Chapter 49 Give back to the community

Winter was already ramping down. There wasn’t much to do except stay inside, and when we all ended up staying in… Well, things sort of always headed in that particular direction. No signs of another pregnancy yet, though, which was surprising. I hit twenty-five again and picked up comfort zone while seeing the new alchemist skill.

New!

Eat the vial- You can condense potions down into a solid glass-like container, which will double the effects if the same potion is stored and consumed.

Placebo- Drinking any liquid out of a potion vial has a small chance to provide a small boost to health, stamina, and mana.

Herbdar- Gain an innate feeling when near a wild herb, can somewhat tell which direction it is in.

That was a difficult choice, but none of them stood out as important enough to pick over comfort zone. The thing was, I really should have gotten that beforehand. First, the regeneration was incredibly overpowered. Doubling anything, especially for everyone inside an area, was a game changer, but the skill also had a secondary effect. It made the area naturally more comfortable.

You could say that doesn’t matter, but every single person on the farm would be that much more relaxed compared to before. The bed wouldn’t change, but a person would feel it had, it would be more comfortable, which would let them fall asleep quicker, they’d get better rest, which would make them less irritable, and that effect would continuously snowball.

The innkeeper had the skill, which is how I learned so much about it, and it was something that would make births easier. My version was also better; it gave the same bonuses, except for the entire farm(an area bigger than the town), not just a single building.

I sat at a stand near the trader as most people looked at me in curiosity as they walked passed. Only a few stopped and asked what I was doing before gleefully making suggestions. Around lunchtime, once people realized what I was doing, I had a much larger line than before. “Rhubarb, make sure you buy rhubarb to grow!”

I just kept my smile as I said. “It’s already been suggested, by five other housewives, so it’s on the list already… I don’t get the popularity of the plant, but I’m still going to grow it. It’s getting added to the communal farm plot.”

That was another thing I was doing differently. I figured growing plants that they wanted wasn’t going to be difficult, but I had already taken up plenty of space around the village, it was to the point that the mayor didn’t want me taking any more space. The communal plot was my workaround to grow more. I still got the levels, and it made the village happy, so it was a win/win.

I was going to focus on perennial crops that will grow back every single year, so they wouldn’t take much effort to keep going. Asparagus, beetroot, rhubarb, artichoke, tree kale, scarlet runner beans, and several different fruit and nut trees. The thing was, it wasn’t just growing for food, it also had to be aesthetically pleasing so people would come and visit it.

It meant I was also planning to produce several different flowers that might also function as a food source or for other purposes. Sunflowers, lavender, arugula, chives, cilantro, jasmine, chamomile, honeysuckle, and I was moving a portion of my dandelion experiment in as well. It would become the overflow plot for my other crops, allowing me to grow more and also give back to the village that took me in.

To be fair, it was a risk. Having a farmer nearby meant they would need to protect me, and they had done a great job so far, one goblin invasion that trampled most of my crops and a bandit invasion that I wasn’t even the focus of. Still, it was the thought of protection that counted, because most other outskirt villages wanted nothing to do with me.

I got extremely lucky over and over again. Most farmers are forced to pick the extra produce skills because they have to provide for thousands of people. I was maybe producing enough for three or four hundred, but my luxury goods were how I made the bulk of my income. In almost every circumstance, having more crops to sell would make more money. I was the outlier, and it was because I came up with a new method to make that money.

I was also planning on expanding what I grew to sell. Sugarcane, sugar beet, sweet potato, rutabaga, cabbage, squash, brussels sprouts, cherry and plum tomatoes, soybean, rice, bamboo, cotton, lemon, lime, cantaloupe, jack fruit, magified grass seed for animals, and every tree that provided nuts or fruits I could get my hands on.

The biggest problem was our growing area. I could grow most plants, but some were just impossible for me to grow. The strongest peppers couldn’t be grown here; they were grown in the desert region to the north. I had started looking into crossbreeding a stronger pepper that could survive in our climate, but it would be extremely expensive and could end in failure. Even still, I paid the platinum to get the seeds to try, as I tried to think of ways to increase the temperature in one of the greenhouse sheds.

Preparations had already begun, as I had started making many cold frames to get my plants started before winter was truly over. I had noticed some scouting bees had come out to check and see if it was still winter, I didn’t know they did that. Apparently, if it got warm enough, the bees would go outside to relieve themselves, or what is called a cleansing flight.

The barn door was left open now, it was warm enough that they were making their way outside every single day, only during nights would they head back in and want the door closed. The golems had begun doing small menial tasks around the farm; some were sweeping snow off of roofs, while others shoveled paths leading in and out of the village.

Having a force to do menial tasks was nice, and it freed up adventurers a few hours every snowfall they’d have to spend clearing their own homes to dungeon dive instead. It was another thing that made the village happy to have me; many of the wives wanted to start renting out the golems to help with carrying items or doing other menial tasks.

It was a good way for them to learn more while they were still less busy, while also making a pittance of a copper a day. It was still money, every bit counted, and them earning the average cost of a single meal was more than them earning nothing. It was amazing to see the difference a year had made to the wicker golems. The biggest difference was Hunk’s appearance. My first golem ever created was just bigger and bulkier than the rest. Most could beat a goblin by themselves now, but he might be the only one who could beat a bandit by himself. It was crazy remembering that he couldn’t even handle his own weight when he was first created.

I looked at the list I prepared for all of the animals and crops I was growing, and it was staggering. I hadn’t realized how much I was growing until I looked at them all written down.

Crops and animals

Tomatoes, Corn, Wheat, Potatoes, Radishes, Carrots, Blueberries, Strawberries, Cucumbers, Blackberries, Raspberries, Garlic, Onions, Mint, Sage, Pepper, Watermelons, Pumpkins, Apple, Chestnut, Grapes, Chicken, Wicker golems, Magified cows, Magified clover, Magified mushrooms, Goats, Ducks, Geese, Magified strawberry, Magified lichen, Dog, Cats, Bees, Peach, Cherry, Almond, Walnut, Rainbow grass, Light shade, Wizardbeard, Tobacco, Dandelion, Asparagus, Beetroot, Rhubarb, Artichoke, Tree kale, Scarlet runner beans, Sunflower, Lavender, Arugula, Chives, Cilantro, Jasmine, Chamomile, Honeysuckle, Sugarcane, Sugar beet, Sweet potato, Rutabaga, Cabbage, Squash, Brussels sprouts, Cherry tomato, Plum tomato, Soybean, Rice, Bamboo, Cotton, Lemon, Lime, Cantaloupe, Jack fruit, Magified grass, Many different nut/fruit trees,