The morning sunlight slanted across the roof of the carriage, and the horses' hooves made a brisk, rhythmic sound as they trod upon the slightly dry loess road.
Although the wound on her arm had already scabbed over, the occasional jolt inside the bumpy carriage still caused Sophia to frown slightly.
Of course, this subtle change in expression looked as if nothing had changed at all to onlookers.
"Your Majesty, Kree Village is just ahead."
Valery rode his horse close to the window, a trace of unconcealable anticipation in his voice.
"I heard that the growth speed of those wheat seedlings has already become a 'Divine Miracle' in the mouths of the nearby villagers."
The Kingdom of Mason was a small, barren country, so apart from the Royal City, there were only a few small villages and towns. It was quite normal for affairs in Kree Village to spread to other settlements.
Sophia nodded expressionlessly and lifted a corner of the curtain.
I don't know about Divine Miracles or whatever. I only know that if we don't grow something edible soon, I'm going to abdicate due to the long-term torture of 'hard bread'.
Sophia grumbled silently in her heart, but it was merely a complaint. She rubbed her waist, which was faintly sore from the bumps, and let out a long breath.
As the convoy slowly drove into Kree Village, Sophia keenly perceived the changes here.
Compared to the deathly silence that felt like standing on the edge of an abyss during her first visit, the current Kree Village possessed something called vitality.
Although the houses were still dilapidated, the debris on the streets had been cleaned up completely, and a faint scent of plants even wafted through the air. The villagers were still very gaunt, but their mental state looked much better—at least not as dead as before.
When Sophia stepped down from the carriage, the villagers holding farm tools once again knelt in a dark mass covering the ground.
But unlike last time, their bodies no longer shook violently like chaff.
Although they still lowered their heads, the gazes that secretly lifted to peek at Sophia held much less fear, replaced instead by a kind of near-humble hope.
The villagers' kneeling movements were uniform, even carrying a spontaneous, heavy respect.
"Greetings... Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen!"
The Village Chief's aged voice no longer trembled; instead, it sounded somewhat hoarse due to excitement.
They had already heard.
That seemingly cold Tyrant Queen, in order to protect these 'Sacred Seeds' from being destroyed by rogue bandits, had personally killed assassins in the Palace and even suffered a heavy injury.
Look, His Majesty's arm is still wrapped in bandages right now!
This story of 'the Tyrant bleeding for our rations', under Irene's intentional or unintentional guidance, had already become a heroic epic passed from mouth to mouth in Kree Village.
A 'Divine Miracle' by the field ridges!
Because of the personal bias Irene mixed in, they were greatly shocked by the idea that: 'If not for His Majesty having some iron-blooded methods, we would have long been eaten by those nobles without even bone scraps left. How could we have survived to create God-bestowed seeds!'
When they thought about it carefully, it was indeed true. In a place where people ate people, the appearance of a Tyrant might just be a means to an end.
For a girl of His Majesty's age, how could she hold this position securely if she wasn't a bit formidable?
Although they still hadn't forgotten the initial rumors, they tacitly chose not to mention them anymore.
"Your Majesty! Slow down, be careful of the wound!"
Irene was like a cheerful sparrow, lifting the hem of her skirt as she ran three steps in two to the edge of the experimental field at the village entrance.
Supported by Willow, Sophia stepped on the soft mud and walked to the side of the field ridge.
The scene before her eyes caused Sophia, who had originally planned to just take a look as a matter of 'routine business', to be slightly stunned.
The land, originally barren and cracked, was now divided into countless blocks by neat furrows.
In that dark brown fertile soil, clusters of dripping green wheat seedlings were stubbornly sticking out their chests, spread out densely and flatly.
Due to Irene's seed soaking Secret Arts and 'Deep Plowing and Ridge Planting', the height of these wheat seedlings was actually a large section higher than those of ordinary planting methods. The leaves were thick, and the color was a deep green.
Irene squatted down, cautiously touching a seedling, the light in her eyes even more brilliant than the sunlight.
"Your Majesty! Look!
"The root systems of these seedlings have gripped very deep, which means they can resist the coming late spring cold. Moreover, at this speed, the autumn harvest yield is conservatively estimated to more than double!"
What was the concept of more than doubling?
It meant that if the seeds after the 'greenhouses' were built also had such a yield, the number of people dying this winter would be reduced by more than half.
Added to the grain from the house raids, at least no one would starve to death.
Sophia stared at that patch of greenery, her paralyzed face remaining completely cold.
Valery stood behind Sophia, looking at Her Majesty the Queen's back as she stared at the wheat seedlings without saying a word, and waves of emotion surged in his heart.
What is His Majesty looking at?
The wheat seedlings?
Is there some truth she is seeing so intently that an ordinary Chancellor like me cannot conceive?
Yes, she is the King.
In her eyes, these are not wheat seedlings, but the armor and longswords for the rise of the Kingdom of Mason.
That she would visit the site personally even while injured is enough to represent the importance she attaches to food. Under His Majesty's command, the Kingdom of Mason is truly different.
Valery looked at the villagers' gazes towards Sophia and lowered his head deeply.
This was the realm of a ruler.
She didn't need words. Merely by standing there, these villagers would completely become her deathsworn in order to guard this 'vitality'.
Sophia recovered her senses and looked at the Village Chief kneeling not far away, speaking coldly:
"The wheat seedlings are growing well."
The Village Chief was overwhelmed by the favor, his head knocking against the ground with a thumping sound.
"It is all thanks to His Majesty's divine grace! If not for His Majesty's God-bestowed seeds, even if we planted for a lifetime, we would never see such a sight!"
Kree Village had always used ordinary planting methods and ordinary seeds.
Every year, the grain yield was extremely low; even if the entire village was planted full, it wouldn't last long. But now, with this batch of 'Divine Seeds', it was completely different.
"Since they are growing well, keep a close watch on them."
Sophia's voice still held no fluctuation.
"If anyone dares to slack off and lets problems arise with the wheat seedlings, you know the consequences."
The villagers responded in unison, their eyes even flickering with a certain fanaticism.
This threat of losing one's life for not working hard, to their ears at this moment, actually made them feel more at ease than any gentle encouragement.
Because this represented that Her Majesty the Queen cared very, very much about this land.
"Let's go, back to the Palace."
Sophia turned around, her black skirt tracing a sharp arc in the wind.
Without making a detour to the bandit den, it was entirely possible to go to Kree Village and return on the same day.
Without Delilah's close protection, Sophia still didn't quite dare to spend the night outside. Furthermore, she couldn't sleep well outside; it wasn't as good as the big bed in her room.
As the convoy slowly departed, the villagers of Kree Village watched the carriage disappear at the end of their line of sight.
After the carriage had completely vanished, a Captain called out to the villagers:
"Work faster! After finishing the work, come collect the bread and black bean porridge sent by His Majesty!"
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