"You're going to farm in Mexico?" Ying Long asked, "You really are an unusual American; not only can you speak Chinese, but you also enjoy farming. As far I know, people around here aren't very fond of it."
"More than that, I'm curious about something else. Why do you speak like a modern person?" Shiller asked.
"The Heavenly World has internet," Ying Long said. "If the Xuanyuan Sword can surf the web, why can't I? I am a modern dragon, after all."
"No, but why would The Heavenly World have internet?" Shiller was puzzled.
"Of course, it's because we have work to do," Ying Long said with an air of obviousness. "Who do you think is responsible for the favorable weather all these years? Lei Gong and Dian Mu are just middlemen, the rain is borrowed from me!"
Shiller decided not to ponder how the internet was connected to The Heavenly World and said, "I won't hide it from you; I'm of Chinese and American descent, so that's why I speak Chinese so well."
"You can't fool me, I've spent thousands of years with the Yellow Emperor, and you don't have a trace of Yan and Huang's bloodline."
"Can't I be spiritually Chinese? Let's not dwell on this. Have you forgotten that you are the Feathered Serpent God? We went to great lengths to summon you here, can't you show some appreciation?"
"What do you want to do?" Ying Long asked. "Though they say I am the god of the harvest, I only control the rain; whether the harvest is bountiful mainly depends on your own farming skills."
"We're confident in our skills, but you need to ensure that the weather is favorable to us—not too dry, but also not too wet."
"I can do that, but I won't work for free. Weren't you talking about some kind of trade before? What do you want to do?"
"Oh, that," Shiller said. "Kamar-Taj, that is, um, how do I explain..."
"Are you talking about the village where Yao is?" Ying Long said. "What's up with that place where even birds won't poop?"
At first, when Ying Long mentioned Yao, Shiller didn't catch on, then he remembered Yao was actually The Ancient One's surname, who was an ancient person of Han ethnicity.
"You know the Supreme Magician, how did you meet her?"
"She was the State Preceptor of the Ming Dynasty for many years," Ying Long said. "During that time, it was her who submitted petitions for rain. Her petitions were eloquently written; I was somewhat reluctant to see her go."
"Since we know each other, that will make things easier." Shiller said with a smile, "Here's the thing, the three villages under Kamar-Taj need to make money, so the current Supreme Magician thought..."
Shiller briefly explained the Magical Herbs project, then said, "We have now prepared a sum of Energy as payment for collaborating with a god in charge of the harvest. Initially, we planned to approach the Egyptian Pantheon, but they asked for too high a price, so we thought of the Aztec..."
"Why go to all that trouble? Can't you just worship at a local temple of the earth god?" Ying Long asked.
"There's no temple of the earth god there, and besides, the Supreme Magician wants to show sincerity to the other party, naturally we can't draw on their power. Who knew that in the end we would still come to you."
Ying Long cracked a smile and said, "Let me tell you this, all the gods in charge of the harvest around the world are connected to us. It makes no difference which one you approach."
"But you have to keep it a secret for us. We're saying we're looking for the Feathered Serpent God, as for the history, we know nothing."
"Don't worry, I understand, but like I said, I can only make it rain. For planting, you need to find Shennong, the Great Emperor of the Five Grains."
"Directly approach the Yan Emperor? Isn't that a bit excessive?"
"Of course not, he's the CEO of their company. According to the hierarchy, you shouldn't be contacting him directly. Next in line is Houtu, but the actual work is done by the Twenty-Eight Mansions. You can approach Di Mansion True Lord, say I sent you."
"Can he extend his reach to Mexico?"
"If the current deity system in Mexico were still active, probably not, but the Maya and Aztec deity systems are long gone..."
At that moment, Martin interjected, "Do you know how they disappeared? Why can I still faintly hear their voices?"
Ying Long paused, as if searching for something, then said, "Actually, if you had come a few years earlier, it might have still been possible, but recently it's become more difficult; people here have started to abandon their land, and the original agricultural beliefs are fading away."
"Is there any hope for revival?" Martin asked.
"It's a mutually reinforcing situation. If you want to revive the original beliefs, you need to restore people's reverence for farming and the land, so you need to start farming to revive the faith."
"But we are reviving the faith for the purpose of farming," Martin said.
"Which is why we need some external help," Shiller said. "I will try to contact the Star Lord, but you also need to leave a way to contact you. Otherwise, how can we thank you after it's all done?"
"Don't mention it, once everything is settled, just call this number."
Shiller, Clark, and Martin watched speechlessly as Ying Long left a piece of paper with a string of numbers on it. It was truly a phone number, not some kind of sacrificial apparatus or divine token, but literally a phone number.
"Had I known we could just call to summon one, why go through all this trouble?" Clark complained. "If only all gods around the world were this up-to-date, we could save a lot of resources."
Clark looked down at the wheat and vegetables on the ground with a pang of sadness, it was clear that they had been good crops before they dried out.
They returned to the hotel, and both Martin and Clark went to rest, while Shiller started figuring out how to contact the Star Lord. Since Ying Long said there was no direct line to him, they would have to go through official channels. As long as they didn't mention anything about Kamar-Taj, there shouldn't be a problem, right?
With that thought, Shiller dialed SWORD's number.
The next morning, they gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast, where Shiller ran into Magneto again. Since they were staying in the same hotel, it was normal to bump into each other.
"We've made some progress," Shiller said. "We've invited a Star Lord from China who can ensure fertile soil and favorable weather. As long as the planting is done well, a good harvest is guaranteed."
Magneto still seemed a bit skeptical, asking, "Did you tell them we are the ones farming now? They won't..."
"They only care whether the fields are being cultivated, not who does it," Shiller replied. "I know Clark can be a bit extreme, but what he says is also a possibility."
Magneto pursed his lips and said, "China tried to recruit me once. Actually, I had already made a name for myself in America by then, but I felt they were no different from America, just wanting to use me..."
"I think if you had joined them at that time, you might already be the chief engineer of China's space exploration program now."
"I don't want to be any engineer," Magneto expressed his strong resistance, adding, "There's nothing worth exploring in the cosmos."
Magneto always talked more in front of Shiller, even more than when he was with Charles. Others had become accustomed to it, though they still occasionally glanced over, as it was rare to see Magneto with such a range of expressions.
Holding a drink, Shiller said, "I know that neither you nor Charles will die. You can transform into a magnetic field, and Charles can achieve immortality by changing bodies. There's a long road ahead, and there's always a chance to turn back."
Clearly, Shiller's words touched a nerve with Magneto. Though they appeared aged now, in reality, as long as they didn't wish to die, they were immortal.
This meant that what seemed like most of a lifetime to ordinary people might just be the beginning for them. It's like no one would think a second-grade student couldn't give up dancing to learn piano. Life was still long for them, and it wasn't too late to change paths now.
After a while, Magneto seemed to come to a decision, asking, "What does that god you mentioned ask for?"
"You know they don't want money, and of course, not your help with work..." Shiller deliberately dragged the sentence out, observing Magneto's slightly relieved expression, he continued, "The gods of the Chinese Celestial Court receive salaries and they basically don't need your help, but they're here to earn some extra money."
"The extra money they want isn't human currency, but offerings—Faith Power, to be precise. Anyway, he wants to show off some miracles in front of the Mexicans so when they revive their mythology, they include him as one of the gods, which would result in a steady income."
"And you need to cooperate with him. It's not like you have to do much, just avoid causing him trouble."
"Isn't he a god? Why would he be afraid of us causing trouble?"
"Not every deity is good at fighting, and even those who are may not necessarily be able to beat you," Shiller said with a sigh, while Magneto took pride in this, even appearing a bit smug.
"Don't worry, it's no problem," Magneto agreed without hesitation, "I can also help him show off a bit, but he had better be serious about his work. Anyway, I don't understand anything about farming."
"There's no need for you to understand it either; in the end, local people will be hired anyway. Compared to mutants suddenly showing up and forcing them to farm, divine instruction is much easier for them to accept."
"That just leaves one last issue, the Mexican Government..."
"Don't worry, I've already arranged for Martin to send them dreams. With so much land lying fallow, it's only normal for a god to be displeased. I guess they will contact you soon."
In fact, things moved much faster than Shiller had expected. The next day, the Deputy Director of the Mexican Agriculture Bureau sought out Magneto, and his attitude had changed considerably.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, he said, "Mr. Lensherr, it's not that we want to obstruct you, but you know about your past reputation. We can't just let you into the village, the villagers would struggle to accept that..."
"However, I think you have a point. Since everyone is off working in the cities, with so much land lying empty, leasing it to your farmers could provide some extra income for us. But we need a proper contract. You absolutely cannot misuse the land..."
Magneto scoffed inwardly, but outwardly he agreed easily. Seeing the attitude of the Mexican Government officials, Clark's words started to resonate in his mind.
We'll see how things go, Magneto thought. If China is more receptive to him than he expects, showing some sincerity to win them over and secure a backup plan for himself might not be a bad idea.
Once the contract was signed and everything was settled, they boarded the next flight to Guadalajara. The fertile lands of southern Mexico were their true destination.
It was a bit odd to have Superman and Magneto traveling by plane, but the idle time on the flight gave them a chance to discuss their next plan of action.
Clark pulled out a map, showing it only to Magneto, "The cultivated land in Jalisco is ridiculously vast and of great quality, especially this part, which can rightly be called a corn haven. Corn is a great crop, especially the seeds sold by the Fernando family; hardy and high-yielding..."
"Of course, there's also winter wheat, sorghum, and potatoes. Whatever you plant thrives and yields are high. But just having grains isn't enough, we need to plant vegetables too. Vegetables are a bit more trouble, but this land is quite flat and particularly suitable for greenhouses..."
Magneto was listening intently at first, but then his attention fully shifted to Clark.
Turning to look at him, Clark was met with an expression on Magneto's face that roughly translated to "Why are you so skilled at this?"