-Break-
With my mother and father sitting down on pillows in front of me, I stand in front of a board and say, "Farming isn't just a method of combining manual labour, land and natural phenomena; it's a science that works by using the very laws of the universe and weaponising them to fight the demons of hunger and malnutrition."
My mother starts clapping her hands, causing me to say, "STOP IT!"
She ceases, and I bring my hand against the board as I say, "Due to this, you can employ better and more efficient methods to accomplish your goals, and those methods include the following.
Crop rotation, the method of alternating different crops that use different types of nutrients during different periods. An example is switching wheat with peas during different seasons, as it allows the soil to recover, keeping the nutrients fresh and powerful,
Now, another is selective breeding, in which you pick the best characteristics of animals and plants and breed the ones with the greatest traits together to keep producing more and more the absolute best. Though this process takes a while, so in terms of plants you could order some artificially grown seeds from Elpída, but that will cost you a fortune, though I might be able to chip in if someone lets me go grab my mone-."
Siegrund, standing at the door, says, "No."
Clicking my tongue, I turn towards them and say, "On the tools side, there are multiple different advancements that we've been able to make, like the seed drill, which helps properly spaces seeds out while planting them at good depths, allowing for faster planting and more efficient land use. Though a lot of these tools like farming with one type of crop, so be warned this could cause an issue. Though the efficiency that things like the mechanical reaper can give means you can free up more hands for policing or send them for other jobs abroad to build up more wealth.
This can allow you to buy some more advanced soils; in Elpída, they have reached a level of engineering where they can put the very best chemical elements into the soil to bring them to the highest quality. Other methods to use are about controlled irrigation, though that requires pipes. Most piping we have is carried over from Beastkin piping plants created with their control over nature, and the copies made by the Nightmares using Cursed Items, though I've heard Elpída has ideas for making something similar.
Though at least you have the benefit of being able to ask Dumitra for aid in that regard, due to Cursed Tools, Blestemate has some of the highest precision agriculture in the world. It was very necessary for them due to the chaos that is there agricultu-. FUCK! How did I never put it together that they were getting produce from Varage?"
"Don't curse, son," my father says, causing me to click my tongue again.
"I would talk about preventative measures, but to my knowledge the Windmills above handle pests as much as they do Man-eating plants. Right now you should start testing out all of these immediately. While many of these things I have talked about will probably cause issues with the tree humpers of this country, you can utilise your private land to start experimenting, but I suggest you should just force them to let you use their land as well. Now scurry off and employ my efficient expert technique to get yourselves out of this hell hole!"
My mother and father stare at each other before smiling. Looking back at me, he says, "Come on, Captivant, we have something to show you."
-Break-
Location: Village of Zaad Zienner, Agricultural Field 5
Looking at the sheep working the fields with my eyes open, I say, "Are those legumes?"
My father, standing in front of me as the farmers move throughout the field, says, "Yeah, it's been standard practice to use them for years; one of your ancestors happened to have a really green thumb and found this out over 1500 years ago."
My mom hands me some peas and, looking at them, I say, "Aren't these freakishly big?"
She nods, and my father says, "A couple of centuries before that, another one of the farmers started selectively breeding some of their plants out of fun and eventually discovered better ways to use the land."
Taking a bite a feel a swarm of emotions as the taste runs through my mouth. "Delicious, I can feel the nutrition from this. Even if you have been selectively breeding for centuries, this is even better than the optimised ones I ate as a gift from Elpída? It doesn't make sense."
"You seem to forget, but parts of this land were also owned by the Beastkin for a period; most of the produce you see all around you has already been altered beyond its normal capacity, and that's what's been selectively bred."
My mother gives me a look of superiority, and turning my head to the sky, I say, "Well, who cares? It's not like you guys are capable of keeping up with the other technological advancements like the seed dri-."
"VERSI!" a voice shouts, running over to us.