Chapter 315: Spring in Nagrand (Part 2)

When Wu Qingsong first arrived at the Ice Sea, he planned for Feya to cultivate a cold-resistant and high-yield crop. However, after spending an entire long winter in this land and carefully learning about the local climate from the wolffolk who originally lived here, he realized they needed a crop with a short growth cycle and high yield.

Summers on this plain were not cold. In fact, temperatures were comparable to those in the Esola Hills, with much longer daylight hours than in the south. The only issue was that this climate lasted for only three months.

The real problem was that the wheat they had brought with them required an eight-month growth cycle. No matter how exceptional Feya’s ability was in cultivating seeds, she couldn’t simply cut that time in half.

In the end, Wu Qingsong took an alternative approach, abandoning the modification of their existing wheat seeds and instead working with local plant species. The best candidate was the reed-like plant growing along the lakeshore. Its seed heads resembled wheat, though the grains inside were much smaller when hulled.

Previously, they had collected a large amount of these seeds as livestock feed, but after all the sheep and horses froze to death, most were instead used as bedding to keep the ground dry. Many of the stalks, still bearing seeds, had been left untouched—perfect for selecting the largest grains to use as seeds.

Wu Qingsong was confident in this idea. He had once read a post about the history of human crop domestication. If he hadn’t seen the pictures, he never would have believed that early corn had only a tiny row of kernels, or that the first carrots looked like ordinary grass roots.

If ancient people could, over thousands of years, selectively breed crops into something entirely different, then with magic assisting the process, they could certainly do the same.

All the ice houses had long since melted away into streams. People had once again set up their tents, and among them, the largest and most distinctive was the breeding tent that Wu Qingsong had ordered to be built.

The breeding tent had no roof on its southern side, allowing maximum sunlight exposure. Surrounding it was a series of fire-heated structures similar to kang stoves to maintain warmth. In the center, they had dug pits filled with fertile soil from the lakebed, watered regularly.

This setup was Wu Qingsong’s improvised solution to the insufficient external temperatures. Without a thermometer, he couldn’t measure the exact warmth, but from how it felt inside, it was probably around twenty degrees Celsius.

Since the beginning of spring, Feya had been using her magical talent to accelerate the growth of what Wu Qingsong had named Icefield Rice. She stimulated the plants to channel more nutrients into the grains, producing longer, larger seed heads with bigger grains.

This cultivation process took place at least twice a day on sunny days. After each cycle, the nutrient-depleted soil had to be removed and replaced with fresh lake mud, making it an extremely labor-intensive task. 

However, thanks to Feya’s magic, each new generation of Icefield Rice seeds grew progressively larger.

As Wu Qingsong entered the breeding tent with Liuli, the latest round of cultivation had just been completed. The deerfolk assistants were using sickles to cut the plants from a ten-square-meter patch of paddy, preparing to measure the length of the seed heads, weigh the yield, and select the plumpest grains.

To Wu Qingsong, all the seeds looked more or less the same—golden and full. It was a pleasing sight.

Taking one of the stalks from their hands, he gently rubbed off the husk, revealing the pale yellow grain inside. He could barely recall how large rice grains had been in his previous world, but the Icefield Rice in his palm seemed plenty large.

Each Icefield Rice plant produced at least seven or eight seed heads, with each head bearing about ten grains. If the field-grown crops could reach the same quality, this would be a high-yield variety.

The only uncertainty was whether it would perform as well under natural conditions.

In a way, this was a gamble. If the crop failed to retain its high-yield traits outside controlled conditions, required overly specific environmental factors, or took too long to mature, they would suffer a major loss—and the coming winter would bring a serious food shortage.

But Wu Qingsong had faith in Feya. Every seed she had cultivated before had turned out excellent, never once failing.

“You’ve worked hard,” he said sincerely to Feya. “I think we’re ready. From now on, let’s use these seeds for large-scale cultivation, aligning the nursery schedule with the farmland preparation.”

Feya and Ling had become increasingly indispensable since their arrival in Nagrand.

The treants summoned by Feya provided nearly ninety percent of Nagrand’s wood supply. Without her and Ling’s efforts, they wouldn’t have had the fuel to survive the winter. Now, treants labor would be crucial for clearing farmland, and they were just as essential for constructing Nagrand itself.

Ling, of course, was even more irreplaceable. If Wu Qingsong, Ram, and Harold handled strategy and leadership, then she was Nagrand’s hardest-working laborer. At this stage, the soap she transported remained their most stable and reliable source of income.

Yet Wu Qingsong had no way to lighten their workload, leaving him with a lingering sense of guilt. The least he could do was ensure that Morin continued to extol their efforts to the believers, securing them the respect and admiration they deserved. He also did his best to ensure they could rest and relax whenever possible.

“I’ve decided to create a batch of undead,” he announced after much deliberation.

“Wu? Haven’t we already discussed this before?” Ram asked in surprise.

“Not skeletons or corpses,” Wu Qingsong clarified. “I plan to hunt down a herd of wild cattle and turn them into undead. Their fur is long enough to conceal most of their bodies, so ordinary people won’t notice anything unusual. Even if they keep moving continuously, no one will suspect them. This way, we can solve many labor problems, accelerate farmland clearing, and free up Feya’s time for more critical tasks.”

“That’s a great idea,” Harold said. “I see no problem with it.”