at least four or five years to cultivate the first generation of Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds.

The subsequent multi-generational selection would have taken several more years; it was nothing like now, where everything was already on the right track in just half a month.

Su Nai nodded heavily.

This was not just "farming in the fields," but a major event that could be called earth-shattering for the entire Enduring Zhenbing Tribe and even the entire northern realm.

"As for the guidance and standard supervision of land reclamation, as well as the subsequent multi-generational selection and breeding work for Northwest Barley No. 1, that is the responsibility of the Agricultural Force."

"The Agricultural Force currently has few available people, and there is so much to do; you will have to work hard for this period of time," Gao De said to Fu Luo La and Grant.

The matter of hybrid barley was already on the right track, and Gao De was not prepared to be a "full-time housekeeper."

He handed over the remaining work of food cultivation entirely to the Agricultural Force; from now on, Gao De would at most occasionally check the progress and results and offer a few relevant suggestions.

Delegating power when it is time to delegate is both liberating oneself and cultivating talent.

—It is not just that the Agricultural Force has too few people; the entire Phoenix has too few people who can be used.

A rapidly developing organization or power can never have only one department.

But the establishment of a department represents a new responsibility and capability, requiring sufficient management talent and foundation; otherwise, building an empty shell is meaningless.

The more he thought about it, the heavier Gao De felt his shoulders were.

Because Phoenix lacks too many things; it is basically starting from "0." The only consolation is that because it is sufficiently "primitive, closed, and backward," coupled with the Enduring Zhenbing tribespeople's almost blind faith in him, any of Gao De's ideas that might seem "unorthodox" to the outside world can be executed most resolutely here.

And in Gao De's view, going from "0" to "100" in the northern realm is actually easier than going from "40" or "50" to "100" in the outside world.

Because to go from "0" to "100," one only needs to put in "100" of effort.

In the outside world, one might have to first destroy the "40" or "50" down to "0," and then start from "0," in which case the effort put in would be "140."

Ten days passed quickly again.

Under the blessing of the fourth-rank spiritual land, half a year after Gao De was promoted to a first-circle magic user, he condensed a new drop of liquid mana.

The matter of cultivation was finally on the right track as well.

Mana quantity: 21 drops of liquid mana.

Mental power: 132.

This was Gao De's current state.

He had also successfully constructed spell models and mastered the last four first-circle spells obtained from the Snowfield Guardian during this period.

In the version with no errors at all!

The number of first-circle spells in Gao De's spell library had thus expanded to 14.

This number of first-circle spells was actually no different from that of a veteran first-circle magic user.

In addition, under the "efforts" of the Enduring Zhenbing tribespeople, Gao De had obtained another 6 points of first-circle origin; adding the one point he had left, he held 7 points of first-circle origin in his hands.

However, by this time, his efficiency in acquiring origin was not as high as before.

After all, there were only twenty or thirty common types of first-circle ley line creatures on the snowfield, and in the area around Phoenix, there were only about ten or so.

As for other first-circle ley line creatures, they were either uncommon or their numbers were not enough to make seven.

But this was not a big deal.

Because Gao De's current requirement was just for the tribespeople to catch some first-circle ley line creatures alive while they were hunting for food.

Once the Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds were fully rolled out and he no longer had to worry about food, he could completely form a hunting team specifically responsible for catching ley line creatures alive for him.

With confidence in his heart, Gao De added points to all four newly mastered first-circle spells, without being stingy with origin.

【Speak with Animals+】 (Divination school, 1st circle):

Gain the ability to understand beasts and communicate with them for the duration of the spell.

Many beasts do not have high intelligence, so their level of cognition is quite limited, but they can at least provide you with information about the surrounding area and monsters, including anything they have perceived now and within the previous day.

There is a small probability of persuading beasts to do you small favors.

Extra: The spell will also take effect on ley line creatures of a rank lower than yours.

The original 【Speak with Animals】 was considered one of the must-learn spells for members of the Snowfield Guardian.

Because on the desolate snowfield, whether it was obtaining information or finding targets, this spell was too practical.

And even in a city, 【Speak with Animals】 could actually play a great role as well.

—The size and living habits of beasts allow them to go to and notice many places that humans would not pay attention to.

Another thing is that humans naturally do not have much guard against beasts—just as a fugitive might kill someone to silence them if their tracks are seen by a human, but if seen by a mouse, they generally wouldn't do something as rigorous as exterminating the mouse.

And 【Speak with Animals+】 expands the spell's effective range, further enhancing its practicality.

【Hunter's Mark+】 (Divination school, 1st circle):

Designate a creature you can see within the casting distance (180 feet = 60 meters) and magically mark it as your prey.

Until the spell ends (one hour), you will deal extra damage each time you hit the target with a weapon attack, and you will find it easier to discover the target's tracks when searching for the marked creature.

Extra: Your spell attacks will also deal an equal amount of extra damage when hitting the target.

【Beast Bond+】 (Divination school, 1st circle):

You establish a mental link with a beast you touch that is friendly to you or charmed by you.

If the beast's intelligence is too high (exceeding that of monkeys, wolves, or certain birds), the spell will fail.

Until the spell ends, as long as you and the beast are within each other's line of sight, this link remains active.

Through this link, the beast can understand information you transmit telepathically, and it will also transmit its basic emotions and intentions to you telepathically.

Extra: As long as the creature is friendly to you or charmed by you, a mental link can be successfully established regardless of its intelligence.

【Mystic Chorus+】 (Illusion school, 1st circle):

Music of a form you choose plays within a 60-foot radius around you.

The music can travel around corners, and the music moves with you, always centered on you for the duration.

Until the spell ends, you can use an action to beguile a creature within your vicinity that you choose, that can see you and hear the music.

The creature must make a mental power save; if it fails the save, the creature becomes friendly toward you for as long as it can hear the music and for 1 hour thereafter.

When performing negotiation actions such as deception on a creature made friendly by this spell, the success rate will be increased.

Extra: You can control who the music is transmitted to; creatures not included in the transmission will not hear the music even if they are within the spell's range.

【Hunter's Mark】 is a typical combat spell, and its cost-effectiveness against those thick-skinned ley line creatures is extremely high.

But because the spell's effect can only increase weapon damage, it is actually only suitable for "melee" magic users like Baruke who are skilled in martial arts.

At least for Gao De, this is a mediocre spell.

But after being upgraded by the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, 【Hunter's Mark+】 is suitable for all magic users.

【Beast Bond】 is a beast-taming spell, a spell used by members of the Snowfield Guardian to increase their bond with animals and establish close connections.

【Mystic Chorus】 is a rare illusion spell.

For Gao De, although both of these are rare spells, there are actually not many occasions where they can be used, so they belong to the category of spells that are better than nothing.

But for the entire Enduring Zhenbing Tribe, 【Beast Bond】 is a spell that Gao De thinks can be vigorously promoted; whether it is for the future development of "animal husbandry" or the "transportation industry," this spell can be of great use.

Gao De stood up, preparing to head outside the city to inspect the progress of the Jin Hui Farm, which was being reclaimed in full swing.

—The first batch of 300,000 mu of land to be reclaimed had been named Jin Hui Farm, taking the name of Jin Hui Barley.

But he didn't expect Su Nai to come to him first.

"My King, over at Valar Bay, the area of land transformed by the Sacred Tree has already met your requirements."

She brought Gao De a piece of good news.

(End of chapter)