Chapter 61 The Strongest In The Settlement
With noble elegance, Sara expressed her gratitude to the farmers. Jade was stunned for a moment, but soon came back to his senses.
"You can't do that, Lady Sara. We're just commoners, and you're a noble!"
He hastily tried to stop Sara.
"No, it's because of people like you who cultivate the land that Grandchester is thriving. It's only natural to show respect."
"But..."
"Sara, just drop it. We're not getting anywhere with this conversation."
The Marquis chuckled and steered the conversation back on track.
"That's right. I think you all understand, but this time, we've also invited representatives from the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild from the capital. Earlier, I mentioned the wheat disease, but to be precise, it's a fungus-like organism called 'ergot' that's infecting the crops."
"Is that the black seed over there?"
Jade pointed to the wheat fungus and asked.
"That's the fungus that grows on infected wheat plants. It's easy to recognize because it's black, but there are also ones that don't change color, like gray or dark brown, so they're harder to spot. Moreover, the infection can spread to other flowers through wind or insects, so we need to quickly remove all the weeds in the area and dispose of them."
'Isn't it hard to judge just by looking at the plants? Maybe it's better to just pull them all out?'
"Earlier, Your Excellency the Marquis mentioned that the disease remains in the soil, didn't you?"
"That's right. When the fungus matures, it falls to the ground. When it germinates, it grows like a mushroom, and then releases spores. The problem is, we don't know when it will germinate."
Jade let out a deep sigh after hearing Sara's explanation.
"So that's why we can't plant wheat again next year?"
"That's correct. If we plant it as is, the same thing will happen next year."
The surrounding farmers began to panic.
"Does that mean we have to abandon this contaminated land?"
'Well, I think so. Grandchester is a granary, after all...'
"Can't everyone else grow crops other than wheat? There are crops that aren't affected by the ergot. I'm thinking that we should plan our future production together to support everyone's lives from now on. This is just my personal suggestion, so feel free to reject it if you want, but I think it would be good to grow crops that alchemists and pharmacists need. You can cultivate them here, and there's a guaranteed demand for them. How about you switch to growing herbs and other plants that aren't affected by the ergot until it's gone?"
Then Jade looked up with a start and knelt down in front of Sara.
"Lady, Sara, I've always thought that we should grow crops other than wheat on this land. This is the field that my parents and their friends opened up. When His Excellency the Marquis became the lord, he implemented a policy to exempt new farmland from taxes for 10 years."
"Uh-huh. That's right. Because of that policy, the fields in Grandchester also increased. And after 20 years, the tax revenue has also gone up."
The Marquis nodded in agreement from the side.
"My parents were the third son of a farming family and didn't have any land to inherit. So, they worked together with the second and third sons of neighboring farming families to open up this settlement. However, the land was poor, and wheat didn't grow well."
Sara looked around. As a non-expert, she didn't know the exact details, but it seemed like the rye was growing pretty well. She thought that maybe the soil quality and the initial crops planted didn't match, rather than the land being poor.
"So, I've been thinking for about 10 years now that there must be crops that are better suited to this land than wheat, and I started experimenting with growing different crops in the corner of the field."
"By yourself!?"
"At first, it was just me, but gradually, others started to join in. As we experimented, we realized that we could grow rye. And when our success became known, more and more farmers started growing rye, and we finally made the full switch..."
Jade couldn't hold back his tears and started sobbing. His comrades, who had shared his hardships for many years, were crying with him, their shoulders shaking.
"It's been tough, hasn't it... This is a sad outcome."
"No, no... Just being able to say that to the Grandchester family is a relief, considering what we've been through."
Sara couldn't bring herself to speak, but a woman from the distant crowd approached Jade and spoke up.
"Jade, don't cry like that; it's rude to Lady Sara."
When I looked, the woman was visibly pregnant, her belly large.
"Who are you?"
"My wife."
Jade's voice was nasal as he replied, still sniffling.
"You're pregnant, aren't you? Then, please, absolutely do not eat this wheat. It's poisonous, and I think others might eat it too, but please be careful not to ingest it. If a pregnant woman eats this poison, the risk of miscarriage increases. This poison is even used as an ingredient in abortion drugs."
Upon hearing that, Jade's tears stopped abruptly. However, his wife remained calm.
"Is it only poisonous to pregnant women, Lady Sara?"
"No, it's toxic to everyone. It causes various symptoms like pain and numbness in the limbs, hallucinations, and more. We can't even use it as animal feed."
"I see. Then we need to dispose of it quickly."
Jade's wife turned to the crowd and said,
"It seems we can't afford to cry now. Fortunately, our lord has promised to ensure our livelihood, so we must take action too!"
As she raised her voice, the women in the crowd began to move.
"I don't know what to plant next or what's difficult, but I do know we need to harvest this wheat quickly."
"That's right, everyone. We need to remove all the surrounding weeds too. After that, we'll need to deep-plow the soil. We might even need to use earth magic. The alchemist magicians will confirm the harvesting area."
Before she knew it, a group of women had gathered around Sara.
"Let's start harvesting from the center of the wheat field where this black seed grew. It's better to get started from where we can, right? As for the difficult parts, please tell your husband."
"That's right. Then, ma'am, please take care of us."
"Don't call me 'ma'am' or my back will get all prickly. Just call me Elza."
"Okay. Nice to meet you, Ms. Elza!"
"Leave it to me!"
With a *slap* on her chest, Elza led the women with sickles to the harvesting work. The men, probably their husbands or brothers, followed behind them.
And only Jade was left standing in front of Sara.
"Ms. Elza is, well, an amazing person, isn't she?"
"Probably the strongest person in this village is definitely the wife."
"Ah, that's true, isn't it?"
Then Marquis muttered.
"You've got a great wife."
"Yes. I have a wife who's too good for me."
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