Ina spent only eight thousand gold coins and acquired the fertile Thunder Fort Farm, instantly becoming one of the most notable farm owners in the Duchy of Doman.
Regrettably, there were no farmers left to work for her on the farm. All the stewards and servants had departed, and moreover, they had missed the planting season for the year. While seedlings sprouted several inches tall on other farms, Thunder Fort Farm remained a barren yellow.
The nobleman who sold the farm, Viscount Reed, was surprised that a woman like Ina, with no local influence, dared to buy the Thunder Fort Farm. But he did not warn her about the risks, and intentionally concealed the fact that the farming season had already passed. Instead, he completed the farm trading as quickly as possible, eagerly waiting to see Ina's next move.
How could a woman without private soldiers or slaves manage such an expansive farm in the Duchy of Doman? Viscount Reed could already envision the sort of refugees she'd attract if she planned to recruit farmers and workers from the city for cultivation and cleaning. Their efforts, often disrupted by war before the harvest, had taught them to seize rather than produce.
No one understood better than Reed how terrifying it was not to have a private guard in the Duchy of Doman. There were few commoners, most of whom were also robbers and thieves. Slaves were plentiful, yet lazy, only working under the lash. Worse, if they sensed you lacked the power to control them, they would immediately rise against you.
Honest commoners couldn't survive here. Continuous warfare from birth to death had made the remaining inhabitants of the Duchy short-sighted and ruthless. If this woman who bought the farm perished at the hands of the refugees, he could reclaim the Thunder Fort Farm effortlessly. Viscount Reed was counting on this.
In any case, Ina now had a huge farm waiting for planting. She planned to dismantle the summer house built by the Rize tribe. Although the permafrost was fertile enough, the natural growing period for plants was too short to be practical, and maintaining the temperature for plant growth with magic circles was uneconomical. Now that she had a new farm, it could completely replace the smaller summer house.
Today was the Rize tribe's weekly meeting. Dusì first recorded the issues or suggestions everyone encountered over the week, then assigned tasks, leaving her parched.
Though the summer house was gone, the rabbit hut was continuously expanding, providing an endless supply of fresh rabbit meat for all the branches.
Now all the members in here. Dusì took out a flower tea with mint and plum, drank a few sips, and then said, "As you all know, we now have a new farm. So Miss Ina requests everyone to learn new lessons to accomplish the most work with the least manpower."
"What kind of course are we going to study?" Moray asked. They had already mastered the cultivation of various vegetables and grains during their nearly one year of living here and didn't understand what else they needed to learn.
Dusì cleared his throat, "There are many courses. You can choose 2-3 based on your interest. Here are some: Use and maintenance of agricultural machinery, tractor driving, operational norms of combine harvesters, daily maintenance and usage of irrigation systems..."
The Rize tribe members present looked at each other in bewilderment. Moray broke the silence, "I know each word, but why can't I understand them when they're put together?"
———
Elvys had never asked about Ina's mysterious past and was not interested. However, after spending time together, he had some inklings.
She was familiar with the continent hundreds of years ago but knew little about recent events. She also had a large quantity of potions made from extinct magical herbs. It wasn't a difficult secret to guess that Ina was one of those active professionals who appeared on the continent a hundred years ago.
Elvys, recalling Ina's apparent interest in the ruins of the old gods, remembered that some strange magical machinery had been stored in a warehouse. This machinery, even older, seemed to be developed by the same group of people who appeared with Ina. When the rebellion toppled the Tule Empire, they confiscated these magical machines but had to seal them away due to a lack of understanding, leaving them unseen until today.
When Ina heard this news, she wasn't surprised that Elvys had guessed her identity, but asked, "After all these years, are those things still usable?"
"These machines are made from the best alchemical materials. but They don't seem to have any offensive capabilities, and their specific uses are not obvious. They almost got dismantled for parts," Elvys explained. "If they're really damaged, it won't be too late to dismantle them."
When Ina saw the various machines displayed in the warehouse, she couldn't help but go closer to take a look. "Haven't you researched what these machines are for?"
Elvys, who was also visiting this place for the first time, replied, "Scholars proficient in magical machinery studied them and thought that while these machines had sharp teeth, their installation position was too low, maybe they were designed to counter dwarves?"
Speaking of this, Elvys also had a hint of a smile on his face. This understanding was quite absurd. The saw teeth and blades of these machines were short, which would be unusual if they were weapons. They were square and plain, which greatly reduced their lethality.
"However, their power systems are considered extremely sophisticated and have been specifically removed for imitation. Many magical machinery's power systems have been influenced by them."
Ina stopped in front of a familiar large object and saw a line of words written in a more familiar language beneath the driver's seat: Combine Harvester.
You are the players, how did you research tractors, seeders, and bundling machines!
Ina could hardly imagine what they would have to do if the gamers' journey hadn't ended abruptly.
She opened the door, sat in the driver's seat, and found a "Combine Harvester User Manual" on the floor next to the seat. The Moro continent has its own universal language. Players could communicate without barriers with the natives due to the system language translator, but they would also use their own text. For example, this manual was written in the players' own language, which is why these machines were shelved because they were inoperable after the players left.
Ina quickly skimmed through a few pages of the manual and then, excitedly, jumped down and threw herself into Elvys's arms. Elvys held her waist and heard Ina say, "These are great things, Elvys, they're worth ten Neranka!"
———
First, Ina had the system translate the manuals for several types of agricultural machinery into the continental common language. Then she invited a few professors of magical machinery from the Star Academy, reliable people who Elvys had circled as trustworthy.
For her own reasons, Ina also invited Lilith, Eulanda, Lusen, and several newly joined alchemists. This was a precious learning opportunity. She distributed the manuals to the group and asked the professors about the possibility of replicating this kind of machinery.
After inspecting the seeder carefully, Professor Dunham found the energy box where the magic crystal was placed. With Ina's permission, he started the seeder.
The principle of the seeder created by the players was not complicated, and no complex secret parts were added to prevent technology leakage. Professor Dunham quickly identified several important transmission devices, traction devices, and some adjustment structures.
"I think replicating these machines would not be difficult. Miss Ina, please satisfy my curiosity. I still don't see what these machines are for."
Ina paused and explained succinctly, "For farming."
Seeing Professor Dunham's confused expression, Ina could only recall more details from the manual she had briefly glanced at, "You put the seeds here, operate the machine to move across the field. This part goes into the soil, and the seeds will come out from here, completing the sowing process."
Another professor chimed in, "Create such a huge and precise machine, just for farming?" He sounded utterly incredulous.
Ina sounded equally incredulous, "Professor Grief, are you an undead or an elemental creature?"
Professor Grief was puzzled, "No... I'm not."
"Then, since you need to eat, why do you look down on the magic machinery used for farming?"
Professor Grief wasn't without a rebuttal, but he could imagine that his counterarguments might lead to more intense questioning. In the end, he chose to stay quiet. After all, he came from a humble background and had the opportunity to step into the world of magic only through Elvys's patronage. Without this chance, he might really be farming on some noble's land right now!
Ina then continued, "I invited you here because there is an issue to resolve. First is the replicability of this agricultural machinery. As Professor Dunham has just demonstrated, it's basically feasible. Second, we need to learn to use and operate these machines. Lastly, the issue of the machines' magic crystal consumption. We need to figure out how much mana is needed to sow a hectare of land, how to save mana to the greatest extent, etc. At the same time, we need to test the machines' production capacity. The manual preliminarily estimates it to be a hundred to five hundred times of human power, but there's no specific experimental data to support this."
Everyone realized Ina's intent to popularize these agricultural machines, and Professor Grief questioned again, "Even if one of these agricultural machines can replace five hundred farmers, so what? If all the empire's land uses this machinery in the future, wouldn't all the farmers lose their jobs?"
Ina refuted his viewpoint one by one, "First, taking into account various costs, if one person operates this machine and can farm a hundred times more land, the harvested grain can feed fifty people. That means, excluding himself, forty-nine people could engage in work unrelated to farming. If these people become an army, they can sweep all neighboring countries. If they become merchants, they could tread throughout the continent. You asked 'so what?' Isn't that enough?"
She looked at the thoughtful crowd and continued, "Just because the land no longer needs as many farmers, doesn't mean these people will be terrified and restless, ending up as vagrants. They were called farmers before, but it doesn't mean they can only be farmers. They're people like us. If one path doesn't work, they'll find another. They can become merchants, servants, craftsmen, even mercenaries, wizards, and warriors."
Finally, Ina slowly said, "By liberating the farmers from the land, the nation will have more possibilities."
Silence fell over the people present.
After everyone had assigned their tasks and left with a thick stack of manuals, Elvys looked into Ina's eyes and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Are you intending to unify this continent?"
Ina was taken aback, "Did I show such an intention?" She thought for a moment.
She shook her head, "I just want to be a merchant, the kind who has more gold than she can count." Ina paused, her gaze growing distant, "I feel like I'm doing something valuable and I hope to see a good outcome."
Elvys gripped her hand, "You certainly will."
Operating the agricultural machinery created by the players was not complicated. Eulanda quickly learned how to operate them. As she marveled at the smooth operation of the vehicle-like magical machinery, she also noticed the many shortcomings of the motorcycle she had designed.
"asking me to teach them how to use these machines?" Eulanda asked, eyes wide with surprise. "How many people are there?"
Ina recalled, "About twenty or so. They are quite capable of learning, they are not illiterate. They should be easy to teach." After a pause, she added, "They might lack courage though, as they are facing what they consider as insurmountable magical machinery."
The Rize clanspeople first took a confusing theoretical course. When the second practical course began, everyone wore tight clothing, with their sleeves and trouser legs fastened with cloth strips. This was a safety precaution taught in the previous lesson.
With the roar of the machine, Eulanda appeared before everyone driving the seeder.
Upon first sight of this huge machine, Magi recoiled a step. "Is this... is this what we're supposed to learn to drive? I can't even handle a horse-drawn carriage, how am I supposed to operate this massive contraption made by wizards!"
The others also showed signs of fear. Dusì had anticipated this reaction. Clearing her throat, she said, "It doesn't matter if you don't dare to learn how to operate these machines. There are many people queuing up to learn. It's just that you have shown loyalty to Miss Ina, and Miss Ina also highly values you, so she proposed to teach you first. If you really don't want to, just let me know, and I'll arrange you somewhere else..."
Upon hearing this, Magi immediately stiffened his neck and said, "Who said I don't want to? I... I think there's nothing difficult about it!"
"That's good," Dusì smiled and clapped her hands, "Then today, we'll first ask Miss Eulanda to demonstrate how the seeder works..."
A piece of high-quality land that had been loosened was prepared on the Thunder Fort Farm for testing the seeder. After the seeds were sown, Ina distributed a large amount of plant nutrient solution, quickly producing a neat row of wheat. This was to facilitate the demonstration of the combine harvester in the following course.
The other machines were being replicated in the Magical Machinery Workshop of the Star Academy by several professors and alchemists when not needed for classes and practice. Elvys allocated a significant amount of funds to support the replication of agricultural magical machinery.
Ina briefly observed their work and suddenly understood how the players could manufacture a tractor with parts that met the dimensions without a production line. Alchemists are walking melting furnaces, and powerful wizards are production lines in themselves.
The professors and alchemists had managed to perfectly replicate a simple baler in just a day given enough raw materials. This baler could also work properly; the professors had achieved this merely by making an exact scale replica without understanding the working principle of the baler.
Ina: Impressive.