Chapter 80: Chief Agricultural Minister!

Baron Gervas, I’m starting!

Milson closed his eyes and began to softly chant in an obscure, arcane language.

To Gavis, this seemed similar to a mage’s incantation.

After chanting for a moment, green specks of light suddenly appeared in Milson’s hands.

The green specks drifted down toward the ten wheat plants.

The green dots were absorbed by the wheat, which began to grow visibly before their eyes.

They turned from emerald green to taller stalks, sprouting ears, and finally ripened into golden grains.

“Lord Milson, that’s enough!” Gavis said with a smile, halting Milson’s meditative spellcasting.

Milson ceased his chant, slowly withdrew his hands, and opened his eyes.

The instant he opened them, he looked toward the ten wheat plants.

Seeing the current state of the ten wheat plants, Milson froze in place.

“This… this can’t be… how could this happen…?” Milson exclaimed in shock.

Under normal circumstances, five of the ten wheat plants would die during growth.

Because Milson’s spell merely accelerated the wheat’s growth.

In simple terms, it only sped up metabolism, offering no additional nourishment.

So if the bird droppings were truly toxic, the five affected plants should still have withered.

But now, the five plants coated in bird droppings hadn’t withered at all—instead, their ears were fuller and more robust than those untouched.

This completely overturned everything he had learned before.

“Druid Milson, actually, your original belief that manure can ‘kill’ crops is correct!”

Gavis, wanting to recruit Milson as his agricultural minister rather than shatter his faith, immediately explained.

“Then why is this happening? Is there something special about this bird droppings?” Milson asked hopefully.

“Yes, these droppings are indeed unique—they’ve undergone fermentation… well, essentially, they’ve been disinfected…”

Then, using the simplest language possible and adapting to this world’s terminology, Gavis explained to Milson the purpose and method of composting manure.

“Using time and heat to kill toxins? So disinfected bird droppings can transform from poison into nutrients!” Milson suddenly understood.

His expression turned solemn, and he bowed respectfully to Gavis: “Lord Gavis, the book you read must have been written by a master deeply versed in the ways of nature.”

“So I have a request—could you tell me the book’s title? As a druid, I desperately wish to study this masterpiece!”

The book didn’t exist, but Gavis carried knowledge from his past life and saw an opportunity to reveal it, letting Milson verify it.

“Lord Milson, that book is a unique copy; when I found it, it was already extremely worn, and later damaged by insects… and… it had no title.”

“No title? Then what about the author’s name? Not even that?”

The author’s name?

“Yes, it was… Shennong.”

“Shennong?” Druid Milson murmured the name, as if etching it into his soul.

“Of course, Lord Milson, don’t worry—I have an excellent memory. Now that you’re my Stormhold’s chief agricultural minister, whenever I recall passages from the book, I’ll slowly recite them to you!”

Milson paused, then looked at the young noble with complex emotions.

He realized at once that he had unknowingly fallen into this noble’s trap.

Still, Milson accepted defeat wholeheartedly—he truly longed to learn what was in that book.

“Lord Gavis, I don’t particularly care which lord’s territory I serve in, but I must warn you beforehand…”

Milson told Gavis about his past experiences serving two other lordships.

“Lord Milson, rest assured—my Stormhold will soon become the safest territory on the border. So, not even triple or quadruple increases in grain yield…”

“Even tenfold or a hundredfold increases are perfectly feasible!”

Gavis spoke with great confidence, but Milson said nothing more.

He had warned him of the risks; if this noble wasn’t afraid, then Milson was willing to give the border one final try.

“Milson, at your service, Lord Gavis!”

“Ha! I, Gavis Gail, hereby declare that Druid Milson is now officially the Chief Agricultural Minister of Stormhold!”

“Long live our Lord!”

“Long live our Lord!”

The news that Stormhold now had a druid as its agricultural minister spread rapidly throughout the territory.

Instantly, cheers erupted across Stormhold.

For the serfs, this was more exciting than Gwys defeating the swamp trolls and beast wolves.

When the swamp trolls and beast wolves arrived, they could flee.

Though some might die, it would be only a few.

But without food, everyone would starve together.

And they had all experienced hunger—they knew hunger could be worse than death. So, having a druid meant Stormhold would have a bountiful harvest, ensuring they would eat—far more thrilling than anything else.

“My lord, you are truly a wise noble!”

“Yes, my lord! Milson the druid even lied to avoid your offer, yet you still won him over! You’re magnificent!”

Knights like Migen also kept offering praise.

This wasn’t flattery—it was genuine admiration for Gavis.

For them, having a druid as minister was as exciting as it was for the serfs.

Though knights didn’t fear starvation, if the druid could make Stormhold prosperous—and perhaps even elevate it to a viscountcy in the future—

Then their own status would naturally rise along with it.

“This time, it was just luck—I happened to know about using bird droppings as fertilizer. By the way, Raymond, Migen, take the afternoon off and rest well.”

“Tonight, we’re heading into the Chaos Wastes!”

Migen and the others blinked in surprise, whispering: “My lord, why are we going into the Chaos Wastes at night? What’s the mission?”

“I received a report from Chase Moon—the scorpion bandits who attacked us before have returned to their hideout, and they’ve apparently kidnapped someone of high status from the kingdom!”

“Tonight, we must confirm this—it could be our chance to eliminate the scorpion bandits!”

“Eliminate the scorpion bandits?!”

Hearing this, the knights’ faces lit up with excitement: “Yes, my lord! We’ll return immediately to rest—we’ll be fully refreshed tonight!”

“It’s not that serious—tonight is just reconnaissance, and we’ll still rely primarily on the Magic Swift Hawks for scouting. You just need to familiarize yourselves with the route, just in case!”

Thus, Raymond, Migen, and the other knights departed, excited and well-rested.

Not long after, the third-rank witch apprentice Isabella found Gavis.

Gavis hadn’t forgotten—Isabella’s potion was due to be completed today.

Indeed, Isabella handed Gavis a small wooden box: “Lord Gavis, as you instructed, using the materials you provided, I’ve completed the Dino Body-Refining Potion.”

“But since I haven’t yet become a full witch, my success rate was only sixty percent—I managed to produce only thirty vials.”

“Isabella! You’ve done wonderfully! Thank you so much!” Gavis offered no criticism, only praise and encouragement.

The more he praised her, the more guilty Isabella felt.

After all, Gavis had saved her, spent heavily to shelter her, and patiently waited for her to grow.

The debt she owed him could never be repaid.

“By the way, Isabella, you’re nearing the breakthrough point to becoming a full witch, aren’t you?”