Chapter 6: The First Acre of Dominion
On the hillside east of Black Pine Town.
A whistling wind slipped down Rhodes's collar and sank into his chest, chilling him to the bone.
"Is this farmland?"
He couldn't stop the disbelief from his voice.
All around him, the pale yellow earth was choked with weeds, their roots barely clinging to the soil beneath. If not for the half-rotted scarecrow standing crookedly in the field, the place would have looked like nothing more than abandoned wasteland.
Rhodes frowned and crouched down, scooping up a handful of soil. The clumps crumbled into fine powder the moment he squeezed them.
"What a waste of land."
He didn't need any special training to see the problem. Years without fertilization or proper fallowing had drained the soil completely. Worse, the earth had begun to compact. At this point, fertility wasn't the issue anymore—if left like this, even letting the land revert to forest wouldn't restore it.
These people were both lazy and ignorant.
"So the wasteland along the road below the town is farmland as well?" Rhodes asked coldly. "Edgar?"
Edgar was one of the seven wealthy farmers who had accumulated large tracts of land over the years. With four grown sons, his family's wealth had once surpassed even that of the former mayor—before Rhodes collected taxes.
"Yes, my lord."
Standing stiffly at the side, Edgar nervously rubbed the hem of his coat. From Rhodes's tone alone, he could sense displeasure, though he had no idea why.
So that explains it.
Yesterday, while walking the road, Rhodes had wondered why there were crooked ditches and broken ridges cutting through the so-called wasteland.
Farmland in the north. Incredible.
"Edgar," Rhodes asked, "how do you expect to harvest anything from land like this?"
"It was passable a few years ago," Edgar replied cautiously. "But the last two years have been worse. If the yield fails completely, we'll open new land."
"Others cultivate for two years and then leave the land fallow," Rhodes said, a thin smile forming. "You simply abandon it."
He was so angry he laughed.
Even fools had their own systems.
Luckily, the northern wastelands were vast. Otherwise, these people would have starved long ago.
"My lord," Edgar ventured carefully, "what does 'fallow' mean?"
Rhodes had no interest in educating him.
"Is all the farmland like this?" he asked instead. "Compacted soil, weeds everywhere?"
"Some plots are better," Edgar answered.
"Then listen carefully," Rhodes said.
"Clear a two-meter strip around every field—bare soil only, no weeds. That will be your firebreak. Then burn everything inside."
The farmers stiffened.
"The ash will act as fertilizer and improve the soil. The fire will kill insects and eggs hidden in the grass. The firebreak prevents the flames from spreading."
If there had been sufficient arable land, Rhodes would have let the fields rest for a year. But for now, this would have to do.
"Do this for every field in the town."
Wood ash was useful regardless of soil condition. Better to enrich everything evenly.
"My lord," Edgar said hurriedly under Rhodes's gaze, "I don't object—but if all farmers must do this, perhaps an explanation—"
"An explanation?"
Rhodes snorted, his voice turning glacial.
"This land belongs to me. I owe explanations to no one. Anyone who refuses will die."
How dare they ask for justification after ruining fertile ground?
Their ignorance had passed beyond what could be tolerated in this age. If farmers from Rhodes's old world saw this, they would cave these men's skulls in with hoes.
"Effective immediately," Rhodes continued, "all seeds are confiscated. From this year onward, all farmland will be cultivated under unified planning."
"Tell the people this: I will not allow anyone in Black Pine Ridge to starve. I swear it on the honor of House Tulip."
"But anyone who dares to cultivate land without permission—I will strangle them myself."
Rhodes had no intention of actually doing so. But fear was faster than reason.
The problem in the Northern Wasteland was not the land.
It was the people.
So Rhodes abandoned persuasion and ruled them the oldest way possible—absolute authority.
Land leasing could return once they learned obedience.
Edgar shrank back, nodding frantically. Images of the mayor's corpse and the bodies still hanging in town flooded his mind.
Then Rhodes spoke again.
"Take me to land that has never been cultivated."
"My lord," Edgar said nervously, "everything nearby has been worked before. Untouched land is far away—"
"What?"
Rhodes suppressed his irritation. He needed to cultivate one acre personally to unlock the system entry. According to its rules, all farmland created before his arrival was invalid.
If that was the case, then all previous farmland might as well have been wasteland.
He ordered Edgar to find a nearby plot that looked usable.
Under Rhodes's command, a dozen men cleared firebreaks and carefully burned the weeds.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Rhodes spat into his hands, gripped a hoe, and began turning the soil himself.
"My lord, what are you doing?!" cried Gunnar, nearly dropping his axe.
Even mercenaries didn't farm—this was no work for a noble.
"What other explanation is there," Rhodes said calmly, "besides preparing the land?"
He glanced at Gunnar. "Do I look like I'm eating?"
And with that, he continued digging.
The system's progress bar had already shifted. A faint green sprout had appeared.
The method was correct.
"All of you, help the lord!" Gunnar shouted.
Rhodes stopped him.
"You conserve your strength and protect me. The rest of you continue burning weeds elsewhere."
"No one touches the land I'm working."
Gunnar scratched his head, utterly confused, but no one dared disobey.
Farming was harder than it looked. Swinging wildly only led to exhaustion. Proper rhythm, pacing, and rest mattered.
Rhodes knew this well. As an illegitimate child, he had worked fields near Tulip Castle. The soil here was stone-free, damp from melting snow, and forgiving.
By sunset, one full acre lay properly turned.
Then the system responded.
[You have personally cultivated the first acre of farmland in your territory.]
[Entry Unlocked: Knowledge of Fertile Soil]
[Next Entry Requirement: Collect two tons of manure fertilizer.]
[Next Entry: Master of Humus]
The land was silent.
But something fundamental had changed.
(End of Chapter)