Prince Baiyu and I had our breakfast in the comfort of the farmhouse and greeted the members of Yinuo’s family who arrived via flying carts. They were here with a midwife and were staying for a few months to help with the birth and Yinuo’s lying-in period. There were her parents, her in-laws, and three aunts, all of them so overawed by meeting a prince that they practically ran away to Yinuo’s courtyard after we exchanged greetings.
The nice thing about the desert farm was that it was larger and quieter than the Emberstone Farm house. There was plenty of space for Yinuo and her family, and we wouldn’t be bothered since there was a sizable garden in between her courtyard and the one I was staying at. Of course, the downside of this was that a larger house needed more cleaning and maintenance, but that was a problem for the housekeeper, not me.
It was nice being wealthy!
This thought reminded me of my mother. She made sure that I knew how to sweep the floors, vacuum the carpets, wash the dishes, do the laundry, iron clothes, etc., but back on Earth, she only did the absolute minimum amount of housework since we traveled a lot. Staying in resorts, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and so forth meant that cleaning was always handled by other people.
This thought led me to decide to build and decorate a courtyard for my parents after I finished today’s farm chores.
“Work time,” I said to my husband as I put down my chopsticks and took one last sip of coffee.
“I still can’t believe you can hatch cattle from eggs.” He chuckled. “Only you could think of something like that!”
“Eggs are cute! We’re gonna have one of our own soon.”
We both stood up and walked out of the cool house into the much less comfortable outdoors. The heat must have hit Prince Baiyu like a ton of bricks, while I stayed cool because I was wearing the boots from the [Advanced Environmental Support System Regulation Suit] set from the Cash Shop.
The grassland around us was green and brimming with life. I couldn’t see it myself, but beyond this stretch of fertile land, further out across the landscape, the land was more barren and dusty. The wind was pulling that dust toward us. It was just a light haze of dust, nothing too bad, but it was irritating nonetheless.
Normally, people would wear hats and scarves or veils to protect themselves from the dust, but I had my Cash Shop item, and Prince Baiyu was a peak-level cultivator who could control the wind. Thus, since we were prepared, we were unbothered by dust.
I took Mr. Bear out of my pocket and made him human-sized, equipping him with a parasol he held over our heads to provide a little bit of shade.
The ground beneath my feet was uneven, with tufts of grass rising and falling as I walked. Some patches were soft and yielding, while others felt more densely packed. The grass varied in height, some reaching to my waist, other areas worn shorter, creating a patchy texture across the landscape. Scattered across the expanse were small trees, their trunks thin and their canopies modest. Though they weren’t much to look at, I was proud to see that they were thriving.
The ponds we had built were close by. This time, the water level was low, the banks exposed where the water had receded, leaving a ring of darker, damper earth. Nonetheless, I was cheered by my staff’s reports that they never went completely dry. The vegetation around them was noticeably greener than in the other areas.
“Are we done with walking now?” asked Prince Baiyu.
He had chosen the moment well. I nodded and shrank Mr. Bear back down to palm-sized and put him back into my pocket. Prince Baiyu gently picked me up and flew me low to the ground over the open, grassy area I had chosen. Using the System’s Build tab, I placed wooden fences around a circular section. When I was done, he flew me to the center of the circle, where I put down a [Barn] for the animals.
The [Barn] was a very simple structure, open on all sides, kind of like a large shed, but with a water trough running in the middle. I placed a [Well] outside the [Barn] to automatically provide it with water.
“They will all be free-range animals,” I said to my husband.
He pondered that for a few seconds. “Ah, free range meaning they won’t be confined in the barn?”
“Correct! They can shelter from the heat here and drink the water, but they can go in and out of the [Barn] as they please.”
We went inside, and I was pleased to note that it was cooler inside the building. I then placed fourteen eggs inside the barn. Now that I was level 50 Farming, I could use an [Incubator], which shortened the hatching time to just two days. I put in two [Zebu], four [Merino], four [Goats], two [Quail], and two [Guinea Fowl], which I reckoned were all useful and grow just fine in this hot climate.
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The [Zebu] was a special breed of cattle that was native to this area.
[Zebu:
A subtype of cattle easily recognized by its fatty hump, floppy ears, and a large fold of skin under its neck. These cattle are supremely adapted for hot, tropical environments due to their ability to regulate heat. Zebu are valued for their meat, milk, and ability to serve as draft animals.]
Likewise, the [Merino] was specially selected as a farm animal suitable for the desert farm.
As for the [Goat], [Quail], and [Guinea Fowl], they were apparently fine with the heat here.
“That didn’t even use up any energy,” I said to my husband, who was peering into the [Incubator] at the eggs.
“Do you want to rest or shall we continue?”
“Continue. I want to finish now because it will be hotter later.”
We walked out of the [Barn], and he flew me to the eastern border of our land, a place where the green grass was starting to turn brown, where the edge of my property met the wild, uncultivated desert. I placed a table on the ground and put all my seed packets on it, sorting them by type. The trees would be planted in cultivation boxes first.
“That seems like a lot,” said Prince Baiyu.
“Yeah, this is not a job I can finish in one day.”
The last item in my epic quest was to create a food forest in the desert. This could be combined with two other quests.
[A Thousand Figs and Fables:
The Fig Tree is the ancestor of agriculture itself, having sustained human communities for over ten thousand years. The figs and their leaves are prized for their medicinal properties, supporting good digestive health and bolstering immunity. By establishing this grove, you are creating a lush pocket of life that enriches the soil and offers valuable ingredients for crafting elixirs and tonics.
Plant two dozen Fig Trees.
Reward: Farming Exp]
That was pretty straightforward, and, as usual, the description of the [Fig Tree] was very promising.
[Fig Tree:
A tree with a cultivation history stretching back over tens of thousands of years, making it one of the very first domesticated food crops, predating cereals like wheat and barley. Its robust, deep-reaching root system allows this drought-tolerant, resilient tree to thrive in hot, dry, and arid climates, drawing moisture even from poor, rocky soil.]
The other quest was also pretty simple.
[Cassava for a Greener Future:
Cassava is an incredibly resilient staple crop vital for food security in a dry climate. Its remarkable drought tolerance and ability to yield in poor soils make it an indispensable tool for farmers in semi-arid regions.
Plant two dozen Cassava plants.
Reward: Farming Exp]
That took care of part of the food forest. As for the rest of the seeds I had to sow, I had carved out a plan with advice from various books, and I was pretty confident it would work.
The trees would be [Fig Trees], [Date Palms], [Olives], [Jujubes], [Pomegranates], [Carob], and [Pistachio].
The shrubs for the forest’s understory would be [Goji Berry], [Elderberry], [Honey Mesquite], [Saltbush], and [Prickly Pear].
The vines I had chosen were [Grape], [Gooseberry], [Yam], [Winged Bean], and [Bitter Melon].
The herbs and grasses would be [Sorghum], [Millet], [Wild Thyme], [Sage], and [Lemon Grass].
Lastly, the root crops I would plant were [Cassava], [Sweet Potato], [Yams], and [Jicama].
The scholars all agreed that the more kinds of trees a food forest had, the better it was for its long-term health. Mine was just a very small project, so I only had these, but for a big food forest, it should have at least a hundred different types of plants.
But first, before I could even get started, I had to take care of the earthworks. Once again, using the System’s Build tab, I selected the area and instructed the System to build contour swales.
[Contour Swales:
Shallow ditches, often planted with grasses and native vegetation, that follow the contours of the land in order to divert or slow rainwater and surface runoff. They reduce erosion and allow water to slowly, passively drain into the soil.]
“I think we should move away from here and watch the light show from a distance,” I said to my husband.
I put the seeds and table back into my inventory, and we flew back a little distance, landing near a small tree. Not one to suffer inconvenience, I spread a picnic blanket under the tree and placed two mist fans from the Cash Shop to cool and moisten the air. We sat down on the blanket and sipped on some water while I activated the System’s landscaping tools to build the swales. I also bought an [Empyrean Earth Transformer] to speed up the process.
The effect was magnificent. The clouds drew back, and the sky filled with golden shafts of light that illuminated the land below. This was instantly followed by the emergence of a massive magic circle. Blazing arcane markings spun within a vortex of clouds and poured down onto the earth.
“You know, I would say that the System is a big show-off, but now that I know that the System’s power is my power…” I grinned and gestured at the sky above us. “I have to admit that I’m a big show off.”
[Empyrean Earth Transformer
Time Left: 05 Days 23 Hours 59 Minutes]
“This is better than any fireworks show,” said Prince Baiyu.
I was about to offer my lap for him to rest his head on when an unexpected phenomenon appeared among the clouds.
Prince Baiyu pointed at it. “Is that…?”
“It's him!” I exclaimed, a huge grin splitting my face.
*****
Author's Note:
- I realized I made a long list of plants, but this is actually pretty tame because irl people would use way more varieties in this situation.
- Some of the plants I listed may not be that suitable irl, but the ones in the story are special "spirit plants" not normal ones.
- The truth is that if this was "realistic" there would like literally 200-500 species of just grasses in the desert farm land area, but I don't think people are that interested in learning all of those. Nor do I want to write it. :)
- Besides, since this is a game-like System, it would have more simplified game quests, not realistic ones.
- I chose the Merino sheep instead of the desert bighorn sheep simply because I feel like people have already heard of Merino wool, but not Bighorn sheep.
- Advanced chapters on my Patreon!
- Thank you very much for reading.
- Please let me know if there are any errors.