Back at the Council, the 11 Councillors and Jonn sat in their places, the older ones breathing a little louder than usual, while the younger ones, in better physical condition, looked at each other with hope.

  There was no reason for them to doubt Jonn and the ‘fact’ that Hewet had left something to save them. The old Elder had always been a scholar, so it was possible. Now that they had seen for themselves the village’s chance, they were interested in how to replicate the small area Jonn had demarcated.

  “Well, it looks like you weren’t lost in mourning. That’s good, Jonn.” Elia was the one to break the silence in the roofless building and talk about the most important thing. “Now we have to think of a way to expand the plantation you started.”

  He looked at her and said, “As I already explained to some of the Council’s members, we have to observe the result of the removal of the crystals I told you about. But in another 10 days, we’ll have an answer. As long as we don’t damage the plants in the greenhouse, we can expand the area I showed you by 10 times.”

  Everything impressed Petyr, but this figure was nowhere near what the village needed to overcome its food crisis. But before criticizing, he looked at Arber and asked, “How much food would that get us? 10 square meters isn’t exactly a lot of land.”

  “If we only planted tomatoes, we could probably get about 500 kilograms a year. More or less. It depends on how efficient this land is. I’ve seen nothing grow on it, so I could be incorrect by a large margin.” Arber looked at Petyr and the other Councilors, not imagining that Jonn had a better estimate than hers.

  But he wasn’t prepared to say what he had discovered. His village could accept his action on Hewet’s behalf, but he wanted to present his changes slowly to avoid too great a shock.

  The problem with the ‘dead’ terrain in Barren Hills of Deepshadow lies in a mixture of factors. Because of the toxic mana in the atmosphere, any plants planted here died a long time ago. The death of the plants triggered the death of the micro-organisms in the soil, but not only that, climatic events and those related to the mages who fought here also impoverished the mineral configuration of the soil. However, by treating the soil with compost, introducing micro-organisms to parts of it stabilized by mana crystals and doing maintenance work, it is possible to replicate what we do in greenhouses.

  The first generation might be less productive because of the limited number of mana crystals available. However, as the plants cultivated by Grandpa transform the soil, we could achieve results similar to or even better than those in the greenhouse.

  The greenhouse had several limitations. It was a specialized device designed to filter out some of the toxic mana from the Barren Hills of Deepshadow, but it was restricted in terms of space and the number of microorganisms it could support. In contrast, the region’s barren soil had no such limitations. Given enough time, it would be possible to reforest the area and unlock its potential.

  With more land available for the plants, worms, and other necessary creatures, the results could surpass those achieved in the greenhouse. Jonn understood this well, having studied the greenhouse’s terrain and plants extensively using [Analysis] and [Essence of Life].

  “It’s not enough,” Petyr said, looking at Jonn after listening to Arber. “Tomatoes aren’t the toughest crop to produce, but let’s assume these figures apply to other plants we introduce into this soil you’ve worked on. We’ll still be far from what we need to avert the crisis. It will take at least three months to harvest what we plant, maybe longer. And even then, it won’t be sufficient.”

  No one could disagree with the village’s chief hunter. He was absolutely right. The figure Arber quoted was optimistic, yet inadequate for the village’s needs. Even when combined with the greenhouse’s production, they were still far from a critical threshold.

  Jonn remained calm and replied, “Things won’t change overnight, Petyr. But we must invest in this option. I have a feeling we’ll achieve a better yield than Arber mentioned, and perhaps in less time than in the greenhouse. In any case, it will buy us time.

  "You mentioned we have a maximum of six months? This will give us several more weeks before we face the situation you warned me about.”

  Petyr said, “I can’t deny that. If your theories are correct, we will indeed have more time. But even so, it’s not definitive. What if we face a storm in the meantime? Unlike the greenhouse, we can’t protect the land you’ve been working on.”

  Several of the Councillors hadn’t considered the possibility yet and felt uneasy.

  What Petyr and the others didn’t realize was that the plants in the Eternal Village were not ordinary. Not just any plant in this magical world could filter toxic mana—originating from mages—and produce healthy, non-toxic food for ordinary mortals.

  The plants brought by Hewet when he arrived in the village, and those that existed now, were different; they were evolutions, as Jonn understood.

  These plants are highly resistant. They would only be in danger from a phenomenon capable of devastating the entire village. But in such a case, we’d all be dead and wouldn’t have to worry about food…

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  Otherwise, storms and even common pests wouldn’t pose much threat to our plants. The only reason they didn’t thrive in the soil before was no one used the the cultivation method involving mana crystals.

  It seemed simple, but without [Essence of Life], figuring it out without many years of study by experts—something that didn’t exist in the village—would have been troublesome. From what Jonn had seen, these crystals existed at the very bottom of the pots, an area that the village farmers could hardly reach in their actions. And when a plant died, when it would be time for the farmers to move that soil in a way that would lead to the discovery of the crystals, the crystals would have long since fallen apart. That was the effect that [Essence of Life] suggested would happen if the relationship between plants and crystals ended. Hence, discovering it would have been a stroke of luck. If Jonn hadn’t understood the connection between the plants and the crystals and how their relationship worked, his hopeful discovery wouldn’t have occurred.

  “I ask the village Councilors to give my grandfather’s method a chance before giving up hope. If it doesn’t work, we’ll find another solution.” He gestured towards Petyr, knowing that everyone there trusted the strongest man in the village.

  “We should try,” Lance agreed. Despite his earlier doubts about Jonn’s sanity, the revelations of the morning had convinced him of the old Elder chosen one’s position. “You want another 10 days, right? We’ll monitor the growth of the tomato plants during that time and reassess the situation afterward.”

  With everyone in agreement, Jonn turned to the village carpenter and said, “Old Urian, I need you to create a barrier between the land we’re working on and the surrounding area. I’ve noticed the animals trying to get close to it. Let’s ensure they don’t have access to our future.”

  No one was surprised by this request. It seemed natural for hungry animals to be drawn to the sprouts and approach the planting area. However, Jonn had an additional reason for his concern.

  At the end of the meeting, the group dispersed. Jonn quickly made his way ahead of the Counselors, heading toward the animal area, which was near the greenhouse and his experimental plot.

  Stopping next to the animal fence, he observed the cows and the bull, the three lying on the ground, exhausted.

  The animals seemed drawn to the crystals I’ve buried outside the greenhouse… What would happen if I let them follow their instincts?

  Jonn had already realized that for [Essence of Life] to function properly, he needed to observe things using [Analysis]. Currently, he only had theories, but he wondered what might occur if he allowed one of these animals to interact with a piece of the crystals.

  The greenhouse’s glass layer limited the essence emanating from the mana crystals, preventing any animals from approaching. However, outside the greenhouse, these crystals become attractive to sentient beings in the area. It seemed animals were sensitive to mana differently than humans.

  The bull, lying on the ground next to the cows, looked at Jonn and let out a mournful moo. Sadly, it was rare for anyone to approach and feed him.

  The creature, slender with white leathery skin and visible bones, was not well, lacking the strength to walk as it once did.

  Jonn observed the scene briefly before moving on to focus on other plans. Earlier, the Celestial Magnifying Glass system had awarded him a progress point for initiating the changes necessary for the village’s survival.

  The situation in the greenhouse and that piece of land is under control. I can’t address the animal issue right now, so I need to continue searching for ore in the surrounding area.

  Stopping by the only granary in the Eternal Village, he picked up a wheelbarrow loaded with tools, including a shovel, a sledgehammer, and a large hammer.

  “Village Elder, where are you going?” Urian asked, surprised to see Jonn taking some tools he himself intended to use for tasks assigned by Jonn.

  “Old Urian, do you need these tools? Grandpa left me some clues about mining spots I’d like to explore, and I need them to work with.”

  The old man, with white hair and a large bald spot on top of his head, widened his eyes in surprise. “Ore? In the Eternal Village?”

  Jonn smiled and said, “There’s ore everywhere. Our terrain comprises rocks and various types of sediment. Somewhere there has to be something useful.”

  “Sigh! That’s for sure, but we’ve never been fortunate enough to find ores in good locations in the Barren Hills of Deepshadow. The mines we know have always been difficult to access, the kind where you have to dig far below ground level to get anything out... While it would be worth having one of these mines up and running, we don’t have the manpower to service the mines. So it’s the same as having nothing.

  “Yet, the Barren Hills of Deepshadow is vast. Good luck with that. If the old Elder left any hints, follow them. Perhaps we have something not yet visited by the villagers that yields something other than coal.”

  Jonn nodded to Urian and continued his search. Finding minerals in the Barren Hills of Deepshadow was no simple task, but he had time, at least for the next few days.

  I only need to observe the germination of the tomatoes for 15 minutes a day and spend another 15 minutes on the five plants in the greenhouse, from which I took the mana crystals halves. I can devote the rest of my time to searching for ores.

  Being the leader of a village of 43 inhabitants wasn’t overly demanding most days. Essentially, the leader worked like any other resident, and apart from Council meetings, there wasn’t much to manage.

  Jonn’s footsteps carried him farther from the village, each step taking him closer to a solitude where he could freely use the Celestial Magnifying Glass. Though he didn’t need to conceal the artifact—its true weight would be lost on casual observers—he felt a sense of reverence that demanded privacy. He pressed on, believing that distance from the village core might improve his chances of success.

  This should be a good place for me to start, he thought, cresting a small hill.

  Pausing at the summit, Jonn wiped the sweat from his brow with his shirt sleeve. The sun beat down mercilessly, its heat so intense that even standing still caused perspiration to bead on his skin. He took a moment to catch his breath and survey the area, taking a long swig from the water bottle he’d brought along.

  Time to work.

  Jonn began the process that he knew would become his routine over the coming days. It was a cycle of exertion and recovery: exhausting his mana reserves, resting to replenish them, and then beginning anew, all without achieving any significant results.

  Thus, his crusade in search of a substantial source of ores began!