Chapter 91 - Making Progress or Not?

Apparently, Reina was self-taught, too, so Zelos would learn the most since the others already had their foundation in fighting. He didn’t dislike the idea, but he didn’t like the idea that he was becoming part of someone else’s plan.

In the end, one week passed since Zelos received the letter and on that day, he finished planting all the potato seeds. While he was stretching his body, he felt like he needed a break… not even his horses worked more than him, after all.

“Now I just have to water, hill, fertilize, and maintain the whole place free of anything that can cause a problem… while I work on this, I have to prepare how am I going to sell everything. I bet that I can sell around with ease in this area alone, but I should add some extra value and use it as an experiment for when the next battle starts.”

Potatoes are an incredibly versatile food and can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways. They can be boiled in salted water until tender and then served as a side dish. They can be seasoned with herbs, butter, or olive oil.

Boiled potatoes can be mashed with butter, milk, salt, and pepper to create creamy mashed potatoes. Garlic, cheese, or sour cream can also be added for extra flavor. Potatoes can be cut into cubes or wedges, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, and roasted in the oven until golden and crispy.

Potatoes can be baked whole in the oven until tender. They can then be served with toppings such as butter, sour cream, chives, cheese, bacon, or chili. Potatoes can be cooked with onions, garlic, broth, and cream to make a hearty potato soup. Bacon, cheese, or herbs can be added for extra flavor.

There were other ways, but Zelos wanted to focus on the recipes that could be made even by soldiers, that would make life on the front lines a lot less depressing since the food would always be fresh and tasty.

“I should invest in condiments as well… I could sell a pack of them for all soldiers to buy and then season and cook their potatoes the way they wanted. Everyone would gladly buy their food if they could during battles instead of relying just on rations. At the same time, I bet I can make some business with higher ups and make them buy those and give the soldiers. Few things are as important as morale in a battle, after all.”

While he was planning how to do that kind of the process, Zelos recalled that he had to give his reply to Liry… at the same, he recalled that Irlan said that he could give him a hand in exchange for some discount. Perhaps he could bring some trustworthy people with him as well.

While Zelos was writing those letters, he suddenly received the visit of some people from nearby areas. Zelos’s reputation preceded him as he engaged with the locals. They were taken aback by his youthful appearance that contrasted with the remarkable feats he had already accomplished, both in the recent conflict and in starting his farm single-handedly.

As Zelos talked about his journey and the tasks he undertook to establish his farm, the listeners grew increasingly intrigued. To these townsfolk, who knew the toil and labor it took to set up and maintain a farm, Zelos’s initiative and success at such a young age were nothing short of remarkable.

Zelos extended an open invitation to them to witness firsthand the work he was doing at his farm. The next day, half of the group vanished thanks to how much work it had to be done. And as they observed Zelos’s diligence and determination in tending to his fields, the doubts and skepticism began to fade,

“As you can see, work here won’t be easy, and I am not planning to employ that many people since this place isn’t that huge and there are plenty of tools here to look after the plants. If you are willing to work for me, you can receive some benefits aside from your payment. I won’t demand anything aside from care and hard work in exchange.”

In the end, Zelos managed to hire three people that day. After agreeing with them about what they were supposed to do and their salaries, they immediately started helping Zelos.

Their job was essentially getting rid of worms, watching the farm to avoid animals that can cause harm to plants and water the plants. 

At the end of the first day, they were beaten, even though they did exactly half of the job while Zelos did the other half. That day as well, Zelos sent the letter to Liry and Irlan.

“He should come here in one week. I need to plan what I am going to do afterwards since he will stay here for a while. I guess I will pay a visit to that old man blacksmith. I finally have some idea of improvements for my Iron balls, after all. This came out so wrong… anyway, I guess I will buy some other tools to help fix the place that we used to sleep here.”

When the battle was over, the soldiers fixed to some extent the house of the farm, but it had been a very surface level work, and Zelos also needed to make the place work like a proper house and warehouse. He heard once that there are no holidays for those who work on the fields, and he already knew that, but that confirmation was kind of rough.

After a week had passed, Irlan made his way to the farm, bringing along the ten horses that Hei had mentioned. He had decided to utilize the place as a post for the clan, adding another layer of significance to Zelos’s efforts. As he approached, Irlan was taken aback by the sight that greeted him.

What he found surpassed his expectations. The farm was bustling with activity, and Zelos was at the heart of it all, tirelessly working to cultivate the land. Irlan couldn’t help but feel a sense of amazement at how much work Zelos had accomplished single-handedly in just two weeks.

As he took in the sight of the flourishing farm and the dedication of its young owner, Irlan realized the potential that lay within this business. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride in Zelos’s accomplishments and admiration for his hard work and determination. It was weird about how he could be a big deal inside and out of combat.

“So, Zelos, what should I do here?”

“Everyone here already knows what they should do. Just make sure that they will finish their job daily. After that, it doesn’t matter what they do. You also have to look after the horses.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“I sure hope so. I am going to return to the village to solve some things with the old man farmer, and then I will return as soon as possible with some things.”

As Zelos journeyed back to Hei’s clan territory, his mind worked with considerations for his farm. One of the first decisions he grappled with was how to proceed with acquiring apple trees for Nightstorm’s sake. However, he realized he needed to weigh his options carefully.

One option was to purchase fully grown apple trees. The advantage of this approach was immediate fruit production. Zelos could start enjoying the fruits of his labor right away, and Nightstorm would be pleased with the fresh apples. However, fully grown trees tend to be more expensive to buy, and transporting them could also be a logistical challenge. Additionally, transplanting mature trees carries a risk of shock, potentially affecting their growth and productivity.

On the other hand, Zelos could opt to buy young apple saplings and raise them himself. This option was more cost-effective initially, as young trees are typically cheaper to purchase. It also allowed Zelos to have greater control over the tree’s growth and development, ensuring they adapted well to their new environment. However, this approach required more patience, as it would take several years for the saplings to mature and bear fruit. Nightstorm would have to wait longer for his beloved apples, and Zelos would need to invest time and effort into nurturing the trees to maturity.

“I guess I will buy some grown ones and some saplings as well. Hopefully, they will make me recover the money I invested.”

At the same time, Zelos realized that while he had trained his body a lot recently, he hadn’t improved his fighting style that much. He was going to train with Reina for a while, so perhaps he shouldn’t worry about that… 

Once he returned to the town, Zelos first went to see the old man blacksmith and soon handed him his iron balls. Fortunately, he won’t have to call them his iron balls anymore. So, the weird feeling was going to disappear.

“It has been a while, boy. What do you come for this time?”

“I want you to reforge this into something sharper and pointy. They need to be as heavy as the iron balls, but they need to take the shape of pointy metal projectiles that will have a cylindrical shape, but the point will thin out like a needle.”

“You always come here with some crazy ideas… but this seems interesting enough. How many days do I have?”

“Around three.”

“All right, plenty of time.”

After talking about the value of the work, Zelos went to talk with the old man farmer about their business. It seemed that whenever he wasn’t there, the old man would have a hard time with the people he hired. Recently, some people would come and go after giving up after a few weeks, and the old man kept giving them second chances since few people wanted to do that much work. Still, the young ones wanted to become as strong as Zelos, and they imagined that the farm work would do that for them.