Chapter 10

'Oh my... This situation is quite a terrible one...' Evan Young couldn't help but grieve on behalf of Eins' cropping field. Although he was here twice yesterday, Evan Young had given little to no thought to inspect the land and how it was doing.

He had no idea that the condition of his field was this bad.

If this scene were seen by the farmers from the modern world, they would definitely revoke Eins' farmer license and ban him from growing anything else in the future.

It was an absolute farming disaster.

The crux of his problem would start at where his field was positioned. Being positioned close to a river that flows through the Fang-Boar Village, this place should be a golden location for a great harvest.

But unfortunately, the concept of proper irrigation hardly came across Eins's mind from his inexperience. And this was just the start of all his mistakes.

Evan Young could only sigh while looking at the field. But no matter how disappointed he was, he had to give him a hand since he owed the family quite a favor.

From the look of it, Eins also made a terrible choice in the crops he's going for. Out of a few options, he actually picked a few that were highly sensitive to the water content inside the soil.

He would likely have no crop to harvest at all if he didn't try to nourish the field with some Magicule-Stone. But even so, it was just prolonging the issue he had in the first place.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Eins. Even I will be powerless to help you if you keep planting your crop this way. This field will eventually produce nothing later," said Evan Young.

"The decision will eventually fall on you to choose to believe me or not," he added. Evan Young knew what he said to Eins was harsh, but it was much better than keep allowing him to continue with the pointless work.

He might as well return to the frontline and continue as a soldier, assuming this was what Eins had been doing after retiring.

"Was it that bad?" Eins' reply somewhat surprised Evan, and he thought the father of four would be angry from his honesty. But instead, he seemed to understand what Evan Young tried to tell him and even noticed his inexperience.

"Yes. From how you tend the field to your choice of crops, everything was a mistake." Evan Young answered Eins' question without a hint of hesitation on his face. This also shows how sure he was in regards to Eins' arrangement.

"Then... Please guide me, little brother. This land was given by the lord because I was performing excellently in the army. If I couldn't uphold the lord's trust in me, it would make my household look inadequate in front of my lord." Eins replied.

It seems that there was a reason behind his retirement.

Eins' answer successfully convinced Evan Young to help him.

"Since you're willing to listen to my guidance, I'll try my best to assist you. Let us start by making a ditch that can redirect the water from the river to run around our soil." Evan Young said.

Evan Young took the multipurpose tool out after leaving the bag on the ground. The multipurpose tool he used early while helping the family chop the firewood now converted into a hoe from adjusting a few screws around the blade.

Next, the son, Elric, brought him over to where the water flows into the field. The duo soon returned to the farm after inspecting and checking how much water would be flowing into the area.

Constant nourishment in minerals brought by the water was good, but not everything was beneficial when too much was given.

After pointing out a few places to make some modifications, the trio soon started to work. Elric was given the most straightforward work in creating the outline of a drain for the water to run smoothly. In the meantime, Eins and Evan helped each other make a shallow channel for the water to flow through.

With a water channel that directed the water around, it would be easier for him to control the water content inside the soil. But this was just the first step.

If Eins wants to ensure that the Golden Soil Fruit can grow appropriately in his field, this change is a must. But controlling the water content could only secure that the potatoes do not die from getting moldy or rot from the root.

Taking a short rest from working on the water channel, they removed the wild weed growing around the field next. Evan Young instructed the father and son pair to create four "hilling" rows and use the gap efficiently with the four meters of land they're left with.

Their gap was about one meter from one another, enough for him to grow sixteen plants at once. After the hilling work was done, the still savable crops were moved and replanted into the soil, while those that were no longer savable had to be thrown away.

Their work was done for now, but it was not the time to start planting the Golden Soil Fruit yet. Coincidently, it was already time for Esther and Elise to drop by with something light for them to eat.

It seems that Esther had come here purposely with another bag in her hand. After it was given to Eins, he immediately approached Evan Young and let him look at the content inside the bag.

"What's next, little brother Evan? Will we be planting the Golden Soil Fruit now?" Eins asked.

"These were all the Golden Soil Fruits I still have with me. If we wanted to, we could try to grow around five plants from what I have here," he added.

Each one of the Golden Soil Fruit was about the size of Elise's fist. And from the look of it, the sprout is yet to grow from the tuber itself.

"No. We won't be planting the fruit right now. Instead, let's grab some soil from here and bring it back home. We'll be doing something else in preparation." Evan said.