Chapter 30: Inspection

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Inspection

Securing the heavy crate of tools under his arm, Rowan bade farewell to Brokk and Barney before heading back across the grounds toward the agricultural quad. Friday morning classes were about to start, and today was critical: Professor Vane was scheduled to perform the official first-full-day crop inspection on Plot 36 in Dome Gamma.

Between his academy obligations and the upcoming weekend, Rowan had a tight schedule. He needed to manage his plot for school evaluations, prepare a massive yield of crops in his time-dilated domain to sell at the local farmer’s market on Saturday and Sunday, and set aside the promised 80% share for the Ironforge family’s shipment.

Rowan entered the lecture hall for his morning review session, taking his seat as the rest of his class gathered. Up at the front podium, Professor Vane adjusted his spectacles, his sharp gaze scanning the room.

"Good morning, class," Professor Vane announced, his voice echoing across the amphitheater. "Today marks twenty-four hours since you laid down your initial seeds in Dome Gamma. Review session will be brief, as we will proceed directly to the dome for your first official progress evaluation. I expect to see proper root anchoring, correct moisture logging, and zero signs of mana shock."

As Vane began reviewing the core principles of soil stabilization on the blackboard, Rowan mentally calculated his domain schedule. With the 10:1 time dilation inside his personal space, a few hours of cultivation tonight would yield more than enough high-grade produce to stock his family’s market stall and fulfill his contract with Brokk.

Once the lecture concluded, Professor Vane picked up his clipboard and motioned to the class. "Alright. Follow me to Dome Gamma. Let’s see who managed to nurture actual growth—and who merely watered weeds."

Rowan stood up, fell into line with his classmates, and walked toward the research dome, ready for Professor Vane’s scrutiny on Plot 36.

***

The humid air of Dome Gamma was quiet except for the faint clinking of clipboard latches and the soft rustle of student boots on the gravel walkways. Professor Vane walked down the central aisle, his stern eyes darting over each designated section.

"Inconsistent moisture levels, Kaelen," Vane noted dryly, barely pausing as he marked a deduction on his ledger. "Your soil is pooling near the edges. If you don’t adjust your irrigation flow, the root nodes will rot before second-stage germination."

Kaelen winced, hurriedly tapping his control panel.

Vane continued down the row, offering curt critiques to student after student until he finally stopped in front of Plot 36.

The professor stared at the vibrant green shoots rising through the C-Grade topsoil. The stems were nearly ten centimeters tall, standing thick, sturdy, and radiating a healthy, natural sheen under the dome lights. There wasn’t a single yellowing leaf or frayed tip in the entire arrangement.

Vane tapped his clipboard against his thigh, unlatching the protective glass cover to lean in closer. He reached down with two gloved fingers, lightly touching the base of the central stalk. He closed his eyes briefly, channeling a trace of diagnostic mana to feel the underlying root network.

When he opened his eyes, a flicker of genuine shock crossed his normally stoic face.

"The root structure..." Vane muttered, almost to himself. He pulled out a magnifying lens, peering intently at the soil bed. "The lateral roots have already anchored twelve centimeters deep into the matrix. The mana distribution across the entire bed is completely uniform—zero stagnation, zero nutrient leakage."

He snapped his head up, his sharp gaze locking onto Rowan, who stood by with an easy, composed expression.

"Rowan Vance," Vane said, his voice ringing clearly down the aisle and drawing the attention of several nearby classmates. "Did you introduce any external growth stimulants or restricted alchemical fertilizers into this plot?"

"No, sir," Rowan answered calmly. "I followed the standard preparation protocol: uniform seed spacing, precise moisture balance, and a slight manual mana alignment during the initial watering to encourage smooth root orientation."

Professor Vane stared at him for a long moment, scanning Rowan’s face for any sign of deceit. Finding none, he looked back down at the thriving plot and let out a small, approving breath.

"Manual alignment alone shouldn’t produce a root density this robust in twenty-four hours unless the caster possesses extraordinary spatial and elemental sensitivity," Vane said, adjusting his spectacles. He tapped his pen against his ledger, making several firm marks.

"Full marks for the first evaluation, Vance. In fact... your plot stands at the top of the entire freshman cohort. Keep this baseline intact, and you’ll be fast-tracked for advanced research permissions by mid-term."

"Thank you, Professor," Rowan replied with a respectful nod.

Behind Vane, Kaelen and Eliana exchanged wide-eyed glances, whispering in hushed admiration as the professor moved on to inspect the next row. Rowan looked down at Plot 36, a quiet sense of satisfaction settling in—his academy foundation was rock solid, and now it was time to prepare his true harvest in the domain.

As the rest of the class continued working on their plots, Professor Vane closed his ledger with a sharp snap.

"Vance," Professor Vane called out, turning back toward Plot 36. "Given the advanced root anchoring and flawless health of your crop, daily weekend monitoring on this specific plot would be redundant. You are officially exempted from this weekend’s mandatory check-in."

"Thank you, Professor," Rowan said.

Taking advantage of the quiet moment, Rowan reached into his side bag and pulled out two carefully wrapped samples from his private yields—a plump E-Grade Tomato glowing with fresh color, and a cluster of D-Grade Luminous Mana-Soybeans firm with concentrated nutrients.

"Professor, if you have a moment, I had a question regarding market valuation," Rowan said, stepping closer and placing the samples on the inspection ledge. "My family is setting up an independent vendor booth at the district farmer’s market this weekend to sell our private crops. How would you suggest pricing crops in the E-Grade and D-Grade brackets for retail consumers?"

Vane raised an eyebrow at the offer, picking up the E-Grade tomato first. He rolled it gently in his gloved palm, feeling its weight and subtle mana resonance, before examining the soybean pod with keen eyes.

"An independent booth?" Vane mused, a look of mild intrigue in his eyes. "Most student families rely on wholesale distributors who take a massive cut. Selling directly gives you far better margins—provided you price them accurately."

He tapped the E-Grade tomato. "Standard market produce has zero mana content. A refined E-Grade crop like this offers mild vitality recovery and clean nutrient absorption. For civilian households looking for daily health benefits, price E-Grade items between 15 to 20 gold pieces per kilogram. It’s accessible enough for regular families, yet commands a fair premium over mundane produce."

He then gently laid down the D-Grade Luminous Mana-Soybean.

"D-Grade, however, enters the realm of functional alchemical reagents and active physical stimulants," Vane explained, his tone growing more serious. "Local hunters, novice adventurers, and low-tier craftsmen—like blacksmith apprentices or alchemists—will gladly pay top gold for this. Do not underprice it. Mark D-Grade produce at 45 to 60 gold pieces per kilogram, or sell them in individual portion packs for specialized use."

Vane looked at Rowan with an approving nod. "With produce of this quality, your booth won’t have any trouble drawing a crowd. Just ensure your display clearly highlights the grade certifications."

"I appreciate the guidance, Professor," Rowan said, bowing slightly as he gathered his samples back into his bag.

With his weekend inspection waived and expert pricing guidance in hand, Rowan left Dome Gamma, ready to prepare his massive domain harvest for the big launch tomorrow.