Chapter 54: Agriculture

“Ding, host’s farming data has finished loading!”

When the farmland reclaimed outside the town reached ten thousand acres, a system notification suddenly sounded in Su Lun’s ears.

He opened the system panel, and various data were clearly listed on it. How much land was planted, how much was reclaimed, and even the current status of the farmland—drought, insect plague, sickness, normal, good, and so on—all were shown with data.

With this farming system, Su Lun’s control over his territory became stronger. It also provided various solutions based on the condition of the farmland. Moreover, the system automatically classified the farmland into three grades—high, medium, and low—according to its fertility.

Of the ten thousand acres of farmland, a portion had already been allocated to the Barbarians and the Citizens of the town. As for the rest, he planned to set aside five thousand acres for sale. Of course, because the territory’s population was still very small, the sale would have to wait until the population reached a certain size.

According to data from the Florence Kingdom, a family of four needed at least ten acres of land to survive. In reality, it was around fifteen acres, as farming techniques were limited and output was unstable. For big eaters like the Barbarians, the amount of land needed would even double.

Su Lun originally built this territory to support a population of five thousand people, so at least twenty thousand acres of farmland needed to be reclaimed. Additionally, since he also needed to support soldiers, the amount of farmland naturally had to be even larger. Therefore, he planned to reclaim thirty thousand acres of farmland.

If all the land he occupied was reclaimed, it would amount to at least one hundred thousand acres, enough to support the early expansion of his territory. With farmland, there was food; with iron mines, there were weapons. It could be said that the basic conditions of his territory were already very good.

If this were inside the Florence Kingdom, such a piece of land would have been taken long ago—it would never have been his turn.

The only commodity the territory currently had was weapons. Weapons trade carried significant political implications. Selling a small amount was fine, but selling weapons in large quantities required permission from several major Nobles in the Northern Lands. After all, before his crossing, this would have been considered arms trade.

To develop his territory, Su Lun had to put effort into finding trade opportunities. The Wilderness was rich in timber resources. Of course, in this era, humans’ development and utilization of the natural environment were still very limited. Basically, all cities had forests outside them. Unless the wood had special uses, even if it were transported all the way to Karlt City, the profits would be pitifully low.

Northern Wilderness.

This area was very large, reportedly more than ten times the size of the entire Florence Kingdom. Various Wilderness races lived here. At the northernmost end of the Northern Wilderness lay the polar glaciers, the coldest place on this continent. Legends said that Frost Giants and Dragons lived there. To the east of the Northern Wilderness, it was said there was a sea. To the south were Florence and the Southern Kingdoms. As for the west, it bordered the Death Desert.

Su Lun’s current location was actually still at the edge of the Northern Wilderness. “Northern Wilderness” was actually the name given to it by the Southern Kingdoms; it should really be called the Endless Wilderness. In this wilderness, there were mountains, rivers, forests, grasslands, and even swamps. Every country wanted to claim it for themselves, but even after hundreds of years, progress remained minimal.

Don’t think that the wilderness was only inhabited by races like Gnolls and Goblins—they were at the lower end of the food chain in the wild. Barbarian Tribes, Ogre Tribes, Centaur Tribes, as well as Half-elves and Orc Tribes, these were the middle tier in the Endless Wilderness.

Besides these, many unknown dangers lived in this area. The wilderness was also home to many Magical Beasts. For example, the Ragewind Magic Tiger that Su Lun killed last time was only at the bottom among high-level Magical Beasts. Frost Wyverns were considered powerful Magical Beasts. Moreover, legends said that in some hidden areas of the wilderness, there lived Legendary Level Magical Beasts, beings that could rival pure-blooded Dragons.

If one day a Diamond Magic Ape or a Hydra suddenly appeared in the wilderness, Su Lun wouldn’t be surprised.

Su Lun led his men to patrol and search the surrounding wilderness. He wanted to find resources in his territory that could be used for trade. If he were lucky enough to find a Gold Mine, then all the funds for the territory’s development would be secured. Unfortunately, something like a Gold Mine was entirely wishful thinking.

“Boss, it’s already noon. Let’s have a meal and rest first,” a Barbarian Warrior beside him reminded.

“It’s noon already?” Su Lun looked at the sky and then said, “Go hunt around for some food. We’ll continue searching after we’ve eaten.”

They found a high spot, started a fire to cook, and two Barbarian Warriors went hunting while the others stood guard in the surroundings. Su Lun opened the system’s Strategic Map and began marking it.

Over the past few days, he had indeed found some resources, but none were worth developing. His territory had no Gold Mine. If he found a salt mine, that would also be a big business. Salt, as a necessary seasoning for humans, was a very important resource. If Su Lun found a salt mine here, he could quickly gain wealth by selling salt. Unfortunately, he hadn’t found any salt lakes or salt mines.

A delicious smell wafted over, catching his attention. Su Lun looked up and saw that lunch was ready. Setting aside his thoughts for the moment, he took out his utensils and began to enjoy the meal.

The main course for lunch was a roasted yellow sheep, cooked until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sprinkled with a special seasoning. Su Lun ate a large piece. Nearby, there was an iron pot with a pot of fish soup boiling. Besides fish, it also contained what looked like tubers from some kind of plant.

After eating the roasted meat, he served himself a big bowl of fish soup. Su Lun enjoyed the food with a pleased expression. But as soon as the soup entered his mouth, his expression suddenly changed. He quickly took a few more sips, as if to confirm something.

“Luo Ben, who made today’s soup?” Su Lun shouted with a surprised and delighted look.

“What’s wrong, boss? Is there a problem with the soup?” Luo Ben’s expression changed, and he looked around warily.

“Don’t be nervous, there’s no problem with the soup,” Su Lun quickly explained when he saw Luo Ben’s tense nerves.

“And it tastes very good. I just want to know who made the soup.”

“Is that so? Today’s soup was made by Bard. He’s on guard duty over there. I’ll call him over right away.” Soon, Luo Ben brought a Barbarian Warrior over.

“You are Bard?”

“Yes, boss, I am Bard. I joined the territory along with Chief Jushi,” Bard said excitedly.

Su Lun nodded and then pointed to the soup bowl, saying, “Did you make today’s soup?”

“Yes.”

“How did you make it sweet?” After getting confirmation, Su Lun quickly pressed for details.

“Oh, you’re asking about the sweetroot vegetable,” Bard said, suddenly understanding.