Chapter 43
“Well… There’s not much left to test, and nothing seems to be growing particularly well, so I thought I’d try growing this, but…”
After dragging out his words like that, Yount’s next statement was certainly worth the build-up.
“I’ve heard that people occasionally die from eating this crop…”
Die…?
‘Is he saying it’s poisonous?’
And Yount’s words didn’t stop there.
“Because of that, there are some rather ominous rumors… They say eating this lumpy-looking thing causes leprosy… And since God made plants to multiply through seeds, but this plant… reproduces through rhizomes, there’s even talk of it being a cursed crop…”
Yount’s voice grew increasingly quieter as he spoke, as if losing confidence. He glanced at the Grand Duke’s face and, with a “Hiiiek!” sound, quickly prostrated himself.
From Ruan’s perspective, the Grand Duke was wearing the same stern expression he always had, no different from when he was a cat… But it seemed Yount’s intimidated eyes saw it differently. Lying flat, Yount hastily added an explanation in a trembling voice.
“But I’ve been told that the curse and such are just rumors circulating among the common folk. I hear that in the capital, many high-ranking individuals grow it as an ornamental plant. Surely those people wouldn’t bring something that could cause infectious diseases or curses into their own homes. I swear, this won’t bring any curse upon the land of Reinke.”
Although the Grand Duke was heavily investing in crop-related matters, it wasn’t easy for Yount, a Northern native, to gather such information.
Nevertheless, if he had prepared an explanation that the crop wasn’t problematic by digging into the truth behind the uncomfortable rumors…
‘It must mean the new crop’s yield is too significant to give up on.’
Yount’s subsequent words were just as Ruan had expected.
“It’s certainly dangerous, and the rumors are bad, but… I’ve never seen a crop with such a high yield in Reinke’s land. And seeing that they’re eating it well in Teanus, I thought there might be a safe way to eat it…”
Yount finished what he was trying to say in an almost tearful voice.
“It seems too wasteful to give up just because we don’t know how to eat it… So I thought I’d ask Your Grace… That’s why I came.”
Along with wondering how amazing the yield must be for the timid Yount to speak to the Grand Duke like this…
The preceding ominous story and the following situation explanation evoked a strange sense of déjà vu in Ruan.
‘I think I’ve heard this story before…’
A crop that promises a considerable yield even in cold, barren land.
Partial toxicity. Lumpy shape. False accusations of leprosy and curses. Reproduction through rhizomes, and even used as an ornamental plant.
‘Could this be…’
Due to the strong sense of déjà vu, Ruan…
“The name of this crop is…”
Even before Yount could say the crop’s name, Ruan blurted out the name of the crop he knew.
“Potato?”
And… Yount’s eyes began to tremble like an earthquake upon hearing Ruan’s words.
As if wondering, how could you possibly know that?
* * *
Reinke is a cold and barren land.
To farm, cold resistance is a basic requirement, and crops that can ensure a decent yield even in harsh environments must be chosen.
As a result, Reinke’s main crops were rye and oats, both satisfying these two conditions.
Basically, Reinke operates on a cycle where the entire domain focuses solely on combat during the winter when the Monster Wave hits, and when spring comes and the monsters’ power wanes, the workforce previously concentrated on combat is released.
Therefore, most work, be it farming or civil engineering, is done between spring and autumn, with spring being the safest period when Reinke’s people try to accomplish as much as possible.
After the Monster Wave ends, when spring arrives and monster attacks become less frequent, the people of Reinke first harvest the rye that has grown throughout the winter.
Rye, sown in autumn before things get hectic, grows reasonably well during Reinke’s war-torn winter without much management, and can be harvested when spring brings some respite.
Once the rye harvest is complete, oats are sown. Oats help prevent soil erosion, somewhat restore soil fertility, and grow quickly enough to be harvested in summer.
Then when autumn comes, rye is sown again, and once more they face the Monster Wave – this is Reinke’s annual cycle.
When put like this, it sounds like crop rotation and a somewhat guaranteed harvest… But in reality, even with this farming method, the yield isn’t that high.
Reinke has many mountainous areas, limiting the arable land, and has the critical limitations of low year-round temperatures, insufficient sunlight, and short growing periods.
The current rotation method and the use of fertilizer made from fermented monster bones and innards – monsters are truly all-purpose in this region – and various other farming methods were established through long research… But due to the poor environment, there was a limit to increasing yields with these methods alone.
Moreover, livestock also needed to be fed.
Reinke suffered from chronic food shortages and had to rely on external supplies for a significant portion of its food.
Relying on external food supplies creates various problems. Money is one thing, but… Being heavily influenced by external factors is also a critical issue.
‘Especially since Reinke has fallen due to external intervention before. It’s an even more sensitive issue.’
That’s why the Grand Duke was also investing heavily in crop development to solve this problem.
But, potatoes?
Ruan was a liberal arts major, so he couldn’t whip up chemical fertilizers or improve farming methods, but he did know history.
In the late 18th century, how greatly did the introduction of potatoes contribute to population growth and solving food problems?
Potatoes are resistant to climate conditions and have superior productivity per unit area compared to other crops, even in barren soil. This means they can guarantee stable yields even in environments where food production is difficult.
Moreover, they are nutrient-rich, have excellent preservation properties… and are even easy to cultivate.
It wasn’t for nothing that various kings tried everything to spread this crop despite the prejudices and rumors clinging to it due to its toxicity.
‘This will work.’
Ruan said, helping the still-prostrated Yount to his feet.
“Let’s start cultivating potatoes in earnest.”
In response to Ruan’s strong assertion, Yount, who seemed to be hesitating whether he should really get up, timidly replied.
“But they say you can die if you eat them wrong…”
True. You can die if you eat potatoes incorrectly. Many people actually did die.
But.
Unlike those who died trying to eat the sprouts and green parts because they had never eaten the tuber before – even the queen who held a potato party to promote potatoes – Ruan didn’t need to go through trial and error.
Because he already knew how to eat potatoes safely.
Feeling the thrill of being a transmigrator for the first time since his transmigration, Ruan opened his mouth.
“I know how to eat potatoes safely.”
Feeling the frustration of living as a useless person who didn’t know basic common sense, couldn’t chop firewood, couldn’t hunt animals with arrows, couldn’t track animals by their traces, didn’t know what herbs were, couldn’t light fires well, and didn’t know how to avoid monsters… Ruan realized.
‘Ah. I almost became a transmigrator who, intoxicated by a strange high, spouts lines like “Ah- Do you not know? This is called ○○” over trivial things…’
Ruan took a moment to remind himself that this fact, regardless of how much trial and error people of the past went through to discover and spread it, had become something even kindergarteners know in modern times – “Potatoes are safe if you only eat the yellow tuber part.” He felt a little ashamed of himself for boasting and feeling proud of this, and took some time to deflate the strangely inflated high.
Then, becoming the usually humble transmigrator Ruan Daen, he spoke.
“The toxicity of potatoes is in the sprouts and green parts, so if you only eat the yellow part of the tuber… it’s safe. So let’s start cultivating potatoes in earnest.”
Under the gaze that seemed to be looking at a strange person who suddenly became embarrassed in the middle of speaking and then composed himself again…
* * *
At the time when Ruan was strongly advocating for the introduction of potatoes.
A letter arrived at the office of a certain merchant guild.
“From Reinke?”
At the unexpected sender, black eyes that always pursued interesting things began to sparkle as if filled with stars.
The world was overflowing with interesting things that stimulated his curiosity. There were so many exciting things that the days felt too short. The young guild master was someone who went to sleep every night excited about what he might do tomorrow, and woke up every morning with a thrilling anticipation of what the day might bring.
Even for this guild master who found everything so interesting it was almost deadly, there were occasionally especially intense and memorable events…
A prime example was the boy of the same age he had encountered in his childhood.
The prickly and quiet boy who was in many ways his opposite, and therefore all the more interesting.
The appearance of this place name, which he had pushed slightly to the back of his mind as there was no occasion to get close to it, revived the memory of meeting that boy.
“Wow, it’s been really long, hasn’t it?”
Recalling the impressive memory, the guild master became extremely happy.
Enough to bounce and spin in place about 10 times?
After laughing “Kung!”, the guild master read the letter with a joyful heart, but before long…
He had to stop at one particular passage.
“Huh?”
