Chapter 296 On track and good news
According to Gothe's order, Grant has recruited a group of people from the tribe and is working non-stop to cultivate the first batch of 300,000 acres of fields.
But before the birth of "Northwest Barley No. 1", the Zhenbing Tribe could not devote much manpower to reclaiming the land.
Because until there is a stable source of food, the labor force in the tribe still has to focus on obtaining food as its main job, and cannot invest in clearing land where there is no immediate benefit.
Storing food has always been a very difficult thing for people in the north - it is difficult to eat enough, so how to store food?
This also leads to their poor ability to resist risks.
Even though the Zhenbing Tribe is the largest tribe in the north, it is not much better in this regard. Not to mention that the Zhenbing Tribe has just experienced a "squandering" of sending troops to the Icefield Temple. The food reserves that were not considered rich can be said to have suddenly bottomed out.
So even if Gothe was 99% certain about the success of hybrid barley, he could not make a rash decision that would cause many tribesmen to starve to death if there was a 100% failure.
· Naturally, with less investment in manpower and material resources, the area of farmland currently cultivated by Phoenix is still far from the target of 300,000 acres.
The snowfield on one side outside the Phoenix Ice City Wall is the starting point for the first batch of 300,000 acres of fields to be reclaimed in the Gaode plan.
A group of people came here with the No. 1 northwest barley species.
Nearly a hundred Zhenbing tribe members have been waiting here for a long time according to the order.
They were the people responsible for cultivating the land during this period.
According to Gothe's instructions and under the guidance of Flora, these nearly a hundred Zhenbing people took over the Northwest Barley No. 1 seed and started sowing the Northwest Barley No. 1 seed at the most appropriate spacing and at the most appropriate density.
The dozen or so apprentices from the Ministry of Agriculture were responsible for recording on the sidelines.
After the Zhenbing people had planted all the No. 1 barley seeds from the northwest, Gothe nodded slightly to Sunaifa beside him.
Sunaifa understood immediately, selected a row of seed pits that were covered with soil, and used the magic of nature.
At this moment, Gaode was also a little excited. He was not worried about the growth of Northwest Barley No. 1. He also had great confidence in the cross-breeding experiment.
What he cares about is that this is destined to be a great moment.
From today on, barley will officially appear on the permafrost tundra, and the changes in the northern border will also begin from this moment.
Under Sunaifa's "Nature's Art" and under the watchful eyes of everyone, more than a hundred barley seedlings quickly broke out of the ground and grew rapidly.
Although they have not yet seen the harvest of these wheat seedlings, everyone in the Zhenbing Tribe opened their mouths wide when they saw that these wheat seeds, which were clearly harvested from the golden wheat that could only grow on volcanic soil, sprouted on the snowy plains.
Those Zhenbing tribesmen who came to carry out sowing work according to the order were even more stunned.
The next steps are actually the same as the cultivation process of cold-resistant wheat native species.
Except for the need to stop for artificial pollination during the flowering period, the others are all produced in one go by Sunaifa's "natural magic".
Everything goes well and everything will fall into place.
More than a hundred tall and lush Northwest Barley No. 1 plants, covered with heavy, golden and bright wheat ears, appeared in front of everyone in such a "liquid" way.
Just with a cursory glance, Gaode knew that the yield from this acre could definitely meet his requirement of "120 kilograms".
As the cold wind blows, a rich aroma of wheat is already spreading, making people feel relaxed and happy.
Gaode cast his mage's hand, picked out a handful of wheat ears from a barley plant, and rubbed them gently in his hands.
The hard shell fell off smoothly, revealing the golden wheat kernels with a little transparent vertical lines.
The shape is similar to Jinhui Mai, but the difference can be clearly seen.
Gaode stuffed this handful of wheat grains into his mouth and began to chew it carefully - this is the best way to eat Jinhui wheat.
The taste is crispy and fragrant, with a slight sweetness.
Of course, although the taste is important, it is not the focus of Gaode.
After he chewed the barley grains and swallowed them, a warm current instantly rose from his abdomen and spread throughout his body, making his body feel much warmer in an instant.
This is precisely the cold-repelling property of Jinhui Mai, and it is also what Gaode values the most.
Keeping warm and food have always been the biggest survival problems for people in the north.
The Northwest Barley No. 1 variety provides solutions to these two major problems at the same time.
"You guys should try it too." Gothe said to everyone with a smile.
As the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Grant swallowed his saliva, took the lead in picking off a handful of wheat ears, rubbed off the husks, and nervously stuffed the grains into his mouth and chewed them.
The next moment, Grant's slightly cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.
Seeing his reaction, other people who could not bear it also followed suit and picked up a handful of wheat ears to taste.
Immediately afterwards, their eyes gleamed, and their bodies trembled slightly with excitement.
"My King, if such barley can grow without volcanic land, no child will starve to death in Phoenix. Can it really be grown in large quantities on the snowfield?" Grant's voice was dry and trembling, and he still couldn't believe it.
"As you can see, Deputy Minister Grant," Gaode said, spreading his hands: "The snowfield is the most suitable environment for the growth of Northwest Barley No. 1. On the contrary, if it is planted on volcanic land, it will not grow normally."
"However, the area of snowfield fields we have reclaimed currently is not enough." Gaode changed the topic and pointed out the current problem.
He paused, turned around and said to Sunaifa: "Next, on the premise of ensuring that there will be no problems with food supply, we will shift the tribe's focus to cultivating fields."
"I still need your help in the breeding work of Northwest Barley No. 1." Gaode added.
If you want to quickly obtain the No. 1 northwest barley variety with stable and ideal traits, you cannot do without the rapid growth method of "natural art" in a short period of time.
When he thought of this, Gaode couldn't help but secretly rejoice.
If it were not for the "art of nature", it would have taken at least four to five years to cultivate the first generation of Northwest barley No. 1.
The subsequent multi-generation screening will take several years, but it has only been half a month now and everything is already on track.
Sunaifa nodded heavily.
This is not "farming", but a major event that can change the world for the entire Zhenbing tribe and even the entire northern border. "As for the guidance and standard supervision of field reclamation, as well as the subsequent multi-generation screening and breeding work of Northwest Barley No. 1, the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for it."
"The Ministry of Agriculture currently has few people available, and there are so many things to do. You will have to work hard during this period." Gothe said to Flora and Grant again.
The hybrid barley business is on the right track, and Gaode is not prepared to be a "full-time housekeeper."
He will leave the remaining work of grain planting to the Ministry of Agriculture. At most, Gaode will occasionally check the progress and results and make some relevant suggestions.
Delegate power when it is time to do so, not only to liberate oneself but also to cultivate talents.
—Not only are there too few people available in the Ministry of Agriculture, but there are too few available people in Phoenix as a whole.
A rapidly developing organizational force can never have only one department.
But the establishment of a department represents a new responsibility and ability, which requires sufficient management talents and foundation, otherwise there is no point in building an empty shell.
The more he thought about it, the heavier his shoulders felt.
Because Phoenix lacks so many things, everything basically starts from "0".
The only consolation is that because of his "original closedness and backwardness" and the Zhenbing people's blind obedience to him, any of Gaode's ideas that may be considered "deviant" by the outside world can be most resolutely implemented here.
In Gothe's view, going from "0" to "100" in the north is actually easier than going from "40" or "50" to "100" in the outside world.
Because from "0" to "100", only "100" of effort is required.
In the outside world, it may be necessary to first destroy "40" and "50" to "0", and then start from "0", and the effort involved is "140".
Time passed quickly and another ten days passed.
With the blessing of the fourth-level spiritual land, Gothe condensed a new drop of liquid mana six months after being promoted to a first-level mage.
The cultivation matters are finally on the right track.
Mana Power: 21 drops of liquid mana.
Psychic power: 132.
This is the current state of Gaode.
Obtained the last four first-level spells from the guardian of the snowfield. During this period of time, he also constructed all the spell models and successfully mastered them.
The number of first-level spells in Gaode's spell library has now been expanded to 14.
The number of level 1 spells is actually no different from that of a senior level 1 mage.
In addition, thanks to the "efforts" of the Zhenbing tribe members, Gothe obtained another 6-point one-ring source. Adding the original remaining point, he holds a 7-point one-ring source in his hand.
But by this time, his efficiency in obtaining the source was not as high as before.
After all, there are only twenty or thirty species of earth-line creatures that are common in the snowfields, and there are only about ten species that exist in the area around Phoenix.
Other first-circle leyline creatures are either uncommon, or there are not even seven in number.
But this is not a big deal.
Because Goode's request now is just to let the tribesmen help him capture some first-circle earth-line creatures alive when hunting for food.
Once the No. 1 barley species in the northwest is fully deployed and he no longer has to worry about food issues, he can form a hunting team specifically responsible for helping him capture earth-line creatures alive.
With confidence in mind, Gothe added points to all the four newly mastered first-level spells, without skimping on the source.
【Animal Talk +】(Prophecy, Level 1):
Gain the ability to understand and communicate with beasts during the duration of the spell.
Many beasts are not very intelligent, so their cognitive level is quite limited, but they can at least provide you with information about the surrounding areas and monsters, including anything they have noticed now and in the previous day.
There is a small chance that you can convince the beast to do some small favors for you.
Additional: The spell also affects leyline creatures of a lower level than you.
Original [Animal Conversation Spell] is one of the spells that members of the Snowfield Guardian must learn.
Because this spell is too practical in the inaccessible snowfield, whether it is to obtain information or find targets.
And even in the city, [Animal Conversation Technique] can actually play a great role.
——The size and living habits of beasts allow them to go to and notice many places that humans would not pay attention to.
· In addition, humans are naturally not very wary of wild beasts - just like a fugitive who may be killed if his whereabouts are seen by humans, but if he is seen by a rat, he will generally not do something as rigorous as exterminating the rat.
And [Animal Conversation +] is to expand the effective range of the spell and further improve its practicality.
【Hunter's Mark+】(Prophecy, Level 1):
A creature you can see within the specified casting distance (180 feet = 60 meters) and mark it with magic as your prey.
Until the spell ends (one hour), each time you hit the target with a weapon attack, you will deal additional damage, and you will be able to more easily detect the marked creature's whereabouts when you are looking for it.
Additional: When your spell attack hits the target, it will also cause an equal amount of additional damage.
【Beast Connection+】(Prophecy, Level 1):
You establish a spiritual connection with a beast you come into contact with, that is friendly to you or is charmed by you.
If the beast is too intelligent (more than monkeys, wolves, certain birds), the spell will fail.
This link is active as long as you and the beast are within sight of each other until the spell ends.
Through this connection, the beast can understand the messages you transmit telepathically, and it will also transmit its basic emotions and wishes to you telepathically.
Additional: As long as the creature is friendly to you or is charmed by you, it can successfully establish a telepathic link regardless of Intelligence.
[Occult Chorus+] (Illusion, 1st level):
A form of music of your choice plays within a 60-foot radius around you.
Music sounds can travel around corners, and the music moves with you, always centered on you for the duration.
Until the spell ends, you can use an action to trick a creature of your choice that is around you and can see you and hear the music.
The creature must make a Mental Power Contest. If the attempt fails, the creature becomes friendly to you for as long as the creature can hear the music and for 1 hour thereafter.
The success rate will be increased when performing negotiation actions such as swindling on creatures that have been made friendly by this spell.
Additional: You can control the propagation target of the music sound. Creatures that are not the propagation target will not hear the music sound even if they are within the range of the spell.
【Hunter's Mark】is a typical combat spell, which is extremely cost-effective against those earth-line creatures with rough skin and thick flesh.
But because the spell effect can only increase weapon damage, it is actually only suitable for "melee" mages like Baruch who are good at martial arts.
At least for Gothe, this is a useless spell.
But after adding points to Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, [Hunter's Mark+] is suitable for all mages.
[Beast Connection] is an animal taming spell. It is a spell used by members of the Snowfield Guardian to increase feelings and establish a close connection with animals.
【Mysterious Chorus】is a rare illusion spell.
For Gothe, although these two spells are rare spells, they are not actually used in many situations. They are better than nothing.
But for the entire Zhenbing tribe, [Beast Connection] is a spell that Gaode believes can be vigorously promoted. Whether it is the future development of "animal husbandry" or "transportation industry," this spell can be of great use.
Gaode got up and was about to go to Jinhui Farm, which was being developed in full swing outside the city, to inspect the progress.
————The first batch of 300,000 acres of fields to be reclaimed has been named Jinhui Farm, after Jinhui Wheat.
Unexpectedly, Sunaifa came to the door first.
"My King, over at Valar Bay, the area of land transformed by the Holy Tree has reached your request."
She brought good news to Gothe.