"Mhmm, if that is the case, i want you to report to William immediately after you have made your judgement and begin as soon as possible, we shall need the fields ready as soon as possible."
"As you wish, my Grace," the man bowed and retreated silently.
The meeting was about to continue when, all of a sudden, the sound of the system echoed in Ethan's mind.
*Ding*
==========
Quest Progress Update!
Quest: Solve Food Crisis: Completed (50%)
Reward: 1000 Gold coins
==========
Ethan was surprised by the sudden notification and even more so when he saw its contents. The mission had not yet been completed, evident by the fact that the system had not yet given him a reward.
Does that mean I need to plant the seeds first, or will I receive the gold once we harvest the crops?
Ethan, utterly confused by the notification, swiftly opened his personal system window, which displayed the updated information.
==========
Status
Name: Ethan Darkwood
Level: Middle-stage Trainee
Equipment: None
Breathing technique: Celestial Life Part 1
Money: 108 Gold
==========
Kingdom Status
Kingdom Ranking: 6th-Tier
Military Strength: Conditions not met
Conditions not met
Unable to level up.
=========
==========
His eyes drifted to where the gold was numbered, and with a sigh of disappointment, he closed the system, lost in thought.
If that money had been rewarded, then the total amount of money he would have earned would have totaled about a whole-third of the treasury's highest-ever amount. When his father, Tiernan Darkwood, reigned, the amount of money in the treasury was less than 4,000 gold coins.
The silence in the hall was deafening. The ministers and commanders stood in silence, waiting for Ethan to finish and speak up.
However, Ethan took his time to consider the situation, not caring for the growing silence and awkwardness that prevailed in the hall.
Nothing will come from me trying to figure out the quest's success at the moment. I should focus on other pressing matters.
Ethan finally turned his attention to the people, his emerald green eyes surveying the hall closely.
The infrastructure and agriculture of Verdant Vale were, without a doubt, in a backward feudal era.
His thoughts drifted to the damaged infrastructure they had, which in all honesty was not that damaged at all, but for safety's sake and the future sustainability of the kingdom, such a thing needed to be addressed.
With that on his mind, Ethan continued, and the hall was soon filled with voices as ministers and people came forward and reported on what needed to be done to achieve sustainability in the meantime.
As the meeting continued, Ethan had a headache with all the problems that arose, but thankfully for him, his system had everything he needed, and without much problem, Ethan found a product for his problem regarding one of the agricultural problems.
It seemed that at one point in time, the yhad once more returned to the subject of agriculture, and with an increasing headache, Ehtan decided he would buy a product for the system that would help with the cultivation of the farmlands, as even before the ground was burnt, agriculture seemed to be rather backward.
Ethan bought a blueprint for farming from the system for 50 gold with gritted teeth and an aching heart as he saw his gold coins drop drastically. The blueprint was something they needed desperately, and based on the description that the system gave, Ethan guessed it was worth the money.
As he bought the blueprint, he directed his attention to Rhys and said confidently, "Why don't we try crop rotation? This medieval agrarian practice involved the systematic planting of different types of crops in the same area across different seasons to improve soil fertility and crop yield." He explained patiently as he saw the people's confused faces.
His words rang through the crowd, and the expressions of all the people related to agriculture changed. Surprise and shock lingered on their faces as Rhys called out excitedly, "Brilliant, your Majesty! Simply brilliant!"
Soft whispers and murmurs rang true as they heard Ethan's words. Ethan, on the other hand, smiled lightly while a feeling of embarrassment crept on him slightly as he continued to receive praise from the honest and direct minister of agriculture.
The system is quite something. Rhys is almost overflowing with joy from simply hearing the description in the system product tab.
Cough! Cough!
Ethan coughed lightly as he tried to hide his embarrassment. While he did so, he could not help but glance at his commanders and general, specifically Asher, who stood silently, staring at Ethan in a pondering manner.
They must be wondering how I know such knowledge.
Ethan smiled knowingly. He knew that they would someday question him about such matters, but in the meantime, he would not speak about them. If there ever came a time when he would need to speak, he would have already come up with a valid excuse.
Asher stood silently, a glint flashing past his eyes as he continued to ponder the matter Ethan had brought up. Even if he had questions, Ethan did not give them a chance to speak when he silenced the crowd.
"Enough, there is yet much work left to do."
Ethan continued to discuss the crops, how to plant them, and how to use the farming method based on the directions the system had given them. With his extensive knowledge of the system, he explained how to work the farm and crops so that it was easy to understand, and the farmers would not have much trouble understanding the principles behind it and beginning to grow the crops accordingly.
After further discussion, Ethan decided to further bolster their food supplies by investing in livestock. The system suggested breeding hardy animals adapted to Verdant Vale's climate. The decision was made to rear sheep and goats, valuable sources of wool, milk, and meat. They would also explore beekeeping for honey, which was quite a luxury in these parts.